Russia’s war in Ukraine

Our coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.

Ukraine’s military said it hit 17 air targets on Saturday, according to a Telegram statement from the country’s Ministry of Defense (MoD).

The targets included three Russian aircraft, five cruise missiles and nine unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to the statement.

Earlier on Saturday, the MoD said on Telegram that at 10pm local time, soldiers in the Odesa region shot down two Russian cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea by a Russian ship heading towards the South Port.

A Ukrainian priest blesses traditional cakes and painted eggs prepared for an Easter celebration in the in Lviv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 23.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of being a “sponsor of terrorism” in his nightly address Saturday, decrying a deadly attack on the southern port of Odesa that coincided with the observance of Holy Saturday before the Easter holiday celebrated on April 24 by many Christians in Ukraine.

At least eight people, including a three-month-old baby, were killed in Russian missile strikes in Odesa on Saturday, Zelensky said. A Ukrainian official earlier said at least six cruise missiles were launched at the port city, as Russia continues its brutal offensive in south and east of the country.

In his remarks Saturday evening, Zelensky thanked the country’s defenders “who ensure our security this night before Easter and every day,” and vowed justice for Ukraine.

Many Ukrainians celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar, with Easter Sunday falling this year on April 24.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pose for a photograph at the State Department in Washington, on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Kyiv on Sunday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in what would be the first visit of high-level US officials to the embattled country since the war broke out. 

The potential visit, which has not been confirmed by Washington, would come on the heels of several high-profile visits from European leaders to the capital and moves to reopen evacuated embassies.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson toured parts of the capital on foot alongside Zelensky on April 9, and European Union leaders visited the previous day.

The British government is expected to re-open its embassy next week, “dependent on the security situation,” its government confirmed, following an announcement from Johnson Friday. The European Union earlier this month said it too was restoring its diplomatic presence in the capital. 

The shift comes after Moscow rerouted its focus away from the capital and to Ukraine’s south and east, following intense Ukrainian defense in the areas surrounding Kyiv and Russian supply issues. Kyiv had for weeks braced for an attack of Russian forces, pushing embassies to close their operations there.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, speaking at a press conference in Washington on Friday, also called on ambassadors from all countries, including the United States, to return to their embassies in Kyiv.

The White House and State Department declined to comment Saturday potential visit from top US officials Blinken and Austin. CNN has reached out to the US Department of Defense for comment.

Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that if an administration official were to visit Ukraine, the White House would not publicly disclose that information ahead of the time, citing security concerns.

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire on a warehouse amid Russian bombardments in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, April 23.

In the early morning hours on Sunday in Ukraine, these are the latest developments in the war:

Ukraine claims Mariupol citizens forcibly deported to Far East region of Russia: Ukraine officials claimed on Saturday that Russia has forcibly deported Mariupol citizens to Primorsky Krai in Russia’s Far East region. 

According to Denisova, volunteers told her a train arrived in the city of Nakhodka on April 21 with 308 Ukrainians from Mariupol, including mothers with young children, people with disabilities and students.

8 dead in Russian missile strikes in Southern Ukraine, Odesa mayor says: Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said in a statement on Telegram a total of eight people were killed in the port city after Russian missile strikes. 

In a separate statement, local authorities said rescue work was still underway in a damaged residential building. A total of 86 people were been evacuated, and rubble was still being dismantled.

Leaders who plan to visit Ukraine “should not come with empty hands,” Zelensky says: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that leaders who plan to visit Ukraine “should not come here with empty hands.”

Zelensky made the comments when asked about what he expects from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Kyiv on Sunday.

Ukrainian intelligence says Russia plans to conscript Ukrainian civilians from occupied regions: Ukrainian intelligence has accused Russia of planning to conscript Ukrainian civilians from the occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, according to a Saturday UK military intelligence update. 

“This would follow similar prior conscription practices in the Russian-occupied Donbas and Crimea,” the statement read.

Ukrainian intelligence has accused Russia of planning to conscript Ukrainian civilians from the occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, according to a Saturday UK military intelligence update. 

The statement said under Article 51 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, occupying powers cannot compel “protected persons” – which, in this context, includes civilians in occupied territories – to serve in its “armed or auxiliary forces.” Additionally, pressure or propaganda aiming to secure volunteers to enlist is not allowed. 

“Any enlistment of Ukrainian civilians into the Russian armed forces, even if presented by Russia as being voluntary or military service in accordance with Russian law, would constitute a violation of Article 51 of the Fourth Geneva Convention,” the UK Ministry of Defense statement said. 

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, holds a press conference at the Independence Square metro station in Kyiv, on Saturday, April 23.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that leaders who plan to visit Ukraine “should not come here with empty hands.” Zelensky made the comments when asked about what he expects from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Kyiv on Sunday.

“The same about the leaders of other countries; they know we discussed these things in quietness, as our diplomats say, it’s quiet diplomacy. I don’t like very much, but it exists,” Zelensky said.  

“We will be happy to see you, but please bring to us the assistance which we discussed, which you have or which you have the opportunity to bring,” Zelensky said. He added, “that’s why the visit from the US is very important.”  

People react as they leave a multi-store building in Odesa after Russian troops strike, on Saturday, April 23.

Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said in a statement on Telegram a total of eight people were killed in the port city after Russian missile strikes. 

In a separate statement, local authorities said rescue work was still underway in a damaged residential building. A total of 86 people were been evacuated, and rubble was still being dismantled.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a news conference 18 or 20 people had been injured in the strike.

Ukraine officials claimed on Saturday that Russia has forcibly deported Mariupol citizens to Primorsky Krai in Russia’s Far East region. 

According to Denisova, volunteers told her a train arrived in the city of Nakhodka on April 21 with 308 Ukrainians from Mariupol, including mothers with young children, people with disabilities and students.

Denisova also included photos showing the Ukrainian citizens’ arrival at the train station in her Telegram post.

Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol’s mayor, also claimed on April 21, “the Russians brought 308 deported Mariupol residents to Vladivostok.”

The Mariopul mayor’s official telegram post said 90 out of 308 deported residents were children.

“People were accommodated in schools and dormitories. Later it is planned to send them to different settlements of the Primorsky Krai,” the mayor’s Telegram post reads.

Photo and videos published on a Russian local news portal in Vladivostok, vl.com, also showed evacuees from Mariupol arriving by train. 

Denisova also claimed Mariupol residents were sent by bus to temporary accommodation in the city of Wrangel and were expected to receive new documents that will allow them to work in Russia.

Worshippers attend a service marking Orthodox Easter at Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church, in Lviv, on Saturday, April 23. Ukrainian authorities urged those celebrating Orthodox Easter to follow religious services online and to respect curfews amid fighting with Russian troops despite a holiday that usually attracts crowds.

Russia’s military has shown no signs of stopping during the Orthodox Easter weekend in Ukraine. Here’s what you need to know.

Odesa strikes: Five civilians died — including an infant — and 18 were wounded as Russian missile strikes hit the southwestern port city of Odesa, according to a senior Ukrainian official. A city council deputy called the strikes “Easter gifts from Putin.”

Mariupol evacuations: The evacuation of civilians from the besieged southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol has been “thwarted” by the Russian military, an adviser to the city’s mayor said.

“About 200 Mariupol residents were going to leave, but when they arrived at the assembly point, the [Russian] military told them to disperse because ‘there will be shelling now’,” according to the Ukrainian parliament’s Twitter account.

Easter warnings: The Ukrainian government announced new curfews for Easter weekend as authorities cautioned residents about the potential for increased Russian military activity during holiday celebrations. Officials in some regions urged people to attend virtual services.

Top US officials to Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will visit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv tomorrow. Zelensky made the remarks during a press conference in a Kyiv subway station, where he also reiterated his willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

More sanctions?: Europe is discussing a sixth round of sanctions on Russia, including a hit on Russia’s energy market, officials say. European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis said one of the issues under consideration concerns an oil embargo.

Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny (R), his daughter Dasha (2R), son Zakhar (2L) and wife Yulia (L) arrive at a polling station during to the Moscow city Duma elections in Moscow on September 8, 2019.

The family of Russian dissident Alexey Navalny has always supported his efforts to combat Russian President Vladimir Putin’s corrupt leadership. Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, and their children, Dasha and Zakhar, have had to watch Navalny face arrests, violence, and even an attack on his own life.  

In August 2020, Navalny’s family got the call that he had taken ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow and was undergoing treatment. 

“To have your dad, an opposition leader, being poisoned by we don’t know what, we don’t know how, we don’t know when, and just be in a random hospital, it was just … it was surreal, it was literally like a book,” Dasha said.  

Yulia Navalnaya quickly made her way to the hospital where Navalny was being treated and began putting public and international pressure on the Russian government to allow him to be medically evacuated to Germany. 

She described the fear she had when she first arrived at the hospital and was physically barred from seeing her husband. “I thought since he was all alone, the [Federal Security Service] and Putin would make the most of the situation and try to make sure he’s dead.” 

Her efforts to secure his release, which included sending a personal letter to Putin himself, eventually paid off – and may have saved Navalny’s life. His sudden illness was later tied to exposure to the nerve agent Novichok. 

After a long recovery in Germany, Navalny announced that he would return to Russia in January 2020. His family once again faced the possibility of losing him, this time to arrest and detainment, but they understood that Navalny’s mission was more important than their worry. 

Navalny was immediately arrested after his plane landed in Moscow, and he has been a prisoner ever since. In March, he was sentenced to another nine years in jail after being convicted on fraud charges, according to the Russian-owned state news agency TASS.

The director of the CNN film “Navalny,” Daniel Roher, who spent time with the entire family while following Navalny’s story for the film, described how their support allows Navalny to continue with his mission. 

“It is like the entire family has this iron spine, their character is extraordinary, and I think … the foundation for his strength is the strength of his extraordinary wife Yulia and their children,” Roher said. “Everyone believes in what he’s doing, and everyone supports the sacrifice that he’s making. 

Although they have faced violence and harassment of their own, Navalny’s family continues to support his anti-corruption message, and they express their pride in his accomplishments. 

Dasha wrote on Instagram: “I am very proud of my dad, and I am glad that his incredible story of the last few years will be told.”

Tune in tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET to watch the CNN Film “Navalny” on CNN. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pose for a group photograph with Australian Minister of Defense Peter Dutton and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne at the State Department in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will visit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv tomorrow.

“I don’t think this is a secret that people from the US are coming to us tomorrow, State Secretary Mr. Blinken and the defense secretary (Lloyd Austin) who are coming to us,” Zelensky said at a press conference held in an underground subway station in Kyiv.

Zelensky also said, “we will be expecting, when the security will allow, the President of the United States to come and to talk to us.”

CNN has reached out to the US Department of Defense and Department of State for comment. The White House declined to comment on the potential trip.

US President Joe Biden said last week that he was still working with his team to determine whether he should dispatch a senior member of his administration to Ukraine.

On Sunday, many Ukrainians will observe Easter, in accordance with the Julian calendar.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Zelensky in Kyiv on April 9.

CNN spoke with Maria Pevchikh, the head of the investigative department for Alexey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. She’s also an executive producer of CNN’s film “Navalny.”

Here’s what she said: 

Q: What can Navalny’s story tell us about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian regime, as we watch this war that they started?

A: It’s a pretty good prequel. It explains a lot, actually. This film gives a lot of context and it explains how we ended up at this point in time and where Putin is invading countries and killing people, and kind of gets away with it.

Q: You’ve been keeping the Anti-Corruption Foundation running since Navalny was arrested. Why is it important to keep this work going?

A: It’s not only me. There are dozens of other people who work with us. 

It’s a matter of principle for us just continue our work despite the fact that Alexey is in prison. This is exactly what Putin wanted to happen. Putin wanted to imprison Navalny and destroy his work – stop our investigations, stop our political work, stop everything. For us, it is a matter of principle to show Vladimir Putin and whoever is responsible for this that this is not going to work. That we’re going to continue our work and we’re going to work harder and more than we did before. And we intend to keep going as long as it takes. 

Q: As the head of investigations at this foundation, what have you uncovered recently? 

A: This month, we’ve done two. There was an investigation that we did about the yacht Scheherazade. It is parked somewhere in Italy, and it has no owner. I think it is the 11th or 12th most expensive yacht in the world. No one knows to whom it belongs to. In our investigation, we proved that it belongs to Vladimir Putin. 

And last week, we published an investigation about Valery Gergiev, a Russian conductor and classical musician, who is very famous and a frequent guest at places like the Metropolitan Opera and Grand Opera. He is not only a very famous musician, but a prominent supporter of Putin and Putin’s war. So, we did a big investigation into how Valery Gergiev gets paid for publicly whitewashing Putin abroad. 

Q: Navalny was recently sentenced to more time in prison. What do you think the future holds for him? Will he be able to get out of this prison?

A: I think that those numbers mean nothing. He can be sentenced to nine years to 99 years to 900 years. It is virtually meaningless.

Navalny’s case is purely political. Vladimir Putin decided to throw him into jail indefinitely. So as many people say, Navalny’s sentence is essentially a life sentence. The question is whose life it will be? I’m pretty sure that Navalny is going to stay in prison probably until Putin leaves the office, until Putin is removed from power. Our mission is to make sure that this day comes as quickly as possible and Alexey is out of prison as soon as possible. 

Q: We learn in this documentary what Navalny’s vision is for Russia, what he imagined the future will be. Do you expect that Russia will ever come to fruition? 

A: Absolutely. That’s the plan. That’s what we are working on for many years. It would be strange if we did something for a decade that we didn’t believe in and we didn’t believe that it was possible. 

I am convinced that the so-called “beautiful Russia of the future” – this is how Alexey refers to it – it is indeed possible. It is achievable and attainable, and yes, it will take a lot of effort and a lot of work to make sure that it materializes but there are so many people, so many Russians who are willing to do this work, who are willing to risk their life, their careers, their everything, just to make sure that Russia one day becomes a free and democratic country. 

Tune in tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET to watch the CNN Film “Navalny” on CNN. 

Russian military vehicles move in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, on Saturday, April 23.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that if Ukrainians in the besieged city of Mariupol are killed by Russian forces, and if Russia organizes “pseudo” referendums in occupied territories, Ukraine will stop negotiations with the Russian side. 

Zelensky also reiterated his willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying “I don’t have a right to be afraid” as the Ukrainian people have shown they are not afraid of the Russian military. 

While Zelensky said he’s “not afraid” to meet with Putin, it’s difficult to trust what Russia says.

“There is no trust to Russia. Those are not synonyms, those are antonyms: Russia and trust. Because they’re just saying something, and their words do not coincide with actions,” he said.

Zelensky said possible future negotiations in Turkey depend on Putin, and the Ukranian president reiterated his willingness to participate in talks. 

Zelensky also said Kyiv is “in permanent contact” with Ukrainians in Mariupol but couldn’t share details about the messaging. “These are our people and our town,” he said. 

Zelensky said eight people, including a baby, were killed in missile strikes in the southern port city of Odesa on Saturday.

The Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine issued a statement Saturday claiming that a strike on a Russian command post in the southern Kherson region killed two Russia generals.

“On April 22, 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck a devastating blow at a forward command post of the 49th Combined Arms Army of Russian occupation troops located a short distance from the battle line in the Kherson region,” the statement said. “The result: The Field Control Point of the 49th Combined Arms Army was destroyed. Two occupier generals were eliminated, and one was seriously wounded and evacuated in critical condition.”

CNN could not immediately verify that claim or that casualties may have been inflicted on that unit. Several Russian generals have been killed in Ukraine, with military observers and analysts saying that communication issues and a top-down command style have forced Russia’s top officers to move forward to resolve tactical issues.

The Russian defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for​ comment. 

A woman holding a child speaks as they take shelter in a bunker of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine in this image released on April 23. A portion of this photo has been blurred by CNN to protect identity.

For women and children stuck in the bunker of the Azovstal steelworks, daylight is a rarity.

“I want to get out of here and see the sun. We’ve been here for two months now and I want to see the sun,” said one boy.

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.

“Because they switch the lights on and off here. When they rebuild our houses we can live in peace. Let Ukraine win this war because Ukraine is our dear home,” he added.

Some background: Ukrainian officials have said more than 100,000 people still remain in Mariupol. The Russian government claims to control the strategic port, but Ukrainian fighters remain holding out in the city’s massive Azovstal steelworks.

On Friday, Russian troops also continued to launch air strikes on Mariupol and ​restrict Ukrainian units in the area of the Azovstal plant.

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

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.” 

Evacuation corridor “thwarted”: The evacuation of civilians from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been “thwarted” by the Russian military, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol said on his official Telegram account Saturday. 

At 11 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) Saturday, at least 200 residents had gathered near a shopping center in Mariupol, waiting to be evacuated to Zaporizhzhia. But “instead of the buses promised by the Russian side, the Russian military approached the Mariupol residents and ordered them to leave because ‘there will be shelling now,’” Petro Andriushchenko said. 

Russian opposition leader. Anti-corruption campaigner. Assassination attempt survivor. Prisoner.

Alexey Navalny’s crusade against the Kremlin has brought him many labels.

And with the eyes of the world now on Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his brutal invasion of Ukraine, Navalny’s message of resistance is finding new weight inside and outside of Russia, even as he remains behind bars.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing,” he says, reprising the famous quote of unknown origin, in the new CNN film “Navalny,” which premieres this Sunday, April 24, at 9 p.m. ET on CNN. “So don’t be inactive.”

Here’s what you need to know about Navalny’s political rise, attempted assassination and future in Russia:

Rise to prominence Navalny first gained visibility in 2008, when he started blogging about alleged corruption within Russian state-run companies. By 2011, he had emerged as one of the leaders of the massive protests that had broken out after allegations of fraud in parliamentary elections.

“Those who have gathered here can kick these thieved ass***** out of the Kremlin tomorrow,” Navalny said at one 2011 protest.

He posted his first YouTube video, a step-by-step instruction guide showing how to build an “agitation cube,” a boxlike tent structure with his image emblazoned on the side, in July 2013. The clip marked the start of the Russian dissident’s campaign to be elected Moscow mayor, and the humble beginning of his YouTube revolution.

But his movement was blunted when he was convicted on embezzlement charges, just as he was preparing to run for mayor. Navalny has denied the charges and called them politically motivated. A retrial in 2017 barred him from running for public office — this time for president against Putin.

While Navalny is most well known as an activist, it’s his investigations that have been the biggest thorn in the side of some of Russia’s powerful people. His videos about the apparent unexplained wealth of top government officials have particularly raised the ire of the Kremlin.

One video about former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev drew more than 35 million views on YouTube.

But with increased results came increased risks. In March 2017, that video lit a spark under the biggest anti-government protests Russia had seen in years. Thousands joined rallies in almost 100 cities across Russia. Navalny himself was arrested and jailed for 15 days.

The following month, he was splashed with an antiseptic green dye, damaging his vision in one eye.

“Listen, I’ve got something very obvious to tell you. You’re not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong,” Navalny said to his supporters in the CNN film.

Poisoning and recovery By 2020, there were signs that the ground was shifting beneath Navalny’s opposition movement.

The Kremlin had taken on a more publicly confrontational posture toward its chief critic, culminating in accusations of a poisoning attempt in August of that year.

Navalny had started feeling unwell on a return flight to Moscow from the Siberian city of Tomsk. Loud groaning can be heard in video footage apparently recorded on the flight he took. More video apparently recorded through the airplane window showed an immobile man being taken by wheeled stretcher to a waiting ambulance.

Navalny was treated at a Berlin hospital, and the German government later concluded he had been poisoned with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group.

A joint investigation by CNN and the group Bellingcat implicated the Russian Security Service (FSB) in Navalny’s poisoning, piecing together how an elite unit at the agency had followed Navalny’s team throughout a trip to Siberia, when Navalny fell ill from exposure to Novichok.

The investigation also found that this unit, which included chemical weapons experts, had followed Navalny on more than 30 trips to and from Moscow since 2017. Russia denies involvement in Navalny’s poisoning. Putin himself said in December that if Russian security services had wanted to kill Navalny, they “would have finished” the job.

Nevertheless, several Western officials and Navalny himself have openly blamed the Kremlin.

“It’s impossible to believe it. It’s kind of stupid that the whole idea of poisoning with a chemical weapon, what the f**k?” Navalny says in the new CNN film. “This is why this is so smart, because even reasonable people they refuse to believe like, what? Come on … poisoned? Seriously?”

News that Navalny had fallen gravely ill sent a fresh shock wave through Russian society, raising worrying parallels with some of the more brazen political killings in Russia’s recent past.

Western governments, independent researchers and Russia watchers have noted a consistent pattern of Russian state involvement in assassinations both inside Russia and abroad.

Click here to read the full story.

Tune in tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET to watch the CNN Film “Navalny” on CNN.

The evacuation of civilians from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been “thwarted” by the Russian military, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol said on his official Telegram account Saturday. 

At 11 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) Saturday, at least 200 residents had gathered near a shopping center in Mariupol, waiting to be evacuated to Zaporizhzhia. But “instead of the buses promised by the Russian side, the Russian military approached the Mariupol residents and ordered them to leave because ‘there will be shelling now,’” Petro Andriushchenko said. 

The Russian military brought buses to another location about 200 meters away from the agreed evacuation point, and when residents had already been loaded on the buses, they were told they’ll be evacuated to the city of Dokuchaevsk, “i.e. in the occupied territories,” Andriushchenko said. 

“Yes, once again, the Russians disrupted the evacuation. Brazenly using the efforts of Mariupol residents to return home and the honesty of the Ukrainian army in a ceasefire to organize their own plans,” he added. 

The Ukrainian parliament also tweeted that the evacuation was “disrupted.”

“About 200 Mariupol residents were going to leave, but when they arrived at the assembly point, the [Russian] military told them to disperse because ‘there will be shelling now’,” according to the parliament’s official account. 

A damaged building in Odesa after a reported missile strike, on Saturday, April 23.

Five civilians died and 18 were wounded in Russian missile strikes on the southern port city of Odesa, according to a senior Ukrainian official, as another official denounced them as “Easter gifts from Putin.”


“Five Ukrainian citizens were killed and 18 wounded,” Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said in a statement. “These are only those who were found. And most likely, there will be more.”

Yermak said one of the dead was a 3-month-old baby, adding: “A child who had to celebrate his first Easter with his parents. Nothing is sacred. Absolutely. Evil will be punished.”

Many Ukrainians celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar, with Easter Sunday falling this year on April 24.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine, said Russian forces launched at least six cruise missiles at Odesa.

“City residents heard the blasts in different districts of the city. These were the rockets strikes as well as the work of our air-defense system,” he said.

Gerashchenko added that at least one missile had landed and exploded, residential buildings were hit and one person was burned inside their car in the yard of one of the buildings.

​Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba condemned the strikes, saying, “The only aim of Russian missile strikes on Odesa is terror. Russia must be designated a state sponsor of terrorism and treated accordingly. No business, no contacts, no cultural projects. We need a wall between civilization and barbarians striking peaceful cities with missiles.”

Ukrainian officials have warned of potential Russian attacks during Easter holiday observances in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently claimed Russian forces have “liberated” the Azov Sea port of Mariupol, although Ukrainian defenders are holding out in a massive steel works in the city. 

Ukraine’s Air Command South said in a separate statement that missiles also struck a military facility and were launched by Russian bombers:

While in prison, Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny used social media to denounce the Russian invasion of Ukraine, advocating for anti-war protests across the country as “the backbone of the movement against war and death,” according to Reuters.

In a tweet, Navalny said: “I am very grateful to everyone for their support. And, guys, I want to say: the best support for me and other political prisoners is not sympathy and kind words, but actions. Any activity against the deceitful and thievish Putin’s regime. Any opposition to these war criminals.”

Thousands in Russia have been detained for anti-war demonstrations in the weeks since, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg. 

One young woman CNN met on the margins of the first night of protest last month was near tears explaining that she loves Russia but not her leader, and so has concluded she must leave the country.

There is real frustration in that generation, but they are a minority — less than 10% of the nation.

​Indeed, the latest polling by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), a state-owned but nevertheless internationally respected organization, found that 68% of people say they support the decision to carry out the “special military operation,” which Putin had announced alongside false accusations of Nazism and genocide in Ukraine; 22% oppose it and 10% had difficulty answering.

It is a sobering assessment that when Putin puts his finger in the wind of public opinion, he can be reasonably sure it is blowing in the direction he instructed his state organs to set it.

“We need to utilize this power, to not give up, to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes. We don’t realize how strong we actually are,” he said.

Click here to read the full story.

Tune in tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET to watch the CNN Film “Navalny” on CNN.