A new satellite image shows the state of the destruction of a bombed theater in Mariupol, with the Russian word for “children” painted around its entrance still clearly visible.
US officials confirmed to CNN that Russia launched powerful hypersonic missiles against Ukraine last week, the first known use of such missiles in combat. Russia claimed it deployed hypersonic missiles on Friday to destroy an ammunition warehouse in western Ukraine.
Rescue operations continue in the strategic Black Sea port of Mykolaiv, where reporters say dozens of Ukrainian troops have died in a strike on a military barracks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for negotiations on peace, directly telling Moscow “it is time to meet.”
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Russia sustaining “unprecedented losses,” Zelensky says
From CNN's Yulia Shevchenko and Hira Humayun
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine, early Sunday, March 20, 2022.
(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said the Russian military has sustained “unprecedented losses” and that some Russian units have been “80 to 90% destroyed.”
He then switched from speaking Ukrainian to Russian and said in areas where heavy fighting have taken place, the front line of defense is “littered with corpses of the Russian soldiers.”
“And these corpses, these dead bodies, are not being picked up by anyone. New units are being sent to advance right over them,” he said.
Evacuation corridors: Zelensky said eight evacuation corridors were operating on Saturday but due to Russian shelling, authorities were unable to rescue people from Borodyanka in the Kyiv region.
Authorities were also unable to deliver humanitarian aid to the cities in the southern Kherson region.
“The Russian troops have blocked our convoy. Why? Their goal remains the same. Again, they are trying to create an image for their propaganda as if Ukraine has left its citizens without the essentials, as if Russia is constantly rescuing them from something,” Zelensky said.
CNN is unable to independently verify Zelensky’s claims of significant Russian losses.
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What Russia is doing to Mariupol "will be remembered for centuries," Zelensky says
A long line of cars queue to leave the heavily damaged city of Mariupol following a recent lull on March 17.
(Maximilian Clarke/SOPA/Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the sustained Russian attack on the besieged city of Mariupol is an “act of terror” that will be “remembered for centuries.”
In a video message posted to Facebook early Sunday, the Ukrainian President said Mariupol will go down in history as an example of war crimes.
Earlier Saturday, Zelensky addressed the Swiss people via video link, saying Switzerland supported EU sanctions against Moscow and called for Switzerland to take further action against Russia.
He said he urged Switzerland to take additional steps such as ensuring Swiss companies that have not yet left the Russian market would do so immediately.
In the Saturday address, Zelensky singled out Swiss company Nestle, which has not left Russia.
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Russia has failed to gain control of Ukrainian air space, says UK Ministry of Defense
From CNN's Michelle Velez
Britain’s military on Saturday said Russian forces have still not managed to gain air superiority over Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian Air Force and Air Defense Forces are continuing to effectively defend Ukrainian airspace,” the UK’s Ministry of Defense said in its latest defense intelligence update Saturday.
The UK MoD said Russia has failed to gain air control over Ukraine and is largely depending on stand-off weapons, “launched from the relative safety of Russian airspace to strike targets within Ukraine.”
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US officials confirm Russia launched powerful hypersonic missiles against Ukraine. Here's what we know
US officials confirmed to CNN that Russia launched hypersonic missiles against Ukraine last week, the first known use of such missiles in combat.
Here’s what we know about the weapon:
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday it had launched hypersonic missiles against a military ammunitions warehouse in western Ukraine on Friday.
It said the missiles destroyed the structure in the Ukrainian village of Delyatin. CNN is unable to independently verify this claim.
The defense ministry claimed it used its hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles.
Why were they used?
US officials confirmed to CNN that Russia launched hypersonic missiles against Ukraine last week and were able to track the launches in real time.
The launches were likely intended to test the weapons and send a message to the West about Russian capabilities, multiple sources told CNN.
What are hypersonic missiles?
Traveling at Mach 5 speed or faster (five times the speed of sound), hypersonic missiles fly into space after launch, but then come down and fly on a flight path similar to an airplane.
That low trajectory, coupled with high-speed and maneuverability make hypersonic missiles difficult for US missile defense satellites and radars to detect.
The Pentagon has made developing hypersonic weapons one of its top priorities, particularly as China and Russia are working to develop their own versions.
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Japan's Fumio Kishida says war in Ukraine "shakes the foundation of international order" during meeting with Indian leader
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center, speaks during a joint press conference with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in New Delhi, India, on Saturday, March 19.
(T. Narayan/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday told his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “shakes the foundation of international order” and required a stronger response.
The two leaders were meeting in India’s capital New Delhi to improve economic partnerships and strengthen security amid the Ukraine crisis.
Modi did not comment directly on the situation in Ukraine, but acknowledged that geopolitical incidents were “presenting new challenges.”
Both countries are members of Quad — an informal security grouping that includes the United States and Australia as well.
But India is the only country from the group that has not explicitly condemned Russia’s attacks, calling repeatedly instead for “an immediate cessation of violence.”
Japan meanwhile has backed its condemnation of the Russian invasion with sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs.
During the news conference Saturday, Kishida also announced a $42 billion investment in India over the next five years, adding to Japan’s ongoing support toward infrastructure development in India.
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Ukraine claims another Russian general killed during heavy fighting in southern Ukraine
From CNN's Tim Lister
A Ukrainian attack on an airfield in the south of the country last week killed a Russian general, according to the Ukrainian military’s General Staff.
Amid heavy fighting between the cities of Mykolaiv and Kherson, Ukrainian forces carried out an attack on the airport at Chornobayivka, just north of Kherson, on Wednesday.
The airport was occupied by Russian forces and served as a forward command post of Russia’s 8th Guards Combined Arms Army, according to Ukrainian officials.
Images and video geolocated by CNN showed three helicopters and multiple vehicles on fire at the airport.
Soon after the attack, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said, “Burning enemy helicopters in Chornobayivka in the Kherson region is a demonstration of what is now happening to the occupying forces.”
Ukraine’s General Staff later said, “according to preliminary data” Russian Lieutenant-General Andrei Mordvichev, commander of the 8th Guards, had been killed.
CNN cannot independently verify the Ukrainian claim. Ukraine says that five Russian generals have been killed since the invasion began on Feb. 24.
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Putin in “total panic” fearing a pro-democracy uprising in Moscow, says UK's Boris Johnson
From CNN's Hira Humayun
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 11.
(Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is in “total panic” over the idea of a revolution in Moscow, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a Conservative Party conference in Blackpool Saturday.
Johnson said Putin was “frightened” of Ukraine because of the country’s free press, free elections, democracy and open markets, and feared the Ukrainian model’s “implicit reproach to himself.”
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Friends and colleagues mourn death of Ukrainian ballet dancer killed in Russian shelling
From CNN's Jennifer Hauser
Artem Datsishin, a ballet dancer with Ukraine’s National Opera House, has died after being injured in Russian shelling, according to social media posts from his friends and colleagues.
Tatiana Borovik, who said on social media that she is a friend and colleague of Datsishin said he was injured on Feb. 26 in the Russian attack and later died in hospital.
“Farewell my dear man !! I can’t express my heartache that is overwhelming me! May your memory be bright!!” she wrote on Facebook Thursday.
CNN could not confirm the circumstances of Datsishin’s death.
Datsishin was a “beautiful artist, a long-term soloist of the ballet corps” and “a wonderful man,” Anatoly Solovyanenko, stage director at the National Opera of Ukraine said in a Facebook post Thursday.
Alina Cojocaru, a former Royal Ballet dancer from Romania, told CNN affiliate ITN that she was dance partners with Datsishin when she was training in Ukraine.
On Saturday, former Royal Ballet stars Alina Cojocaru and Ivan Putrov will reunite and be joined by several other international dance starts for a fundraising gala called “Dance for Ukraine” at the London Coliseum.
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Two children killed in shelled building collapse during Russia’s attack in eastern Ukraine
From CNN's Andrew Carey, Oleksandra Ochman, Olga Voitovych and Yulia Kesaieva
While Ukraine’s army reported little in the way of offensive operations by Russian forces around Kyiv and in parts of the south on Saturday, further east fighting continued to rage.
Two children were killed in the town of Rubizhne after being pulled from the rubble of a residential building pummeled by Russian artillery fire, the emergency services said.
A woman also died in the same building collapse; her daughter survived and was in a stable condition.
Some context: Rubizhne is part of a cluster of small towns and villages that remain in Ukrainian hands but lie close to two breakaway pro-Russian statelets inside eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army’s most recent assessment of the war makes clear they are seen as a current focus of Russia’s campaign in the east — to link the two strongholds around Luhansk and Donetsk with territorial gains made to the northwest in the region around Kharkiv.
Saturday’s daily update from the army’s central command — released in the early afternoon — reported a series of Russian offensives with “the main efforts focused on attempts to capture Severodonetsk, Rubizhne and Popasna.”
Further deaths and destruction: On Friday, four people were killed and ten others injured as Russian artillery opened up across a series of communities in the region, local Ukrainian authorities said.
Regional head Serhii Haidai said a total of 54 buildings had been hit, including 19 apartment blocks and two health care centers.
Some 23 towns and villages were without gas supplies and 26 were without electricity by the day’s end.
Many of those wounded in recent days were among 700 people evacuated through a humanitarian corridor on Saturday, Haidai reported.
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It's 2 a.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
Residents from Mariupol play with their children in temporary accommodations for refugees in the Rostov region of Russia on March 16.
(Arkady Budnitsky/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
In the early morning hours on Sunday in Ukraine, these are the latest developments in the war:
Mariupol residents forced to go to Russia against their will: Residents of Mariupol are being taken to Russian territory against their will by Russian forces, according to a statement from the Mariupol City Council.
Captured Mariupol residents were taken to camps where Russian forces checked their phones and documents, the city council said. They were then redirected to remote Russian cities.
The besieged city is under almost constant bombardment, according to a major in Ukraine’s army, and residents are rationing food and water as bodies are left in the streets.
More than 6,600 people evacuated via humanitarian corridors: At least 6,623 people were evacuated via humanitarian corridors from besieged Ukrainian cities on Saturday, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a senior official in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.
Tymoshenko said 4,128 people, including 1,172 children, were evacuated from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia.
Russia hopes military operation in Ukraine ends with security guarantees: Russia hopes its military operation in Ukraine will end with a “comprehensive agreement” on security issues and Ukraine agreeing to neutral status, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday.
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Russia hopes military operation in Ukraine ends with security guarantees, expects Chinese relations to "get stronger"
From CNN’s Eleanor Pickston in London
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talks during a news conference in Antalya, Turkey, on March 10.
(AP)
Russia hopes its military operation in Ukraine will end with a “comprehensive agreement” on security issues and Ukraine agreeing to neutral status, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a Saturday media event.
Lavrov said Moscow is “ready” to look for guarantees of security and “to coordinate them for Ukraine, for the Europeans and, of course, for ourselves beyond the expansion of the North-Atlantic treaty.”
Lavrov believes Russia’s cooperation with China will “get stronger” in the face of western sanctions because “at a time when the west is blatantly undermining all the foundations on which the international system is based, we – as two great powers – need to think how to carry on in this world.”
The view was echoed at a separate event in Beijing on Saturday. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said Western sanctions against Russia were getting “more and more outrageous,” according to Reuters.
Although China has expressed concern about the war in Ukraine, Beijing has fallen short of condemning the Russian invasion. Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden during a video call Friday, “the Ukraine crisis is something we don’t want to see.”
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Mother shields baby daughter from shelling, prevents her being harmed, Ukrainian hospital says
From CNN's Jennifer Hauser in Atlanta
Olga and her husband Dmytro at the Ohmatdit Children's Hospital. According to the hospital, Olga covered the baby with her body, miraculously saving her daughter from injuries.
National Children's Specialized Hospital Ohmatdit
A mother covered her one-month-old baby with her body while their home was being shelled in Kyiv, according to a Facebook post from National Children’s Specialized Hospital Ohmatdit on Friday.
The child was unharmed, but the mother sustained multiple injuries, the post said.
The child’s mother and father were at home feeding their baby in the early morning hours when their building was shelled. They heard the sounds of shelling throughout the night getting closer and closer, the hospital said.
The father was treated for scraping wounds to his leg and the mother underwent surgery for her injuries.
A picture of the family in the hospital shows the mother feeding her baby with a large bandage around her head while the father looks on.
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Ukraine says more than 6,600 people evacuated via humanitarian corridors on Saturday
From CNN’s Michelle Velez
People stand next to an evacuee bus after fleeing from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 19.
(Reuters)
At least 6,623 people have been evacuated via humanitarian corridors from besieged Ukrainian cities on Saturday, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a senior official in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.
Tymoshenko said that 4,128 people, including 1,172 children, were evacuated from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia.
In the Kyiv region, 1,820 people have been evacuated from smaller towns and cities – including Bucha, Bilohorodka, Piskivka and Horenychi – and were then transported into the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, he said.
In other parts of Ukraine, 675 people have been evacuated from the Luhansk region, Tymoshenko said.
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Mariupol residents forced to go to Russia against their will, city council says
From Olga Voitovch in Lviv
Residents from Mariupol, Ukraine wait for refugee accommodations in the Rostov region of Russia on March 16.
(Arkady Budnitsky/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Residents of Mariupol, Ukraine, are being taken to Russian territory against their will by Russian forces, according to a statement Saturday from the Mariupol City Council.
Captured Mariupol residents were taken to camps where Russian forces checked their phones and documents, the city council said, and then were redirected to remote Russian cities.
The besieged city is under almost constant bombardment, according to a major in Ukraine’s army, and residents are rationing food and water as bodies are left in the streets.
There are also conflicting reports over the status of one of Ukraine’s key industrial facilities, the Azov steel plant, in Mariupol. New satellite imagery shows the destruction of the city’s bombed theater, with the word “children” clearly visible on the outside of the building.
The statement quoted Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko, who said, “What the occupiers are doing today is familiar to the older generation, who saw the horrific events of World War II, when the Nazis forcibly captured people.”
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It's 10 p.m. in Ukraine. Here are the latest developments
Ukrainian soldiers carry the body of a soldier through debris at the military school hit by Russian rockets the day before, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on March 19.
(Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
As Saturday nears its end in Ukraine, this is what you need to know about Russia’s invasion:
Status of attacks in key cities: Rescue efforts are taking place in the southern city of Mykolaiv on Saturday morning at the scene of a missile strike on barracks housing soldiers, regional official Vitalli Kim said. Dozens of troops are reported to have been killed in the attack by Russian forces, according to journalists from CNN Swedish affiliate Expressen who were at the scene.
The besieged city of Mariupol is under almost constant bombardment, according to a major in Ukraine’s army, and residents are rationing food and water as bodies are left in the streets. There are also conflicting reports over the status of one of Ukraine’s key industrial facilities, the Azov steel plant, in Mariupol. New satellite imagery shows the destruction of the city’s bombed theater, with the word “children” clearly visible on the outside of the building.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Russia continues to make “incremental gains” in Ukraine’s south and has used “brutal, savage techniques” in the way it has targeted civilians.
Staggering numbers of refugees: Approximately 1.5 million children have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began and are at risk of being trafficked, according to UNICEF, while “countless others” are displaced inside the country.
The mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv told CNN that about 200,000 refugees from around the country are in his city right now.
US says Russia has used hypersonic missiles:US officials confirmed to CNN that Russia launched hypersonic missiles against Ukraine last week, the first known use of such missiles in combat.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday powerful hypersonic “Kinzhal” missile destroyed a military ammunitions warehouse in western Ukraine on Friday.
Deaths climb: As of Friday, at least 847 civilians — including 64 children — have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, according to the latest update from the United Nations, but the actual toll is believed to be much higher.
Biden to Europe next week: US President Joe Biden is set to go to a NATO summit in Brussels on March 24 and will also join a European Council meeting, according to the White House. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko today called on Biden to visit Ukraine while in Europe.
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Ukraine's foreign ministry claims more than 14,000 Russian personnel killed as of Saturday
From CNN's Chandler Thornton
A destroyed Russian tank sits on a main road after a battle near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 10.
(Felipe Dana/AP)
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said nearly 14,400 Russian personnel have been killed in Ukraine as of Saturday, with thousands of pieces of Russian equipment also lost since the Russian invasion into Ukraine.
According to a post from the ministry’s official Twitter account Saturday, there have also been 95 Russian aircraft, 115 helicopters, 1,470 armored vehicles, 213 artillery pieces, and several other pieces of equipment items lost from the Russian Armed Forces since the invasion.
CNN is unable to verify these claims.
Information from Russia is rarely forthcoming, and officials rarely report on its losses.
The most recent figure seems to have been released on March 2, when Russia said 498 of its service members had died since the start of the campaign.
US estimates of Russian casualties range from between 3,000 to 10,000, according to information from US and NATO officials speaking to CNN.
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Former Ukrainian president says Biden should come to Ukraine while in Europe next week
Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko speaks during an interview in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 18.
(Miguel A. Lopes/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said US President Joe Biden should visit Ukraine while in Europe at a NATO summit in Brussels next week.
“Why don’t — very good friend of mine, very good friend of Ukraine, Joe Biden, the leader of the global world, who demonstrate now the leadership — why don’t he come visit here next week as a symbol of our solidarity?” Poroshenko, wearing a military vest and flanked by soldiers in Kyiv, said to CNN’s Jim Acosta.
The President will travel to Brussels, Belgium, to participate in a NATO summit on March 24 and will also join a European Council meeting, according to the White House.
The President will travel to Brussels, Belgium, to participate in a NATO summit on March 24 and will also join a European Council meeting, according to the White House.
Biden will “discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts,” during the NATO summit and reaffirm the US’ commitment to its NATO allies, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
“He will also join a scheduled European Council summit to discuss our shared concerns about Ukraine, including trans-Atlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian support to those affected by the violence and address other challenges related to the conflict,” she said.
Poroshenko also said Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “crazy maniac” and said Ukrainians have “bulletproof unity.”
Poroshenko called for increased sanctions against Russia. “We need to give additional steps to increase the sanctions and to increase the supply of weapons to Ukraine to make Putin [go back] to Russia,” he added.
“We’re not only fighting for Ukrainian soil. We’re fighting for European security, freedom, and democracy and for global security. And for you also, for the United States,” Poroshenko said. “My request is please, help us to save the world. Help us to save Europe. Help us to save you.”
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Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station in yellow and blue, sparking speculation
From CNN's Ross Levitt and Kristin Fisher
In this frame grab from video provided by Roscosmos, Russian cosmonauts Sergey Korsakov, Oleg Artemyev, and Denis Matveev participate in a welcome ceremony after arriving at the International Space Station on March 18. The crew emerged from the Soyuz capsule wearing yellow flight suits with blue stripes, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
(Roscosmos/AP)
A trio of Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station Friday wearing bright yellow flight suits trimmed with blue, raising questions about whether the three were showing solidarity with Ukraine by wearing its national colors and rebuking their own government’s invasion.
While it is possible that the suits are a sign of solidarity with Ukraine, there are also other possible explanations.
The head of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, posted pictures of media coverage speculating the cosmonauts were supporting Ukraine, and said, “Here some bandit cowards and their Anglo-Saxon sponsors don’t know what else to come up with in their information war against Russia.” He added that the crew were not representing Ukraine but wearing colors from their alma mater: Bauman Moscow State Technical University.
Cosmonauts typically pick their flight suits months in advance, which would pre-date Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it’s unclear when the cosmonauts for this selected a yellow-and-blue color scheme.
“For Soyuz flights, typically the crew meets with the company that makes the suits months before flight and they are allowed two custom suits,” a NASA astronaut who has flown on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS told CNN. “Typically, one suit is the same across the crew and the second suit is something personal.”
When the three cosmonauts arrived at the space station Friday, they spoke to callers on the phone, one of whom asked about the yellow color, Commander Oleg Artemyev, responded jokingly, “We actually had a lot of yellow material, so we had to use it. So that’s why we had to wear yellow.”
Artemyev and fellow cosmonauts Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov will spend the next six-and-a-half months aboard the space station.
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Pope Francis visits Ukrainian refugee children in Rome hospital
From CNN's Nicola Ruotolo in Rome and Amy Cassidy in London
Pope Francis visits with hospitalized children who arrived from Ukraine at the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, March 19.
(Vatican Media Handout/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Pope Francis visited 19 Ukrainian refugee children at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome on Saturday afternoon.
The young patients fled Ukraine during the first few days of the war, which started on Feb. 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine, and are receiving treatment for oncological and neurological diseases among others, as well as severe injuries from blasts, Vatican Press Director Matteo Bruni said in a statement.
“The Pope stopped in the rooms and visited all the little ones present, before returning to the Vatican,” it read.
According to the Vatican, 50 Ukrainian refugee children have passed through the hospital since the conflict began.
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Italy offers to help rebuild Mariupol theater
From CNN's Mariya Knight and Maija Ehlinger in Atlanta
Debris is seen after a theater was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine on March 17.
(Azov Battalion/AP)
Italy has offered to help rebuild Mariupol’s damaged theater during a call on Friday, according to Ukraine’s minister of culture.
Italian Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini wrote on Twitter following his video call with Ukrainian Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko that the Italian Council of Ministers approved a proposal to provide Ukraine the resources to rebuild the theater on Wednesday.
“Minister Franceschini assured that Italy has full solidarity with Ukraine. He expressed support for our state and offered cooperation with our creative teams during the war,” Tkachenko wrote on Telegram after the call. “Together, our Ministries in Ukraine and Italy will rebuild the Mariupol Drama Theater immediately after Ukraine’s victory over the Russian occupiers.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Franceschini on Twitter Wednesday, saying that Italy “set a good example to follow. Together we will rebuild the country to the last brick.”
While the Mariupol Drama Theater is not an official UNESCO World Heritage site, Tkachenko wrote on his official Facebook page that the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage is providing “immediate support to Ukraine” and “expressed readiness to grant the status of enhanced protection of the main cultural heritage sites in accordance with the norms of the Haas Convention of 1954 and its protocols.”
This comes as more international cultural institutions have cut ties with Russia as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine.
During a Saturday telethon in Ukraine, Tkachenko said that “more than 70 organizations have abandoned cultural cooperation with Russia,” including the Cannes Film Festival, the La Scala Theater and other large art exhibitions.
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New satellite image shows massive damage to Mariupol theater after bombing
From CNN's Andrew Carey in Lviv
This satellite image shows a damaged theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, which was bombed earlier in the week.
(Maxar Technologies)
A new satellite image shows the state of the destruction of a theater in Mariupol when it was bombed three days ago.
An image taken Saturday by the Maxar Technologies satellite imagery provider shows about two-thirds of the building completely destroyed, with just the western façade still standing.
The theater was being used as a shelter as well as the city’s main humanitarian assembly, according to authorities. Estimates of the number of people inside at the time of the attack range from 800 to 1,300.
Early reports the morning after the strike suggested the building’s bomb shelter had survived, but reports of efforts to rescue survivors have been difficult to ascertain.
Communications in the besieged city have been sporadic for days, and rescue work has been hampered by the danger of near-continuous shelling, according to reports from inside the city.
Initial reports suggested many survivors had to dig themselves out of the rubble.
Various Ukrainian officials have put the number of survivors at 130, with one person described as having serious injuries.
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On the ground: Kyiv sees a steady stream of traffic into and out of the city on Saturday
From CNN staff
There is a steady amount of traffic coming out of Kyiv and a long line to get into the city, a CNN team witnessed on Saturday.
Despite an attack on a neighborhood in the Ukrainian capital yesterday, supply lines into Kyiv are still functioning, hence the long lines coming back into the city.
CNN saw several supply trucks as well as Ukrainian military vehicles drive into the capital on Saturday.
Yesterday, the Armed Forces of Ukraine issued an upbeat assessment of their defense of Kyiv, saying Russia’s two main routes for attacking the capital city have been blocked.
Kyiv residents had also been under curfew for 35 hours covering Tuesday to Thursday morning.
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Missing reporter among several journalists, activists and officials said to be detained by Russian forces
From CNN's Andrew Carey and Oleksandra Ochman in Lviv
A Ukrainian digital broadcaster said one of its reporters in the southeast of the country has gone missing and is believed to be held by Russian forces.
The broadcaster, Hromadske, said reporter Victoria Roshchina was last heard from on March 12, a day after filing a story from the Russian-occupied town of Enerhodar.
Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denisova said Saturday the government believed she had been kidnapped by Russian forces in the town of Berdiansk, which is on the Black Sea coast and also under Russian occupation.
Hromadske is a small broadcasting station that started in 2013 and is associated with the Maidan protests in Kyiv that began that year.
Roshchina’s disappearance comes amid reports of other activists and officials being held against their will in other parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine.
In Kherson region, a senior council official in the town of Nova Kakhovka was abducted three days ago, according to the town’s mayor. The wife of Dmytro Vasyliev said on her Facebook page that her husband had been detained because of his negative attitude toward Russia.
Ukrainian officials have said Russia wants to create a Kherson People’s Republic in the style of the pro-Russian statelets set up around Donetsk and Luhansk in 2014 and are demanding local councillors promote the move.
More: Elsewhere in Ukraine, Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov was freed from detention by Russian forces as part of a prisoner swap, Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security said in a statement Thursday. Fedorov was taken to Luhansk after his detention and held for five days.
Also, Viktor Tereshchenko, mayor of the Velykoburlutska community in Ukraine’s northeastern region of Kharkiv, has been released, according to a video message from Kharkiv Regional State Administration’s head Oleh Syniehubov on Friday. On Thursday, Syniehubov said Tereshchenko was “captured” by Russian forces.
And on Sunday, Yevhen Matveyev, the leader of Dniprorudne, a small city north of Melitopol, was abducted by Russian troops, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. CNN could not independently confirm the claim.
According to human rights organization ZMINA, about 17 people have been detained by Russian forces in Ukraine since the start of the war.
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It's 6 p.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
A soldier walks near a damaged residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 18.
(Emin Sansar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
As night falls on Saturday in Ukraine, these are the latest developments in the war:
US says Russia has used hypersonic missiles:US officials confirmed to CNN that Russia launched hypersonic missiles against Ukraine last week, the first known use of such missiles in combat.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday powerful hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles destroyed a military ammunitions warehouse in western Ukraine on Friday.
Zelensky tells Russia “it’s time to talk”: In a video message early Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian military’s actions were worsening the situation for their own country, and that honest negotiations “without stalling” were the only way to mitigate the damage.
Status of forces: Russia has so far been “surprised by the scale and ferocity” of Ukrainian resistance and has been “forced to change its operational approach,” the UK Ministry of Defence said in its latest intelligence update on Saturday.
While Russia continues to make “incremental gains” in Ukraine’s south and has used “brutal, savage techniques” in the way it has targeted civilians, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday.
Rescue operations underway: Rescue efforts are taking place in Mykolaiv on Saturday morning at the scene of a missile strike on a barracks housing soldiers, regional boss Vitalli Kim said. Dozens of troops are reported to have been killed in the attack by Russian forces, according to journalists from CNN Swedish affiliate Expressen who were at the scene.
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UNICEF estimates 1.5 million children have fled Ukraine since start of Russia invasion
From CNN's Amy Cassidy in London
Ukrainian refugees wait to cross the border in Medyka, Poland on March 18.
(Angel Garcia/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Approximately 1.5 million children have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began and are at risk of being trafficked, according to UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s agency.
“Countless others” are displaced inside the country as the war wages on, the agency said in a Saturday news release.
“Displaced children are extremely vulnerable to being separated from their families, exploited, and trafficked,” Khan continued. “They need governments in the region to step up and put measures in place to keep them safe.”
Between Feb. 24 and March 7, UNICEF said they identified more than 500 unaccompanied children crossing from Ukraine into Romania. The overall figure of unaccompanied children spilling over neighboring borders is “likely much higher,” the statement added.
To scale up protection, the UN and civil society partners have set up information hubs in neighboring countries such as Poland, identified as “Blue Dots” to provide essential services for families.
UNICEF also urges Ukraine’s neighboring governments to scale up child protection screenings at the borders and at key areas, such as train stations, where refugees pass through.
“In addition, UNICEF is calling on governments to improve cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange between and among border control, law enforcement and child protection authorities and to quickly identify separated children, implement family tracing and reunification procedures for children deprived of parental care,” according to the statement.
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US officials confirm Russia has used hypersonic missiles against Ukraine
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand, Jim Sciutto and Barbara Starr
US officials confirmed to CNN that Russia launched hypersonic missiles against Ukraine last week, the first known use of such missiles in combat. The US was able to track the launches in real time, the sources said.
The launches were likely intended to test the weapons and send a message to the West about Russian capabilities, multiple sources told CNN.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Saturday that it had launched hypersonic Kinzhal missiles against a military ammunitions warehouse in western Ukraine on Friday, destroying the structure in the Ukrainian village of Delyatin. CNN is unable to independently verify this claim.
Traveling at Mach 5 speed or faster, hypersonic weapons are difficult to detect, posing a challenge to missile defense systems. Hypersonic missiles can travel at a far lower trajectory than high-arcing ballistic missiles, which can be easily detectable. Hypersonics can also maneuver and evade missile defense systems.
The Pentagon has made developing hypersonic weapons one of its top priorities, particularly as China and Russia are working to develop their own versions.
CNN’s Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.
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Nearly 850 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russian invasion began, UN says
From Sharon Braithwaite in London
Ukrainian policemen carry a body after a residential building was hit by shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 18.
(Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images)
As of Friday, at least 847 civilians — including 64 children — have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, according to the latest update from the United Nations Human Rights Office on Saturday.
This is an increase of 31 deaths compared to the previous daily update published on Friday.
The OHCHR said 1,399 civilians have been injured, including 78 children, mostly caused by shelling and airstrikes. The actual toll is believed to be much higher, it added.
“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes,” the OHCHR said.
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Lviv mayor says his city has more than 200,000 Ukrainian refugees
Displaced Ukrainians wait in the train station as they flee from the war in Lviv, Ukraine on March 15.
(Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, said the number of refugees in his city is now more than 200,000, which is double his previous expectations.
He said international organizations have helped with the refugee situation, plus the city has opened up schools, theaters and its arena to house refugees. Many residents of the city have also welcomed refugees into their homes.
Humanitarian aid is also being sent from Lviv to cities in eastern Ukraine, he added.
Sadovyi echoed other leaders of Ukraine, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, in calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which Western allies have said could lead to further escalation.
“Never give up!” he said at the close of the interview, raising his fist up.
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Luxembourg's prime minister brought up concerns about Mariupol to Putin in call on Saturday
From CNN’s James Frater in London
Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel attend a news conference on March 1 in Berlin, Germany.
(Hannibal Hanschke/Pool/Getty Images)
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, Bettel said.
“Just spoke to Vladimir Putin again. Since our last exchange, the situation on the ground has worsened, especially in the city of Mariupol. The images that reach us are intolerable. The goal needs to remain de-escalation, adoption of ceasefire & furthering negotiation processes.” Bettel said via Twitter.
The besieged city of Mariupol has been the site of heavy attacks from Russia forces, including a strike on a maternity and children’s hospital and the bombing of a theater being used as a shelter. It continues to face desperate conditions, and as many as 2,500 civilians have died there, Ukrainian officials estimate.
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Putin lays out demands of Ukraine prior to any ceasefire negotiations in call with Turkey's president
From CNN's Isil Sariyuce
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on March 2.
(Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out several issues to achieve a ceasefire with Ukraine in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Thursday, according to a Turkish presidential spokesperson.
Erdoğan offered to bring both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Turkey to facilitate negotiations to end the war, Turkish presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalin said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet published Saturday.
Kalin said while Zelensky was ready to meet, Putin laid out issues to be resolved before any leadership-level negotiations could take place.
Putin and other government officials have repeatedly made false accusations toward Ukraine as their motivations for the invasion, baselessly saying the country must “denazify.”
Kalin added Putin made two more demands that were “the most difficult issues,” one being the recognition of the annexation of Crimea and the two “so-called” republics in Donbas. Kalin said these final two issues “are not acceptable demands for Ukraine and the international community.”
Kalin said Erdoğan urged to Putin that the ceasefire must be made permanent. Turkey’s Directorate of Communications said Thursday that Erdoğan offered to host both presidents in either Istanbul or Ankara, saying “consensus on some issues may require talks at leadership level.”
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Group of bipartisan US senators visit Germany and Poland to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine
From CNN's Sarah Fortinsky
Ten US senators are on a bipartisan congressional delegation to Poland and Germany, visiting a Polish refugee processing center and meeting with German lawmakers.
Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana discussed the delegation with Fox this morning from the refugee center, which he said was just two miles from the Ukrainian border.
He described seeing mothers pushing their children in strollers, calling it “heartbreaking.”
Daines said the group of 10 senators met with leaders and generals from the 82nd Airborne just an hour before the interview at a location that Daines said was about 50 miles away. He said they received a briefing on the ongoing situation. Daines also said that on Friday night, the 10 senators visited the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and had dinner with several members of the German Bundestag.
He said the members were grateful for the increase in funding from NATO countries and referred to the crisis as “their 9/11.”
The senators met with leaders at Wiesbaden Army Airfield, according to a tweet from Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who is leading the CODEL. Many senators posted photos in front of a sign at the Gen. John Shalikashvili Mission Command Center. Ernst also tweeted photos from meetings the group of senators had with US Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann and with the German State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office.
Ernst and Daines are joined by Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Texas, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Roger Marshall of Kansas, and Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats.
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Curfew in Zaporizhzhia begins Saturday afternoon and will last until Monday, local official says
From CNN’s Tim Lister
People stand outside of the Zaporizhzhia State Circus, which is serving as the logistics hub for displaced residents on March 15 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional council, announced that a curfew in Zaporizhzhia will begin Saturday at 1600 local time (10 a.m. ET) and end on Monday at 0600 local time (midnight ET).
“For your own safety please do not go out into the streets or other public places during this time (except with specially issued passes and ID cards),” Starukh said on social media.
“Defense of the Zaporizhzhia region continues,” he added.
More background:Zaporizhzhia has been the destination for thousands of people leaving Mariupol, the besieged city on Ukraine’s southern coast. The nearby nuclear power station in Enerhodar was captured by Russian soldiers earlier in the month.
Kyiv also implemented a 35-hour curfew on Tuesday evening.
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Russia says it has destroyed Ukrainian radio and electronic intelligence centers in south of country
From CNN's Claudia Rebaza
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Saturday that the “Bastion” coastal missile system destroyed the centers of radio and electronic intelligence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the settlements of Veliky Dalnyk and Velikodolinskoe of the Odesa region along the Black Sea.
CNN is unable to independently verify Russia’s claims.
“On the night of March 19, Russian operational-tactical, army and unmanned aircraft hit 69 military facilities in Ukraine,” the ministry said.
The ministry claims that in total, “since the beginning of the special military operation, 196 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, 1438 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 145 multiple rocket launchers, 556 field artillery pieces and mortars, as well as 1237 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed.”
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People in Mariupol risking their lives each time they leave shelter, Ukrainian Army major says
From Khrystyna Bondarenko, Ivan Watson, AnneClaire Stapleton and Tom Booth in Ukraine
Residents carry their belongings as they leave Mariupol, Ukraine on March 16.
(Maksim Blinov/Sputnik/AP)
People sheltering in Mariupol from some of the most intense fighting anywhere in Ukraine are risking their lives each time they step foot outside their underground bunkers, a Ukrainian army commander stationed in the city has told CNN.
With Russia’s assault in its fourth week, Major Denis Prokopenko of the National Guard Azov Regiment said the besieged city was now under almost constant bombardment.
The Azov Battalion is an ultra-nationalist militia that has since been integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces.
People are reluctant to leave their underground shelters even to get hold of essentials, meaning they were trying to drink less water and eat less food. One of the few times people did leave the shelter was to prepare hot food, he said.
“People are cooking food in the streets, risking their lives under the continuous shelling and bombing. The temperature is minus 5 degree Celsius in the street,” Prokopenko told CNN.
Basic services like gas, electricity and water are all out.
Bodies are left lying in the street because there is either no one left to collect them or it is simply too dangerous to try.
Prokopenko said no one knew the exact number of people killed.
Information about a huge attack three days ago on a theater in Mariupol being used as a shelter has been slow to emerge.
Prokopenko said he believed the building, which also acted as the city’s main humanitarian assembly station, was providing temporary home to about 800 people when it was hit.
Former Donetsk regional head Sergiy Taruta said on Thursday that 1,300 people were in the building when it was bombed.
Prokopenko confirmed earlier reports that continued Russian artillery fire made attempts to get survivors out of the building very difficult.
Figures released by several Ukrainian leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, say 130 people have been rescued, among them one person with serious injuries.
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It's just past 1 p.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
Soldiers conduct search efforts at the scene of a missile strike in Mykolaiv, Ukraine.
(Niclas Hammarström/Expressen)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called for negotiations on peace “without delay,” otherwise Russia’s losses would be “huge,” in a video message on Saturday morning.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Russia continues to make “incremental gains” in Ukraine’s south and has used “brutal, savage techniques” in the way it has targeted civilians.
Some examples of that brutality: Rescue operations are still underway in Mykolaiv Saturday morning at the scene of a missile strike on a barracks housing Ukrainian soldiers, regional boss Vitalli Kim said. Dozens of troops are reported to have been killed in the attack by Russian forces, according to journalists from CNN Swedish affiliate Expressen who were at the scene.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday hypersonic Kinzhal missiles destroyed a military ammunitions warehouse in western Ukraine on Friday.
Other key citiesLviv and Kramatorsk were also hit Friday by Russian attacks, according to Ukrainian authorities.
But Kyiv holds on. Satellite images show the Russian military digging in, constructing protective earthen berms around its military equipment northwest of Kyiv. According to NATO officials, Russia’s offensive to capture the capital has largely stalled. The Ukrainian army said Russia’s two main routes for attacking Kyiv have been blocked.
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Battle rages for control of huge steel plant in Mariupol
From Andrew Carey and Yulia Kesaieva in Lviv
The Azov Steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on February 17, 2022. Due to conflicting reports from both sides, it is currently unclear whether Ukraine remains in control of the plant.
(Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
There are conflicting reports over the status of one of Ukraine’s key industrial facilities – the Azov Steel plant in Mariupol.
Late Friday, a government advisor reported the plant was in Russian hands after ongoing battles with Ukrainian troops for control of the seafront site.
But in an update Saturday, the Azov battalion, which has a large presence in Mariupol, said the plant remained in their hands.
“The enemy has not reached this far into the city. The [Ukrainian] navy, along with the Azov battalion, along with the police, continue defending the city and its civilians,” battalion member Vladislav Sobolievskyi told Ukrainian television.
“Today the Azov Steel plant is under our control. Air strikes hit the whole city, including the plant, but the enemy has not laid his hands on our plant.”
The giant steelworks lies immediately to the east of Mariupol city centre. Losing control of the facility to Russian forces would be a huge setback to Ukrainian efforts to hang on to the city.
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Hypersonic Kinzhal missiles destroyed military warehouse in western Ukraine, Russian Ministry of Defense says
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday powerful hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles destroyed a military ammunitions warehouse in western Ukraine on Friday.
“On March 18, the Kinzhal aviation missile system with hypersonic aeroballistic missiles destroyed a large underground warehouse of missiles and aviation ammunition of Ukrainian troops in the village of Delyatin, Ivano-Frankivsk region,” the ministry said.
CNN is unable to independently verify this claim.
The ministry has previously made claims that the highly maneuverable missile, which travels faster than the speed of sound, is unmatched for potency when coupled with its MiG-31 fighter jets.
In his 2018 annual address to Russia’s parliament, President Vladimir Putin said Russia had developed an “invincible” missile that could deliver a warhead at hypersonic speed.
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Rescue operations continue in Mykolaiv where dozens reported killed in strike on Ukrainian barracks
From CNN's Abby Baggini, Samson Desta and Jonny Hallam and Yulia Kesaieva
Soldiers conduct search efforts at the scene of a missile strike in Mykolaiv, Ukraine.
(Niclas Hammarström/Expressen)
Rescue operations were still underway in Mykolaiv Saturday morning at the scene of a missile strike on a barracks housing soldiers, regional boss Vitalli Kim said.
Dozens of troops are reported to have been killed in the attack by Russian forces, according to journalists from CNN Swedish affiliate Expressen who were at the scene.
Expressen correspondent Magnus Falkehed and photojournalist Niclas Hammarström reported that around 6 a.m. local time on Friday (12 a.m. ET), “Two Russian fighter jets dropped what appeared to be five bombs,” destroying several buildings at the barracks.
Speaking on his Telegram channel Saturday, Kim said he was not yet able to provide information on fatalities, as he was waiting for official data.
Rescuers at the scene have been using shovels and their bare hands to free survivors from the rubble of the buildings. In dramatic video filmed by Expressen, one Ukrainian soldier is seen being pulled alive from wreckage.
Expressen quoted one of the surviving soldiers, 54-year-old Serhil, who was sleeping in the barracks opposite where the attack hit, as saying, “of the approximately 200 who were there, I would guess about 90% did not survive.”
“Glass flew everywhere. I prayed to God that I would have time to take shelter before more bombs came. There are always more bombs,” Nikita, a 22-year-old Ukrainian soldier, told Expressen.
Mykolaiv, a southern city that sits along the Black Sea, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks.
It is seen as a strategic target for Russian land forces in any move to capture Ukraine’s third-largest city, Odesa, which lies further west along the coast.
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Norway's prime minister says four US soldiers have died in a plane crash
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre speaks during a press conference in Brussels, Belgium on February 23.
(Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Saturday that four US soldiers have died in a plane crash.
“It is with great sadness we have received the message that four American soldiers died in a plane crash last night,” he said on his official Twitter account.
“The soldiers participated in the NATO exercise Cold Response. Our deepest sympathies go to the soldiers’ families, relatives and fellow soldiers in their unit,” he added.
According to NATO: “Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned and regular exercise, which Norway hosts biannually. This year’s exercise was announced over eight months ago. It is not linked to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, which NATO is responding to with preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory measures.”
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Russia continues to make "incremental gains" in Ukraine's south, has used "savage techniques," US Defense Secretary says
From CNN's Radina Gigova in Atlanta
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Bulgaria's Prime Minister Kiril Petkov in Sofia, Bulgaria on March 19.
(Vassil Donev/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Russia continues to make “incremental gains” in Ukraine’s south and has used “brutal, savage techniques” in the way it has targeted civilians, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday.
“In terms of Russians’ progress in the south, I would say that they continue to make incremental gains. I would also say that they’ve used some brutal, savage techniques in terms of the way that they’ve been targeting civilian populations,” Austin said during a joint press conference with Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Kiril Petkov in Sofia.
“And again, we would hope that they [Russia] would choose a different path,” Austin added. The amount of pain that the civilians have endured “has been hard to watch,” he said.
Austin also said Europe faces its “largest security challenge in generations,” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “war of choice” against Ukraine has been “tragic.”
“Russia’s aggression has galvanized the Ukrainian people, NATO, and the free world,” Austin said. “Our commitment to Article 5 is ironclad.”
“Improving Bulgaria’s military readiness and NATO interoperability is even more vital today,” Austin said, adding “the United States will continue to stand strong with Bulgaria and our other NATO Allies.”
Austin condemned Russia’s “reckless and ruthless aggression against a peaceful neighbor” and praised Bulgaria for helping Ukrainian civilians.
Austin has traveled to Bulgaria and Slovakia this week as part of a trip to bolster NATO allies.
More context: Troops have made progress in the south of the country using tactics “ripped from the Syria playbook,” Mason Clark, lead Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, told CNN Friday evening.
These tactics include “specific neighborhood-by-neighborhood targeting,” less precise weapons that take a more brutal toll, and hitting civilian infrastructure, he said.
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Zelensky calls for negotiations on peace "without delay" in latest video message
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a video message early Saturday morning March 19.
(Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky/Facebook)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for negotiations on peace “without delay” and warned that otherwise Russia’s losses would be “huge.”
Speaking on Saturday, Zelensky said that “negotiations on peace, on security for us, for Ukraine – meaningful, fair and without delay – are the only chance for Russia to reduce the damage from its own mistakes,” in his latest video message.
“We have always insisted on negotiations. We have always offered dialogue, offered solutions for peace,” he said. “And I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. It’s time to meet. Time to talk. It is time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine.”
“Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be so huge, that several generations won’t be enough to rebound,” Zelensky added.
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Putin tries to justify war on Ukraine at Moscow rally, but TV glitch cuts off broadcast
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech at a concert marking the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea on March 18 in Moscow.
(Alexander Vilf/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out his justification for the invasion of Ukraine at a rally in Moscow on Friday, where his speech was abruptly cut off on the state TV broadcast in what the Kremlin described as a technical error.
Tens of thousands of people waved the Russian flag at the national stadium as they took part in celebrations commemorating the eighth year of Russia’s annexation of Crimea – which is deemed illegal by the Ukrainian government and not recognized in the West.
Speaking from a stage in front of a banner that read, “For a world without Nazism,” Putin said Russia “will definitely implement all our plans” in Ukraine.
UK Defense Ministry: Russia has been "surprised by the scale and ferocity" of Ukrainian resistance
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Civilians practice moving in groups at a military training exercise in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine on March 11.
(Alexey Furman/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Russia has so far been “surprised by the scale and ferocity” of Ukrainian resistance and has been “forced to change its operational approach,” the UK Ministry of Defence said in its latest intelligence update on Saturday.
Grip on media: Amid the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putinhas reinforced his control over the country’s media, the ministry said. “The Kremlin is attempting to control the narrative, detract from operational problems and obscure high Russian casualty numbers from the Russian people,” the ministry said.
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Analysis: Why the US has allowed so few Ukrainian refugees
Analysis from CNN's Zachary B. Wolf
Refugees fleeing conflict make their way to the border crossing with Poland on March 9 in Krakovets, Ukraine.
(Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
More than 3 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia’s invasion, with most going to neighboring Poland.
But only the smallest trickle — about 690 — have come to the United States as refugees since last October. That means essentially no Ukrainians of those 3 million who left since the war began have come to the US.
Why haven’t more been allowed? It’s a story of red tape and the broken immigration system, which the Biden administration, despite a desire to welcome refugees, has been unable to change.
“I will welcome the Ukrainian refugees,” President Joe Biden said from the White House on March 11.
But it is not currently possible for American families to sponsor Ukrainian refugees. Multiple sources have told CNN the administration is discussing ways to help Ukrainian refugees join family members already living in the US.
That’s something Poland’s President has been pushing for; last week he asked Vice President Kamala Harris to speed up and simplify the procedures allowing Ukrainians with family in the US to come here.
It takes years to become a refugee in the US. The process takes so long because of the processing and screening time that’s required — leaving limited, typically time-consuming options for Ukrainians seeking to enter the US.
Limit on refugees: Last May, Biden raised the cap on US refugees from the very low 15,000 set by the Trump administration to 62,500 in 2021, in line with the recent past, and then raised it again to 125,000.
But those caps are far below ones from the 1980s, when the US welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees each year.
Norway rescue teams see "major damage" to US military aircraft that appears to have crashed
From CNN's Jonny Hallam
A US military aircraft that appears to have crashed in northern Norway on Friday with four people aboard during NATO exercises has sustained “major damage,” according to authorities in the country.
The MV-22B Osprey aircraft, assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) US military unit, was on a training mission in Nordland County, northern Norway, on Friday, the Norwegian Armed Forces said.
According to NATO: “Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned and regular exercise, which Norway hosts biannually. This year’s exercise was announced over eight months ago. It is not linked to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, which NATO is responding to with preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory measures.”
He said the rescue operation is being carried out in darkness and bad weather, meaning police and rescue crews must “enter the area on land” and use snowmobiles to reach the scene.
“Precipitation, avalanche danger, wind and darkness make such a rescue operation demanding,” he said.
As of 2 a.m. Saturday (9 p.m. Friday ET), the Norwegian police have not had any contact with the aircraft, according to police.
Norway’s Safety Investigation Authority and National Criminal Investigation Service will arrive in Bodø, north of the Arctic Circle, on Saturday to start their investigation at the town’s airport. Due to the poor weather, they will most likely make their way to the crash site on Sunday, according to NRK.
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Former tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov returns to Ukraine to fight: "You can't just watch"
Retired Ukrainian tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov.
(Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, retired tennis pro Alexandr Dolgopolov was in Turkey — but was soon on his way home to his native Ukraine to join the war.
The former world No. 13 retired from the sport last year following a career that took him around the world. But he returned to Ukraine “because it’s my home,” he told CNN on Friday. “I’ve seen many sports people, singers, stay here and helping out — so why shouldn’t I be here?”
Among the ranks of Ukrainian athletes fighting to defend their country are boxing champions Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko, and boxing legends the Klitschko brothers — Wladimir and Kyiv Mayor Vitali.
“There are many normal people staying here — old people, children,” Dolgopolov added.
While preparing for the trip, Dolgopolov had doubts about whether he was ready to kill or die, he said. But once Russia began targeting civilian infrastructure, “it became the business of every Ukrainian,” he said. “You can’t just watch how they shoot your people.”
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It's 6 a.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
Several residential buildings are destroyed by Russian military shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 18, 2022.
(Andre Alves/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Civilian casualties are growing as Russia continues its assault on several key cities in Ukraine. Here’s what you need to know:
Hundreds likely still under rubble: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that 130 people have been rescued so far from a bombed theater in the city of Mariupol. Hundreds of civilians were taking shelter at the theater when it was bombed on Wednesday. Zelensky said rescue operations are continuing at the site, and hundreds of people likely remain under the rubble. Mariupol has been hit by constant shelling in recent days, with French President Emmanuel Macron expressing concern about the situation to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Zelensky’s message: “It’s time to talk,” Zelensky told Russia in a video message early Saturday. “I want everyone to hear me now, especially I want them to hear me in Moscow,” he said. “It’s time to meet, time to talk, time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine, or else Russia will face such losses that several generations will not be enough for it to rise back up.”
Counteroffensive in Kyiv: Satellite images show the Russian military digging in, constructing protective earthen berms around its military equipment northwest of Kyiv. According to NATO officials, Russia’s offensive to capture the capital has largely stalled. The Ukrainian army said Russia’s two main routes for attacking Kyiv have been blocked, and Ukraine launched a counteroffensive on Thursday aimed at gaining decisive control of the city’s suburbs.
Other key cities: Lviv and Kramatorsk were also hit Friday by Russian attacks, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Biden and Xi speak: In a a 110-minute video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, US President Joe Biden laid out the consequences if China were to assist Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Xi said that both countries had a responsibility for ensuring peace. Afterward, Biden said the call “went well” — but the White House said it still had concerns China may provide support to Russia.
Missing US aircraft: A US military aircraft with four people aboard went missing on Friday during NATO military exercises in Norway, which NATO says is unrelated to its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Rescue teams reported late Friday that “discoveries were made” in their search, with ground crews headed for the scene. The US Marine Corps only said the incident was a “mishap,” and that the cause was under investigation.
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"Discoveries made" in search for missing US military aircraft in Norway
From CNN's Jonny Hallam
Norwegian rescue teams reported late Friday that “discoveries were made” in their search for a US military aircraft with four people aboard that went missing during NATO military exercises.
The MV-22B Osprey aircraft, assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) US military unit in Norway, was “out on a training mission in Nordland County, northern Norway on Friday,” according to the Norwegian Armed Forces.
According to NATO: “Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned and regular exercise, which Norway hosts biannually. This year’s exercise was announced over eight months ago. It is not linked to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, which NATO is responding to with preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory measures.”
According to the JRCC statement, the aircraft “was reported missing at 6:26pm (1:26 p.m. ET) south of Bodø. The aircraft was heading north towards Bodø. The last known position was by Saltfjellet.”
Ground crews coordinated by the police have been deployed to the scene, but they are not expected to reach the area for several hours, JRCC said.
JRCC said a rescue helicopter from the town of Bodø was deployed in the search, as well as a Lockheed P-3 Orion. Another Norwegian rescue helicopter was also sent from Ørlandet municipality, it added.
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Zelensky to Russia: "It's time to meet, time to talk"
From CNN's Yulia Shevchenko and Hira Humayun
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a video message early Saturday morning March 19.
(Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky/Facebook)
In a video message early Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Russia: “It’s time to talk.”
Pushing for negotiation: Zelensky said the Russian military’s actions were worsening the situation for their own country, and that honest negotiations “without stalling” were the only way to mitigate the damage.
“We always insisted on negotiations,” Zelensky said, “We always proposed dialogue and solutions for peace. Not just during the 23 days of invasion.”
Civilian evacuations: The President added that 180,000 Ukrainians have been rescued through evacuation corridors to date, and that seven corridors were functioning in the country on Friday — six in the Sumy region and one in the Donetsk region.
Rescue work continues at the site of the destroyed theater in Mariupol. More than 130 people have been rescued, many of whom are injured, but there has not been any information released on casualties, he said.
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Norway searches for US military aircraft involved in "mishap" during NATO training
From CNN's Barbara Starr
A US military aircraft participating in NATO exercises in Norway has been involved in a “mishap,” and a search and rescue operation is underway, according to the US Marine Corps.
The aircraft is an MV-22B Osprey assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) US military unit in Norway.
“Although the nature of military service is inherently dangerous, the safety of our Marines, Sailors, Allies and partners is our top priority,” the statement said.
In a separate statement, Maj. Jim Stenger said, “We can confirm an incident has occurred involving a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft. The aircraft was conducting training in Norway as part of Exercise COLD RESPONSE 22 at the time of the incident.”
“The cause of the incident is under investigation,” Stenger said.
According to NATO: “Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned and regular exercise, which Norway hosts biannually. This year’s exercise was announced over eight months ago. It is not linked to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, which NATO is responding to with preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory measures.”
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Satellite images show Russia building defenses to protect military positions northwest of Kyiv
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy
Protective berms are seen around Russian military equipment near Ozera on March 17.
The Russian military is quite literally digging in, constructing earthen berms around its military equipment northwest of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, according to Maxar Technologies’ analysis and satellite images.
The new satellite images show the protective berms around Russian military equipment near Ozera and the Antonov Air Base.
Additional Russian military equipment, and some berm construction, are also seen in the villages of Zdvyzhivka and Berestyanka, further northwest.
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New satellite images show significant destruction and long line of cars leaving Mariupol
New satellite images from Maxar Technologies are showing more areas in the city of Mariupol have been destroyed from intense firefights between Rthe ussian and Ukrainian militaries.
In one of the images, taken in western Mariupol, apartment complexes are seen burnt and debris scattered around them. Outside one of them, a number of buses are seen, and some are burnt.
In northern Mariupol, the apartment buildings surrounding two schools have been damaged.
Just southwest of Mariupol, a line of cars is seen traveling along the highway toward Berdyansk.
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Biden lays out consequences to China's Xi for any Russia aid
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
In this photo released by the White House, US President Biden speaks with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China on Friday, March 18.
President Xi Jinping told Biden that both the US and China have a responsibility for ensuring peace, according to state media, an oblique suggestion he is uninterested in escalating the conflict. Afterward, however, the White House said its concerns over Beijing’s possible intervention haven’t been assuaged.
Senior administration officials described the call as “direct,” “substantive” and “detailed,” but would not offer many details about the lengthy conversation. The bulk of the leaders’ discussion centered on the war in Ukraine and the implications the crisis would have for US-China relations and the “international order,” an official said. But the administration refused to publicly detail what those consequences would be.
Biden’s goal in speaking with Xi directly was partly to ascertain where exactly the Chinese President stood, and it remained unclear afterward whether he’d gained much clarity. He did not make any specific requests of Xi, the White House said, choosing instead to offer a broader view of the international situation.
Russia has attacked Lviv. Here's why the western city is so important to Ukraine's defense
From CNN's Petro Zadorozhnyy, Yulia Kesaieva, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Tamara Qiblawi
Russia launched missile strikes near an airport in Lviv on Friday, a strategic Ukrainian city not far from the Polish border that had until now largely been spared from the relentless bombardment witnessed across much of the country during the war.
Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi said several missiles hit an aircraft repair plant, but that work at the facility had stopped before the strikes and there were no reports of casualties.
Ukraine’s armed forces say initial information suggests Russia launched six missiles towards Lviv on Friday morning. It says the missiles were most likely air-launched cruise missiles fired from warplanes over the Black Sea.
Two of the six were intercepted by air defense systems, the armed forces’ statement on Facebook said.
The attack will add to concerns that Russia’s war could spread further west. Here’s what you need to know about the importance of Lviv.
Here’s why Lviv is so important:
Location: At about 43 miles (70 kilometers) from the Polish border, Lviv is at NATO’s doorstep — any attack here could have international repercussions.
Refugees: Lviv has become ground zero for displaced Ukrainians. It hosts more than 200,000 internally displaced people in a city of just over 700,000, according to the mayor. They’ve flooded into the city in search of relative safety, with many using it as a stopping point before making their way to the border.
Logistics: The larger region serves as a crucial weapons supply route to the Ukrainian military and a wider resistance effort that has foiled Moscow’s plans for a blitz-like invasion.
Culture:Lviv’s historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the National Museum houses the country’s most complete collection of sacred medieval art and rare religious manuscripts.
Temporary base: The city has become the makeshift home for many media organizations and embassies, which were forced to relocate from Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.
