British defense ministry says Ukraine has ‘repelled’ numerous Russian assaults in Donbas, while attacks on other regions rage on
It’s just after 1 p.m. in Kyiv. Here’s what you need to know
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he will meet top US officials in Kyiv on Sunday, as heavy fighting continues in the east and south of the country over Ukraine’s Easter weekend.
The White House has not confirmed the visit, which Zelensky said Saturday would include US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Meanwhile, many Ukrainians are attempting to celebrate one of their most important holidays of the year, Orthodox Easter, two months after the country was thrust into a devastating war
Here’s what you need to know.
Expected visit: Zelensky said he was “expecting specific things and specific weapons” from world leaders who come to the country, after announcing that he would meet Blinken and Austin in Kyiv on Sunday.
The White House has declined to comment on the potential trip, which would be the first visit to Ukraine by top US officials since the war broke out.
Steel plant under attack: Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Russian forces were “continuously attacking” the encircled Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol on Easter Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed earlier this week that Russia forces had achieved the “liberation” of Mariupol, but ordered his forces to stop short of taking the Azovstal plant, which is the last major bastion of Ukrainian defense in the city.
Podolyak said the Russian Federation “should think about the remnants of its reputation,” urging Russia to announce an Easter truce in Mariupol, open an evacuation corridor and agree on a “special round of negotiations” for exchanging military forces in the city.
Ukraine successfully “repelled” numerous Russian assaults in Donbas: Ukraine has “repelled numerous Russian assaults along the line of contact in the Donbas this week,” the UK Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence update on Sunday.
“Despite Russia making some territorial gains, Ukrainian resistance has been strong across all axes and inflicted significant cost on Russian forces,” the assessment continued, without clarifying whether the resistance was being led by Ukrainian armed forces or civilian groups.
Moscow’s plan: Russia revealed the goal of its invasion is to take “full control” of southern Ukraine as well as the eastern Donbas region and to establish a land corridor connecting Russia to Crimea, the peninsula it annexed in 2014.
Humanitarian crisis: An evacuation corridor from the besieged southern city of Mariupol was “thwarted” by Russian forces on Saturday, according to a Ukrainian official. Ukrainian officials have said more than 100,000 people remain in the bombarded city, which the Russian government claims to control. Ukrainian fighters continue to hold out in the city’s massive Azovstal steelworks, where civilians have sheltered for weeks and supplies are running low.
Forced deportations: Ukraine officials claimed on Saturday that Russia was forcibly deporting some Mariupol citizens to Primorsky Krai in Russia’s Far East region, some 8,000 kilometers (4,970 miles) from Ukraine. In early April, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Iryna Vereschuk estimated that some 45,000 Ukrainian citizens had been forcibly deported to Russia since the war began.
Civilian conscription: Ukrainian intelligence has also 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 be in violation of international law, the UK Ministry of Defense statement said.
Two children killed in Donetsk as home destroyed, regional governor says
From CNN’s Chandler Thornton
Two children were killed in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk amid Russian fighting, according to the region’s governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
In a tweet posted on Sunday Kyrylenko said two girls, aged 5 and 14, died after their family home was destroyed “by Russian occupiers.”
Russia has stepped up its offensive in the Donbas region in recent weeks, according to Ukrainian officials, with heavy fighting reported almost daily throughout the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
At least 184 children have been killed and 286 injured since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, according to the latest report from the UN office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which recorded casualties up to 21 April.
Russian forces “continuously attacking” Mariupol’s encircled Azovstal steel plant, Ukrainian official says
From CNN’s Olga Voitovych and Nathan Hodge in Lviv
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Sunday that Russian forces were “continuously attacking” the encircled Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol on Easter Sunday.
“Orthodox Easter 2022. But right now, RF (the Russian Federation) is continuously attacking the Mariupol Azovstal,” he said on Twitter.
“The place where our civilians and military are located is shelled with heavy air bombs and artillery. RF accumulates forces and equipment for the assault. Who gave the order ‘not to storm’?”
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed earlier this week that Russia forces had achieved the “liberation” of Mariupol, but ordered his forces to stop short of taking the Azovstal plant, the last major bastion of Ukrainian defense in the city.
“RF should think about the remnants of its reputation,” Podolyak said, urging Russia to announce an Easter truce in Mariupol, open an evacuation corridor for civilians and agree on a “special round of negotiations” for exchanging military forces encircled in the city.
As the barrage of Mariupol continues, the city’s sprawling Azovstal steel plant has become one of the last significant holdouts of Ukrainian forces.
The industrial complex is sheltering hundreds of soldiers and civilians — and supplies are running low.
On Thursday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said there were “about 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded servicemen there.”
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the CEO of the company that owns the plant, told CNN on Thursday that the situation there was “close to a catastrophe.”
Ukraine successfully “repelled” numerous Russian assaults in Donbas: UK Defense Ministry
From CNN’s Hannah Ritchie in Hong Kong
Ukraine has “repelled numerous Russian assaults along the line of contact in the Donbas this week,” the UK Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence update on Sunday.
“Despite Russia making some territorial gains, Ukrainian resistance has been strong across all axes and inflicted significant cost on Russian forces,” the assessment continued, without clarifying whether the resistance was being led by the Ukrainian Armed forces of civilian groups.
The Defense Ministry also cited “poor Russian morale and limited time to reconstitute, re-equip and reorganize forces from prior offensives” as the likely causes for Russia’s hindered “combat effectiveness.”
On Friday, Russia declared that the primary goal of its invasion in Ukraine is to take “full control” over southern Ukraine and the eastern Donbas region. The announcement, which came from a top military official, marked the first time since the conflict started that Russia admitted it was fighting to establish a land corridor through Ukrainian territory connecting Russia to Crimea, the peninsula it annexed in 2014.
Some context: Russia has stepped up its offensive in the Donbas region in recent weeks according to Ukrainian officials, with heavy fighting reported almost daily throughout the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukrainians celebrate Easter in the shadow of war
From CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Isa Soares, Madalena Araujo, Sofiya Harbuziuk, Oleksandra Ochman and Marc Seeman, in Lviv
They’ve endured intense battles, brutal airstrikes and unimaginable loss, but this weekend many Ukrainians will attempt to celebrate one of their most important holidays of the year: Orthodox Easter.
Traditionally a time of reflection and rebirth, this Sunday will also mark exactly two months since the country was thrust into a devastating war after Russian forces invaded on February 24.
In his nightly address Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruminated on the significance of the date. “Today was Holy Saturday for Christians of the Eastern Rite. The day between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. It seems that Russia is stuck on such a day,” he said.
“On the day when death triumphs and God is supposedly gone. But there will be a Resurrection. Life will defeat death. The truth will defeat any lies. And evil will be punished,” added Zelensky.
As fighting escalates in the south and east, many in Ukraine are leaning into their faith in search of solace, while others are opting to journey home from neighboring Poland to be among loved ones for Easter commemorations.
“I’ve never been this happy in my life. When I finally saw my husband again, on my first night here, I still felt like this was a dream,” Anna-Mariia Nykyforchyn, 25, tells CNN from Lviv, a western city largely spared from the Russian assault.
Nine months pregnant when the war broke out, Nykyforchyn was one of more than five million who have made the difficult call to leave. She returned two days ago with her baby Marharyta.
“For me, it was extremely important to come back home before Easter,” she says, before sharing her joy over the prospect of the couple’s grandparents meeting the new addition to the family. “I really wanted us to be together. It’s such a ray of hope that everything is going to be okay.”
Read the full story here.
It’s 7 a.m. in Kyiv. Here’s what you need to know.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he will be meeting with top US officials on Sunday in Kyiv, as heavy fighting continues in the east and south of the country over Ukraine’s Easter weekend.
The White House has yet to confirm the visit, which Zelensky said would include US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
As a new day breaks in the capital, here’s what you need to know.
Expected visit: Zelensky said he was “expecting specific things and specific weapons” from world leaders who visit the country, after announcing that he would meet with Blinken and Austin in Kyiv on Sunday. The potential visit would be the first from top US officials since the war broke out. The White House declined to comment on the potential trip.
Odesa toll: At least eight people are dead, including a three-month-old baby, following Russian missile strikes on the southwestern port city of Odesa, Zelensky said Saturday, condemning the attack which took place a day ahead of when many Ukrainians celebrate the Easter holiday.
Humanitarian crisis: An evacuation corridor from the besieged southern city of Mariupol was “thwarted” by Russian forces on Saturday, according to a Ukrainian official. Ukrainian officials have said more than 100,000 people still remain in the bombarded city, which the Russian government claims to control. Ukrainian fighters continue to hold out in the city’s massive Azovstal steelworks, where civilians have sheltered for weeks and supplies are running low.
Moscow’s plan: Russia revealed the goal of its invasion is to take “full control” of southern Ukraine as well as the eastern Donbas region and to establish a land corridor connecting Russia to Crimea, the peninsula it annexed in 2014. A British Ministry of Defense briefing on Saturday said Russian forces had made no major gains in the past 24 hours, in the face of Ukrainian counterattacks.
Forced deportations: Ukraine officials claimed on Saturday Russia was forcibly deporting some Mariupol citizens to Primorsky Krai in Russia’s Far East region, some 8,000 kilometers (4,970 miles) from Ukraine. In early April, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Iryna Vereschuk estimated some 45,000 Ukrainian citizens had been forcibly deported to Russia since the war began.
Civilian conscription: Ukrainian intelligence has also 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 be in violation of international law, the UK Ministry of Defense statement said.
Ukrainian military says it hit 17 air targets on Saturday
From CNN’s Hira Humayun and Josh Pennington
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.
“Air Force and Land Forces anti-aircraft missiles struck nine operational-tactical drones, three aircraft and five cruise missiles,” the MoD statement read.
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.
Zelensky decries Russian attack during Easter holiday for Ukraine’s Christians
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.
“Today was Holy Saturday for Christians of the Eastern Rite. The day between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. It seems that Russia is stuck on such a day,” Zelensky said. “But there will be a Resurrection. Life will defeat death. The truth will defeat any lies, and evil will be punished.”
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.
“It is only a matter of time before all Russian murderers feel what a fair response to their crimes is. It is only a matter of time before we can bring all the deported Ukrainians home. It is only a matter of time before all our people all over Ukraine feel what a strong peace is,” he said.
Many Ukrainians celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar, with Easter Sunday falling this year on April 24.
Zelensky says Blinken and Austin will visit Ukraine on Sunday, as diplomacy returns to Kyiv
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.
“I’m heading back. Looking forward to working in Kyiv #Ukraine️ again,” UK Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons wrote on Twitter on Friday.
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.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-04-24-22/h_a23a1dd1372d2eaee064f1dd768d47b2
