May 20, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

Russia on Friday claimed its troops have “completely liberated” the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol — the final holdout of Ukrainian resistance in the otherwise Russian-occupied southern city.

CNN cannot independently verify that all Ukrainian troops have left the steel plant.

Ukraine is yet to confirm Russia’s claims, which, if true, would mark a symbolic military victory for Moscow.

Here’s what you need to know:

The siege of Mariupol: The strategically important port city was one of the first to come under Russian attack after Moscow’s invasion began on Feb. 24. By early March, it had been surrounded by Russian forces, leaving residents facing dire shortages of food and water — and constant bombardment that hit a maternity hospital and a theater where civilians were sheltering.

The plant: By mid-April, most of the last Ukrainian defenders were fighting to hold Russian forces back from the Azovstal steel plant — which had also become a shelter for as many as 1,000 civilians, including some seriously injured who were stranded without medical care.

In late April, Russia claimed it had achieved the “liberation” of Mariupol — which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied, saying soldiers were still resisting in the city.

Evacuation attempts: Evacuations of civilians from Azovstal began on May 1. On May 16, Ukraine’s military said its forces had completed their “combat mission” at the steel plant, with hundreds of soldiers evacuated from the facility.

Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers evacuated from the plant were taken to a pre-trial detention center, while the severely injured were receiving medical treatment, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Ukraine said it expects to carry out an exchange of Russian prisoners of war for the severely injured soldiers.

The situation on the ground: If true, Russia’s claim on Friday would suggest the entire city of Mariupol has fallen to Russian control after nearly three months of brutal fighting.

A spokesperson from the Russian Defense Ministry claimed the “last group of 531 militants surrendered” in the plant. Earlier, the Ukrainian commander of the Azov regiment had issued an order for soldiers to preserve their “life and health … and stop defending the city.”

Videos posted online appear to show the remaining Azov fighters walking out of the steel plant. CNN cannot independently verify the number of fighters left in the plant.

Russian gains: If confirmed, the fall of the Azovstal steel plant means Russian forces are in full control of Mariupol, paving the way for them to establish a land corridor between Russia and the annexed territory of Crimea.

The symbolic victory would also secure a key port on the Sea of Azov for Russia and release Russian troops to fight on the front lines of the war in the Donbas region.

Wimbledon, the third of the four majors on the tennis calendar, is arguably the most famous tennis tournament in the world.

This year, however, the men’s and women’s professional tours, along with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), have opted to strip its ranking points for the grand slam event.

The announcements to remove the ranking points, which were made separately Friday by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the ITF, come following the decision from the tournament’s organizers to ban Russians and Belarusians from playing in this year’s event.

“The stance we are taking is about protecting the equal opportunities that WTA players should have to compete as individuals,” a statement from WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said.
“If we do not take this stance, then we abandon our fundamental principle and allow the WTA to become an example to support discrimination based on nationality at other events and in other regions around the world.”

In a statement, ATP said, “Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a Tour that operates in more than 30 countries.”

Read the full story:

Wimbledon organizers are standing by the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players despite the WTA, ATP and ITF removing ranking points for the event.

Related article Tennis tours strip ranking points at Wimbledon over decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday called Russian air strikes the epitome of “absolute evil, absolute stupidity,” after the destruction of a cultural center that left at least seven people injured.

Zelensky posted video on Telegram of the airstrike which wrecked the “newly renovated House of Culture,” causing a massive cloud of dust and debris, and also injured at least seven people including a child, in the city of Lazova in the Kharkiv region.

“The occupiers identified culture, education and humanity as their enemies. They do not spare missiles or bombs for them. What is in the minds of people who choose such targets? Absolute evil, absolute stupidity,” he said underneath the video of the strike.

Russia claimed Friday that its troops have “completely liberated” the besieged Azovstal steel plant in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. 

In a statement, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov said that the “last group of 531 militants surrendered,” referring to the Ukrainian fighters who for several weeks had been resisting the Russian assault on the plant.

Earlier, the Ukrainian commander of the Azov Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Prokopenko, gave the order to stop defending the city of Mariupol and issued a short video message from inside the Azovstal steel plant saying that the top military leadership had “issued an order to preserve the garrison soldiers’ life and health and stop defending the city.”

Konashenkov said the Azov Regiment commander “was taken out of the territory of the plant in a special armored car.”

New video just posted online appears to show the remaining Azov fighters walking out of the steel plant. 

CNN cannot independently verify that all Ukrainian troops have vacated the steel plant.

The $40 billion Ukraine aid bill is being flown to South Korea for US President Joe Biden’s signature, a National Security Council spokesperson confirmed to CNN. 

The bill is “being carried by someone who was already traveling to the region as part of their official duties,” the spokesperson said.

“The bill is being flown to South Korea for the President to sign, and it’s being carried by someone who was already traveling to the region as part of their official duties,” the spokesperson said.  

The legislation provides money for military and humanitarian aid, including funding to assist Ukrainian military and national security forces, help replenish US equipment sent to Ukraine, and provide public health and medical support for Ukrainian refugees.

German Ambassador to the US Emily Haber said that a strategy of interdependence when engaging Russia has now been “pulverized” by the invasion of Ukraine and resulting fallout.

When asked by CNN’s Jim Sciutto whether “Germany fundamentally misread Vladimir Putin” in past years, here’s how Haber responded:

“It is true that for many decades our strategy rested on the fundamental assumption … that interdependence would produce stability, predictability, and to some extent of a time, even alignment. It was, if you will, our experience with regard to the GDR [the former East Germany] and with reunification and even with regard with the implosion of the Soviet Empire. We now do see that interdependence can actually also produce vulnerability. So this assumption, in effect, has been pulverized.”

Haber also reiterated that the West needs to be united in its messaging against Russian President Vladimir Putin, because “we know, in effect, probably very little about the inner dynamics of his circle.”

Haber also discussed Germany reducing dependence on Russian energy, saying that the country is working at “breakneck speed” and the result will be “irreversible.”

“We have to reduce our dependence on Russian fossil fuels as quickly as we possibly can. … We are now discussing an oil embargo. And Germany is actually pressing for it. There are other options on the table as well, but all of them designed to make sure we are getting out of that dependence. Gas is a more complicated story, because, other than the oil market, it’s not a global market. But we are diversifying — Germany is — at breakneck speed. We are ordering big contracts of LNG, we are building LNG facility storage … And our intention is to get out of Russian gas, let alone oil and coal, as quickly as we possibly can. We need to end that dependence, and it will be irreversible,” she said.

Germany and Qatar on Friday agreed on an energy partnership that may see Doha start supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Berlin in 2024. Earlier this month, Germany started construction works for its first floating LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven, a city and port located in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany.

A Russian missile destroyed the House of Culture in the Ukrainian city of Lozova on Friday, injuring seven people, including an 11-year-old child, according to Ukraine’s Office of the President.

CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the video, which was shared on Telegram by the president’s office. 

Lozova is located roughly 45 miles (about 73 kilometers), southwest of Izium, a Russian-occupied city in the Kharkiv region.

The missile was seen in the video milliseconds before it destroyed the building. When the missile hit the building, there was a large flash and a smoke plume as it exploded.

The president’s office claimed that the building had been newly renovated. CNN could not independently confirm the injuries that the office said resulted from the missile strike.

The US is expected to keep 100,000 troops stationed in Europe for the foreseeable future unless Russia escalates and threatens Sweden and Finland or NATO members, according to multiple US officials.

The numbers could temporarily increase if NATO carries out more military exercises in the region, and the US could add additional bases in Europe if the security environment changes, the officials added.

The plans are being considered following Thursday’s meeting of NATO’s military chiefs in Brussels, the officials said. The military chiefs are making the recommendations to a NATO defense ministers meeting planned for June, and NATO leaders including US President Joe Biden will meet in Madrid at the end of that month.

The US increased its overall force posture in Europe from about 60,000 troops before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to about 100,000 now, adding troops and military assets to countries along Europe’s eastern flank to support NATO and to further deter Russia. The US contributed thousands of troops to NATO’s Response Force, which was activated for the first time in NATO’s history earlier this spring.

Read the full story here.

Archbishop Paul, the foreign minister of Vatican City, reaffirmed the Vatican’s “willingness to aid a genuine negotiation process” between Ukraine and Russia in a speech in Kyiv on Friday. 

Speaking alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Archbishop Paul said negotiations were “a just route to a fair and permanent resolution” to the war in Ukraine.

Lamenting the “limitations” of previous attempts at finding a resolution through negotiations, the archbishop said: “Faith in God and in humanity (…) compels us to persevere in the pursuit of peace through prayer, words and deeds and not to succumb easily to the enormous challenges.”

“I assure you that both the Holy Father and his closest collaborators, including myself, suffer greatly from the many deaths, violence of all sorts, the devastation of cities and infrastructure, the separation of so many families, and the millions of displaced people and refugees,” he added.

Pope Francis has repeatedly made appeals for peace. The Vatican previously said it is willing to do “everything possible” to assist in reaching a ceasefire and brokering an end to the war in Ukraine. 

Archbishop Paul said the visit to Kyiv, at the invitation of Kuleba, had been planned “for quite some time,” but “obstacles” including health concerns with the Covid-19 pandemic had prevented it until now.

A Ukrainian man who lost his wife, 3-month-old daughter and mother-in-law in a missile strike on Easter weekend in Odesa said that “it is hard to live.”

Yuriy Glodan was at the grocery store and heard an explosion on the way home, he told CNN’s Sara Sidner.

“I felt immediately something bad had happened. I tried to call my wife. She did not answer,” he said in translated remarks.

When he arrived to his apartment building, which had been struck, he and a bystander immediately tried to start clearing rubble. They, alongside EMS staff, found the bodies of Glodan’s wife and her mother.

Officials told him to leave the scene because there was fear of a building collapse, but he wouldn’t leave until he found the body of his baby daughter.

“It is hard to live with this. My family was my whole life. I lived for their sake. When my baby came along, I understood the meaning of life,” he said. 

Glodan’s neighbor, 19-year-old Oleksiy Paradovsky, is in the hospital after suffering burns to 20% of his body.

“I realized that a rocket had hit my place and I started to burn,” he told Sidner. “I thought another minute, and I would definitely turn into ash.”

Shrapnel also had to be removed from his body. He was preparing to work on a commercial supply ship prior to the war, but now he’s just lucky to be alive, he said.

Watch the report and read more about the two men here:

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Germany will deliver the first 15 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine in July, a German defense ministry spokesperson confirmed Friday, adding that the tanks should be fully operational in Ukraine by mid-July.  

At the end of April, Germany agreed to deliver anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine. And in early May, Berlin said it will supply Kyiv with seven self-propelled howitzers.  

Last week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed Germany’s announcement, saying that Berlin has now moved into ”the right direction” following tensions between Kyiv and Berlin.  

Over the past months, the German government has come under pressure from Ukraine and politicians at home for not doing more in providing heavy military equipment to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian attacks.  

Germany and Qatar on Friday agreed on an energy partnership, which may see Doha start supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Berlin in 2024.

Qatar will become key to Germany’s future energy strategy to diversify away from Russian gas, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, addressing a joint press conference with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Berlin.

“The energy security issue plays an important role for us. Germany will develop its infrastructure to be in a position to import liquefied gas by ship,” Scholz said. 

“It’s a big step, and Qatar plays an important role in our strategy,” the German leader added.

The Qatari emir told journalists at the news conference that he hopes his country will commence to supply liquefied natural gas to Germany in 2024.

Some background: Germany has been under pressure from Ukraine and other nations in Europe to make progress in weaning itself off Russian energy supplies since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Germany started construction works for its first floating LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven, a city and port located in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany.

France announced on Friday that it launched its first medical evacuation flight from Poland for wounded Ukrainians and child cancer patients. 

In a statement, the French foreign ministry said the flight today evacuated seven Ukrainians wounded in the war, plus three Ukrainian children with cancer and their caregivers. 

The patients will be treated at the expense of France in various hospitals across the country, according to the statement.  

“France remains committed to supporting Ukraine and the populations affected by the consequences of the Russian aggression,” the ministry said.  

The finance ministers of Group of Seven (G7) nations have pledged $19.8 billion to support Ukraine’s finances during Russia’s invasion, a statement from the group said on Friday.

In the statement, the G7, an organization of leaders from some of the world’s largest economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US, said the funds will be used to help Ukraine “close its financing gap and continue ensuring the delivery of basic services to the Ukrainian people.”

“While also addressing Ukraine’s humanitarian and other material needs, we recognize, in particular, Ukraine’s urgent short term financing needs,” the statement said, adding that the proposed fund of $19.8 billion is “in addition to recent announcements on further military and humanitarian support.”

“We will continue to stand by Ukraine throughout this war and beyond and are prepared to do more as needed,” the group said.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has now entered its 13th week. In the otherwise Russian-occupied city of Mariupol the final holdout of the Azovstal steel plant has become a strong symbol of Ukrainian resistance. Today, an order has been given to stop defending the city, according to the commander of the Azov Regiment inside Azovstal.

Meanwhile, there are “many dead” after a Russian missile strike near Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who accused Russia of trying to “kill as many Ukrainians as possible.”

Here are today’s latest developments:

Order given to stop defending Mariupol: The commander of the Azov Regiment, Lt. Col. Denis Prokopenko, issued a video message from inside Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant saying that the top military leadership had “issued an order to preserve the garrison soldiers’ life and health and stop defending the city.” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said almost 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered from the plant. CNN cannot independently verify these figures.

Donbas “completely destroyed”: Zelensky said there are “constant strikes on the Odesa region, on the cities of central Ukraine, and the Donbas is completely destroyed.” In the Chernihiv region north of Kyiv on Thursday, Russian missiles hit the village of Desna leaving many dead, Zelensky said. Desna is 40 miles from the border with Belarus.

12 dead in Luhansk: Ukrainian military officials say 12 people were killed in the eastern Luhansk region in the city of Severodonetsk, and 60 properties destroyed by Russian bombardments on Thursday. But they note that Russian forces do not appear to have made any headway on the main front lines in Luhansk and Donetsk in the past day. 

Russian soldier’s trial adjourned: The trial of 21-year-old Vadim Shishimarin was adjourned until Monday after a third day of hearings in his trial for war crimes. Shishimarin pleaded guilty Wednesday to shooting an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in Ukraine’s Sumy region on the fourth day of the war, and said “I’m sorry and sincerely repent.”

Mammoth US aid bill: US President Joe Biden will sign a $40 billion emergency aid package to Ukraine into law while he is in South Korea, an official says. The package was approved by the US Senate on Thursday. The Biden administration also announced another $100 million security package for Ukraine. 

Food export crisis: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he discussed ways to “unblock” Ukrainian food exports with his UK counterpart, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. The blockade on Ukrainian exports was also discussed by Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a call Thursday. A failure to open closed ports in Ukraine to ship grain out will bring millions of people to the brink of starvation, according to the World Food Programme.

Biden offers “strong support” for NATO bids: The leaders of Sweden and Finland met with Biden at the White House after they submitted their NATO membership applications on Wednesday. The Biden administration will submit reports to the US Congress on the applications. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again maintained that his country “will say no” to the entry.

US intelligence officials are skeptical that any change in Russian public opinion against the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine – even a dramatic one – would have an effect in persuading Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict, according to multiple sources familiar with the latest intelligence.

Officials also doubt that the war, which many strategists believe has been an unmitigated disaster for Russia’s military, is likely to lead to the removal of Putin from power, at least in the short term.

That assessment reflects the extent to which officials believe Putin has cemented his control over Russia during his more than two decades in power.

Putin is intimately involved in the day-to-day management of the conflict, according to three sources familiar with US and western intelligence, who told CNN that Putin directly participates in decision-making that in most Western armies would be reserved for lower-ranking officers.

“He clearly is his own decision maker. He doesn’t seem to rely even on experts within the government or the cabinet very much,” said a senior NATO official.

Full coverage here:

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets the audience as he attends a concert marking the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on March 18, 2022.

Related article US intel skeptical Putin will be swayed by Russian public opinion over war in Ukraine

Finland’s main gas company, Gasum, said on Friday that Russian gas supplies to Finland will be cut off on Saturday at 7 a.m. local time (midnight ET).    

Starting Saturday and during the upcoming summer season, Gasum will supply natural gas to its customers from other sources, the state-owned firm said in a press release.  

“It is highly regrettable that natural gas supplies under our supply contract will now be halted,” Gasum’s CEO Mika Wiljanen said, noting that the company has been “carefully preparing for this situation.”    

Wiljanen went on to say that “provided that there will be no disruptions in the gas transmission network, we will be able to supply all our customers with gas in the coming months.”    

Gasum Vice President Olga Väisänen told CNN on Friday that Finland is also receiving gas through its Balticconnector pipeline via Estonia, but adding that the winter season will be “challenging.”   

On Tuesday, the gas firm said it would not pay for Russian gas in rubles or use Gazprom’s proposed payment scheme for gas. In a statement, the company said negotiations over a long-term gas contract with Gazprom were in dispute, and it was taking Gazprom to arbitration to try and resolve the matter. 

Finland, along with Sweden, have submitted applications to become a part of NATO in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which sparked security concerns across the region. Russia’s foreign ministry has warned that Russia “will be forced to take retaliatory steps, both of a military-technical and other nature” if Finland and Sweden join the alliance. Finland shares an 800-mile-long border with Russia.

Russia last week cut off electricity to Finland.

CNN’s Robert North contributed reporting to this post.

The commander of the Azov Regiment, Lt. Col. Denis Prokopenko, has issued a short video message from inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

Prokopenko said that the top military leadership had “issued an order to preserve the garrison soldiers’ life and health and stop defending the city.”

The message implies that those remaining at Azovstal are planning to leave the plant in the near future. There are thought to be several hundred fighters left inside the sprawling complex.

Azovstal was the last holdout in otherwise Russian-occupied Mariupol and became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance under relentless Russian bombardment.

Prokopenko added: “Despite heavy fighting … and lack of supplies, we constantly emphasized the three most important conditions for us: civilians, wounded, and dead. Civilians were evacuated.

The injured have been taken to a hospital in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic.

“As for the fallen heroes, the process is ongoing. But I hope that in the near future, families and all of Ukraine will be able to bury their soldiers with honors.”

Some background: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday that almost 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered at the Azovstal plant.

In remarks carried by Russian state media, Shoigu said: “The blocking of the Azovstal plant continues … Nationalists are actively surrendering to captivity. At the moment, 1,908 people laid down their arms.”

CNN cannot independently verify these figures.

Russia has fired senior commanders who were considered to have “performed poorly” during the initial stages of the Ukraine invasion, an intelligence update by the UK Ministry of Defense (MOD) said on Thursday.

“Lieutenant General Serhiy Kisel, who commanded the elite 1st Guards Tank Army, has been suspended for his failure to capture Kharkiv,” the MOD said on Twitter.

Russian Chief of General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov “likely” remains in his post, but it’s “unclear” whether he retains the confidence of President Vladimir Putin, the statement continued.

The British intelligence update also said that a culture of cover-ups and scapegoating is “probably prevalent” within the Russian military and security system.

“Many officials involved in the invasion of Ukraine will likely be increasingly distracted by efforts to avoid personal culpability for Russia’s operational set-backs,” the statement said.

“This will likely place further strain on Russia’s centralised model of command and control, as officers increasingly seek to defer key decisions to their superiors,” it added.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said that almost 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

In remarks carried by Russian state media Friday, Shoigu said: “The blocking of the Azovstal plant continues … Nationalists are actively surrendering to captivity. At the moment, 1,908 people laid down their arms.” CNN cannot independently verify these figures.

Azovstal was the last holdout in otherwise Russian-occupied Mariupol and become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance under relentless Russian bombardment.

The previous figure given by the Russian Defense Ministry Thursday was 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers. However, there has been no evidence of more people leaving the plant since Thursday.

Shoigu also said that 177 civilians had been evacuated from the plant but he appears to have been talking about the total that emerged last week.

“Everyone was provided with qualified medical and psychological assistance,” Shoigu said.

“I vouch that the Russian armed forces are doing everything to prevent deaths among the civilian population. Since the beginning of the special military operation [Moscow’s euphemism for its war in Ukraine], more than 1.37 million people have been evacuated from the dangerous regions of the people’s republic [the pro-Russian self-declared separatist regions], as well as from Ukraine to Russia,” Shoigu said.

That figure can’t be independently confirmed. Ukraine has alleged that more than a million people have been forcibly deported from parts of the country that were under its control before the Russian invasion began.

One of the Azov Regiment troops still inside the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol has posted photographs on social media networks, with the message: “That’s it. Thank you for the shelter, Azovstal. The place of my death and my life.”

The soldier, Dmytro Kozatskiy (Orest) posted the photographs early Friday.

He later commented: “By the way, while I am in captivity, I will leave you photos in the best quality, send them to all journalistic awards and photo contests, if I win something, after the release it will be very nice. Thank you all for your support. See you.”

Azovstal, in the besieged city of Mariupol, was the last holdout in a city that had become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance under relentless Russian bombardment.

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian military said the country’s forces had completed their “combat mission” in Mariupol, according to a statement by the country’s military, bringing the months-long battle for the city close to an end.

There are still thought to be hundreds of soldiers at Azovstal but it’s unclear whether or when they will leave the plant and what negotiations may be going on between Ukraine and Russia and international organizations.

Ru

ssian authorities say that 1,730 of the troops that were defending Azovstal have left the plant and are either in detention or hospital in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

The DPR’s leader, Denis Pushilin said Thursday that those still in the steel plant included Azov Regiment commanders.

The war crimes trial of a 21-year-old Russian soldier in Ukraine has been adjourned until Monday.

Vadim Shishimarin appeared before a Kyiv court on Friday for a third day of hearings in the first war crimes trial since Russia invaded the country back in February.

A defense lawyer defended Shishimarin’s actions saying the soldier “was not aware of what is going on in Ukraine.”

Shishimarin and other Russian soldiers “were not aware that actions that will follow will result in mass deaths not only of servicemen, but civilians too,” the lawyer said.

“Shishimarin was in a state of stress caused by the combat situation and the pressure from his commander. Analysis of those circumstances allows me to conclude that Shishimarin had no direct intent for the murder,” the lawyer continued.

Some background: The soldier pleaded guilty Wednesday to shooting an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in Ukraine’s Sumy region on the fourth day of the war and is facing a life sentence.

Shishimarin told the man’s widow on Thursday that he is sorry for killing her husband.

A social media video on Friday from the Russian-occupied town of Enerhodar showed a protest by much of the fire department after its chief was detained.

Enerhodar is close to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant – the Zaporizhzhia NPP – which was taken over by the Russians in early March.

The mayor’s office said that fire department employees were protesting against the “occupiers who abducted the chief of fire and rescue unit Vitalii Troyan.”

It said the Russians had used force against the protest and that people had been beaten.

A previous protest in early April led to gunfire and explosions during the dispersal of protesters, while at least four people were injured, according to Ukrainian state nuclear power company Energoatom.

China is buying record amounts of cheap Russian coal, even as Western nations slam Moscow with sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.

In April, not only did the world’s second largest economy buy more coal from Russia than ever before, it also eliminated import tariffs on all types of coal, a move analysts say will mainly benefit Russian suppliers.

China’s coal imports from Russia nearly doubled between March and April, reaching 4.42 million metric tons, according to trade data from Refinitiv. Russia has overtaken Australia as China’s second biggest supplier since last year and now accounts for 19% of its coal imports, up from the 14% share it had in March.

The booming coal trade boosts both sides. Despite bold pledges to tackle the climate crisis, China is now focused on getting its economy out of a slump and needs coal to fuel power stations and make steel for infrastructure projects. Russia desperately needs new customers for its fossil fuels as they are shunned by the West.

Read the full story here:

Workers are loading coal into train cars at Borodinsky coal mine, which is part of the Siberian Coal Energy Company, in the Krasnoyarsk region, Russia on April 19, 2022.

Related article China needs Russian coal. Moscow needs new customers | CNN Business

A Russian soldier is back in a Kyiv court on Friday for a third day of hearings in his trial for war crimes.

Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old soldier, pleaded guilty Wednesday to shooting an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in Ukraine’s Sumy region on the fourth day of the war. 

Closing remarks by defence and the soldier’s last statement to the court are expected during Friday’s hearing. 

Some background: The judges adjourned the trial on Thursday, saying that Shishimarin was not “ready” for a court “debate.”

The prosecution team earlier asked for a life sentence for the soldier.

Shishimarin, the first Russian soldier on trial for war crimes in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began, told the man’s widow on Thursday that he is sorry for killing her husband.

Ukrainian military officials say 12 people were killed in the eastern Luhansk region and 60 properties destroyed by Russian bombardments on Thursday.

But, they note, Russian forces do not appear to have made any headway on the main front lines in Luhansk and Donetsk in the past day. 

Civilian deaths: The 12 people were killed in the city of Severodonetsk, according to the head of the military administration in Luhansk, Serhii Hayday.

Hayday said many homes were destroyed throughout the area.

Lines holding: Despite the intense bombardment, the Ukrainians say their defensive lines are holding. “The assault on Severodonetsk was unsuccessful. The Russians suffered personnel losses and retreated,” Hayday said.

State of the city: Oleksandr Striuk, head of the Severodonetsk city military administration, said there are up to 15,000 civilians still in the city, living in bomb shelters and basements. 

“The city has been without electricity, internet and communication for almost a week now,” he said. “About 70% of the city’s housing stock was destroyed.”

Russians push on: South of Severodonetsk, Russian forces tried to break through around the town of Toshkivka, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.

In their efforts to complete the seizure of Luhansk, the Russians have also tried to push toward the small town of Vyskryva. If successful, they would also be closer to another objective: the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk, which has become a hub for the Ukrainian military as it tries to resupply its defensive positions. 

On the Donetsk front, there was continued shelling of settlements north of Sloviansk.

Further north in the Kharkiv region, where Ukrainian forces have launched a counter-offensive in recent weeks, Russian shelling of areas retaken by Ukrainian forces continues, according to the Ukrainian military. The city itself has seen much less incoming fire.

When 25-year-old Maria Kozlovskaya gazes out of the window, she sees the green fields of the west of Ireland. It’s a far cry from the shelled apartment buildings of her home city of Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine. Forced into exile by conflict, the young mother has found an unlikely refuge in a 15th-century castle in County Galway.

“I never dreamed that I could live in a castle in the future,” she says, still in awe after two months of living in Ballindooley Castle with her sons, 5-year-old Illya and 7-year-old Matvey.

Down south in County Cork, 31-year-old Vera Ruban finds herself in less regal surroundings. She was one of the first Ukrainian refugees to be placed in Irish government emergency accommodation after hotel rooms ran out. The interpreter from Hostomel, near Kyiv, now sleeps on a single bed inside the Green Glens Arena, an equestrian and entertainment venue in the small town of Millstreet.

Although their living situations could not be more different, both women have managed to settle quickly into life in Ireland. The smooth nature of the process has prompted questions from asylum-seekers fleeing conflicts in countries other than Ukraine who say they encountered an arduous asylum process that can take years to navigate.

Some context: Ireland, an island of just over 5 million people, has taken in more Ukrainian refugees than many of its larger Western European neighbors. Ukrainian refugees began arriving in early March and so far more than 30,000 refugees have arrived.

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The children play freely in the grounds of Ballindooley Castle.

Related article Ireland gives warm welcome to Ukrainians fleeing conflict. Asylum-seekers from elsewhere point to unequal treatment | CNN

There are “many dead” in a Russian missile strike near Chernihiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He has accused Russia of a “deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible.”

Here are the latest developments on the war in Ukraine.

Donbas “completely destroyed”: Zelensky said there are “constant strikes on the Odesa region, on the cities of central Ukraine, and the Donbas is completely destroyed.” In the Chernihiv region north of Kyiv on Thursday, Russian missiles hit the village of Desna leaving many dead, Zelensky said. Desna is 40 miles from the border with Belarus.

Mammoth US aid bill: US President Joe Biden will sign a $40 billion emergency aid package to Ukraine into law while he is in South Korea, an official says. The package was approved by the US Senate on Thursday. The Biden administration also announced another $100 million security package for Ukraine. 

Food export crisis: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he discussed ways to “unblock” Ukrainian food exports with his UK counterpart, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. The blockade on Ukrainian exports was also discussed by Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a call Thursday. A failure to open closed ports in Ukraine to ship grain out will bring millions of people to the brink of starvation, according to the World Food Programme.

Some Azovstal defenders still fighting: While hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers left the Azovstal plant in Mariupol this week, there are likely still hundreds inside the besieged complex — and they appear to include some senior commanders. Maj. Bohdan Krotevych, chief of staff of the Azov regiment, suggested that he would not be surrendering, saying that “the fight continues.” Russia’s defense ministry said over 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered at the complex since May 16.

Biden offers “strong support” for NATO bids: The leaders of Sweden and Finland met with US President Joe Biden at the White House after they submitted their NATO membership applications on Wednesday. The Biden administration will submit reports to the US Congress on the applications. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again maintained that his country “will say no” to the entry.

More than 1,000 cars carrying Ukrainians have been prevented from crossing into Ukrainian-held territory in Zaporizhzhia, according to the regional military administration there.

The administration said on Friday that cars full of people trying to evacuate were stuck at a Russian checkpoint in the city of Vasylivka.

“In Vasylivka, the occupiers have not allowed more than 1,000 cars to enter the territory controlled by Ukraine for the fourth day in a row,” the Telegram post read, adding that there are women and children in the cars, and that most of them no longer have money for food and water.

Several cars managed to break through to the city of Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, on Thursday.

“Business owners of Berdyansk are forced to buy goods from Crimea, and it is necessary to sign up for an escort convoy. Such registration helps local collaborators to collect information about who returns with the goods and from whom you can later collect ‘tribute’,” the regional administration said.

A video posted to Telegram by the Ukrainian government’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security shows a long line of cars on the side of a road.

In the Chernihiv region north of Kyiv, the village of Desna was hit with Russian missiles Thursday left many dead, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Thursday. Desna is 40 forty miles from the border with Belarus.  

“Russian strikes on Chernihiv region, in particular the terrible blow on the Desna, there is an analysis of debris, many dead,” Zelensky said in his nightly address on Thursday. 

There are “constant strikes on the Odesa region, on the cities of central Ukraine, the Donbas is completely destroyed — all this has no and cannot have any military explanation for Russia,” he continued.  

“This is a deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible,” he said. 

The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to advance in the liberation of the Kharkiv region, Zelensky said. 

“In the Donbas, the occupiers are trying to increase pressure. There’s hell, and that’s no exaggeration. The brutal and absolutely senseless bombing of Severodonetsk … There were 12 dead and dozens wounded in just one day,” he continued. 

“The bombing and shelling of other cities, the air and missile strikes of the Russian army — all this is not just fighting during the war.” 

“This is a deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible. Destroy as many houses, social facilities and enterprises as possible. This is what will qualify the genocide of the Ukrainian people and for which the occupiers will definitely be brought to justice,” he added. 

 “The first trial in Ukraine against a Russian war criminal has already begun. And it will end with the full restoration of justice within the international tribunal. I’m sure of it. We will find and bring to justice all those who give and carry out criminal orders,” he concluded. 

US President Joe Biden will sign the $40 billion aid package to Ukraine while he is in South Korea, an official says.

The bill has to be flown to Korea for the President’s signature.

Biden embarked on his trip to Seoul, South Korea on Thursday afternoon.

On Thursday, leaders of Sweden and Finland met with US President Joe Biden at the White House after they submitted their NATO membership applications on Wednesday.

Here’s what you need to know about what the leaders said at the press conference in the Rose Garden after their meeting in the Cabinet Room.

Biden offers “strong support” for Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids

“Finnish and Swedish troops, they have already served shoulder to shoulder with US and NATO forces in Kosovo, in Afghanistan and in Iraq. And both Finland and Sweden are already working in coordination with the United States and our other allies and partners to support the brave people of Ukraine,” Biden said, adding that the countries already meet all of NATO requirements, “and then some.”

The Biden administration will submit reports to the US Congress on this NATO accession for both countries

This is “so the Senate can efficiently and quickly move on advising and consenting to the treaty,” Biden announced Thursday. Within the US, at least two-third of the Senate must vote to approve new member states in the defensive alliance. Similarly, the legislatures of all 30 current members must approve new NATO applicants.

Leaders of Finland and Sweden expressed their hopes for a quick ratification

“Russia’s war in Ukraine has changed Europe and our security environment. Finland takes the step of NATO membership in order to strengthen not only its own security, but also in order to strengthen wider transatlantic security,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said.

Finland shares an 800-mile-long border with Russia.

Sweden’s government “has come to the conclusion that the security of the Swedish people will be best protected within the NATO alliance, and this is backed by very broad support in the Swedish parliament,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said.

Turkey was also mentioned by every leader

As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated earlier on Thursday that his country “will say no to Sweden’s and Finland’s entry into NATO.”

In explanation he has cited national security concerns. Earlier this week, Erdogan accused both countries of housing Kurdish “terrorist organizations.”

He was mainly referencing the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which seeks an independent state in Turkey. The group has been in an armed struggle with Ankara for decades and has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.