April 13, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Ukraine news here or read through the updates below.

Thursday saw the arrest of a 21-year-old man in the high-profile case surrounding leaked US intelligence documents, including ones containing classified information on the war in Ukraine.

Here are some of the other major storylines out of Ukraine you need to know:

Grain farmer Oleksandr Klepach points at trenches in his field, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Snihurivka, southeast Ukraine, on February 20, 2023.

Ukrainian farmers trying to sow crops this season have faced “more difficult conditions than in 2022,” according to a policy official.

Denys Marchuk, deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council Public Union, laid out the numerous challenges facing the country’s crop sowing campaign — which launched late last month — in a news conference in Kyiv on Thursday.

Short on money: Marchuk highlighted a lack of funding as a key reason why farmers are struggling to produce. Farmers have run out of supplies like mineral fertilizers, plant protection products and seed, and did not receive additional funding for 2023.

Russia left large areas unusable: Some 7 million hectares (more than 27,000 square miles) of farmland in Ukraine can’t be used during the sowing campaign, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.

Apart from Russian-occupied territories, which are temporarily off the table, there are still mines that have not been removed across a lot of liberated land in Ukraine.

As CNN has previously reported, the country’s farmers face a stark choice: clear the fields of explosives to prepare for planting season or contemplate another year without income.

Making the most of available land: Despite all the challenges, Ukraine plans to sow crops on more than 19 million hectares of land (more than 73,000 square miles), according to the agrarian ministry.

Why a successful season is so important: Ukraine is regarded as a key breadbasket for much of the world, and the country relies on agriculture to generate more than 40% of total export revenues.

The country’s economy shrank by more than 30% in 2022 after Russia’s invasion destroyed infrastructure, hurt businesses and disrupted daily life, Kyiv’s economic ministry said in March.

The deputy chairman said farmers sold the grain group “mostly either at a loss or at their cost price,” saying this was a reason for the lack of free funds that could be used during this sowing campaign.

HALO Trust deminers are at work to clear a farm's land from explosives near the village of Yevgenivka, in the Mykolaiv region, on April 9, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

One-third of Ukraine’s territory “is potentially contaminated with explosive devices,” a spokesperson for the country’s State Emergency Service said in a statement Thursday.

The regions with the most potential danger are Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, Donetsk in the east, and Kherson and Mykolaiv in the south, according to Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, SES spokesperson.

Khorunzhyi said the service’s pyrotechnic units are working to defuse and clear the explosives, having already removed more than 316,000 remnants of war since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The official said crews are taking particular care to remove mines around energy infrastructure.

Some context: The area described by Khorunzhyi — one-third of Ukraine’s territory — amounts to about 174,000 square kilometers (over 67,000 square miles).

An advertising screen, promoting Wagner private mercenary group, is on display on the facade of a building in Moscow, Russia, on March 27, 2023. A slogan on the screen reads: "Join the team of victors!"

The European Union added Russia’s Wagner private military group and Russian news agency RIA FAN to a list of organizations it is sanctioning, a statement from the European Council said Thursday.

The EU sanctioned the two organizations for “undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” the statement read. 

Some background: RIA FAN is part of the Patriot Media Group, a Russian organization whose Board of Trustees is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to the EU.

Prigozhin is also the head of the Wagner Group, which has been previously sanctioned for what the EU describes as serious human rights violations.

The EU has now sanctioned a total of 1,473 individuals and 207 entities in connection with their actions in Ukraine, the statement read. Those designated are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them, the statement read.

A sign warns of the presence of mines in the vicinity of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow, destroyed as a result of shelling in the village of Bohorodychne amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the eastern region of Donetsk, Ukraine March 18, 2023.

Authorities will bolster security measures across the country as Ukrainians prepare to celebrate another Orthodox Easter while fighting Russia’s war. 

Residents are discouraged from attending church services late at night this weekend, and many cemeteries will remain closed due to the danger of unexploded mines and Russian shelling.

Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter one week after many Christians in the US and other Western countries observe the holiday.

Ukrainian officials have warned in the past that Russian attacks may increase around specific dates, holidays or events. Oleksiy Biloshytskyi, a national law enforcement official, said police will use special monitoring centers to look out for any signs of attacks.

In the capital Kyiv, residents will be able to attend late evening church services despite a curfew, but they must arrive at church before the curfew takes effect, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Serhii Popko, said Thursday in a Telegram post.

Popko said churchgoers and clergy should research the nearest shelter to their congregation and be prepared to flee to safety if an air raid alarm sounds.

The curfew hours in Kyiv last from midnight to 5 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET), as is the case for most of the country.

In the broader Kyiv region, residents will only be able to attend church services when the curfew is not in effect, and only a limited number of people will be allowed on the grounds of churches and cemeteries due to security reasons, the Kyiv region’s military administration said Monday. 

Many churches will broadcast services online, it added.

In northeastern Kharkiv, which is Ukraine’s second-largest city, officials will close a number of cemeteries.

Authorities warned that one of the cemeteries, the Slobozhanskyi memorial complex, has not been fully cleared of explosive mines.

Other city cemeteries will be closed on Easter “to avoid provocations by the enemy and to protect citizens from unpredictable missile attacks,” the city council said.

In the southern city of Kherson, residents won’t be able to visit cemeteries or attend church services during curfew hours, the city council said Tuesday.

It said the ban on cemeteries was due to mine danger.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry will only discuss a potential exchange for jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich after his trial, according to Russian state news agency TASS. 

Ryabkov accused The Wall Street Journal, Gershkovich’s employer, of trying “to escalate on this topic day by day.”

The newspaper and other news organizations have been united in calling for the release of Gershkovich, who the US has designated as wrongfully detained. 

Gershkovich has been detained on espionage charges, which he denies, and currently awaits trial in the notorious Lefortovo detention prison.

US President Joe Biden addresses the Irish Parliament at Leinster House, in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday.

US President Joe Biden touted Western support for the defense of Ukraine during a speech to Ireland’s parliament Thursday, prompting an ovation from the assembled lawmakers.

“Ireland and the United States are standing together to oppose Russia’s brutal aggression and support the brave people of Ukraine,” the American leader said.

Biden praised Ireland’s support for Kyiv, saying it had provided tens of millions of dollars worth of non-lethal aid over the past year.

He also thanked the country for its “vital leadership” on the United Nations Security Council, where Irish leaders collaborated with the US to ensure UN sanctions wouldn’t interfere with humanitarian work, according to the president.

The US leader said such collaboration between Western nations proves that Russian President Vladimir Putin underestimated the unified response to his invasion of Ukraine.

Germany on Thursday granted permission for Poland to re-export five old German MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, the German Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

In March, Poland pledged it would send four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, the first NATO member to do so.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said the planes — about a dozen that the country had inherited from the former German Democratic Republic — would be handed over in the coming days after being serviced.

“When it comes to the MiG-29 aircraft, which are still operating in the defense of Polish airspace, a decision has been taken at the highest levels, we can say confidently that we are sending MiGs to Ukraine,” Duda said. 

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres appears at the U.N. headquarters on September 20, 2022, in New York.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ office said he’s “not surprised” that he is being spied on, following alleged US intelligence revelations. 

His comments come after a BBC report Thursday on a US intelligence leak that accused Guterres of being too soft on Russia. According to the broadcaster, the documents in the leak also detailed private conversations involving Guterres and his staff.     

“What is surprising is the malfeasance or incompetence that allows for such private conversations to be distorted and become public,” it added.

Later on Thursday, Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric responded, saying that “the secretary-general is not soft on any one country.”

The BBC report is the latest revelation in an online leak of classified US government documents. It includes detail of a private conversation between Guterres and his deputy Amina Mohammed.

It also sheds light on how Washington perceived Guterres’ handling of the Black Sea grain deal, which was brokered by the UN and Turkey, according to the BBC. It suggests US officials believe Guterres was so keen to maintain the deal that he made generous concessions to Russia back in February.

CNN has not independently verified the documents.

“Guterres emphasized his efforts to improve Russia’s ability to export,” the leaked documents reportedly say, “even if that involves sanctioned Russian entities or individuals.”

A US State department spokesperson responded Thursday, saying that the documents are being assessed for validity and “we are not in a position to confirm or comment on any specific information they contain.”

Russian shelling in the southern Kherson region killed at least two civilians Thursday, a regional official said, as authorities prepare to implement additional safety measures for the Orthodox Easter holiday. 

A 45-year-old man died in the city of Kherson from wounds he sustained after Russian forces shelled a park, Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson regional military administration, said on national television Thursday. 

Another civilian died in the village of Zmiivka, when “the Russians hit the building of a local school with guided aerial bombs,” Prokudin said. 

On Wednesday, Russian forces attacked the liberated territories in the Kherson region 46 times, he said. Kherson city was shelled five times, he added. 

Prokudin also commented on safety measures ahead of the Orthodox Easter holiday this weekend. 

“We have no right to put people in danger, so the Kherson region security council took a few important decisions to make the Easter holidays safe,” he said. 

As part of the measures, during the curfew hours from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time —residents won’t be allowed to visit churches and cemeteries, Prokudin said.

“These are the forced measures which have to be taken due to mines danger on the graveyard and a high possibility of Russian strikes,” he said. “I ask the residents to treat these rules with understanding and follow them, because this is for your own safety.”

About 60,000 people remain in Kherson city at the moment, which is about 20% of the city’s pre-war population, Prokudin said. 

Russian police investigators inspect the scene of a blast in Saint Petersburg on April 2.

A Russian court has placed under house arrest a man suspected of involvement in the St. Petersburg bombing that killed Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, according to a statement by the court and state media. 

The Leninsky District Court of St. Petersburg said it has “granted the investigation’s petition and announced its decision to impose house arrest as a measure of restraint against Dmitry Kasintsev, who is accused of committing a crime under Article 205.6 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.” The crime listed in the referenced Criminal Code article is “failure to report a crime.”

“The court proceedings were held behind closed doors. The investigator submitted a substantiated and motivated petition along with supporting materials in this regard,” according to the court statement released Thursday.

The statement didn’t provide additional details. 

Russian state news agency TASS reported Thursday that Kasintsev allegedly “hid” Daria Trepova in his apartment after the explosion in a cafe on the Universitetskaya embankment in St. Petersburg, quoting media reports.

More background: Russian authorities detained Trepova, a 26-year-old anti-war protester, on April 3, claiming she was involved in the blast that killed the well-known military blogger. Trepova’s husband, Dmitry Rylov, has told an independent Russian publication that he is convinced she was set up.

Previously, Kasintsev was involved in the case as a witness, according to TASS. 

First Lady Jill Biden, left, meets with Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska in Ukraine in May 2022.

First lady Jill Biden penned an essay honoring her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelenska as one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2023.

Biden called Zelenska — a screenwriter who married Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2003, when he was still working as an actor and comedian — a “warrior” and the “pride of her nation.”

Biden reflected on her Mother’s Day 2022 meeting with Zelenska during an unannounced trip to Ukraine.

“In the strain of her smile, I could see the weight she carried: the sleep lost to the percussion of falling bombs, the tales of atrocities that she would never forget. In her eyes, however, was the fierce determination and dignity that has defined her people,” Biden wrote. 

Biden said Zelenska’s decision to stay in her country, despite the danger she faces, shows the world “heart and hope can make even the largest tyrant seem small.”

The first lady also welcomed Zelenska to the White House last July, where the two had a conversation on mental health and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. 

A 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman has been identified by The New York Times as the leader of an online gaming chat group where a trove of classified documents — which contain information about the war in Ukraine — was posted. 

The Times reported Thursday that FBI investigators want to talk to the service member and believe he has information relevant to the ongoing investigation into the leak.

CNN has not independently verified the identity of the chat leader or the FBI’s interest in talking with him. 

Earlier Thursday, President Joe Biden appeared to suggest that the US government is close to identifying the leaker.

CNN has previously reported that the Army Criminal Investigation Division is also “assisting the DoD in their investigation” of the leak, Jeffrey Castro, a spokesman for the division, told CNN.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that the person behind the leak worked on a military base and posted sensitive national security secrets in an online group of acquaintances.

The European Union will establish a 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) fund to reimburse member states for ammunition donated to Ukraine, according to the Council of the EU’s website.

The decision, approved Thursday, is part of the alliance’s efforts to speed up the procurement and delivery of artillery ammunition, which Ukraine is burning through rapidly in its defense against Russia’s invasion.

The measure covers existing stocks and ammunition reprioritized from existing orders between February 9 and May 31, 2023, according to the council.

The fund is the first step in a program agreed to by EU capitals on March 20.

The FBI has narrowed the number of people who they believe could be responsible for leaks of classified US documents and have been conducting interviews in recent days, two people briefed on the matter said. 

While there is a large number of people who had access to the documents, investigators have been able to home in on a small number for closer scrutiny, thanks to the forensic trail left by the person who posted the documents. Investigators are working on building a case for prosecution, the people familiar with the matter say. 

The FBI believes they are close to identifying the person behind the leak.

The leaked documents posted to social media, some of which have been obtained by CNN, include detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including on the state of the war in Ukraine and the challenges both Kyiv and Moscow face as the conflict appears stuck in a stalemate in the months ahead.

Another source familiar with the criminal investigation at this point said that they expect it’ll move along much more quickly than the Pentagon’s damage assessment. The source also said that the FBI is getting closer to identifying a suspect.

CNN has previously reported that the Army Criminal Investigation Division is also “assisting the DoD in their investigation” of the leak, according to Jeffrey Castro, a spokesperson for the division. It is unclear if the alleged leaker works within the US Army.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the person behind the massive leak of classified US military documents worked on a military base and posted sensitive national security secrets in an online group of acquaintances. CNN has not been able to independently verify the reporting.

President Joe Biden, right, and Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar shake hands at Farmleigh House, Dublin, Ireland, on April 13.

President Joe Biden appeared to suggest Thursday the US government is close to identifying the leaker responsible for the disclosure of sensitive US government secrets.

It was Biden’s first time commenting about the leak situation.

The US president said he was concerned the leak happened, but not necessarily worried about its content.

“I’m not concerned about the leak. I’m concerned that it happened, but there’s nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that is of any consequence,” he told reporters.

Biden’s comments come as The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the person behind a massive leak of classified US military documents worked on a military base and posted sensitive national security secrets in an online group of acquaintances.

The Post reporting, which CNN could not independently verify, covers new ground in identifying the supposed leaker of highly classified documents – including some that paint a pessimistic US view of the war in Ukraine – and provides the first known details about who may be behind a major national security breach that has rocked Washington in recent days.

CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Sean Lyngaas contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian soldiers ride atop an APC on the frontline in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on April 8.

The fiercest and heaviest fighting continues in the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Thursday.

At a news conference in Kyiv, Maliar said, “Despite the fact that the enemy has concentrated its most professional units in Bakhmut, including Wagner fighters, airborne assault units, and special forces, the Russians cannot achieve their goals there, i.e. take full control of Bakhmut.

Recent social media videos geolocated by CNN show how buildings have been flattened to ruins in the beleaguered city, while drone footage posted Wednesday by Russian state media RIA Novosti reveals the scale of the decimation wreaked by the months-long battle. 

Oleksii Hromov, deputy chief of the General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate, said the Bakhmut area remains the most difficult and “the enemy continues offensive actions in the central part of Bakhmut, as well as in the directions of Bohdanivka and Ivanivske to surround the city from the north and south.”

“In order to strengthen the offensive potential, some of the enemy’s forces and means were moved to the Bakhmut area from the Avdiivka direction,” he said.

“Every day in the area of Bakhmut, the enemy makes 40 to 50 attempts at offensive assaults, conducting more than 500 attacks using the full range of available weapons.

CNN cannot independently verify Ukraine’s battlefield claims of Russian losses. Both sides claim the other has suffered huge losses. 

The founder and head of the Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, last month said Bakhmut “has already practically destroyed the Ukrainian army,” adding that “unfortunately” Wagner has “been pretty battered” as well.

Some background: The city of Bakhmut sits towards the northeast of the Donetsk region, about 13 miles from Luhansk region, and has been a target for Russian forces for months. Since last summer the city has been a stone’s throw from the front lines, so its capture would represent a long sought-after success for Moscow’s forces — and bring some limited strategic value. The city has important road connections to other parts of the Donetsk region; eastwards to the border with Luhansk, north-west to Sloviansk and south-west to Kostiantynivka.

CNN’s Rob Picheta contributed to this post.

Russian forces have carried out a wave of strikes against Ukraine, and continue to focus their offensive efforts on the country’s eastern Donetsk region.

Elsewhere, a Russian mine has exploded at the Zaporizhizhia nuclear plant, and Ukraine is celebrating the one-year anniversary of when it says it sank Russia’s Moskva warship.

Here are the latest headlines:

Russia's embassy in Oslo, Norway, on April 13.

Norway has expelled more than a dozen employees of the Russian embassy in Oslo Thursday who it says are working as intelligence agents for Moscow. 

The move comes in response to an increasing intelligence threat from Moscow and a “deteriorating security situation” in Europe, according to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It said it had been monitoring the 15 embassy workers and have found them to be “engaging in activities that are not compatible with their diplomatic status.”

They have been declared to be personae non gratae, stripped of diplomatic immunity, and must leave the country “shortly,” the ministry said in a statement. 

The expulsion comes amid wider security concerns among European countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“Russia currently poses the greatest intelligence threat to Norway. We take this very seriously, and are now implementing measures to counter Russian intelligence activities in our country,” Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said.

The decision comes a year after the expulsion of three Russian intelligence officers who were also working under diplomatic cover in Oslo.

“I would like to emphasize that Norway is seeking to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia, and that Russian diplomats are welcome in Norway,” Huitfeldt said.

But Norway will not accept that diplomatic missions are “misused for the purposes of carrying out covert intelligence activities,” she added.