A Ukrainian commander at the Azovstal steel plant said there are “bloody battles” unfolding with Russian forces inside the complex after they breached the perimeter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 344 people were evacuated from Mariupol and surrounding areas to Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday. The Russian Ministry of Defense said it will open evacuation corridors from the Azovstal plant on Thursday.
The European Union is proposing a ban on Russian oil, European Commission chief said Wednesday. The bloc is also planning other measures, including removing Russia’s largest bank and two other companies from the SWIFT system.
The EU will also look at ways of ramping up military support to Moldova over fears the breakaway region of Transnistria could be included in Russia’s war strategy.
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Our live coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.
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UN says a new operation to evacuate civilians from Mariupol was completed on Wednesday
From CNN’s Richard Roth
Ukrainian evacuees queue for aid at a donation collection point,in Zaporizhzhia, on May 4,
(Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said a new operation to evacuate civilians stranded in Mariupol and other communities was completed on Wednesday.
More than 300 civilians from Mariupol and the surrounding towns of Manhush, Berdiansk, Tokmak and Vasylivka were in Zaporizhzhia and receiving humanitarian assistance.
Some context: This was the second evacuation of civilians from areas in Mariupol coordinated by the UN and Red Cross, the statement said. Last weekend, more than 100 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant and arrived safely in Zaporizhzhia.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 344 people were evacuated from Mariupol and surrounding areas to Zaporizhzhia.
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Japan's Fumio Kishida says Russia's entry ban on Japanese officials is "unacceptable"
From CNN’s Emi Jozuka, Alex Stambaugh and Jake Kwon
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy, on May 4.
(Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has condemned Russia’s entry ban on Japanese officials, including himself, as “completely unacceptable.”
The prime minister made the comment during a state visit to Rome on Wednesday.
Russia had “indefinitely” banned 63 Japanese citizens, including Kishida, from entering the country, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.
Members of Kishida’s cabinet, including Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, and Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki have also been barred from entry, as well as members of the parliament and the military, RIA reported.
Some context: Since March, Japan has introduced a series of sanctions against Russia, including freezing the assets of President Vladimir Putin and his family members in response to the invasion.
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Zelensky: 344 people evacuated from Mariupol area on Wednesday
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey
Smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol on Wednesday, May 4.
(Alexei Alexandrov/AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 344 people were evacuated from Mariupol and surrounding areas to Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday, during his nightly address.
Zelensky also called for a ceasefire to evacuate those who remain in Mariupol.
“We are negotiating and hope to continue rescuing people from Azovstal, from Mariupol. There are still civilians, women, children. We need a continued ceasefire in order to rescue them,” he said
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Zelensky discussed "scandalous" remarks made by the Russian foreign minister with Israeli prime minister
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about “scandalous” remarks made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserting that Hitler had Jewish blood.
In his nightly address Wednesday, Zelensky said he spoke to Bennett to congratulate him on Israel Independence Day and update him on the situation in the southern city of Mariupol and eastern Ukraine.
“We also discussed the scandalous and absolutely inadmissible statements by the Russian Foreign Minister who insulted the whole world,” the Ukrainian President said.
In an interview with Italian television Sunday, Lavrov repeated Russia’s claim that its invasion of Ukraine is part of efforts to “de-Nazifiy” the country.
The foreign minister dismissed the fact that Zelensky is Jewish, saying: “He [Zelensky] puts forward an argument: what kind of Nazism can they have if he is a Jew. I may be wrong, but Hitler also had Jewish blood. It means absolutely nothing. The wise Jewish people say that the most ardent anti-Semites are usually Jews.”
Lavrov’s remarks sparked fury amongst the Israeli government, who swiftly summoned the Russian Ambassador to Israel.
CNN’sHadas Gold contributed to this report.
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Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s supply lines are intensifying. Ukraine’s national railway hasn’t buckled
From CNN's Ivana Kottasová, Petro Zadorozhnyy and Lauren Said-Moorhouse
Local residents stand next to a railway power station that was damaged by Russian strikes on Tuesday.
(Petro Zadorozhnyy/CNN)
The smell of burnt wire and rubber still lingered in the air around the railway power station on the outskirts of Lviv Wednesday morning, hours after the blaze was extinguished. A group of investigators was collecting debris from the Russian rockets that struck this place the evening before. Now it serves as evidence of Russia’s attempts to systematically destroy key infrastructure.
The Lviv power station was among six railway facilities in central and western Ukraine targeted by Russian forces on Tuesday evening, according to the chairman of Ukrainian Railways Olexander Kamyshin.
The coordinated strikes briefly knocked out power in parts of the region and caused long delays to more than 40 trains.
“There were also disruptions on our pumping stations, which are supplying the city with water,” Lviv Deputy Mayor Serhiy Kiral told CNN. He said contingency plans were executed to ensure the water supply was not impacted by the strikes.
Tuesday’s attack marks the latest in a series of recent attacks on the country’s infrastructure, with the railway network now one of Russia’s key targets.
On Wednesday, Russia said it believed any weapons – including NATO equipment – arriving into and moving within Ukraine were targets, according to Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
Five train stations in western and central Ukraine were hit in the space of an hour on April 25. Two days later, a missile struck a rail and road bridge across the Dniester Estuary that links the southern port city of Odesa with the country’s far southwest region. Then on Friday, another important railway bridge was blown up near the town of Sloviansk in the eastern Donetsk region.
Earlier in April, in one of the deadliest attacks so far, at least 50 people – including five children – were killed after Russian forces carried out a missile strike on a railway station in Kramatorsk.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that Russian forces were “attempting to hit what we assess to be critical infrastructure targets out towards the West” in Ukraine including “electrical power, transportation hubs, that kind of thing.”
Kirby said that despite the most recent attacks, the US is still able to “flow” military assistance into the region, including “weapons systems” and other materials.
The national railway has always played a crucial economic role in Ukraine, transporting agriculture and heavy industry exports across the country’s vast territory.
But since the Russian invasion began in late February, the train network has become Ukraine’s lifeline to the outside world: It’s how weapons, supplies and humanitarian aid get into the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a plea for peace during a taped address to Denmark on the 77th anniversary of the Scandinavian country’s liberation from Germany during World War II.
Zelensky’s remarks were broadcasted to crowds who had gathered in public squares to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation.
In his speech, Zelensky cautioned that Russia’s invasion may spread to other European countries.
“It is now in Ukraine that the future of our continent is decided. Whether not only we but our neighbors will have peace,” he said, “No one can tell how many more days this war will go on. But I do believe our day of liberation is coming close.”
Zelensky also thanked Danish supporters of Ukraine and asked them to remember the children who have died in Ukraine.
“Please remember Ukrainian children, 220 children whose lives were taken by this war. Please remember that Europe is capable of putting an end to the extension of this,” he said.
People hold Ukraine flags and torches as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses people via video at the City Hall Square in Copenhagen on May 4.
It's 11 p.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
This satellite image shows smoke rising at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 4.
(Planet Labs PBC/AP)
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said Wednesday that new battles have broken out at the Azovstal plant, where hundreds of civilians are still trapped inside along with the last Ukrainian defenders in the city.
“Today there are heavy battles on the territory of our fortress, on the territory of Azovstal. Our brave guys are defending this fortress, but it is very difficult, because heavy artillery and tanks are firing all over the fortress; aviation is working, ships have approached and are also firing on the fortress,” Boichenko said.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, Boichenko said there were 30 children trapped at the plant still waiting to be rescued.
“They are waiting for a new negotiation procedure and a new evacuation mission,” he said.
Here are more of the latest headlines from the Russia-Ukraine war:
Ukrainian commander at Azovstal says “enemy” broke into the plant complex during battles: The commander of the Azov Regiment soldiers inside the Azovstal plant, Lt. Col. Denys Prokopenko, says there are heavy battles unfolding in the complex after Russian forces breached its perimeter. Earlier Wednesday, the Ukrainian foreign minister said the plant still “holds” — despite relentless Russian attacks. “Despite all the statements by Russian officials that Mariupol is under their full control, this is not true. Azovstal, the stronghold — the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol — still holds,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a Twitter livestream. In an interview with Radio Svoboda, Ukrainian parliament member David Arakhamia had confirmed that Russian troops have already reached the premises of the Azovstal steel plant. Arakhamia, who has led Ukrainian delegation in talks with Russia, also confirmed that Ukrainian authorities had managed to regain communications with Ukrainian fighters at Azovstal after losing touch with them earlier on Wednesday.
Russia says it will open evacuation corridors from the Azovstal plant Thursday: The Russian Ministry of Defense says it expects to open evacuation corridors for civilians out of the Azovstal steel plant near Mariupol starting Thursday. “On May 5th , 6th and 7th , 2022, from 08:00 to 18:00 (Moscow time), in accordance with the decision of the leadership of the Russian Federation, which is based on humane principles, the Russian Armed Forces will open a humanitarian corridor from the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant to evacuate civilians (workers, women and children), whose presence in the underground facilities of the plant was once again announced by the Kyiv authorities,” the Russian Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday.
Approximately 2,000 Russian troops remain in Mariupol, a senior US defense official says: Approximately 2,000 Russian troops — or the equivalent of two Russian battalion tactical groups (BTG) — remain dedicated to Mariupol, according to a senior US defense official. However, 10 Russian BTG’s that had been dedicated to the city are now attempting to move north and have paused, “either to create better defensive positions or to refit and re-posture themselves,” just south of the town of Velyka Novosilka, according to the official. The official said that the remaining forces in and around Mariupol may include some non-Russian fighters, including Chechens. Russian military progress in Ukraine “remains slow and uneven” in the north of the country, according to the official.
Ukraine retakes a Kharkiv region village and inches closer towards Russian border: Ukrainian forces have retaken another village in the northern Kharkiv region as a counteroffensive continues against Russian forces. In a video circulating on Telegram, troops were seen placing a flag on a building in the village of Molodova, just 13 miles (almost 21 kilometers) southeast of the Ukraine-Russia border. CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the video. “This is how we liberate,” a soldier is heard saying in the video. “Step-by-step, village-by-village. Our land.” The counteroffensive to retake territory in Kharkiv has retaken a number of villages — about half a dozen in the area — in the last two weeks.
UK announces more Russia sanctions and targets media outlets over “disinformation”: The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced further sanctions against 63 Russian citizens and entities, including against Russian media companies “behind Putin’s vicious disinformation campaign” and their employees. Russian war correspondents embedded with Russian forces in Ukraine and several Russian media outlets are among those sanctioned. Aside from asset freezes and travel bans, new legislation introduced means social media, internet services and app store companies “must take action to block content from two of Russia’s major sources of disinformation, RT and Sputnik,” according to the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
EU wants to remove Russia’s largest bank from SWIFT system and ban state-owned broadcasters: In addition to proposing a ban on Russian oil, the European Union is taking several other measures against Moscow over its war in Ukraine, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. In a series of tweets, she said the bloc plans to: List individuals who committed war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine; remove Russia’s largest bank Sberbank and two other companies from the SWIFT system, a messaging service that connects financial institutions around the world; ban three Russian state-owned broadcasters from the European airwaves because they “amplify Putin’s lies and propaganda aggressively.”
Biden says US is “open to additional sanctions” on Russia after EU announces new round of sanctions: After the European Union and UK announced additional sanctions on Russia, US President Joe Biden said “we are always open to additional sanctions.” He added: “I’ll be speaking with the members of the G7 this week about what we’re going to do or not do,” Biden told reporters at the White House Wednesday while discussing the US economy.
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Ukrainian commander at Azovstal says "enemy" broke into the plant complex during battles
From CNN's Julia Presniakova and Roman Tymotsko
The commander of the Azov Regiment soldiers inside the Azovstal plant, Lt. Col. Denys Prokopenko, says there are heavy battles inside the complex after Russian forces breached its perimeter.
Prokopenko continued, “I am proud of my soldiers who are making superhuman efforts to contain the enemy’s onslaught. I thank the whole world for the tremendous support of the Mariupol garrison. The situation is extremely difficult, but we continue to carry out the order to keep the defense.”
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US defense official: Russian forces attempted to hit "critical infrastructure" in Ukraine during airstrikes
From CNN's Ellie Kaufman
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that during the most recent round of airstrikes on Ukraine, Russian forces were “attempting to hit what we assess to be critical infrastructure targets out towards the West” in Ukraine including “electrical power, transportation hubs, that kind of thing,”
Despite those strikes, the US is still able to “flow” military assistance into the region, including “weapons systems” and other materials, Kirby said.
The US knows weapons and other materials are still getting to Ukraine “because we talk to the Ukrainians every single day,” he added.
The US Defense Department is “still assessing the degree to which” the Russians hit what they targeted, Kirby said.
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Russia's defense ministry says it will open evacuation corridors from Azovstal plant Thursday
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy, Katharina Krebs and Zahra Ullah
A view shows damage at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 3.
(Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
The Russian Ministry of Defense says it expects to open evacuation corridors for civilians out of the Azovstal steel plant near Mariupol starting Thursday.
“During this period, the Russian Armed Forces and the military formations of the Donetsk People’s Republic unilaterally will cease any hostilities, the military units will withdraw to a safe distance and ensure the evacuation of civilians in any direction they choose, both to the territory of the Russian Federation and to areas controlled by the Kyiv authorities,” the ministry continued in a statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the steel plant where civilians and soldiers sheltered for two months from Russian attacks a “stronghold of Ukrainian resistance.”
Ukrainian parliament member David Arakhamia told Radio Svoboda Wednesday that Russian forces have reached the premises of the plant. Soldiers from the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Azov regiment continue to maintain that Russian forces have had “no success” in their attempts to storm the plant.
A joint effort between the Ukrainian authorities, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross succeeded in evacuating more 100 civilians out of the steel plant last Sunday.
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Russia revokes visa-free entry for many European diplomat passport holders
From CNN's Hande Atay Alam
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the cancellation of visa-free entry for diplomatic passport holders and visa procedures for government officials from most European countries in its tweet Wednesday.
“Russia has revoked visa-free entry for holders of diplomatic passports, as well as simplified visa procedures for members of official delegations, governments, parliaments, judiciaries, and journalists from the EU, Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland,” the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote in a tweet.
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Azovstal steel plant still "holds," despite relentless Russian attacks, Ukrainian foreign minister says
From CNN's Anastasia Graham Yooll and Niamh Kennedy in London
The Azovstal steel plant still “holds,” despite relentless attacks from Russian forces, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Wednesday.
“Despite all the statements by Russian officials that Mariupol is under their full control, this is not true. Azovstal, the stronghold — the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol — still holds,” Kuleba said in a Twitter livestream Wednesday.
In an interview with Radio Svoboda, Ukrainian parliament member David Arakhamia confirmed that Russian troops have already reached the premises of the Azovstal steel plant. Arakhamia, who has led Ukrainian delegation in talks with Russia, also confirmed that Ukrainian authorities had managed to regain communications with Ukrainian fighters at Azovstal after losing touch with them earlier on Wednesday.
The soldiers and civilians still in Azovstal continue to suffer “endless attacks” from Russian forces, Kuleba said, stressing that the sustained artillery fire and aerial bombardment are putting their lives at risk.
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Ukraine retakes a Kharkiv region village and inches closer towards Russian border
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy and Tim Lister
(From Telegram)
Ukrainian forces have retaken another village in the northern Kharkiv region as a counteroffensive continues against Russian forces.
In a video circulating Telegram, troops were seen placing a flag on a building in the village of Molodova, just 13 miles southeast of the Ukraine-Russia border. CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the video.
“This is how we liberate,” a soldier is heard saying in the video. “Step-by-step, village-by-village. Our land.”
The counteroffensive to retake territory in Kharkiv has retaken a number of villages — about half a dozen in the area — in the last two weeks.
Not only are forces in the region nearing the Russian border, but they are also inching closer to vital Russian supply lines that run from the border down to Russian-occupied Izium and into the Donetsk region.
Resupplying forces in Izium and the northern Donetsk oblast is critical for the Russian advance in western Ukraine. The majority of the fighting, and shelling, in Ukraine is taking place in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Russian forces there are aided by Russian-backed separatists in both Donetsk and Luhansk.
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Hungary will not agree to EU's current proposed ban on Russian oil imports, spokesperson says
From CNN's Eion McSweeney in London
Hungary won’t get on board with the European Union’s plan to ban Russian oil imports in its current form because it is “against Hungarian national energy security,” according to the spokesperson for the prime minister.
“The proposal on behalf of Brussels is suggesting that it should be done by the end of next year. The shortest period — we’ve been clear on that, our oil companies have been clear on that — is three to five years,” Zoltan Kovacs, spokesperson to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, told CNN’s Eleni Giokos Wednesday. “The very essence of decision-making in Europe is consensus … We maintain and we’ve been telling Brussels and all the European states, that on Hungary’s behalf, it simply cannot be done as they require.”
The European Union is proposing to ban all oil imports from Russia by the end of the year and remove the country’s biggest bank, Sberbank, from the SWIFT international payments network. In a sign of possible discord among EU member states following the announcement on proposals, Kovacs tweeted that Hungary —which heavily depends on Russian oil imports — does not see how an oil embargo transition would be manageable.
Kovacs confirmed in Wednesday’s interview that tension exists between the European Union, Hungary and Slovakia, another country heavily reliant on Russian oil. He told CNN that the differences have “nothing to do with emotions, political like or dislike.”
When pressed on any energy alternatives Hungary may have at its disposal, Kovacs said that “it’s a matter of hard physical fact on the ground.”
“Hungary is a landlocked country. We have inherited a one-sided dependence on Russia after the fall of communism.”
Kovacs also strenuously denied reports that long-serving leader Orban has the ear of Russian President Vladimir Putin and was pre-warned of the invasion of Ukraine. Hungary has “received information and intelligence with the same pace and the same time as other NATO allies,” he said.
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"No success" for Russian troops at Azovstal, Ukrainian Armed Forces say
From CNN’s Anastasia Graham-Yooll in London
In this photo taken from video, smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Tuesday, May 3.
(AP Photo)
Russian troops continue to storm the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol on Wednesday “with no success,” according to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
New battles continue to rage at Azovstal where “hundreds of civilians remain trapped, including 30 children,” the mayor of Mariupol told Ukrainian TV.
The Interior Ministry of the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic has published a video on showing ongoing bombardment, explosions and heavy plumes of smoke coming from the facilities within Azovstal. CNN analysis of the damage visible in the video confirms the footage was likely filmed this week.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russian Armed Forces were not “storming” the Azovstal plant, and instead described them as suppressing “attempts by militants” to take new firing positions.
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Russian military strike kills factory workers waiting for bus in Avdiivka, according to Ukrainian police
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy, Tim Lister and Josh Pennington
A crater from the Russian military strike is seen in this video from the Ukraine National Police.
(Ukraine National Police)
A Russian military strike on Tuesday killed and wounded a number of civilians waiting for a bus in the city of Avdiivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to the National Police of Ukraine.
Authorities have not yet disclosed how many workers were killed or injured in the military strike.
Photos posted by the National Police on Telegram, which CNN has geolocated and verified, show the aftermath of the strike on a bus depot at a factory in Avdiivka. In one of the photos, at least three objects — presumptively bodies — were blurred by the police.
In an accompanying post, the police said the workers who were killed and wounded in the strike were boarding a bus after their work shift.
The Metinvest Group, which owns the plant, confirmed on its Telegram channel that the facility was targeted by Russian shelling, saying those still at the plant were specialists.
“Specialists of the company did not even have time to return to the plant to the bomb shelters, which today have become a shelter for employees and residents of Avdiivka,” the company statement on Telegram read.
According to the company, the plant has seven storage facilities that can hold roughly 2,500 people.
Avdiivka has been on the frontlines for weeks, shelled almost daily by Russian forces trying to break through Ukrainian defensive lines.
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Approximately 2,000 Russian troops remain in Mariupol, senior US defense official says
From CNN's Michael Conte, Barbara Starr and Nicky Robertson
Approximately 2,000 Russian troops — or the equivalent of two Russian battalion tactical groups (BTG) — remain dedicated to Mariupol, according to a senior US defense official.
However, 10 Russian BTG’s that had been dedicated to the city are now attempting to move north and have paused, “either to create better defensive positions or to refit and re-posture themselves,” just south of the town of Velyka Novosilka, according to the official.
The official said that the remaining forces in and around Mariupol may include some non-Russian fighters, including Chechens.
Russian military progress in Ukraine “remains slow and uneven” in the north of the country, according to the official.
The official added that though the Russians are moving their operations to the south, they are facing lots of Ukrainian opposition in those areas, and “stalled in terms of their overall momentum in the North.”
“They’re not really making any progress in the south,” the official said of the state of the Russians’ battle in Mariupol.
There have been attempts by the Russians to attack critical infrastructure in Western Ukraine near Lviv, specifically railroads. However, it does not appear that the Russians have been accurate in their targeting, according to the official.
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90% of US howitzers pledged to Ukraine have been transferred there, senior defense official says
From CNN's Michael Conte
Nearly all of the howitzers that the US pledged to Ukraine are now “in Ukrainian hands,” according to a senior US defense official.
“I can tell you that more than 90% of the 90 howitzers that were pledged to Ukraine in the last two presidential drawdown authorities are actually in Ukrainian hands,” the official said.
Nearly 90,000 of the 144,000 pledged projectile ammunition to pair with them are now in Ukraine as well, according to the official.
But the official said that the US is not tracking where all the artillery is going once the materiel has been given to the Ukrainians.
“Again, where they go and how they’re being used, that’s up to the Ukrainians. We don’t have a bird’s eye view of every single tube and can tell you where it is in the fight,” the official said.
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Biden says US is "open to additional sanctions" on Russia after EU announces new round of sanctions
(Evan Vucci/AP)
After the European Union and UK announced additional sanctions on Russia, US President Joe Biden said “we are always open to additional sanctions.”
“I’ll be speaking with the members of the G7 this week about what we’re going to do or not do,” Biden told reporters at the White House while discussing the US economy.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a raft of measures, including a ban on Russian oil, on Wednesday. Other proposals include listing individuals who committed war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine; removing Russia’s largest bank Sberbank and two other companies from the SWIFT system, a messaging service that connects financial institutions around the world; and banning three Russian state-owned broadcasters from European airwaves.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Wednesday announced further sanctions against 63 Russian citizens and entities, including against Russian media companies “behind Putin’s vicious disinformation campaign” and their employees.
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Swedish embassy is the latest diplomatic mission to return to Kyiv
From CNN's Katharina Krebs in London
The Swedish embassy in Ukraine has returned to Kyiv, the Ambassador of Sweden to Ukraine Tobias Thyberg announced on Twitter on Wednesday.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that diplomatic missions from 27 countries were now operating again in Kyiv.
The UK, Spain, Italy and France have all announced plans to reopen. The US said its embassy in Ukraine hopes to return to Kyiv by the end of May if conditions permit.
The South Korean ambassador to Ukraine, alongside some members of staff from the embassy in Kyiv, returned to the city on Saturday and will start operations on Monday, South Korea’s foreign ministry said.
See Thyberg’s tweet:
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Russia's Patriarch Kirill included in sixth round of proposed EU sanctions, sources say
From CNN's Luke McGee and Radina Gigova
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill celebrates the Easter service in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on April 19, 2020.
(Oleg Varov/Russian Orthodox Church Press Service/AFP/Getty Images)
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is among the individuals who will be included in the proposed sixth round of European Union sanctions, according to two sources who have seen the full documents.
The proposed draft has been sent to the corresponding ambassadors for review, the sources said.
At this stage, names can be taken off or added at member state discretion, an EU Commission source said.
On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a raft of measures that also include a ban on Russian oil.
In an interview this week, Pope Francis slammed Kirill for endorsing Russia’s stated reasons for invading Ukraine, warning him to not become “Putin’s altar boy.”
In response, the Russian Orthodox Church said Pope Francis had used the “wrong tone” in characterizing his meeting with Patriarch Kirill and called the Pope’s comments “regrettable.”
“Such declarations do not contribute to establishing a constructive dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church which is particularly necessary at this time,” declared the Department of External Relations of the Russian Patriarchate in a statement.
What Russia is saying: The sanctions are out of touch with “common sense,” Russian Orthodox Church spokesperson Vladimir Legoida said Wednesday, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
“The more indiscriminate [these] sanctions become, the more they lose touch with common sense and the harder it becomes to reach peace, which is what the Russian Orthodox Church prays for at every service with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, and assistance to all those affected by the Ukrainian conflict, only serve to affirm his words,” Legoida said in a Telegram post.
“Only those completely ignorant of the history of our Church can seek to intimidate its clergy and believers by compiling some lists,” Legoida said.
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Belarusian army begins previously unannounced inspection of its Reaction Force
From CNN's Katharina Krebs in London
The Belarusian army has begun a previously unannounced inspection of its Reaction Force, planning movement of a significant amount of military equipment, according to a statement published by Belarusian Ministry of Defense on its Telegram channel Wednesday.
The defense department noted that “the purpose of the inspection is to assess the readiness and ability of personnel to quickly respond to a possible crisis situation.”
According to the statement, “military units and subunits will operate in unfamiliar areas in a rapidly changing environment.”
The threat of missile strikes on military and civilian infrastructure of Ukraine from the territory of the Republic of Belarus remains real, said Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, the spokesperson of Ukraine’s defense ministry, on Wednesday.
“The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are strengthening certain units at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border in Brest and Gomel regions. Demonstrative and provocative actions along the state border with Ukraine are not ruled out in the future,” he added.
According to him, the threat from Belarus has never ceased.
“As you know, today the Russian army is using the territory of the Republic of Belarus as a springboard for the attack on Ukraine. In fact, due to this, Russian units were able to appear in the suburbs of the capital so quickly,” emphasized Motuzyanyk.
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UK announces more Russia sanctions and targets media outlets over "disinformation"
From CNN's Benjamin Brown in London
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss at Downing Street for a cabinet meeting on April 19 in London, England.
(Mark Thomas/Shutterstock)
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced further sanctions against 63 Russian citizens and entities, including against Russian media companies “behind Putin’s vicious disinformation campaign” and their employees.
Russian war correspondents embedded with Russian forces in Ukraine and several Russian media outlets are among those sanctioned.
Aside from asset freezes and travel bans, new legislation introduced means social media, internet services and app store companies “must take action to block content from two of Russia’s major sources of disinformation, RT and Sputnik,” according to the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
“These outlets have already been booted off the airwaves in Britain and we’ve barred anyone from doing business with them. Now we’ve moved to pull the plug on their websites, social media accounts and apps to further stop the spread of their lies,” Tech and Digital Economy Minister Chris Philp said.
The latest sanctions announcement also sees the UK ban service exports to Russia, prohibiting the provision of PR, management consultancy and accounting services to Russian businesses.
“Doing business with Putin’s regime is morally bankrupt and helps fund a war machine that is causing untold suffering across Ukraine,” Truss said, adding that “cutting Russia’s access to British services will put more pressure on the Kremlin and ultimately help ensure Putin fails in Ukraine.”
UK services currently make up 10% of Russian imports in these sectors, according to the FCDO.
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EU wants to remove Russia's largest bank from SWIFT system and ban state-owned broadcasters
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers her speech during a debate on the social and economic consequences for the EU of the Russian war in Ukraine, on May 4, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. The European Union's leader on Wednesday called on the 27-nation bloc to ban oil imports from Russia in a sixth package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its war in Ukraine.
(Jean-Francois Badias/AP)
In addition to proposing a ban on Russian oil, the European Union is taking several other measures against Moscow over its war in Ukraine, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.
Von der Leyen is speaking at the European Parliament.
In response, the Kremlin spokesperson said the sanctions are a double-edged weapon.
“In general, the sanctions aspirations of the Americans, Europeans, and other countries are a double-edged weapon. In trying to harm us, they too have to pay a heavy price. They’re already doing it, paying a big price. And the cost of these sanctions for European citizens will increase every day,” Dmitry Peskov said when asked about possible sanctions on Russian oil to be imposed by the European Union.
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Mariupol mayor says contact has been lost with Ukrainian forces in Azovstal plant as heavy fighting continues
From CNN's Tim Lister and Julia Kesaieva
This satellite image shows damage at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 4.
(Planet Labs PBC/AP)
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said that new battles have broken out at the Azovstal plant, where hundreds of civilians are still trapped inside along with the last Ukrainian defenders in the city.
“Today there are heavy battles on the territory of our fortress, on the territory of Azovstal. Our brave guys are defending this fortress, but it is very difficult, because heavy artillery and tanks are firing all over the fortress; aviation is working, ships have approached and are also firing on the fortress,” Boichenko said.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, Boichenko said there were 30 children trapped at the plant still waiting to be rescued.
“They are waiting for a new negotiation procedure and a new evacuation mission,” he said.
He also said contact had been lost with the Ukrainian defenders.
“Unfortunately, today there is no connection with the guys, there is no connection to understand what is happening, whether they are safe or not. Yesterday there was a connection with them; today, no more.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said the Russian Armed Forces were not “storming” the Azovstal plant but described it instead as suppressing “attempts by militants” to take new firing positions.
“There has been a public order by the supreme commander [Russian President Vladimir Putin] to cancel the storming; there is no storming,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday in a call with reporters.
Peskov added: “We see that there are aggravations associated with the fact that the militants go to firing positions. These attempts are suppressed very quickly. There is nothing else to say here yet.”
See Russian strikes on Azovstal steel plant:
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It's 3 p.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday the measures would form part of a sixth round of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
(Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance/Getty Images)
Both the European Union and Australia revealed more sanctions on Russian officials Wednesday as diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine continue.
Russian forces launched missile strikes that hit at least six infrastructure targets across Ukraine, but they are still struggling to make progress in their offensive in the east of the country.
Here’s what you need to know:
European Union reveals further measures: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a raft of measures including a ban on Russian oil on Wednesday. Other proposals include listing individuals who committed war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine; removing Russia’s largest bank Sberbank and two other companies from the SWIFT system, a messaging service that connects financial institutions around the world; and banning three Russian state-owned broadcasters from European airwaves.
More evacuations from Mariupol: Fresh evacuations from the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol got underway on Wednesday, according to a local official, who did not provide a figure for the number of people involved. A convoy of buses departed Mariupol for Zaporizhzhia in efforts led by the United Nations and the Red Cross, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk Region Military Administration, announced on Telegram.
Pope condemns Russian orthodox leader: Pope Francis warned the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, not to become “Putin’s altar boy” in an interview this week. In his strongest words to date against the pro-war Patriarch, Francis also slammed Kirill for endorsing Russia’s stated reasons for invading Ukraine.
Russian forces largely stalled in eastern Ukraine: Despite heavy artillery fire on a number of fronts, Russian forces have made few advances toward their goal of securing all of Luhansk and Donetsk regions in the east of the country, the Ukrainian military said Wednesday.
Russia targets infrastructure:Russian missile attacks on Tuesday night were designed to destroy transport infrastructure, according to the Ukrainian military. Cruise missiles hit at least a half-dozen targets across central and western Ukraine in what appears to have been an attempt to hamper the transit of military equipment and supplies. The Ukrainian railway system reported that more than 40 trains were delayed following the attacks.
Australia imposes more sanctions: Further sanctions and travel bans against members of Russia’s parliament and Ukrainian separatists were announced Wednesday in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The new listings will target 110 individuals, including 34 “senior members of the Russian-led movements” in Donetsk and Luhansk.
US hoping to attract highly skilled Russians: US President Joe Biden has asked the US Congress to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make it easier for highly educated Russians to obtain visas to work in the US. Tens of thousands of such people have reportedly fled Russia since the war, and the US administration is hoping to take advantage of that brain drain, officials said.
Biden administration says it won’t allow Russia to “co-opt” Victory Day: White House National Security Council senior director for Europe Amanda Sloat told CNN the Biden administration does not want to allow Putin to “co-opt” Monday’s Victory Day by tying it to the invasion of Ukraine. She declined to weigh in on intelligence indicating Putin may use the holiday to rally support for his invasion of Ukraine, including possible steps to formally declare war on its neighbor or annex the Donbas and Luhansk regions.
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Zelensky asks Bulgaria to help with repairs of Ukrainian military equipment
From CNN's Radina Gigova in London
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Bulgaria to help Ukraine with repairs of military equipment damaged in the ongoing war with Russia, Bulgaria’s National Television (BNT) reported Wednesday.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Sofia, Vitaly Moskalenko, has presented a letter from Zelensky to Bulgaria’s Parliament, in which the Ukrainian President says authorities in Kyiv hope Bulgaria will help repair Ukrainian military equipment and continue assisting Ukrainians fleeing the war.
Zelensky says he hopes Bulgaria will continue providing humanitarian aid, including medicines, clothing and food.
In the letter, Zelensky says he hopes energy cooperation between the two countries and the export of electricity and gas from Ukraine to Bulgaria will continue, according to BNT.
Zelensky also says he hopes Bulgaria will continue supporting Ukraine on its path to EU integration, according to BNT.
The Bulgarian Parliament will decide later on Wednesday whether to support Ukraine with “military-technical equipment,” according to BNT.
Some background: Russia cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria last week, dramatically escalating its response to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
Russian state energy giant Gazprom said in a statement Wednesday that it had fully halted supplies to Polish gas company PGNiG and Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz after they refused to meet a demand by Moscow to pay in rubles, rather than euros or dollars.
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Kremlin says no chance of Putin declaring war on Ukraine on Victory Day
From CNN's Stephanie Halasz
Russian military vehicles attend rehearsal of Victory Day military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, in Moscow, Russia, on April 28.
(Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday there was no chance of Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring war on Ukraine on May 9, Russia’s Victory Day, dismissing those reports as “nonsense.”
When asked by CNN on a regular conference call what the chances were of Putin declaring war on Victory Day, Peskov said “none,” adding: “No, this is nonsense.”
Peskov also rejected reports that Putin may use Victory Day to announce mobilization in the country, which would allow the government not just to assemble troops but also to put the economy on a war footing.
Analysts and Western officials previously said they believe that on May 9, after over two months of calling the Ukraine invasion a “special military operation,” Putin could formally declare war.
Some background: May 9, known as “Victory Day” inside Russia, commemorates the country’s defeat of the Nazis in 1945.
It is marked by a military parade in Moscow, and Russian leaders traditionally stand on the tomb of Vladimir Lenin in Red Square to observe it.
Putin has a keen eye for symbolism, having launched the invasion of Ukraine the day after Defender of the Fatherland Day, another crucial military day in Russia, leading Western officials to believe he would use May 9 to either announce a military achievement in Ukraine, a major escalation of hostilities – or both.
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Russia bans entry of 63 Japanese citizens, including prime minister
From CNN’s Jake Kwon and Alex Stambaugh
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, on April 26.
(David Mareuil/Reuters)
Russia “indefinitely” banned 63 Japanese citizens including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida from entry, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.
Members of Kishida’s cabinet, including Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, and Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki have also been barred from entering the country, as well as members of the parliament, and the military, RIA reported.
“The administration of Fumio Kishida launched an unprecedented anti-Russian campaign, allows unacceptable rhetoric against the Russian Federation, including slander and direct threats,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to RIA.
Since March, Japan has introduced a series of sanctions against Russia including freezing the assets of President Vladimir Putin and his family members in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Pedestrians walk past a screen displaying Russian President Vladimir Putin during a news broadcast about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Akihabara district of Tokyo, Japan, on May 4.
(Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images)
Some background: Last week, Russia warned Japan of “retaliatory measures” if it expands joint naval exercises with the United States near Russia’s eastern borders.
The threat was the latest salvo from Moscow, which has been angered by Japan’s support for Ukraine and its growing ties with NATO countries.
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More than 5.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine, says United Nations
From CNN's Benjamin Brown in London
A young girl clutches her backpack as she sits on a bus in Lviv, Ukraine, leaving for Warsaw in Poland, carrying refugees from regions of southern and eastern Ukraine, on May 3.
(Leon Neal/Getty Images)
More than 5.6 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in late February, according to the latest United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) data.
In addition, at least 7.7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine having been forced to flee their homes, according to the latest report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
A projected 8.3 million refugees are expected to flee Ukraine, the UNHCR said last week.
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Russian separatists say more than 500 evacuated from Mariupol through their center in one day
From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych
Pro-Russian troops stand guard next to a bus for transporting evacuees near a temporary accommodation center in the village of Bezimenne in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine, on May 1.
(Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
The self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) says that in the 24 hours to 8 a.m. Wednesday (local time) a total of 517 people have been evacuated from the besieged city of Mariupol to its center some 15 miles (25 kilometers) to the east.
It said 61 of the evacuees were children but it’s unclear how many, if any, of the total were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant.
CNN is unable to verify the numbers reported.
The DPR has set up a tented reception center at Bezimenne, where people leaving Mariupol are screened.
Ukrainian officials have described the facility, and three other similar facilities around Mariupol, as filtration centers where people are often subjected to abuse and harassment, as well as long delays.
The DPR’s Ministry of Emergency Situations manages the center at Bezimenne, which has seen more than 27,000 people pass through since the beginning of March, according to the DPR.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has previously commented on the number of civilians being evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, and says a number of them have decided to stay in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic.
When evacuees emerge from sprawling complex, they are given a choice of traveling to Ukrainian or Russian-held territory.
Those willing to enter Ukrainian territory are delivered to representatives of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, state news agency TASS reported.
Some background: A CNN investigation in April revealed that Russian forces and allied separatist soldiers were taking Mariupol residents to a so-called “filtration center” set up in Bezimenne, where they were registered before being sent on to Russia – many against their will.
Ukrainian government and local Mariupol officials say that tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens have been forcibly deported to the Donetsk People’s Republic and Russia since the war began.
In April, CNN interviewed 10 people, including local Mariupol residents and their loved ones, who were taken by Russian and DPR soldiers to Russian-held towns against their will before being deported to the Russian Federation.
CNN spoke with two people who were brought to Bezimenne before being sent to Russia. They described a massive military tent, where Russian and DPR soldiers were processing hundreds of people – they were fingerprinted, photographed, their phones searched, interrogated, passports reviewed and registered into databases.
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EU considers ways to ramp up military support to Moldova
From CNN's Amy Cassidy in London
Moldovan President Maia Sandu shows the way to European Council President Charles Michel during a meeting in Chisinau, Moldova, on May 4.
(Vladislav Culiomza/Reuters)
The European Union is considering ways to further boost Moldova’s military, EU Council President Charles Michel said Wednesday, following recent attacks in the country’s pro-Moscow breakaway region of Transnistria.
Speaking alongside Moldova’s president Maia Sandu in Chisinau, Michel said “some decisions” have already been taken to enhance support in the fields of logistics and cyber defense.
The pair discussed what further military support could be provided, he said, but would not go into detail “to avoid any escalation.”
The Defense Ministry in Ukraine described the unexplained explosions in the Transnistria region as a “planned provocation” by the Russian secret services.
The ministry’s defense intelligence department said in a statement on its Telegram channel that three days before the incident, the leaders of the breakaway region “were already preparing for it and took care to install a secure and comfortable bunker” at the Ministry of State Security, which was damaged in the explosions.
Russia’s supposed “peacekeeping” presence in Transnistria has mirrored Moscow’s pretext for invasions in Georgia and Ukraine, sparking fears the disputed territory is now included in Vladimir Putin’s war strategy.
Some background: Transnistria is a breakaway republic in eastern Moldova that borders Ukraine. It has a population of nearly 500,000 and is internationally recognized as part of Moldova.
Russia has maintained a military presence in Transnistria since the early 1990s.
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Russian defense minister says Azovstal defenders "reliably blocked" and repeats warning to NATO
From CNN's Tim Lister
Damage at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 3.
(Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday the “remnants of the Ukrainian military group” located in the Azovstal steel plant are “reliably blocked along the entire perimeter of the plant.”
His comments, made on a conference call in Moscow, were reported by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
The Azovstal steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol is under “constant fire,” Ukrainian officials say as they race to evacuate the remaining civilians holed up in bunkers within the sprawling complex.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 150 people had been evacuated from the complex and are now safe in the city of Zaporizhzhia Tuesday.
In Wednesday’s conference call, Shoigu added that the Russian army, together with units of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, is expanding control over the territories of both regions, according to RIA Novosti.
He also repeated Moscow’s warning that it will consider NATO equipment arriving in Ukraine as a legitimate target, according to RIA Novosti.
His latest warning came after Russian cruise missiles hit several locations Tuesday in western and central Ukraine, which Ukrainian officials said were an attempt to destroy the country’s transport infrastructure.
Shoigu warned that NATO vehicles with weapons and ammunition for Ukrainian troops will be destroyed in the country.
“The United States and its NATO allies continue to pump weapons to Ukraine,” Shoigu said.
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Don't be "Putin's altar boy": Pope slams pro-war Russian patriarch
From CNN’s Delia Gallagher in Rome
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Orthodox Patriarch Kirill visit the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow on May 25, 2017.
(Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
Pope Francis warned the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, not to become “Putin’s altar boy,” he said in an interview this week.
In his strongest words to date against the pro-war Patriarch, Francis also slammed Kirill for endorsing Russia’s stated reasons for invading Ukraine.
“I spoke to him for 40 minutes via Zoom,” the Pope told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published Tuesday. “The first 20 minutes he read to me, with a card in hand, all the justifications for war.”
“I listened and told him: I don’t understand anything about this,” said the Pope. “Brother, we are not clerics of state, we cannot use the language of politics but that of Jesus.”
“The Patriarch cannot transform himself into Putin’s altar boy,” the Pope said.
Francis said the conference call with Kirill took place on March 16, and that both he and the Patriarch had agreed to postpone a planned meeting on June 14 in Jerusalem.
“It would be our second face-to-face meeting, nothing to do with the war,” the Pope said. “But now, he too agrees: let’s stop, it could be an ambiguous signal.”
In March Kirill Patriarch Kirill said that the conflict was an extension of a fundamental culture clash between the wider Russian world and Western liberal values, exemplified by expressions of gay pride.
Experts say that Kirill’s comments offer important insights into Putin’s larger spiritual vision of a return to a Russian Empire, in which the Orthodox religion plays a pivotal role.
But the hardline stance of the Russian patriarch is costing him followers.
In March the Russian Orthodox church in Amsterdam announced it was severing ties with the leader, joining a growing number of priests and churches who are abandoning Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
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One killed as Ukrainian shelling causes fire at oil depot in Donetsk, say local authorities
From CNN’s Hannah Ritchie, Katie Polglase and Gianluca Mezzofiore
Vehicles on fire at an oil depot after missiles struck the facility in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Makiivka, Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on May 4.
(AP)
One person is dead after Ukrainian shelling caused a fire at an oil depot in the separatist-held Donetsk region, the Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Territorial Defense Headquarters claimed Wednesday.
“According to preliminary data, as a result of the shelling of the oil depot in Makiivka, one person was killed and two were injured,” the post from the DPR Defense HQ said, adding that “four large capacity tanks” containing 5,000 cubic meters of oil had been ignited.
The Ukrainian Armed forces are yet to respond to the accusation.
CNN has verified social media videos of the fire which show large plumes of black smoke coming from the area on Wednesday, as flames engulf the depot.
Some context:
Russian-backed leaders in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have repeatedly accused Ukraine of launching attacks on fuel depots and military installations, claims that Ukrainian officials say are intended to stoke “anti-Ukrainian sentiment.”
Russian forces are aiming to take control of all of the Donestk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine.
They have been trying to push south from the Kharkiv region in an effort to surround Ukrainian units defending the Donetsk region, but with limited success, according to the Ukrainian military.
Despite heavy artillery fire on a number of fronts, Russian forces have made few advances, according to their Ukrainian counterparts.
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Ireland condemns Russian TV simulation of nuclear attack
From CNN's Ben Church
Irish politicians have condemned a report from Russian-state media that simulated the devastation caused by a nuclear attack off the coast of Ireland.
The report from Russia’s Channel One, presented by Kremlin ally Dmitry Kiselyov, shows a video simulation of an underwater missile which it said would cause a “gigantic tsunami wave up to 500 meters high” to sweep across Ireland and the UK.
Neale Richmond, a politician from the ruling Fine Gael party in Ireland, said the propaganda report was another reason to expel Russia’s ambassador to Ireland, Yury Filatov.
“With Russian state media broadcasting blatant threats against Ireland supported by a continuing campaign of disinformation, it’s clear we need to expel Russia’s Ambassador from Ireland,” he wrote on Twitter.
“He is just another patsy in their propaganda machine as they wage war in #Ukraine.”
Irish MEP Billy Kelleher replied to a video of the report saying that such “wild language is simply unacceptable to us” while urging the Irish government to convey its disgust at the blatant nuclear threat.
Russia has been angered by countries supporting Ukraine since the start of the invasion. The UK has provided resources to the Ukrainian military and imposed numerous sanctions on Moscow in recent months.
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School year in Ukraine "nears tragic end" with child deaths and destruction of facilities, says UNICEF
From CNN's Lauren Kent and Radina Gigova in London
A destroyed school in northeast Kharkiv, Ukraine, on April 22.
Hundreds of schools across Ukraine are reported to have been hit by heavy artillery, airstrikes and other explosive weapons in populated areas, “underscoring the dramatic impact the conflict is having on children’s lives and futures,” the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement Tuesday.
“The start of the academic year in Ukraine was one of hope and promise for children following Covid-19 disruptions,” said Murat Sahin, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine. “Instead, hundreds of children have been killed, and the school year ends amid the closure of classrooms due to war and the decimation of educational facilities.”
Among the schools that have been damaged or destroyed by shelling is “School 36 – the only ‘Safe School’ in Mariupol,” UNICEF said, adding two schools have been hit by attacks in the past week alone.
The “Safe Schools” program was established with Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science in response to attacks on kindergartens and schools in the Donbas region, “which has seen a simmering armed conflict since 2014,” UNICEF said.
UNICEF points out that for children affected by crisis, school provides not only a safe space and “a semblance of normality in the most difficult of times,” but also access to information on the risks of deadly explosive ordnance.
Educational facilities also connect them and their parents to health and psychosocial services, added the agency.
“Ensuring access to education can be the difference between a sense of hope or despair for millions of children,” Sahin said. “This is crucial for their future and that of all Ukraine.”
Children and schools should be protected in line with international humanitarian law, UNICEF said, calling on the warring sides to take measures to avoid the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the use of educational facilities for military purposes.
“Despite the horror of war, impressive work has gone into making sure children can keep learning,” said Sahin. “Ultimately, the fighting needs to stop so that classrooms can be rebuilt, and schools can be safe and fun places to learn again.”
The war in Ukraine is having “a devastating impact” on the country’s 7.5 million children, UNICEF has said, as “children continue to be killed, wounded and deeply traumatized by the violence all around them.”
The agency has also warned that children fleeing the violence in Ukraine are at heightened risk of human trafficking and exploitation.
More than 5.4 million refugees had fled Ukraine as of May 1, around half of them children, according to the latest UNICEF data.
Millions more people have been internally displaced, UNICEF said, adding “such large-scale displacements could have lasting consequences for generations to come.”
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Electricity in Lviv “completely restored” following missile strikes on three power stations, says deputy mayor
From CNN’s Maddie Araujo and Isa Soares in Lviv
Firefighters work at a site of a power substation hit by a missile strike in Lviv, Ukraine, on May 3.
(Andrii Gorb/Reuters)
Electricity in Lviv has been “completely restored” following missile strikes last night, the city’s deputy mayor Serhiy Kiral told CNN on Wednesday.
Kiral said three cruise missiles hit three power stations in Lviv on Tuesday, leaving them “badly damaged.”
Two other missiles that reached western Ukraine and the Lviv region “were shot down” by the air defense system, Kiral added. Another one hit the Transcarpathian region.
In total, there were “18 or 19” cruise missile strikes “shot from the Caspian Sea from the Russian strategic bombers” in Ukraine’s direction, he said, “probably Tu-295 or Tu-160” aircraft.
“There were also disruptions on our pumping stations, which are supplying the city with water,” Kiral said.
“This is interesting because, in fact, water [supply] was not stopped… and this is the result of some of the contingency plans for the resilience of the city that we had before the war,” he added.
“We bought the diesel generators, and those diesel generators yesterday helped to continue to supply the water not only to the citizens, but also to the firefighters, which were trying to put out the fire,” said Kiral.
Cruise missiles hit at least half a dozen targets across central and western Ukraine in what appears to have been an attempt to hamper the transit of military equipment and supplies.
The Ukrainian railway system reported that more than 40 trains were delayed following the attacks.
Kiral said he does not believe the attacks on infrastructure would affect supplies from the west.
“But it may affect the exports of the Ukrainian commodities, which is very critical in these times of the year because we need to take out more than 5 million tons of grain in order to be ready for the new harvest,” he said.
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Convoy of buses departs Mariupol with evacuees, official says
From CNN’s Amy Cassidy and Sophie Jeong
Fresh evacuations from the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol got underway on Wednesday, according to a local official, who did not provide a figure for the number of people involved.
A convoy of buses departed Mariupol for Zaporizhzhia in efforts led by the United Nations and the Red Cross, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk Region Military Administration, announced on Telegram. The convoy will stop at Tokmak, Vasylivka and Lunacharske to pick up more civilians on the way, he said.
Private vehicles will be able to join the convoy from Tomak, Kyrylenko added.
He did not specify if the evacuees had been sheltering in the Azovstal steel plant, where Mariupol’s last defenders are holding out against the Russian bombardment.
A convoy carrying people from Mariupol arrives in Kamianske, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on May 3.
(Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Some background: More than 127 people arrived in Zaporizhzhia from the steel plant Tuesday, and an unknown number of civilians remain, according to the UN. CNN’s team in Zaporizhzhia saw the arrival of five buses with evacuees and witnessed emotional scenes as people emerged from the buses and were greeted by volunteers.
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EU proposing a ban on Russian oil, commission president says
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers her speech during a debate on the social and economic consequences for the EU of the Russian war in Ukraine, on May 4, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
(Jean-Francois Badias/AP)
The European Union is proposing a ban on Russian oil, according to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
Von der Leyen is speaking at the European Parliament during a discussion on a sixth package of sanctions against Russia.
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Ukrainian military says Russians have made few advances despite heavy bombardments
From CNN's Tim Lister in Lviv, Ukraine
Smoke rises above a burning oil storage on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine, May 4.
(Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
The Ukrainian military said Wednesday that despite heavy artillery fire on a number of fronts, Russian forces have made few advances toward their goal of securing all of Luhansk and Donetsk regions in the east of the country.
On Tuesday, US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Michael Carpenter said the US had “highly credible” intelligence reports that Russia will try to annex the Donetsk and Luhansk regions “sometime in mid-May.”
In its latest operational update, the military said that the Russian missile attacks on Tuesday night were designed to destroy the transport infrastructure. Cruise missiles hit at least a half-dozen targets across central and western Ukraine in what appears to have been an attempt to hamper the transit of military equipment and supplies.
The Ukrainian railway system reported that more than 40 trains were delayed following the attacks.
One of the strikes was in the region of Zakarpattia, near the Slovak border, the first time it has been targeted since the invasion began.
Viktor Mykyta, head of Zakarpattia regional military administration, said a populated area had been hit but there were no casualties and work was underway to restore utilities.
Tens of thousands of displaced Ukrainians have moved from the east to the Zakarpattia region.
The Ukrainian General Staff update reported that there were few signs of Russian ground forces getting ready to move, but that more units from Russia’s Central Military District had been brought into border areas in Russia’s Bryansk region, which neighbors northeast Ukraine.
The General Staff said most of the offensive action continued to be in the form of artillery attacks. It said a ground advance toward Dovhenke had failed. Russian forces have been trying to push south from the Kharkiv region in an effort to surround Ukrainian units defending the Donetsk region, but with limited success, it said.
CNN is unable to confirm the details of the Ukrainian military’s update.
The military leadership did acknowledge that the Russians are advancing in the direction of the village of Shandryholove, where Ukrainian troops are trying to defend the approaches to the towns of Lyman and Sloviansk in the Donetsk oblast. In recent weeks, the Russian military has conducted repeated military strikes on Lyman, including on its railroad infrastructure.
CNN has geolocated video from that same area showing Russian armor being destroyed by Ukrainian fire in recent days.
The military also reported continued fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Russian forces had failed to advance on the town of Orikhiv.
Serhii Haidai, head of the Luhansk region military administration, said rocket and bomb attacks continued on the towns of Severodonetsk, Rubizhne and Lysychansk. Two people had died. He said fighting also continued in the town of Popasna. CNN has geolocated video showing intense street fighting among the town’s ruins.
In neighboring Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk regional military administration, said the towns of Avdiivka and Maryinka were bombarded again Wednesday morning.
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Australia imposes more sanctions on Ukrainian separatists and Russian officials
From CNN's Lizzy Yee in Hong Kong
Russian lawmakers attend a session of the State Duma in Moscow, in this file photo from Feb. 22.
(Handout/Reuters)
Australia imposed further sanctions and travel bans against members of Russia’s parliament and Ukrainian separatists on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The new listings will target 110 individuals, including 34 “senior members of the Russian-led movements” in Donetsk and Luhansk.
Among those sanctioned are also 76 members of the State Duma, Russia’s parliament. The sanctioned individuals voted “to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states,” the statement said.
On Tuesday, US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Michael Carpenter said the US had “highly credible” intelligence reports that Russia will try to annex the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk “sometime in mid-May.”
Russian politician Oleg Matveichev was also sanctioned by Australia “for the dissemination of disinformation and propaganda.”
Some background: Australia is one of a number of countries, including the United States, that have been continually imposing fresh sanctions on Russia since the invasion began. On April 14, Australia sanctioned 14 Russian state-owned enterprises of “strategic and economic importance.”
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Russian soldier allegedly says more lives lost in Ukraine than in 4 years of fighting in Chechnya
From CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey
A Ukrainian man climbs over a destroyed Russian tank near Makariv, Ukraine on May 2.
(Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Russian forces have lost more lives in Ukraine than in four years in Chechnya, a Russian soldier said in an audio clip that Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claims was an intercepted communication between the soldier and his friend.
CNN has not verified the authenticity of the audio. The SBU did not provide further details on the soldier speaking in the audio file or how it was intercepted.
In the audio, the Russian soldier expressed discontent that the elite members of RosGvardia, Putin’s National Guard, and OMON, the Special Police Force, have left Ukraine.
Some context: The exact number of Russian troops that have been killed in Ukraine remains unclear.
The Russian government has not provided updates. However, in mid-March, the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published — then later removed — a report that the Russian Ministry of Defense had recorded 9,861 Russian Armed Forces deaths in the war.
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It's 7 a.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
A woman is carried out of a bus with people who fled from Mariupol, Tokmak and Berdyansk as they arrive to a reception center in Zaporizhzhia, on Tuesday.
(Francisco Seco/AP)
Russian forces launched attacks on several targets that appear related to the transport of military equipment in Ukraine. They included three railway power substations damaged by missile strikes in the western city of Lviv, a local official said.
Four evacuation corridors planned: Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, announced four planned evacuation corridors to the city of Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday “if the safety situation allows.” They will allow evacuations from Mariupol, Lunacharske Circle, Tokmak and Vasylivka, Vereshchuk said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Tuesday that 156 people had arrived in Zaporizhzhia from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
Mariupol visit by a high-level Russian-backed official: Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Russian-backed separatist region of Donetsk, has become the first known high-ranking official — Russian or Russian-backed — to visit the besieged Ukrainian city, according to photos posted on his Telegram channel. The visit is the first major sign of the impending Russification of Mariupol.
At least 290 civilian bodies found in Irpin since Russian withdrawal: The bodies of 290 civilians have been recovered in the town of Irpin, outside of Kyiv, since the withdrawal of Russian forces, Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushin said Tuesday. Markushin said 185 of the dead have been identified and most were men. “Shrapnel and gunshot wounds” were the causes of death.
US hoping to attract highly skilled Russians: US President Joe Biden has asked the US Congress to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make it easier for highly educated Russians to obtain visas to work in the US. Tens of thousands of highly educated Russians have reportedly fled Russia since the war, and the US administration is hoping to take advantage of that brain drain, officials said.
Biden administration says it won’t allow Russia to “co-opt” Victory Day: White House National Security Council senior director for Europe Amanda Sloat told CNN the Biden administration does not want to allow Putin to “co-opt” Monday’s Victory Day by tying it to the invasion of Ukraine. She declined to weigh in on intelligence indicating Putin may use the holiday to rally support for his invasion of Ukraine, including possible steps to formally declare war on its neighbor or annex the Donbas and Luhansk regions.
Two-hour call between Macron and Putin: French President Emmanuel Macron had a call with Putin that lasted over two hours, the Élysée Palace said Tuesday. Macron warned Putin of the consequences of the war and called for an end to the “devastating aggression,” it said. Macron also “expressed his deep concern about Mariupol” and the situation in the Donbas region.
Israel-Russia diplomatic dispute: Russia accused Israel of supporting “the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv” Tuesday, raising the stakes in a diplomatic dispute between Moscow and the Jewish state over Ukraine, anti-Semitism and Adolf Hitler. The accusation potentially increases pressure on Israel, which voted in the UN to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but has not fully joined Western sanctions on Moscow or supplied Ukraine with weapons.
US classifies WNBA player as “wrongfully detained” in Russia: The US State Department has now classified WNBA player Brittney Griner as wrongfully detained in Russia and her case is now being handled by the office of the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, a State Department official confirms to CNN. The SPEHA office leads and coordinates diplomatic efforts aimed at securing the release of Americans wrongfully detained abroad. It played a major role in securing the release of American Trevor Reed from Russia last week.
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Four planned evacuation corridors to Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday "if safety situation allows"
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, announced four planned evacuation corridors to the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday “if the safety situation allows.”
They are planned from Mariupol, Lunacharske Circle, Tokmak and Vasylivka, Vereshchuk said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Tuesday that 156 people arrived to Zaporizhzhia from the besieged Azovstal steel plant and surrounding areas in Mariupol by evacuation corridors.
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Ukrainians strike Russian positions in Oleksandrivka, newly released video shows
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy and Tim Lister
A drone video shows a smoldering Russian military vehicle in Oleksandrivka, Ukraine.
(Courtesy Ukrainian Armed Forces)
The Ukrainian military took out a number of Russian military vehicles in Oleksandrivka, south southeast of Russian-occupied Izium, newly released video from the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows.
The armed forces did not disclose where, or when, the video was taken. CNN verified its authenticity, and has geolocated it to Oleksandrivka, a small village in the Donestk oblast.
Sensory satellite data from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System has detected a number of fires in the village, and around the area, since April 27.
In the drone video, there are a number of smoldering Russian military vehicles.
In a Sunday briefing posted on Telegram, the Ukraine Armed Forces said Russian forces were moving south from the Kharkiv oblast and into Oleksandrivka.
According to briefing, the Russians were attempting to advance on Lyman, a strategic and heavily contested city just south of the village.
In recent weeks, the Russian military has conducted repeated military strikes on Lyman, including on its railroad infrastructure.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also admitted to military activity near Oleksandrivka, saying in a Monday briefing posted to Telegram that they targeted the area around the village with missiles.
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Ukrainians strike Russian positions on Snake Island with military drone, video shows
From CNN’s Paul P. Murphy and Tim Lister
A strike targeting a communications tower on Snake Island is seen in a drone video.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces say they hit at least two Russian military positions on Russian-occupied Snake Island purportedly using a Bayraktar UAV, a military drone.
It’s unclear what date the Ukrainian military strikes were conducted, but the video was posted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces Southern Operation Command on Tuesday.
CNN has geolocated the video showing the strikes and verified its authenticity.
The military strikes appear to have targeted an area between a building and a communications tower, and another area that appears to have contained ammunition or another explosive. A number of explosions are seen after the initial one in the second area.
Snake Island, and the Ukrainian border guards on it, gained significant notoriety at the beginning of the Russian invasion when the island was targeted by Russian soldiers and the Ukrainian guards refused to surrender.
