May 8, 2022: Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the Security Council in New York on May 5.

The United Nations Secretary-General on Sunday thanked everyone involved in the evacuation of more than 170 civilians from the besieged Azovstal steel plant and other areas of Mariupol.

According to Guterres, the latest safe passage operation brings the total number of evacuated civilians from Azovstal and other areas of Mariupol to more than 600.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at press conference in Tokyo on May 9.

Japan will embargo Russian crude oil imports “in principle,” as part of a G7 decision to counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after an online meeting of G7 leaders on Sunday.

Kishida did not give a timeline for Japan’s embargo on Russian oil imports.

Some context: Japan has been importing Russian crude oil — which accounted for 3.6% of crude oil imports in 2021 — to diversify its supply sources, according to data released in April by the country’s ministry of trade. 

Earlier this month, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Koichi Hagiuda told reporters that given Japan “has limited resources” it is difficult for the country to immediately align itself with the European Union over its plans to ban oil imports from Russia.

The G7 meeting was held online at the behest of Germany and was attended by G7 nation leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves to officers and soldiers in a celebration of the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, in North Korea on April 27.

If North Korea was looking for another excuse to forge ahead with its nuclear weapons program, it just found one in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

That one of the very few countries to have voluntarily given up a nuclear arsenal is now under attack from the same country it gave its warheads to will not be lost on Pyongyang.

In fact, analysts say, Moscow’s actions have gifted the reclusive Asian nation a “perfect storm” of conditions under which to ramp its program up.

Not only will North Korea use Ukraine’s plight to bolster its narrative that it needs nukes to guarantee its survival, but leader Kim Jong Un may find that, with all eyes on the war in Europe, he can get away with more than ever.

Divided over Ukraine, the international community will likely have little appetite for sanctions on the hermit kingdom; indeed, even unified condemnation of a recent North Korean ICBM test remains elusive.

What’s more, the boycott of Russian oil and gas could even open the door to cut-price energy deals between Pyongyang and Moscow – ideological allies whose friendship harks back to the Korean war of the 1950s.

Read the full analysis:

Image released by the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 26, 2022 shows missiles are displayed during a military parade at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean People\'s Revolutionary Army (KPRA). Leader Kim Jong-un inspects the military parade The North Korean leader said he will expand nuclear weapons capability at the fastest speed, according to North Korean state media.

Related article Analysis: What North Korea learned from Ukraine: Now's the perfect time for a nuclear push

UK Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan speaks during a news conference on March 21, in Baltimore.

The British government on Sunday announced new sanctions on Russia and Belarus, targeting trade worth £1.7 billion ($2.1 billion).

The sanctions include import tariffs and export bans, and come in a bid “to further weaken Putin’s war machine,” according to a statement jointly issued by the Treasury and Department for International Trade.

The new import tariffs will cover £1.4 billion ($1.7 billion) worth of goods, including platinum and palladium, the statement read.

 Russia is one of the world’s biggest producers of platinum and palladium.

The planned export bans aim to target more than £250 million ($308 million) worth of goods in sectors of the Russian economy that are most dependent on UK goods, such as chemicals, plastics, rubber and machinery.

The latest package of sanctions brings the total value of products subjected to full or partial import and export sanctions since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine began to more than £4 billion ($4.9 billion).

“Over £4 billion worth of goods will now be subject to import and export sanctions, doing significant damage to Putin’s war effort. Working closely with our allies we can and will thwart Putin’s ambitions,” Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said.

A dog named Patron, trained to search for explosives, is seen at an airfield in the town of Hostomel, on May 5.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has honored the country’s most famous dog, Patron, for his dedication.

Patron, a Jack Russell terrier mix, has become a national figure since the Russian invasion for his work with bomb disposal teams in the northern city of Chernihiv. He is credited with uncovering some 150 munitions as one of a team working for the State Emergency Service.

Zelensky presented Patron and his owner, Myhailo Iliev, with the state award “For Dedicated Service” at a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Chernihiv demining team has used Canadian technology in its work.

At Sunday’s ceremony, Trudeau appeared to search his pockets for treats – but without success.

At previous media appearances, Patron appears to have been unimpressed by the attention his work has generated.

Emergency crew work near a burning debris, after a school building was hit as a result of shelling, in the village of Bilohorivka, Luhansk, on Ukraine, May 8.

UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine and UN Assistant Secretary-General Amin Awad issued a statement in response to the bombing of a school serving as a shelter in Luhansk, saying the incident is “yet another stark reminder of the cruelty of this war.”

“Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be spared in times of war; these obligations under international humanitarian law are non-negotiable,” Awad said. “The sooner we seek a peaceful end to the war, the better for the people here in Ukraine and everywhere in the world.”

“UNICEF strongly condemns yet another attack on a school in Ukraine amid reports that civilians, including children, had sought shelter in the school’s bunker,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement Sunday. “We do not yet know how many children might have been killed or injured in the reported bombing, but we fear this attack has just added to the hundreds of children who have already lost their lives in this war.”

The International Committee for the Red Cross says that more than 170 civilians from Mariupol have arrived safely in the Ukrainian controlled city of Zaporizhzhia.

In a tweet late Sunday, the ICRC, said that “after weeks of living largely underground, over 170 civilians from Azovstal [steel plant] and Mariupol area have arrived in Zaporizhzhia.”

It added: “This is the 3rd safe passage operation we’ve coordinated with @UN. We’re deeply relieved we could help more civilians get to a safer place.”

It wasn’t clear how many of the evacuees had been trapped at Azovstal.

Mariupol City Council said that a total of 173 people had been rescued from Azovstal and Mariupol.

It said “10 buses with Mariupol residents are already on the territory of free Ukraine.”

“Thank you to all the heroic defenders of Azovstal for this. At the cost of three lives of our soldiers and six wounded, soldiers managed to get and remove civilians from the plant.” t said.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Azov Regiment are not only defending themselves at the cost of their efforts but are also rescuing civilians,” the Council said.

View the tweet from the ICRC here:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses a joint press conference in Kyiv, on Sunday.

In a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the reopening of the Canadian embassy in Kyiv. 

Trudeau also announced more military assistance for Ukraine would be given including drone cameras, satellite imagery, small arms, ammunition and funding for de-mining operations.

The Canadian prime minister also announced Canada will be removing trade tariffs on all Ukrainian imports coming to Canada for the next year. 

Trudeau’s comments came during a surprise weekend visit to Ukraine announced by his office Sunday morning.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin visited Mariupol Sunday, the most senior government official yet to set foot in the Ukrainian city after weeks of Russian bombardment.

On his Telegram channel, Khusnullin said “I visited the liberated territories of the DNR [Donetsk People’s Republic] and LNR [Luhansk People’s Republic]. I visited Mariupol, Volnovakha, Luhansk and other cities and chatted with the locals.”

“In the regions, the restoration of peaceful life begins — a lot of work. We will help. In particular, it is necessary to carry out large-scale work to provide humanitarian assistance.”

Video showed Khusnullin meeting with Denis Pushilin, the leader of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic. 

In response, Petro Andrushenko, an adviser to the elected Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol, said that Khusnullin had visited Mariupol’s seaport.

US President Joe Biden met virtually with G7 leaders on Sunday and tweeted a photo of the call.

With a close examination of the tweeted G7 photo, you can also make out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the frame with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

In a joint statement earlier Sunday, members of the G7 confirmed Zelensky participated in Sunday’s call, while Trudeau’s office confirmed that the Canadian PM was meeting with Zelensky in Ukraine.

The Group of 7 Leaders (G7), including US President Joe Biden, met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and reassured him that they will continue to provide military and economic assistance “to help Ukraine secure its free and democratic future” and will increase financial aid “in the coming weeks,” according to a G7 Leaders’ statement of the meeting passed along by the White House. 

Zelensky, according to the statement, told the leaders that Ukraine will continue to protect itself and that his “ultimate aim” is a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.  

The G7 also pledged to “step up” short-term financial aid to Ukraine in the weeks ahead, as well as continue to develop options for the country’s long-term reconstruction. 

The 17-point statement also announces that all G7 countries agree to phase out Russian oil in a “timely and orderly fashion,” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion brings “shame on Russia and the historic sacrifices of its people.”

Here are more of the latest headlines from the Russia-Ukraine war:

French President Emmanuel Macron takes part in a video-conference with G7 leaders about Ukraine at the Élysée Palace in Paris, on Sunday.

The Group of 7 Leaders (G7), including US President Joe Biden, met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and reassured him that they will continue to provide military and economic assistance “to help Ukraine secure its free and democratic future” and will increase financial aid “in the coming weeks,” according to a G7 Leaders’ statement of the meeting passed along by the White House. 

Zelensky, according to the statement, told the leaders that Ukraine will continue to protect itself and that his “ultimate aim” is a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.  

“[Zelensky] stated that Ukraine’s ultimate aim is to ensure full withdrawal of Russia’s military forces and equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and to secure its ability to protect itself in the future and thanked G7 members for their support,” the statement reads, continuing: “Ukraine remains committed to working closely with G7 members to support Ukraine’s macroeconomic stability in the face of the challenges posed by the full-scaled Russian invasion, massive destruction of critical infrastructure and disruption of traditional shipping routes for Ukrainian exports.”

The G7 also pledged to “step up” short-term financial aid to Ukraine in the weeks ahead, as well as continue to develop options for the country’s long-term reconstruction. 

“In the coming weeks, we will step up our collective short-term financial support to help Ukraine close financing gaps and deliver basic services to its people, while also developing options – working with the Ukrainian authorities and international financial institutions – to support long-term recovery and reconstruction,” the statement reads. 

The seventeen point statement also announces that all G7 countries agree to phase out Russian oil in a “timely and orderly fashion,” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion brings “shame on Russia and the historic sacrifices of its people.”

The US State Department on Sunday announced visa restrictions on more than 2,000 Russian and Belarusian military officials for violations related to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and a new visa restriction policy targeting Russian officials for human rights abuses, violations of international humanitarian law and corruption in Ukraine. 

The department also announced sanctions on eight Russian maritime-related companies, including the Russian Ministry of Defense’s shipping company for its involvement in Russia’s “illegal seizure and occupation of Ukraine,” and added 69 vessels to the US Treasury Department’s list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons.

It also sanctioned three Belarusian officials “for their involvement in a gross violation of human rights.”

According to a fact sheet from the State Department, they imposed “visa restrictions on 2,596 members of the Russian Federation military and 13 Belarusian military officials pursuant to a policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that applies to those who are believed to have supported, been actively complicit in, or been responsible for ordering or otherwise directing or authorizing actions that threaten or violate the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of Ukraine.”

The newly created visa restriction, announced in the fact sheet, “applies to Russian Federation military officials and Russia-backed or Russia-installed purported authorities who are believed to have been involved in human rights abuses, violations of international humanitarian law, or public corruption in Ukraine, including in the so-called ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ or ‘Luhansk People’s Republic.’”

“Family members of those who fall under the policy will also be ineligible for visas,” it said.

A survivor of a Russian strike in eastern Ukrainian is seen at a hospital on Sunday.

Survivors of a Russian strike on Saturday that killed at least 60 people sheltering in an eastern Ukrainian school have described their harrowing experience in interviews with CNN.

“I got slammed down by a slab — bent into a ball,” said a man with a bandage across his nose and forehead, who preferred not to give his name out of privacy concerns. “Then another explosion, small rocks fell on us. Darkness.”

“There was a woman in our room screaming the whole time. She was pulled out and screaming the whole time. I told her, ‘don’t scream.’ We couldn’t hear a thing.”

 “They started digging,” he said. “I got out. I was like a drunk man – lost.”

Video of the school shared on Telegram by Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, show a building that was completely leveled by the attack.

Hayday said that of an estimated 90 people sheltering in the school, only 27 emerged from the Saturday afternoon attack alive.

Sergiy, a survivor of a Russian strike in eastern Ukrainian, is seen at a hospital on Sunday.

Another survivor, Sergiy, said that he was in the school’s basement when the bomb hit, and that all three floors of the building collapsed “to the ground.”

“We didn’t understand anything,” explained Sergiy. “We were inside. All at once, everything fell down. Darkness. That’s it.”

Yevgen described a desperate escape.

“I was the very first one to start climbing out,” he said. “I was raking bricks and throwing them out. There were wooden planks and boards. Locals who weren’t in the basement helped and used a pipe to rip those boards off.”

The survivors said that among the neighbors they were sheltering with were several elderly grandparents. 

“Imagine what they bombed,” said Sergiy. “An ordinary village with only pensioners and children.”

 Watch Sam Kiley’s report:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Sunday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba about the return of US diplomats to Kyiv and US security assistance to Ukraine.

According to a readout from State Department spokesperson Ned Price, Blinken informed Kuleba that US Charge d’Affaires Kristina Kvien “and a small group of diplomats, accompanied by State Department security, traveled to Kyiv to conduct diplomatic engagement in advance of the planned resumption of Embassy Kyiv operations, as the Secretary pledged to President Zelenskyy they would during his most recent visit to Kyiv.”

Blinken and Kuleba also discussed the new US security assistance to Ukraine, “including the ninth drawdown from US stocks authorized by President Biden and the expanded authorities that will be offered under the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022,” Price said.

Ukraine’s armed forces say they have continued to resist efforts Sunday by Russian units to break through in several areas.

The main Russian thrust has been south from the town of Izium in an effort to encircle Ukrainian troops defending parts of Luhansk region. 

The Ukrainian General Staff said the “enemy regrouped units and replenished supplies to increase the offensive,” but an attempt to take new territory was repulsed.

In an apparent indication of the Russian switch of focus, the Ukrainians said: “The occupiers are no longer conducting an active offensive in the Kharkiv direction.”

However, parts of the region continue to be shelled by Russian artillery, and there has been fighting further east, very close to the Russian border, where Ukrainian forces are trying to advance on Russian supply lines.

In Luhansk, the general staff said that “the enemy is preparing to storm Severodonetsk and Lysychansk,” two towns that the Russians have been shelling for weeks. In the same region, the Russians appear to have full control now of the town of Popasna, but have not made progress beyond that in the direction of Bakhmut to the west. 

In Mariupol, the general staff said, the intensity of hostilities had decreased.

One of the most active combat areas in recent days has been the Black Sea coast. Ukraine’s Air Command South said Sunday it had downed a Russian cruise missile launched by a Russian Su-35 in the skies over the Black Sea.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House in Washington, DC on May 4.

US President Joe Biden and the leaders of the G7 met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday and discussed further actions the US and its allies are taking to punish Russia for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which include sanctions against Russia’s three largest television channels and a commitment from every member of the G7 to phase out Russian oil imports, according to a senior administration official and a White House fact sheet. 

“This is already a failure for Putin, and we’re going to continue to honor the brave fighting that’s taking place by Ukraine’s people and listen to President Zelensky and recommit to staying the course,” the senior official told reporters ahead of the President’s meeting. 

This official added that while the leaders today will “take stock of where we are,” the call will also highlight how Russian President Vladimir Putin is “dishonoring” the sacrifices made by Soviet Russian citizens, millions of whom sacrificed their lives to defeat fascism during World War II.  

“Putin is dishonoring those sacrifices by spreading his lies, his disinformation about the barbarism he is committing in Ukraine … It’s really a chance to speak the truth and demonstrate our continued unity,” this official said of the call. 

The new sanctions unveiled by the US on Sunday will cut off Kremlin-controlled media outlets from US advertisers and production technology, ban Russia from using US-provided services like management or corporate consulting and accounting, as well as impose new export controls against the Russian industrial sector. Sunday’s announcement also includes roughly 2,600 visa restrictions on Russian and Belarusian officials, and the first sanctions against executives of Gazprombank — the institution through which most of Europe buys Russian gas. 

Some more context: The raft of US and Western sanctions that have been imposed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 have pushed the Russian economy into a deep recession as it makes the difficult transition to becoming a closed-economy. 

The three television networks being sanctioned by the US today — Channel One Russia, Television Station Russia-1, and NTV Broadcasting Company — received more than $300 million in advertising revenue from Western countries just last year, according to the official. 

“We’re not going to be in the business of helping them broadcast the lies and the deceit that you hear from Putin every day,” this official said. 

Not included in today’s services ban: legal services. The US, according to the senior official, has decided to continue to permit the seeking of “due process,” but that the government will continue to re-evaluate this “every day” and that they are waiting to see what happens following this initial service ban. The official noted that the United Kingdom also has not instituted such a ban. 

The official also made sure to note that the sanctions against Gazprombank executives are just that, actions against leaders of the important financial institution and not a full sanction against the bank itself, which Europeans must do business with to continue to purchase Russian gas. 

“This is not a full block. We’re not freezing the assets of Gazprombank or prohibiting any transactions with Gazprombank. What we’re signaling is that Gazprombank is not a safe haven. And so we’re sanctioning some of the top business executives, they’re the people who sit at the top of the organization, to create a chilling effect,” this official said. 

The decision to restrict exports of industrial products to Russia is intended to hamper the Kremlin’s industrial capacity and war-making ability, similar to how Western restrictions on microchips are limiting Russia’s ability to make precision guided missiles, the senior official said. 

In addition to the export ban on Russian industrial services, the US also sanctioned Promtekhnologiya LLC which makes weapons, such as rifles, used by Russian forces in Ukraine, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will also no longer permit the export of uranium, plutonium or other nuclear-related products.

Correction: A previous version of this post said that the three television networks being sanctioned by the US today received more than $300 billion in advertising revenue from Western countries last year. The actual amount is $300 million. It has been corrected.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivers remarks at the Capitol Building on May 2, in Washington, DC.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats are going to work as quickly as possible to pass the Ukraine supplemental that was requested by the Biden administration a few weeks ago. 

More background: On April 28, President Biden asked Congress for a $33 billion supplemental funding bill aimed at supporting Ukraine over the next several months as Russia’s brutal and unrelenting war enters a new phase.

In another significant request, Biden outlined a proposal that would further pressure Russian oligarchs over the war in Ukraine, including using money from their seized assets to fund Ukraine’s defense.

The size and scope of the President’s latest proposed package comes as his administration prepares to provide long-term support to Ukraine as Russia’s invasion of the nation stretches into its third month.

The package is significantly larger than the other packages that have been put forward, and is more than twice as much as the $13.6 billion infusion of military and humanitarian aid that Congress approved last month.

US President Joe Biden’s virtual meeting with leaders of the G7 and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has started, per a White House official. 

The meeting, deliberately taking place a day before Russia’s annual Victory Day celebrations, will focus on the latest developments in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, support for Ukraine and a demonstration of “continued G7 unity,” in their collective response. 

Sanctions would also be on the agenda, an official told CNN. CNN has asked for more details on the exact timing.