American Trevor Reed, a US citizen and former Marine who has been detained in Russia since 2019, has been released in a prisoner swap.
Poland and Bulgaria are receiving gas from their EU neighbors, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. This comes after the EU accused Russia of trying to “blackmail” the bloc after it halted supplies to both countries after they refused to pay in rubles. Meanwhile, the Hungarian Foreign Minister told CNN his country will use the payment scheme put in place by Moscow to pay for its oil and gas.
The US has credible information that a Russian military unit executed Ukrainians who were attempting to surrender near Donetsk, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack said at the United Nations Wednesday.
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Our live coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.
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Kherson region of Ukraine will transition to ruble from May 1: Russian state media
From CNN's Masha Angelova
The Russian-occupied Kherson region of Ukraine will transition to using the ruble from May 1, according to Russian state media.
The Deputy Chairman of the Civil-Military Administration of the region, Kirill Stremousov, told the RIA-Novosti news agency that the transition period will take up to four months during which both the Russian ruble and the Ukrainian hryvnia will be in circulation. After that, there will be a full transition to the ruble.
CNN was unable to independently verify Stremousov’s statement.
Some context: Previous CNN reporting confirmed that Russian forces had installed a new local government in Kherson on Tuesday.
The installation took place days after Russian forces took control of the Kherson City Council building, removing the elected government and replacing its security with Russian military troops.
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Russia's tanks in Ukraine have a "jack-in-the-box" design flaw
From CNN's Brad Lendon
A man rides a bike near a destroyed Russian tank near Brovary, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 15.
(Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
Russian tanks with their tops blown off are just the latest sign that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine isn’t going to plan.
Hundreds of Russian tanks are thought to have been destroyed since Moscow launched its offensive, with British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on Monday estimating it had lost as many as 580.
But Moscow’s problems go beyond the sheer number of tanks it has lost. Experts say battlefield images show Russian tanks are suffering from a defect that Western militaries have known about for decades and refer to as the “jack-in-the-box effect.” Moscow, they say, should have seen the problem coming.
The problem relates to how the tanks’ ammunition is stored. Unlike modern Western tanks, Russian ones carry multiple shells within their turrets. This makes them highly vulnerable as even an indirect hit can start a chain reaction that explodes their entire ammunition store of up to 40 shells.
The resulting shockwave can be enough to blast the tank’s turret as high as a two-story building, as can be seen in a recent video on social media.
Video shows explosion near TV tower in Russian-occupied Kherson
From CNN's Andrew Carey and Julia Presniakova in Lviv
(From Twitter)
There has been an explosion in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson near the major TV tower in the center of town.
A video, circulating on social media, shows a mid-air explosion followed by a fiery blast next to the Kherson TV tower.
CNN has geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the video.
Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti said Ukraine had fired three missiles at the city, which has been under Russian occupation since the beginning of March. Two of the missiles had been shot down, the news agency said.
In a separate incident in the south of Ukraine, officials in Odesa said air defenses intercepted a Russian reconnaissance drone off the coast of the city.
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Biden administration receives over 4,000 applications to sponsor Ukrainians in the US
From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez
More than 4,000 applications have been filed to sponsor Ukrainians seeking to come to the United States within 48 hours of the Biden administration launching its streamlined process for those fleeing war-torn Ukraine, a spokesperson for the US Citizenship and Immigration Services told CNN.
On Monday afternoon, the Department of Homeland Security launched an online portal as part of its “Uniting for Ukraine” process. The humanitarian parole program requires Ukrainians seeking entry to the US to be sponsored by a US citizen or individual, which would include resettlement organizations and non-profit organizations.
Ukrainian applicants will undergo rigorous security vetting and checks, including biographic and biometric screening, and complete vaccinations and other public health requirements, including receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, to be eligible. Ukrainians must have also been residents in Ukraine as of Feb. 11.
Sponsors need to pass security background checks of their own as well as declare financial support. There is not a limit on the number of individuals that a person or group can sponsor, but administration officials noted they’ll be evaluating their means and ability to support Ukrainians.
The Department of Homeland Security is administering the program. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas encouraged Ukrainians to use the streamlined process instead of journeying to the US-Mexico border.
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US has credible information that Russian military executed Ukrainians who attempted to surrender, official says
From CNN's Rob Frehse
Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack
(UNTV)
The United States has credible information that a Russian military unit executed Ukrainians who were attempting to surrender near Donetsk, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack said at the United Nations Wednesday.
Van Schaak also said the US has “credible reports of individuals killed execution-style with their hands bound; bodies showing signs of torture; horrific accounts of sexual violence against women and girls.”
“These images and reports suggest that atrocities are not the result of rogue units or individuals; they, rather, reveal a deeply disturbing pattern of systematic abuse across all areas where Russia’s forces are engaged,” Van Schaak added.
“Let us be clear: those who unleashed, perpetrated, and ordered these crimes must be held to account and the evidence of this criminality is mounting daily,” Van Schaak said. “Our simple message to Russia’s military and political leadership, and file is this: the world is watching, and you will be held accountable.”
The United States welcomes the ICC investigation into atrocities committed in Ukraine, Van Shaak said, referencing the common goal of stakeholders to achieve justice.
“The United States is supporting a range of international investigations into atrocities in Ukraine. This includes those conducted by the International Criminal Court, the UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,” she said.
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Hungarian foreign minister confirms to CNN that his country will use Russia’s energy payment scheme
From CNN's Pamela Boykoff
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó
(CNN)
The Hungarian Foreign Minister confirmed to CNN that his country will use the payment scheme put in place by Moscow to pay for its oil and gas.
Defending this decision, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said:
Szijjártó said there are no alternative sources or routes which makes it possible for them to stop importing Russian energy in the next few years.
Under the Russian payment scheme, energy importers have had to open two bank accounts with Gazprombank — a foreign currency account and a rubles account. The proceeds of sales are paid in foreign currency (dollars or euros) which is then converted by Gazprombank into the ruble account.
Several other countries are reportedly using the scheme. A European Commission document release last week advised that it “appears possible” to comply with the new Russian rules without getting into conflict with EU law.
Sanctions experts say the Russian payment system allows Moscow access to energy proceeds regardless of the sanctions in place on foreign currencies.
CNN’s Richard Quest notes two things — the entire process is extremely legally murky and the scheme also gives Putin the political advantage — that he is forcing the companies into his scheme to pay in rubles.
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It's 1 a.m. on Thursday in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
From CNN Staff
In an image taken from video released on April 27, former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed is escorted to a plane by Russian service members as part of a prisoner swap between the US and Russia, in Moscow, Russia.
“Our family has been living a nightmare. Today, our prayers have been answered and Trevor is safely on his way back to the United States,” the family said in a statement.
“We’d respectfully ask for some privacy while we address the myriad of health issues brought on by the squalid conditions he was subjected to in his Russian gulag,” the family continued, although they did not specify how many days Reed was detained.
They thanked US President Joe Biden “for his kindness, his consideration, and for making the decision to bring Trevor home,” adding that Biden’s action “may have saved Trevor’s life.”
Biden also confirmed Reed’s release, saying he had shared the news with his family.
Reed was exchanged for Russian national Konstantin Yaroshenko, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Yaroshenko is a Russian pilot who had been detained in Liberia by undercover US Drug Enforcement Agency agents on May 28, 2010, and brought to the US, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
US Drug Enforcement Agency agents ostensibly obtained evidence Yaroshenko had criminal intent to transport a large batch of cocaine, according to TASS.
The Russian pilot has pled not guilty, describing his arrest as a provocation and all charges against him as fake, according to TASS.
At least two other Americans — basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan —remain detained in Russia.
Here are more of the latest headlines from the Russia-Ukraine war:
Zelensky looks ahead to post-war Ukraine and expresses gratitude to protesters in nightly remarks: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looked forward to a post-war Ukraine in his nightly video address Wednesday, saying he wanted to provide housing for all those serving in the armed forces, working as emergency responders, police officers, and otherwise working for the state. This was in addition to the goal of rebuilding everything destroyed in Russian attacks, he said, issuing an appeal to local communities to provide information on damaged buildings so that post-war reconstruction could happen quickly and effectively. He also hailed a move by the European Union to remove all duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports for a year, as well as suspending anti-dumping tariffs.
Ukraine is concerned about provocations in pro-Russian region of Moldova: Ukrainian officials have been talking about the risk of another front in the conflict with Russia opening up — along the border with Moldova in the southwest. Part of the Moldovan border region is controlled by a pro-Russian administration in what’s called Transnistria. Unexplained explosions there earlier this week prompted Ukrainian officials to allege that Russia’s security services were planning provocations in Transnistria as a pretext to open up a new front in the war. Mykhailo Podoliak, an advisor to President Zelensky, told Ukrainian television Wednesday: “We have always considered Transnistria as a springboard from which there may be some risks for us, for [the] Odesa and Vinnytsia regions.”
Russian military strike causes “significant” damage at hospital in Ukraine’s Severodonetsk: A Russian military strike caused “significant” damage to a regional hospital in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, video released by the Luhansk regional administration shows. CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the video. The video begins with scenes of blown out windows in a hospital stairwell. As the individual taking the video climbs the stairs, more debris and damage are seen, including a door blown off its hinges. Once out of the stairwell a tangle of metal, drywall and debris is seen outside of a hospital room. In one room the windows have been blown out; the room next to it is missing an entire wall — there is a large hole in the building.
Russian hacking in Ukraine has been extensive and intertwined with military operations, Microsoft says: At least six different Kremlin-linked hacking groups have conducted nearly 240 cyber operations against Ukrainian targets, Microsoft said Wednesday, in data that reveals a broader scope of alleged Russian cyberattacks during the war on Ukraine than has previously been documented. “Russia’s use of cyberattacks appears to be strongly correlated and sometimes directly timed with its kinetic military operations,” said Tom Burt, a Microsoft vice president. The Microsoft report is the most comprehensive public record yet of Russian hacking efforts related to the war in Ukraine. It fills in some gaps in public understanding of where Russia’s vaunted cyber capabilities have been deployed during the war.
Poland and Bulgaria are receiving gas from EU neighbors: Poland and Bulgaria are receiving gas from their EU neighbors, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. This comes after Russian energy giant Gazprom halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday, after both countries refused to pay the Russian energy giant in rubles, the company said in a statement. In a statement, von der Leyen called it “another provocation from the Kremlin” and accused Moscow of using gas to “blackmail” the bloc.
More than 20,000 Ukrainians have been processed at the US-Mexico border since mid-March: The Department of Homeland Security processed more than 20,000 Ukrainians at the US-Mexico border and granted them humanitarian parole since March 11, when officials began exempting them on a case-by-case basis following Russia’s invasion, according to a newly filed court declaration. Blas Nuñez-Neto, a top Homeland Security official, outlined the Biden administration’s plans for an influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border when a public health authority, known as Title 42, lifts in a court filing following a federal judge’s intent to temporarily block the wind down. DHS, Nuñez-Neto said, will be “significantly curtailing” those exception, given the launch of Uniting for Ukraine, a streamlined process for Ukrainians seeking to come to the United States.
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Pentagon: “More than half” of the 90 Howitzers the US is sending to Ukraine are in country
From CNN's Ellie Kaufman and Christian Sierra
Howitzers are seen prior to being loaded onto a U.S. Air Force aircraft at March Air Reserve Base, California, April 22, to be shipped to Ukraine.
(Cpl. Austin Fraley/U.S. Marine Corps/FILE)
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said “more than half” of the 90 Howitzers, long range weapons, the US is sending to Ukraine are now country, during a briefing at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
50 Ukrainians have been trained on the Howitzers. The Ukrainians are going to go back to Ukraine and “train their teammates,” Kirby said. Those 50 Ukrainians who have already been trained on the Howitzers were part of the “first tranche” of training, Kirby added.
Kirby did not know if the second tranche of training, the next group of 50 Ukrainians to be trained, has started yet, he said.
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Zelensky looks ahead to post-war Ukraine and expresses gratitude to protesters in nightly remarks
From CNN's Andrew Carey in Lviv
(Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky/YouTube)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looked forward to a post-war Ukraine in his nightly video address Wednesday, saying he wanted to provide housing for all those serving in the armed forces, working as emergency responders, police officers, and otherwise working for the state.
This was in addition to the goal of rebuilding everything destroyed in Russian attacks, he said, issuing an appeal to local communities to provide information on damaged buildings so that post-war reconstruction could happen quickly and effectively.
He also hailed a move by the European Union to remove all duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports for a year, as well as suspending anti-dumping tariffs.
Zelensky said it would benefit not just Ukraine’s economy, but also that of Europe, since Russia was determined to cause a spike in global prices, especially those of foodstuffs, he said.
Ukraine, along with Russia, is one of the world’s biggest exporters of grains, and fears over shortages have driven up cereal prices since the beginning of the war.
He also gave a particular shout-out to people in the south of Ukraine who continue to protest the presence of Russia’s occupying forces.
In Kherson — where Ukrainian officials said pro-Russians had been planning to hold a referendum Wednesday to show support for Moscow — demonstrators carrying Ukrainian flags rallied in the city’s main square before being dispersed with tear gas.
Zelensky said he wanted to express his gratitude to those who refused to give up.
“The stronger our resistance now, the more rejection the occupiers will see, the sooner normal life will return to our land,” he said.
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Zelensky thanks European Commission president for the EU's tariff proposal for Ukraine
From CNN’s Hira Humayun
In an address on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said heis grateful to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the European Union’s proposal for a seriesof temporary “trade-liberalizing measures” for Ukraine.
He went on to say, “I discussed the details of this proposal with President Ursula von der Leyen today. I am grateful to her personally and to all our European friends for this step.”
More on the proposal: According to the European Commission, the measure would enable Ukraine “to maintain its trade position with the rest of the world and further deepen its trade relations” with the European Union. The Commission proposal would remove all tariffs, import duties on industrial products, fruit and vegetables as well as drop quotas on agricultural and processed agricultural products.
Zelensky said while this measure will allow Ukraine to maintain its economic activity, that “sufficient export” of Ukrainian products to European and global markets will also be a “significant anti-crisis tool” amid Russia’s attempts to “provoke a global price crisis.” He added that Ukrainian exports will help stabilize markets and that such trade measures are beneficial for all Europeans and for “residents of all countries that can be affected by Russia’s destructive ambitions.”
“It is because of this war waged by Russia that dozens of states have found themselves in a situation where they cannot be sure of stability for their people,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president also said he spoke with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi for Italy’s involvement in investigating crimes committed by the Russian military.
“We appreciate Italy’s support for truly effective sanctions that can end the war,” he said. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Zelensky also thanked Italy for sheltering more than 100,000 Ukrainians who were forced to flee.
CNN’s James Frater contributed to this report.
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Ukraine concerned about provocations in pro-Russian region of Moldova
From CNN's Tim Lister and Julia Presniakova
Ukrainian officials have been talking about the risk of another front in the conflict with Russia opening up — along the border with Moldova in the southwest.
Part of the Moldovan border region is controlled by a pro-Russian administration in what’s called Transnistria. Unexplained explosions there earlier this week prompted Ukrainian officials to allege that Russia’s security services were planning provocations in Transnistria as a pretext to open up a new front in the war.
Mykhailo Podoliak, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky, told Ukrainian television Wednesday: “We have always considered Transnistria as a springboard from which there may be some risks for us, for [the] Odesa and Vinnytsia regions.”
“There is a certain [military] contingent of Russians, it is somewhere between 1,500-2,000 people, of which only 500-600 are Russians,” Podoliak said.
But he said that most people in Transnistria were integrated into Moldova and Europe.
“Therefore, for Transnistria, active involvement in the conflict in Ukraine will practically mean total isolation and destruction of the enclave,” Podoliak noted.
Podoliak suggested that through the incidents this week in Transnistria, Russia was trying to provoke Ukraine.
Roman Kostenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament from Odesa, said Transnistria did not pose a strategic threat to Ukraine.
“It could be a tactical threat, in some direction, in order to bind our troops,” the official said.
Kostenko said the Russians were counting on Transnistria as “another front that could directly support them when they attack, for example, Mykolayiv, Odesa from the sea, because Mykolayiv blocks the land corridor.”
Ukrainian defenses around the city of Mykolaiv have prevented Russian forces from reaching Odesa overland.
The far southwest corner of Ukraine is now cut off from the rest of the country after a road and rail bridge over the estuary of the river Dniester was struck by a second cruise missile Wednesday after first being hit Tuesday. Russia has not said it carried out the missile strike.
Ukraine’s Southern Military Command claimed that Russian submarines continued to threaten missile strikes from the Black Sea. “Enemy forces are also preparing provocations with missile strikes on Transnistria to accuse Ukraine of attacking the unrecognized republic,” it said.
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Russian military strike causes "significant" damage at hospital in Ukraine’s Severodonetsk, video shows
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy and Josh Pennington
Damage is seen inside a hospital in Severodonetsk, Ukraine, in this screengrab from a video released by the Luhansk regional administration.
(Luhansk Regional Administration)
A Russian military strike caused “significant” damage to a regional hospital in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, video released by the Luhansk regional administration shows.
CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the video.
The video begins with scenes of blown out windows in a hospital stairwell. As the individual taking the video climbs the stairs, more debris and damage are seen, including a door blown off its hinges.
Once out of the stairwell a tangle of metal, drywall and debris is seen outside of a hospital room. In one room the windows have been blown out; the room next to it is missing an entire wall — there is a large hole in the building.
Down a hallway, more debris strewn around hospitals beds is seen.
Serhiy Hayday, the head of the Luhansk regional military administration, said that a woman was killed in the military strike. CNN could not independently verify the fatality.
Damage is seen inside a hospital in Severodonetsk, Ukraine, in this screengrab from a video released by the Luhansk regional administration.
(Luhansk Regional Administration)
“The Russians knew that the hospital was not vacant, and that there were patients with different conditions being treated by doctors,” Hayday said. “Even that didn’t stop them. In fact, the Orcs wanted to kill off the wounded and those who trying to help these locals survive, their doctors.”
Ukrainians frequently refer to Russian soldiers with the pejorative, “orcs,” likening them to the antagonist army of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy “Lord of the Rings.”
Hayday said that there are only two functioning hospitals left in the Luhansk oblast: this one in Severodonetsk and another in the nearby city of Lysychansk.
He added that the regional hospital in Severodonetsk is continuing to operate, despite there being “significant” damage and several floors being damaged.
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UN World Tourism Organization suspends Russia’s membership
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova
A tourist boat sails on the Moskva river in Moscow, Russia on February 15.
(Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) suspended Russia’s membership on Wednesday in an extraordinary session.
The Russian government announced its withdrawal a few hours before the meeting.
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba also wrote in his tweet, “Russia has been suspended from @UNWTO at its General Assembly’s first extraordinary session.”
“Grateful to all members who backed this move. The only travel direction for Russian war criminals should be The Hague. Russia’s isolation will deepen with each day of its war on Ukraine,” Kuleba added.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed Russia’s exit from the UN World Tourism Organization in a statement published Wednesday.
“The Russian side does not consider it expedient to continue working in the UNWTO, whose leadership condones the politicization of its activities and openly supports discrimination against our country. In this regard, the Russian Federation has decided to withdraw from the World Tourism Organization,” the statement said.
View UNWTO’s tweet:
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Bulgaria is open to exploring legal ramifications against Russia for shutting off gas supplies, official says
From CNN’s Zeena Saifi in London
Bulgaria’s Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov told CNN on Wednesday that his government was open to exploring legal ramifications against Moscow after Russian energy giant Gazprom shut off gas supplies to the country.
When Russia demanded all gas payments be done in rubles, Nikolov said Bulgaria refused to comply and asked for clarification on the details of the mechanism, but did not receive a response from Gazprom.
“We were pretty clear that we will follow a common position regarding the European Union standpoint. We will not accept the fact that one of the parties within the contract decided to change entirely the payment mechanism, so we ended up where we are today … but still we are trying under these tough circumstances to follow all prerequisites under the existing contract,” he added.
Bulgaria has relied on Russia for about 90% of its gas imports, making Moscow’s latest move a disruption to most of the country’s energy supplies. The energy minister said Bulgaria has examined all possible solutions in terms of energy diversification, and is trying to extend its partnerships with other regions.
He pointed to some progress on a long-delayed gas link, the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) between Bulgaria and its neighbor Greece.
“Practically, coming from 90% to zero is of course going to be tough and of course we’ll have a price to pay, but at the end of the day, sovereignty and solidarity is much more important,” he said.
“We are on the eastern flank, the closest possible to Russia, where war is coming to a different dimension. Utility is being used not only as an energy tool but as a social distress tool and an economic weapon,” the minister continued.
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Russian hacking in Ukraine has been extensive and intertwined with military operations, Microsoft says
From CNN's Sean Lyngaas
At least six different Kremlin-linked hacking groups have conducted nearly 240 cyber operations against Ukrainian targets, Microsoft said Wednesday, in data that reveals a broader scope of alleged Russian cyberattacks during the war on Ukraine than has previously been documented.
The Microsoft report is the most comprehensive public record yet of Russian hacking efforts related to the war in Ukraine. It fills in some gaps in public understanding of where Russia’s vaunted cyber capabilities have been deployed during the war.
Burt cited a cyberattack on a Ukrainian broadcast company on March 1, the same day as a Russian missile strike against a TV tower in Kyiv, and malicious emails sent to Ukrainians falsely claiming the Ukrainian government was “abandoning” them amid the Russian siege of the city of Mariupol.
Suspected Russian hackers “are working to compromise organizations in regions across Ukraine,” and may have been collecting intelligence on Ukrainian military partnerships many months before the full-scale invasion in February, the Microsoft report says.
Russia’s military attacks on Ukraine sometimes “correlate with cyberattacks, especially when it involves attacks on telecom infrastructure in some areas,” Victor Zhora, a senior Ukrainian government cyber official, told reporters Wednesday.
In the weeks after Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine, some pundits and US officials were surprised that there hadn’t been more noticeably disruptive or debilitating Russian cyberattacks on the country. Possible explanations ranged from disorganization in Russian military planning to hardened Ukrainian defenses to the fact that bombs and bullets take precedence over hacking in wartime.
But a barrage of alleged Russian and Belarusian hacks aimed at destabilizing Ukraine has indeed taken place, with some hacks emerging weeks after they took place. Some hacking attempts have been more successful than others.
A multi-faceted cyberattack at the onset of the war knocked out internet service for tens of thousands of satellite modems in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe; US officials are investigating the incident as a potential Russian state-sponsored hack, CNN previously reported.
More background: Earlier this month, a Russian military-linked hacking group targeted a Ukrainian power substation in a hack that, had it been successful, could have cut power for 2 million people, according to Ukrainian officials. But while the same hacking group succeeded in cutting power in Ukraine in 2015 and 2016, the recent cyberattack did not affect the provision of electricity at the targeted power company, according to Zhora.
NATO officials David Cattler and Daniel Black noted a series of alleged Russian data-wiping hacks aimed at Ukrainian organizations over multiple weeks.
“If observers see this cyber-offensive as a series of isolated events, its scale and strategic significance get lost in the conventional violence unfolding in Ukraine,” Cattler and Black wrote in Foreign Affairs this month. “But a full accounting of the cyber-operations reveals the proactive and persistent use of cyberattacks to support Russian military objectives.”
Officials from the White House, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies have worked closely with Ukrainian counterparts to try to defend against Russian hacking and gain insights into Russian capabilities that might be used against the US.
“Ukraine was, unfortunately, kind of a playground for cyber weapons over the last eight years,” Zhora said. “And now we see that some technologies that were tested or some of attacks that were organized on Ukrainian infrastructure continue in other states.”
Zhora touted the resilience of Ukrainian network defenders.
Russian hackers “continue to be dangerous,” Zhora said Wednesday. “They continue to threaten democracies, threaten Ukrainian cyberspace. Nevertheless, I don’t think they can scale their cyber warriors or they can use some completely new technologies that can attack Ukrainian infrastructure.”
CNN has requested comment from the Russian embassy in Washington, DC, on the Microsoft report.
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Estonia is "waiting" for Sweden and Finland to join NATO, defense minister says
From CNN's Eoin McSweeney
Defense Minister of Estonia Kalle Laanet speaks to the press in Brussels, Belgium on March 16.
(Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Estonia would gladly welcome the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO to strengthen its eastern flank, the Baltic state’s defense minister said Wednesday amid reports its neighbors were planning to join the security alliance.
“I am waiting that they join NATO; it makes Europe, their security more strong,” Kalle Laanet told CNN’s Eleni Giokos.
Laanet called for more NATO troops and military equipment to be sent to Baltic states, in the face of a security order which has “totally changed” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Freed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko has returned home, foreign ministry says
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova
Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was released as part of a prisoner swap for American citizen Trevor Reed, has returned “home to his family,” Russia said Wednesday.
The prisoner swap for Reed and Yaroshenko occurred in Turkey, Reed’s parents told CNN Wednesday.
“The return to the homeland of Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was illegally sentenced in 2010 by an American court to 20 years in prison, is the result of a long-term coordinated work of interested Russian departments,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Yaroshenko is a Russian pilot who had been detained in Liberia by undercover US Drug Enforcement Administration agents on May 28, 2010, and brought to the US, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
US DEA agents ostensibly obtained evidence Yaroshenko had criminal intent to transport a large batch of cocaine, according to TASS. He had been serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut.
“We will continue to make every effort to free all Russians who have fallen into the millstones of punitive American justice, to protect their rights and ensure an unhindered return to Russia,” the Russian foreign ministry added.
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UN secretary-general to meet with Ukrainian president on Thursday, UN says
From CNN's Mirna Alsharif
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres speaks during a press conference in Moscow on April 26.
(Maxim Shipenkov/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a briefing on Wednesday.
Guterres traveled Wednesday morning from Poland to Ukraine and recently arrived in Kyiv, where he will meet Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday, Haq said.
“We expect him to speak to the press as well,” said Haq about Guterres during Thursday’s meeting.
Haq said Thursday’s meeting will “be a joint one” but did not specify who will be joining Guterres in the meeting with Zelenskyy and Kuleba. Haq also did not mention what time of day the meeting will take place.
The secretary-general was received by Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday evening in Poland and briefed him on his meetings in Moscow and Ankara, Haq also said.
“The Secretary-General expressed his deep appreciation and gratitude to the President for the generosity of the Polish people for the manner in which they opened their homes and their hearts to almost two million Ukrainian refugees,” said Haq.
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What it's like in the city of Severodonetsk, with Russia just kilometers away
From CNN's Mick Krever and Olha Konovalova
Igor, a boy with bloodshot eyes, sits on the edge of his a bed. In silence.
(Mick Krever/CNN)
An artillery shell screams overhead driving Oleksandr underground into into a warren of basement rooms into darkness. When the light comes on, a family is revealed. Igor, a boy with bloodshot eyes, sits on the edge of his a bed. In silence.
Most people have left the city of Severodonetsk in Ukraine’s Luhansk region. It’s about as far to the east as Ukrainian-controlled territory goes these days. The Russian military is just a couple of kilometers away.
The artillery is so close that you can hear it launch, whistle through the air, and explode and a couple seconds later close to city’s hospital.
Oleksandr is a widower. An artillery round hit his house on April 1. Since then, he’s been living in the basement more or less continuously. He emerges only to cook meals in an apartment, where mercifully he still has gas supply.
Like many in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, he thought he knew what war meant. It’s been raging here on the border with a separatist region since 2014. His house was also hit that year, burned to the ground.
Oleksandr is a widower. An artillery round hit his house on April 1. Since then, he’s been living in the basement more or less continuously.
(Mick Krever/CNN)
“I’ve been through it. The only thing is that when it all started full-scale like this, I had no idea it could be like this,” he said.
Oleksandr’s lifeline is Bogdan, a police officer from Severodonetsk’s sister city across the river, Lysychansk.
His 4x4 Lada is packed with boxes of food, medicine and any other special requests that have been made of him that day. He races his little jeep through the canyons of the city’s Soviet towers.
The near empty quiet on the streets frequently shattered by incoming shells. The aftermath of artillery strikes is every to see – in missiles embedded in the street, shattered windows, and blackened walls.
There are odd signs of normality: A elderly woman in a colorful sweater carries her groceries home. A young girl holds her mother’s hand as they walk past a playground painted in Ukrainian yellow and blue.
Bogdan drives down narrow alleyways, and pulls up to doorways whose stillness belies the life that lies below.
“Water is our problem,” one woman says to Bogdan as he carries boxes inside. “And candles. Because the light is out of order.”
A woman in a purple fleece, Olga, comes down the staircase from her apartment.
“I have double hell,” she explains. “My husband is dying. For two months he has lost a lot of weight. A living corpse. That’s why it’s very scary.”
Another door opens. Another middle-aged woman, another “Olga.” She wraps herself in a red shirt as she steps into the hallway. When there’s a “big bang,” they go to the basement, she explains. Otherwise, they stay at home.
There are 20 people left in the building. She says she will stay.
“I have sore feet. I walk with a stick. I have a dog. Nobody needs us anywhere. We’re needed only in our place. We’ll wait for it to be over,” she said.
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The war in Ukraine sparks biggest commodity shock in half a century, World Bank says
From CNN’s Matt Egan
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has contributed to a historic shock to commodity markets that will keep global prices high through the end of 2024, according to the World Bank.
The spike in energy prices over the past two years is the biggest since the 1973 oil crisis, while the jump in food prices is the most since 2008, the World Bank said Tuesday in its commodity markets outlook report.
Russia is a leading exporter of oil, natural gas and coal, while Ukraine is a major source of wheat and corn. The situation has been exacerbated by soaring fertilizer costs and price spikes for key metals.
After nearly doubling last year, energy prices are expected to jump more than 50% this year before easing in 2023 and 2024, the World Bank said. Food prices will soar by 22.9% this year, highlighted by a 40% rise in wheat prices, according to the report.
“These developments have started to raise the specter of stagflation,” the World Bank warned. “Policymakers should take every opportunity to increase economic growth at home and avoid actions that will bring harm to the global economy.”
Prices are expected to stay at “historically high levels” through the end of 2024, the World Bank said.
The fear is that high prices for necessities will hit low-income families the hardest.
“The resulting increase in food and energy prices is taking a significant human and economic toll – and it will likely stall progress in reducing poverty,” Ayhan Kose, director of the World Bank’s Prospects Group, said in the report.
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Vice president of private Russian bank quits and plans to join territorial defense forces in Ukraine
From CNN's Anna Chernova
Igor Volobuev, vice president of Gazprombank, one of Russia’s largest private banks and part of the Gazprom holding, quit his post and left Russia in dissent over the war in Ukraine and is planning to join the Kyiv territorial defense, he told in an interview with an independent Russian online publication “The Insider.”
In the video, Volobuev claimed he managed to get to Kyiv despite holding a Russian passport and said he wants “to stay in Ukraine until the victory.”
Explaining his departure, Volobuev said, “My homeland is in danger now, and I cannot live a well-fed, contented life while my father, who lives in Akhtyrka, is being killed, when my relatives, acquaintances, friends are being killed.” Volobuev’s father spent a month in a cold basement but is now safe, he added.
Volobuev added that he has been thinking about fighting for Ukraine and joining Ukrainian territorial defense since the start of the war on Feb. 24.
“This is a crime on the part of Putin, the Russian authorities, and, in fact, the Russian people,” Volobuev said referring to the atrocities and war crimes committed in Ukraine.
According to Volobuev, he had been working at Gazprombank for the last 6 years and previously at Gazprom for over 16 years.
CNN has reached out to Gazprombank for a confirmation.
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Homeland Security secretary urges Ukrainians to use new refugee program instead of trying to enter US border
From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and Christian Sierra
Ukrainian refugees are seen at a humanitarian shelter in Tijuana, Mexico on Saturday, April 23.
(Nicolo Filippo Rosso/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas emphasized Wednesday the newly established streamlined process for Ukrainians seeking to come to the United States, adding that Ukrainians shouldn’t travel to the US-Mexico border to gain entry.
The administration, Mayorkas said, is trying to convey the message to Ukrainians in the US and abroad about how to use the streamlined process, known as Uniting for Ukraine, that launched this week.
CNN reported last week that the humanitarian parole program will require Ukrainians seeking entry to the US to be sponsored by a US citizen or individual, which would include resettlement organizations and non-profit organizations.
“This program will be fast. It will be streamlined. And it will ensure the United States honors its commitment to go to the people of Ukraine and (they) need not go through our southern border,” US President Joe Biden said last Thursday when announcing the program while delivering an update on Ukraine and Russia.
The Ukrainian applicants will need to undergo rigorous security vetting and checks, including biographic and biometric screening, and complete vaccinations and other public health requirements, including receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, to be eligible. Ukrainians must have also been residents in Ukraine as of February 11.
Where things stand at the border: The Department of Homeland Security processed more than 20,000 Ukrainians at the US-Mexico border and granted them humanitarian parole since March 11, when officials began exempting them on a case-by-case basis following Russia’s invasion, according to a court declaration.
Mayorkas told lawmakers that the department surged resources to the California-Mexico border, where hundreds of Ukrainians gathered, to help with processing.
“We have focused resources on the port of entry at San Ysidro with a majority of Ukrainians who flew to Mexico with the hope of entering the United States assembled. We have drawn down that population of Ukrainians dramatically. We surged resources of US Customs and Border Protection,” Mayorkas said.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz and Kate Sullivan contributed reporting to this post.
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Putin vows "lightning-fast" response to any foreign interference in Ukraine
From CNN’s Anna Chernova and Anastasia Graham-Yooll
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 26.
(Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that any country interfering in Ukraine would be met with a “lightning-fast” response from Moscow.
“We have all the tools for this — ones that no one can brag about. And we won’t brag. We will use them if needed. And I want everyone to know this,” he added.
He did not provide further details on the “tools” he was referring to.
“All the decisions have been made in this regard,” Putin told lawmakers, vowing to achieve “all the goals” of the Russian “special operation” in Ukraine.
This post has been updated to reflect the timing of Putin’s comment.
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Luhansk bears brunt of heavy artillery and rockets attacks
From CNN's Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych and Julia Kesaieva
A member of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine prepares to disable and remove a missile in Rubizhne in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, on April 27.
(State Emergency Service of Ukraine/EYEPRESS/Reuters)
Parts of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine have endured intense attacks over the past 24 hours, according to regional officials.
Serhiy Haidai, head of the regional military administration, said a woman died in shelling that hit the hospital in Severodonetsk, a city that has seen widespread destruction after weeks of attacks.
“They [the Russians] wanted to finish off the wounded,” Haidai said. “The Russians knew that the hospital was not empty, there were patients in different conditions with doctors; it did not stop them.”
“The destruction of the building is significant. Several floors were damaged at once,” he added.
A CNN team in the city Wednesday heard frequent artillery barrages, which local police said were around the hospital.
Ukrainian officials said that almost the entire territory of the Luhansk region suffered from shelling over the past 24 hours, with the worst hitting Rubizhne and Lysychansk. The Russians have been trying to force the towns’ surrender for weeks.
The shelling had destroyed gas pipelines to most of the region, Haidai said. “The gas companies repairing damaged areas every single day. Gas is supplied to only six towns and villages.”
Mykola Khanatov, head of Popasna city military administration, told Ukrainian television that there were just three words to describe the situation there: horror, sorrow, pain.
“Still around 2,000 people remain in Popasna. We are trying to organize the evacuation every day. We evacuate around 50 people daily. But unfortunately, we only control half of the city, the other half is occupied,” Khanatov said, adding that there had been an airstrike on a nine-story building on Tuesday night, and it collapsed. Rescue work was continuing.
“Popasna is Armageddon. Nothing is working there right now: there’s no gas, electricity or water. There are no doctors,” Khanatov said.
The Luhansk authorities said one person had been killed in nearby Hirske.
“Russian troops are continuously shelling the settlements of the Hirske Community starting from 5 a.m. They are using GRAD [rockets] and artillery,” Haidai said.
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Poland and Bulgaria are receiving gas from EU neighbors, European Commission president says
From CNN’s James Frater in Brussels
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes a statement in Brussels, Belgium, on April 27, following the decision by Russian energy giant Gazprom to halt gas shipments to Poland and Bulgaria.
(Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images)
Poland and Bulgaria are receiving gas from their EU neighbors, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.
This comes after Russian energy giant Gazprom halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday, after both countries refused to pay the Russian energy giant in rubles, the company said in a statement.
In a statement, von der Leyen called it “another provocation from the Kremlin” and accused Moscow of using gas to “blackmail” the bloc.
The official also stressed the need for reliable energy partners, promising the end of the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe.
Further in her statement, she committed to ensuring a plan for the “medium term” for sufficient gas supply and storage, and also looked forward to investing in a “green transition.”
“In the longer term, REPowerEU will also help us move to a more reliable, secure and sustainable energy supply. We will present our plans to speed up the green transition in mid-May. Every euro we invest in renewables and energy efficiency is a down payment on our future energy independence,” she said.
Bulgaria is “in constant communication” with the European Commission as “joint supplies at the EU level are being discussed,” Bulgaria’s Energy Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
Speaking at a briefing in the capital Sofia, Bulgaria’s Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said “the consumption of natural gas in Bulgaria is guaranteed for at least a month ahead and at the moment there is no need to limit consumption.”
Nikolov said a warning from Russia’s Gazprom was received on Tuesday that said supplies would be interrupted. He said under the current contract, Bulgaria’s gas operator Bulgargaz has fulfilled all of its obligations and that Gazprom is not fulfilling the contractual commitments on the part of the supplier.
“It is obvious that in the current situation of war in Ukraine, natural gas is used by Russia as a political and economic weapon,” said Nikolov, adding that Bulgaria won’t hold talks under pressure.
Bulgaria’s natural gas operating companies have ensured the continuity of “alternative supplies,” the ministry said.
“Our country is a loyal partner in existing contracts and we will not jeopardize supplies to our neighbors,” Nikolov said.
CNN’s Radina Gigova contributed reporting to this post.
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Trevor Reed's release a result of "months and months" of work, US official says
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood
U.S. ex-Marine Trevor Reed, who was detained in 2019 and accused of assaulting police officers, is escorted before a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on March 11, 2020.
(Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters)
A senior US administration official said the release of Trevor Reed was the result of “months and months of hard careful work across the US government” on the matter, noting that “the conversations on this particular issue have accelerated recently to get us to this point.”
One driving factor was concern of Reed’s health. His family has expressed worry about his likely exposure to tuberculosis as well as lingering effects from having Covid-19.
The official, speaking to reporters on a background call Wednesday, said that “ultimately, those negotiations led the President to have to make a very hard decision with a decision to commute the sentence of Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian smuggler convicted of conspiring to import cocaine.”
The official did not provide details about how or why Yaroshenko was chosen for the swap, but noted that he had served the majority of his US sentence and is now in Russian custody.
“This is a tough call for a President, President Biden made it to bring home an American whose health was a source of an intense concern, and to deliver on his commitment to resolve these hard cases and reunite Americans with their loved ones,” the official added.
Reed is now on his way back to his family in the United States.
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More than 20,000 Ukrainians have been processed at the US-Mexico border since mid-March
From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez
Ukrainian refugees fleeing war, camp inside a shelter in a gymnasium at the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juárez as they await processing of their applications along the border with the United States in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, on April 9.
(Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)
The Department of Homeland Security processed more than 20,000 Ukrainians at the US-Mexico border and granted them humanitarian parole since March 11, when officials began exempting them on a case-by-case basis following Russia’s invasion, according to a newly filed court declaration.
Blas Nuñez-Neto, a top Homeland Security official, outlined the Biden administration’s plans for an influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border when a public health authority, known as Title 42, lifts in a court filing following a federal judge’s intent to temporarily block the wind down.
DHS, Nunez-Neto said, will be “significantly curtailing” those exception, given the launch of Uniting for Ukraine, a streamlined process for Ukrainians seeking to come to the United States.
“The Department strongly encourages all potential applicants to apply directly from Europe, where they will have greater support than if they apply from Mexico or elsewhere,” the filing reads.
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Trevor Reed's release will not impact the US' approach to Russia's war in Ukraine, officials say
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood
The weeks of negotiations that resulted in Trevor Reed’s release from detention in Russia will have no impact on the Biden administration’s approach to the Ukraine war.
“It represents no change – zero – to our approach to the appalling violence in Ukraine,” the first official said. The official said that the negotiations focused on “a discrete issue on which we were able to make an arrangement with the Russians.”
The officials said the negotiations did not involve additional “senior level of travel” to Russia but that the case had been raised at multiple levels, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting in Geneva with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov prior to the start of the war.
A second senior administration official noted this was done by the interagency, but also helped by media interest in Reed’s case.
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3 Norwegian diplomats have been expelled from Russia, Norway says
From Amy Cassidy in London
Russia has expelled three Norwegian diplomats, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs press office told CNN on Wednesday.
It comes after Norway granted the same number of Russian diplomats persona non grata earlier this month in response to the atrocities alleged to have been committed by Russian forces in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.
It marks the latest retaliatory move from Russia amid a mass expulsion of diplomats across Europe in response to the war in Ukraine.
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American Trevor Reed has been exchanged for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko
From CNN's Radina Gigova and Anna Chernova
American Trevor Reed has been exchanged for Russian national Konstantin Yaroshenko, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Yaroshenko is a Russian pilot who had been detained in Liberia by undercover US Drug Enforcement Agency agents on May 28, 2010, and brought to the US, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
US Drug Enforcement Agency agents ostensibly obtained evidence Yaroshenko had criminal intent to transport a large batch of cocaine, according to TASS.
The Russian pilot has pled not guilty, describing his arrest as a provocation and all charges against him as fake, according to TASS.
“As a result of a lengthy negotiation process, on April 27, 2022, US citizen Trevor Rowdy Reed, previously convicted in the Russian Federation, was exchanged for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an American court in 2010,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on her official Telegram channel Wednesday.
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Trevor Reed has been released, but other Americans remain detained in Russia
From CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi and Jennifer Hansler
Brittney Griner #15 of the United States in action during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games on August 4, in Tokyo, Japan
(Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty Images)
While US citizen Trevor Reed was released from Russian custody, at least two other Americans — basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan —remain detained in Russia.
Griner was arrested in Russia in mid-February on allegations of drug smuggling. A Moscow court recently extended her arrest until May 19, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
While her legal team has had access to her and was able to see her several times a week throughout her detention, a US official from the US embassy in Moscow was finally granted consular access to Griner in late March, and said they found her to be in “good condition.”
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of spying and arrested in Russia stands inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at a court in Moscow, Russia, on August 23, 2019.
(Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)
Whelan, a US citizen, has been detained in Russia since 2018 after he was arrested on espionage charges, which he has consistently denied. He was convicted and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in prison in a trial US officials denounced as unfair. In a June, he told CNN of the grim conditions of the remote labor camp where he works in a clothing factory he called a “sweatshop” and said obtaining medical care is “very difficult.”
On Wednesday, Whelan’s family expressed happiness at the release of Reed, but said it is a day of “varied emotions” and questions for them.
“It’s the event that we hope for so much in our own lives. Hopefully, Trevor will now get the medical attention and care he needs deserves,” Whelan’s brother David Whelan said in a statement Wednesday. “He is reunited with his family.”
Both Whelan and Griner’s families have been fighting for their freedom. The Biden administration has said it will continue to work for both of their releases.
“The case of Paul Whelan is one we continue to work day in, day out,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told CNN Wednesday. “Paul Whelan is wrongfully detained in Russia.”
“When it comes to Brittney Griner, we are working very closely with her team. Her case is a top priority for us,” Price continued. “We’re in regular contact with her team.”
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Family of Trevor Reed and US President Biden say he has been released
From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Betsy Klein
US ex-marine Trevor Reed, charged with attacking police, stands inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on March 11, 2020.
“We’d respectfully ask for some privacy while we address the myriad of health issues brought on by the squalid conditions he was subjected to in his Russian gulag,” the family continued, although they did not specify how many days Reed was detained.
They thanked US President Joe Biden “for his kindness, his consideration, and for making the decision to bring Trevor home,” adding that Biden’s action “may have saved Trevor’s life.”
Biden also confirmed Reed’s release, saying he had shared the news with his family.
“Today, we welcome home Trevor Reed and celebrate his return to the family that missed him dearly. Trevor, a former U.S. Marine, is free from Russian detention,” Biden said in a statement. “I heard in the voices of Trevor’s parents how much they’ve worried about his health and missed his presence. And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor’s freedom.”
Reed’s release came due to a prisoner swap for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on her official Telegram channel.
“The negotiations that allowed us to bring Trevor home required difficult decisions that I do not take lightly. His safe return is a testament to the priority my Administration places on bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad,” Biden said.
He went on to call for the release of detained security director Paul Whelan, who was first arrested in 2018, saying he would not “stop until Paul Whelan and others join Trevor in the loving arms of family and friends.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also welcomed the release of Reed in a statement Wednesday “while continuing to call for the release of wrongfully detained” Whelan.
“We also remain committed to securing the freedom of all U.S. nationals wrongfully detained abroad,” he said.
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It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
A woman from Kherson region holds her child as her family is registered at an evacuation point in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on April 22.
(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Today’s main developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine center around accusations of gas “blackmail,” after Moscow halted supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, well as heavy fighting on the ground.
Here’s a look at the latest developments:
Russia turns off oil tap: Russian energy giant Gazprom has shut off gas supplies to both Bulgaria and Poland’s state-owned gas companies after the two countries refused to pay in rubles in a dramatic escalation of tensions with the West. The European Union has accused Russia of trying to “blackmail” the bloc with gas, accusation which Russia has denied.
Mystery explosions: Blasts were heard Wednesday in three Russian regions bordering Ukraine, local authorities and Russian state media reported. An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made cryptic references in response to reports of the overnight explosions. Myhailo Podolyak said that “the Belgorod, Voronezh, and Kursk regions are now also beginning to actively study such a concept as ‘demilitarization.’”
Kherson’s “sham referendum”: Many civilians are fleeing Kherson, located in southern Ukraine, ahead of what Ukrainian leaders have called a sham referendum staged by Russia. Kherson and its surrounding areas were the first to be taken by advancing Russian forces early in the war, and Russia now plans to hold a vote in the region to try to show popular support for the creation of a new entity called the Kherson People’s Republic.
Fighting intensifies: Ukraine has acknowledged the loss of several eastern towns and villages as Russia steps up its ground offensive. Russian forces have taken control of the town of Zarichne, and have started attacking nearby Yampil. Despite the loss of territory, Ukrainian authorities said nine enemy attacks were repulsed in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions alone, with Russian equipment destroyed –including nine tanks and 11 artillery systems.
Sending help: British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will urge Western allies to supply Ukraine with warplanes and other heavy weapons, according to a news release from the UK’s Foreign Office published Tuesday. It comes as NATO countries ramp up their military support for Ukraine. In a major policy U-turn on Tuesday, Germany announced it will supply Ukraine with anti-aircraft tanks. Canada and the UK also announced they would supply more heavy weapons on Tuesday.
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Russia says it will release former US Marine Trevor Reed in exchange for Russian prisoner
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Radina Gigova
Police officers escort former US Marine Trevor Reed to a courtroom prior to a hearing in Moscow, Russia in 2020.
(Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)
Russia said on Wednesday it will swap former US Marine Trevor Reed for a Russian prisoner held in the United States.
“As a result of a lengthy negotiation process, on April 27, 2022, US citizen Trevor Rowdy Reid, previously convicted in the Russian Federation, was exchanged for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an American court in 2010,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her official Telegram channel Wednesday.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti also reported the move.
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European Union proposes to drop all tariffs on imports from Ukraine
From CNN’s James Frater in Brussels
Following a request from Ukraine, the European Commission proposed on Wednesday a series of temporary “trade-liberalizing measures” that would enable Ukraine “to maintain its trade position with the rest of the world and further deepen its trade relations” with the European Union.
“These temporary and exceptional measures will contribute to supporting and fostering the existing trade flows from Ukraine to the [European] Union” and “would add flexibility and certainty for Ukrainian producers,” the Commission said in its proposal.
And to mitigate the economic impact of the aggression, the Commission explained it was “appropriate and necessary” to accelerate closer economic relations between the EU and Ukraine “in order to provide a quick support to the Ukrainian authorities and the population.”
The recommendation – which would be valid for one year – would include a “temporary suspension of all outstanding tariffs” and establish a “deep and comprehensive free trade area” between Ukraine and the EU.
The Commission proposal would remove all tariffs, import duties on industrial products, fruit and vegetables as well as drop quotas on agricultural and processed agricultural products.
In this proposal the Commission hopes that these measures would “establish conditions for enhanced economic and trade relations” with the aim of “Ukraine’s gradual integration in the EU Internal Market.”
In a statement, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said, “I have been in discussions with President [Volodymyr] Zelensky on ways of supporting the economy,” and that today’s proposal “will greatly facilitate the export of Ukrainian industrial and agricultural goods to the EU.”
The proposal now needs to be signed off by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
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Kremlin rejects accusations of blackmail in stopping gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria
From CNN's Anna Chernova
The Kremlin has rejected accusations of blackmail in its move to halt gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, after they refused to pay in rubles.
“This is not blackmail,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a regular conference call.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had accused Russia of using gas to “blackmail” the bloc, after Gazprom said it halted supplies to the two countries on Wednesday.
“The need for the conditions that were documented in President [Putin’s] decree, meaning the new payment method, was caused by unprecedented unfriendly steps in the economy and financial sector undertaken against us by unfriendly countries,” Peskov said.
According to Peskov, Russia was forced to switch to payment in rubles for gas supply to Europe due to the new restrictions.
“We had a significant amount of our reserves blocked, or ‘stolen’, putting it simply. All this required a transition to a new payment system,” Peskov went on to say.
Peskov added that all the new conditions “were brought to the attention of buyers in advance.”
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Almost 2 million barrels of Russian oil have been imported into UK since Ukraine invasion, says Greenpeace
From CNN's Robert Iddiols in London
Greenpeace environmental activists stage an action against the ship Ust Luga, which will reportedly unload Russian oil in the harbour of Aasgaardstrand, Norway, on April 25.
(Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB/AFP/Getty Images)
The United Kingdom has imported nearly 2 million barrels of Russian oil since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to figures released by Greenpeace on Wednesday.
Shipments totaling 1.9 million barrels, with an estimated value of $276 million, have flowed into the UK despite a raft of international sanctions leveled against Russian businesses intended to weaken the Kremlin’s war machine, Greenpeace said.
The UK government has imposed a ban on Russian owned, operated or flagged ships from entering the UK. However, Russian fossil fuels are still able to pour into Britain via tankers owned and flagged by other nations.
“The UK government is no stranger to hypocrisy but pledging ‘unwavering support’ to Ukraine while shipping in almost 2 million barrels of Russian oil is utterly disingenuous, even by Boris Johnson’s standards,” Georgia Whitaker, oil and gas campaigner at Greenpeace UK said.
Downing Street has said it will phase out imports of Russian oil, but only by the end of the year.
“Despite the mounting death toll, the UK government has given itself until the end of the year to stop importing Russia’s bloody oil,” Whitaker added.
“Sanctions don’t work until they’re implemented and eight more months of oil and gas imports is eight months too many. It’s clear we need an explicit and immediate ban on all Russian fossil fuels,” Whitaker said.
A UK government spokesperson said: “We will phase out Russian oil by the end of the year, and imports of Russian liquid natural gas as soon as possible thereafter.”
“The UK has no issues with either gas or oil supply, and unlike Europe we are not dependent on Russian energy imports,” the spokesperson said.
On Monday, Greenpeace activists chained themselves to the anchor of a Russian oil tanker bound for a Norwegian port, demanding the Nordic nation cease importing Russian fossil fuels.
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Russia sanctions hundreds of British lawmakers
From CNN's Amy Cassidy in London
Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle uses a mobile phone in his office in the Palace of Westminster, London, on February 21, 2022. Sir Hoyle is one of the 287 members of the British Parliament that Russia has sanctioned.
(Stefan Rousseau/PA Images/Getty Images)
Russia has sanctioned 287 members of the British Parliament, including Downing Street Chief of Staff Steve Barclay and speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday.
The retaliatory move bans the politicians from entering Russia and comes in response to the UK sanctioning 386 Russian lawmakers on March 11, it says.
Both Conservative and Labour party lawmakers are among those sanctioned by Moscow.
“The hostile rhetoric and far-fetched accusations coming from the mouths of British parliamentarians not only condone the hostile course of London, aimed at demonizing our country and its international isolation, but are also used by opponents of mutually respectful dialogue with Russia to undermine the foundation of bilateral cooperation,” it said.
British Environment Secretary George Eustice, Brexit minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Conservative lawmakers Jeremy Hunt and Steve Baker are among the most prominent British political figures to feature in Russia’s list.
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Polish leader accuses Russia of "direct attack" by halting gas supplies
From CNN’s Anna Odzeniak and Amy Cassidy
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks during the inauguration of the XIV European Economic Congress at the International Congress Center in Katowice, Poland, on April 25.
(Zbigniew Meissner/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday accused Russia of a “direct attack” on his country by halting gas supplies.
Speaking in Poland’s lower house of parliament, the Sejm, Morawiecki sought to reassure lawmakers about increased supply through other pipelines, and that come the fall, “Poland will not need Russian gas.”
He announced that Poland’s Świnoujście terminal is operational and will expand its production from six billion cubic meters of LNG (liquified natural gas) to between seven and eight billion cubic meters.
Morawiecki also noted a new gas pipeline under construction in Norway called the Baltic Gas Pipeline will be completed in three months time, which he said will pump 10 billion cubic meters of LNG into Poland.
A new cross-border pipeline under construction with Slovakia will pump more than five billion cubic meters of LNG once completed, he said.
Poland also has interconnectors with Germany and the Czech Republic, and “in a few days, we are opening an interconnector with Lithuania,” he said. He said this was all on top of between 20 and 21 billion cubic meters of domestic LNG production.
“Ukraine is on the front line. We, all European countries, must be aware that this is a fight for peace, a fight for sovereignty, a fight for security, and we must not bow,” he said.
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CNN witnesses heavy shelling in Severodonetsk
From CNN's Sam Kiley, Mick Krever, Mark Phillips and Olha Konovalova
The Ukrainian-held city of Severodonetsk, in the Luhansk region, was subject to heavy shelling during a CNN team’s visit on Wednesday.
The team was able to hear the launch, flight and impact of what appeared to be heavy Russian artillery rounds – an indication that Russian forces are within just a few kilometers of the city center.
Local police told CNN that the artillery was landing at or near the city’s hospital.
The Ukrainian military said Wednesday that the Russian military was advancing through the town of Rubizhne, to the north, in order to further contest Severodonetsk city.
Though most civilians appear to have left, some remain – both sheltering in basements and walking the streets.
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Adviser to Zelensky makes opaque reference to reports of blasts in three Russian regions
From CNN's Tim Lister and Julia Kesaieva
This picture from social media shows an alleged ammunition depot in Russia's Belgorod region on fire on April 27.
(Twitter)
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made cryptic references to reports of overnight explosions in regions of Russia bordering Ukraine.
Myhailo Podolyak said that “the Belgorod, Voronezh, and Kursk regions are now also beginning to actively study such a concept as ‘demilitarization.’”
It comes after blasts were heard early Wednesday in three Russian regions bordering Ukraine, local authorities and Russian state media reported.
A blast in Belgorod was followed by a fire at the ammunition depot in the village of Staraya Nelidovka, about 10 miles north of the Ukrainian border, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram on Wednesday.
In the region of Kursk, residents “heard explosions” around 2:45 a.m. local time. The governor, Roman Starovoyt, said the details surrounding the explosions are still “being clarified,” but that there were no casualties or destruction.
Two loud bangs were heard by residents in the Shilovo neighborhood of the Russian city Voronezh at 4:40 a.m., according to Russian state media TASS, citing authorities.
Podolyak added: “How can this be explained? Very simply. If you (the Russians) decide to attack another country en masse, kill everyone there en masse, crush peaceful people en masse with tanks, and use warehouses in your regions to provide the killings, then sooner or later the debts will have to be paid back.
“That is why disarming the Belgorod-Voronezh depots is an absolutely natural process. Karma is a cruel thing,” Podolyak said.
There has been no acknowledgment by the Ukrainian military or Ministry of Defense that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the latest incidents across the border.
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Russia will have "a case to answer" for alleged war crimes in Bucha, ICC chief prosecutor tells CNN
From CNN's Hannah Ritchie in Hong Kong
Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan speaks to CNN on April 27.
(CNN)
There will be “a case to answer in due course” on Russia’s alleged war crimes in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan told CNN Tuesday.
Located on the outskirts of Kyiv, Bucha was occupied by Russian forces for roughly three weeks in March. The photos – which were taken from March 5-7 – show the bodies of civilians littered in the streets of several locations around the town.
A man works to catalog some of bodies of civilians killed in and around Bucha before they are transported to a morgue on April 6.
(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the mass killings of civilians in Ukraine, while reiterating baseless claims that images of bodies on the streets of Bucha are “fake.”
Khan addressed Russia’s disinformation directly. “Those bodies that are in those bags on the screen are not fake. I’ve seen them. I stood beside them. The issue is how did they die, who is responsible and in what circumstances?” Khan said, adding that the world was watching to see how “effective the rule of law” would be regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, the ICC joined an EU investigation into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine during Russia’s invasion, marking the court’s first joint investigation in its twenty-year history.
“The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC in The Hague will become a participant in the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine,” the EU’s judicial cooperation agency said in a statement.
During a visit to the towns of Bucha and Borodianka in mid-April, Khan said there were “reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC” were being committed there.
But Khan also warned that it would be “challenging” to guarantee justice would be served in Ukraine, given Russia’s decision to withdraw its signature from the ICC statute, which gives the court jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
Russia also doesn’t extradite its citizens to other countries.
Evidence of mass graves in the towns of Bucha and Borodianka has continued to emerge since early April, following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region.
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People flee for their lives from Ukraine's southern city of Kherson
From CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, Natalie Gallón, Maryna Marukhnych and Brice Laine
A steady flow of people have been making their way across fields and rivers dotting southern Ukraine’s countryside through the day. As night falls, the crowds swell. They travel on foot, by bicycle, or wheelbarrow.
They are desperate to leave behind the Russian occupation of their hometown, Kherson, and are willing to take — and risk — any route possible out of the city to the rest of the country.
The occupied areas around Kherson — the first to be taken by advancing Russian forces in the opening days of the war — have been terrorized in the past week by both the advancing second phase of Moscow’s offensive, but also fears of a referendum on Wednesday.
Ukraine has said Russia plans to hold a vote in the region— widely viewed there as a sham referendum –to try to show popular support for the creation of a new entity called the Kherson People’s Republic, which would mirror similar entities in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Multiple locals and several Ukrainian officials told CNN the vote had been scheduled for April 27.
Yet the day before, Russian-backed officials announced a series of new government officials in the occupied city, leading some observers to think the referendum may have been postponed in favor of these new appointments.
Ukrainian officials also say Russia is running into trouble over plans to hold a poll as early as Wednesday.
Regardless, fear of the impending vote and its implications — a possible strengthening of Russia’s control — has led many residents to flee fast.
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss leaves Downing Street on April 26, in London, England.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will urge Western allies to supply Ukraine with warplanes and other heavy weapons, according to a news release from the UK’s Foreign Office published Tuesday.
In a keynote foreign policy speech that she is expected to deliver at London’s Mansion House on Thursday, Truss will argue the need to “double down” on supporting Ukraine’s military.
“We cannot be complacent – the fate of Ukraine remains in the balance,” Truss will say, according to the release.
“Heavy weapons, tanks, aeroplanes – digging deep into our inventories, ramping up production. We need to do all of this,” she is expected to say.
The global security architecture “that was designed to guarantee peace and prosperity has failed Ukraine” and a “new approach” is needed, Truss will say.
It comes as NATO countries ramp up their military support for Ukraine. In a major policy U-turn on Tuesday, Germany announced it will supply Ukraine with anti-aircraft tanks. Canada and the UK also announced they would supply more heavy weapons on Tuesday.
This post has been updated to correct the name of Mansion House, where Foreign Secretary Truss is expected to deliver her speech on Thursday.
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In graphics: The European impact of Russia halting gas to Poland and Bulgaria
An element of a 20-km looping section at transit gas pipeline to Turkey near Lozenets, Bulgaria, on August 3, 2018.
(Stoyan Nenov/Reuters)
Russia has cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, dramatically escalating its response to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
Russian state energy giant Gazprom tweeted 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 dollars or euros.
The European Commission described the decision to halt supplies as attempted “blackmail” and said it was coordinating a response among EU member states.
The news sent US natural gas futures up about 3% Tuesday. European gas prices jumped nearly 20% on Wednesday morning, Reuters reported.
But Russia’s attempts at using Poland and Bulgaria to send a message to the West and prop up its weak currency are likely to have their limitations.
In preparation for such a situation, European states reliant on Russian gas have been increasing their stored supplies. Polish gas company PGNiG, for example, says the country’s stores are 80% full. Europe is also at the end of its heating season, so demand will be low.
Bulgaria typically gets 100% of its gas from Russia, and Poland is almost as reliant, but the two countries don’t use that much gas in their energy mix in the first place, largely because they still depend heavily on coal for power generation.
Ukraine acknowledges losing towns in the east as Russia steps up offensive
From Tim Lister and Julia Kesaieva
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a commercial area following a rocket attack in the Saltivka area of Kharkiv, Ukraine, on April 26.
(Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The Ukrainian armed forces have acknowledged the loss of several towns and villages in eastern regions as Russia steps up its ground offensive.
Heavy fighting is ongoing on three fronts, with Russian forces being reinforced and resupplied from bases inside Russia, according to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military on Wednesday.
Despite the loss of territory, Ukrainian authorities said nine enemy attacks were repulsed in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions alone, with Russian equipment destroyed — including nine tanks and 11 artillery systems.
Ukrainian troops are essentially fighting in three directions to prevent Russian forces from taking over all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which has been the Kremlin’s declared goal.
From the north, Russian units are attacking in the direction of Barkinove, a town south of Izium, and had taken the village of Zavody which has been contested for several days, the Ukrainian military said.
The Ukrainians also acknowledged that Russians had seized the outskirts of the settlement of Velyka Komyshuvakha in the same area.
From the east, Russian forces have taken control of the town of Zarichne, and have started attacking nearby Yampil.
The spokesman said Russian offensive operations were also focused on the Severodonetsk, Popasna and Kurakhiv areas. Russian troops have also taken control of the settlement of Novotoshkivske, and are trying to advance further westward.
In the south, Russian forces are trying to consolidate a land bridge to Crimea and occupy Ukrainian coastal regions.
The southern command of the Ukrainian armed forces said that Russian units were regrouping and conducting air reconnaissance, and are trying to push north toward the city of Kryvyi Rih and into the Zaporizhzhia region.
It also accused the Russians occupying the region of Kherson of further “filtration” of civilians in two districts.
Reported damage includes energy infrastructure in the town of Zelenodolsk and a severe fire in Dnipropetrovsk.
He added that Russian prisoners had been taken.
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EU chief accuses Russia of trying to "blackmail" the bloc with gas
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen rings the bell at the start of the European Commission weekly College Meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on April 27.
(Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of trying to “blackmail” the bloc with gas, after Russian energy giant Gazprom halted supplies to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday.
In a separate statement, von der Leyen said a meeting between the EU’s gas coordination group was underway to map out a response.
Some context: Gazprom halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after both countries refused to pay in rubles. Russia had warned “unfriendly” countries last month that they would need to pay for gas in the Russian currency starting April 1, or risk being cut off.
The payment spat threatens gas supplies that have continued to flow, even as Russian troops shelled major cities in Ukraine and the West imposed crippling sanctions on Russia’s economy.
The EU is planning to slash the consumption of Russian natural gas this year as it prepares for a complete break with its single biggest energy supplier. But Europe would struggle to survive for long without Russian gas, and finding alternative sources presents a huge logistical challenge.
This football club has lost its home again. Now it tours Europe raising money for war effort in Ukraine
From CNN's Don Riddell and Matias Grez
Darijo Srna the Shakhtar Donetsk Director of Sport during the UEFA Champions League match at Stade Louis II, Monaco, on August 17.
(Jonathan Moscrop/Sportimage/Cal Sport Media/AP)
When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on the morning of Feb. 24, Darijo Srna was awoken at 6 a.m. by the sound of air-raid sirens.
It was a noise the former international football star says immediately transported his “head and body” back to his native Croatia, where he lived as an 8-year-old when war broke out in what was then Yugoslavia.
So when his football club Shakhtar Donetsk was forced to leave Kyiv, the city that had been one of the team’s many temporary bases since 2014, at the start of the invasion, it was unfortunately a scenario Srna was all too familiar with.
Though he’s just 39 years old, he has already experienced three wars in his life; first in Croatia in the early 1990s, then in 2014 in Ukraine’s Donbas region – Shakhtar’s real home – and now across much of the rest of the country.
Srna — who, along with the rest of the team, managed to escape Ukraine the day after Russia began its invasion — has found his strength in helping those most affected by the war.
Russian energy giant confirms suspension of gas to Poland and Bulgaria for refusing to pay in rubles
A view of giant tubes part of one of the physical exit points and compressor gas station of the Yamal–Europe gas pipeline on February 19, in Wloclawek, Poland.
(Omar Marques/Getty Images)
Gazprom halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday after both countries refused to pay the Russian energy giant in rubles, the company said in a statement.
The “decree” refers to legislation introduced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, which orders gas exports to be paid for with Russia’s currency.
Poland was notified of the suspension Tuesday when its national energy company PGNiG was told by Gazprom that all supplies along the Yamal pipeline would be “entirely suspended.”
In late March, Russia announced that “unfriendly” foreign nations would need to pay for their gas in rubles starting April 1, or risk being cut off. Since then, gas shipments to the bloc have largely continued until now.
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Ukraine retains control over "majority of its airspace," UK defense ministry says
From CNN's Hannah Ritchie in Hong Kong
A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 8.
(Andrew Marienko/AP)
Ukraine has maintained control “over the majority of its airspace” some two months into Russia’s invasion, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) said in an intelligence update Wednesday.
“Ukraine retains control over the majority of its airspace. Russia has failed to effectively destroy the Ukrainian Air Force or suppress Ukrainian air defenses. Ukraine continues to hold Russian air assets at risk,” the report read.
According to the assessment, Russia’s air activity is now “primarily focused on southern and eastern Ukraine” to provide support to its ground forces there. Meanwhile, Russia’s access to the “north and west of Ukraine” remains “very limited,” said the report.
Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and military assets across the country remain ongoing, according to the MOD.
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Blasts reported in 3 Russian regions bordering Ukraine
From Svitlana Budzhak-Jones and Hannah Ritchie
Blasts were heard early Wednesday in three Russian regions bordering Ukraine, local authorities and Russian state media reported.
The depot fire in Belgorod: The blast was followed by a fire at the ammunition depot in the village of Staraya Nelidovka, about 10 miles north of the Ukrainian border, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram on Wednesday. He added that there were “no casualties among civilians.”
Explosions in Kursk: In the region of Kursk, residents “heard explosions” around 2:45 a.m. local time. The governor, Roman Starovoyt, said the details surrounding the explosions are still “being clarified,” but that there were no casualties or destruction.
The Kursk explosions come just two days after two Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian air defense crews in the region’s village of Borovskoye, according to Starovoyt.
Bangs heard at dawn in Voronezh: Two loud bangs were heard by residents in the Shilovo neighborhood of the Russian city Voronezh at 4:40 a.m., according to Russian state media TASS, citing authorities.
Voronezh is located roughly 200 miles from the Ukrainian border and is a major military and transport hub.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused Ukraine of mounting cross-border attacks on fuel depots and military installations, claims which Ukrainian government agencies say are intended to stoke “anti-Ukrainian sentiment.”
CNN could not independently confirm that there was no damage to residential buildings, or that there were no civilian casualties following Wednesday’s explosions.
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A key bridge near Odesa has been struck again in a missile attack
From CNN's Tim Lister and Julia Kesaieva
This file photo from Oct 30, 2019 shows the bridge across the Dniester Estuary in Odesa, Ukraine.
(Ukrinform/Future Publishing/Getty Images)
The chairman of the Ukrainian railway network, Oleksandr Kamyshin, says another missile has hit a rail and road bridge linking the port city of Odesa with the far southwest portion of Ukraine.
There were no injured railway workers, he said.
The bridge had been struck by a Russian missile attack on Tuesday, city authorities said – essentially cutting off the region as it’s the only link between southwest Ukraine and the rest of the country. Repair work had just started when the Wednesday strike hit.
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Russia's Belgorod region extends high "terrorist danger" threat level
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy and Josh Pennington
The Belgorod region, which neighbors Ukraine, is extending its high “terrorist danger” security level status through May 10, according to a notice published on a local government website.
The yellow security status — which has been in place since April 10 — is the second-highest alert level, as it signifies authorities have information suggesting the real possibility of a terrorist act, according to the Russian government.
The regional government is asking citizens in the region to not attend mass gatherings and to bring their identification documents when they go out. Setting off firecrackers and fireworks is also forbidden by the order.
The extension comes as a fire broke out Wednesday at an ammunition depot in the village of Staraya Nelidovka, which is about 10 miles south of the city of Belgorod. It’s unclear how that fire began, but several military installations in the region have caught fire or exploded since the war in Ukraine began.
Russia has accused Ukraine of being responsible for some of the past fires and explosions at Russian military installations.
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Russia will no longer host the 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship
In this file photo from April 26, 2016, the headquarters of the International Ice Hockey Federation is seen in Zurich, Switzerland.
(Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann)
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced Tuesday that it will relocate the 2023 World Championship from Russia, which had previously been awarded hosting rights.
The tournament had been scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg in May 2023. An alternative host nation will be determined next month, according to the IIHF.
In February, the IIHF moved to ban Russian and Belarusian national and club-level teams from IIHF competition and also stripped Russia of its hosting rights for the World Junior Championship in 2023.
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It's 7 a.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
As heavy fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, tensions are also rising in neighboring Moldova after a series of unexplained explosions in the breakaway region of Transnistria — prompting some to warn Russia may be eyeing the territory.
Here are the latest developments:
Kherson referendum: Many civilians are fleeing Kherson, located in southern Ukraine, ahead of what Ukrainian leaders have called a sham referendum staged by Russia. Kherson and its surrounding areas were the first to be taken by advancing Russian forces early in the war, and Russia now plans to hold a vote in the region to try to show popular support for the creation of a new entity called the Kherson People’s Republic.
Fighting in the east: Russia is continuing efforts to surround Ukrainian forces in the east of the country, a Ukrainian presidential advisor said Tuesday. Heavy fighting is continuing in Donetsk and Luhansk, with Russian missile attacks having damaged a school, a hospital, and other civilian infrastructure, according to Donetsk officials.
Tensions in Transnistria: Ukrainian officials are claiming that a spate of unexplained attacks in and around neighboring Moldova suggest Russia may be trying to open a new front in the two-month war. In Transnistria, a breakaway territory in Moldova that isn’t recognized internationally, there was a rocket attack on Monday and unexplained explosions on Tuesday – leading the Moldovan president to call an emergency meeting of the country’s security council.
Russian oil embargo: Russian energy giant Gazprom will shut off gas supplies to both Bulgaria and Poland’s state-owned gas companies after the two countries refused to pay in rubles. Russia delivered an ultimatum last month for countries to pay their energy in rubles or risk being cut off from vital supplies.
The nuclear question: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the carelessness of Russian troops who occupied the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant signals the danger of Russia using nuclear weapons. Also on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he does not expect Russia to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Diplomatic efforts: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Moscow on Tuesday for about an hour. Guterres will head to Ukraine later this week to meet Zelensky and the Ukrainian foreign minister. Meanwhile, the US State Department confirmed that some diplomats had temporarily returned to the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Tuesday.
Foreign aid: Germany has agreed to deliver anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine, the first time it has provided this type of heavy weaponry during the war. Meanwhile, the US Defense Department has established a control center in Germany to coordinate shipments and “streamline the delivery” of military assistance to Ukraine.
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An ammunition depot in Russia's Belgorod region is on fire, regional governor says
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy, Josh Pennington and Hannah Ritchie
An ammunition depot is on fire in a rural village in Russia’s Belgorod region, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on his Telegram Wednesday.
Staraya Nelidovka is about 10 miles north of the Ukrainian border, and about 10 miles south of the city of Belgorod.
CNN cannot independently confirm that there were no casualties or damage to residential buildings.
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Zelensky: Russia is trying to destabilize region through occupation of breakaway region in Moldova
From CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is trying to destabilize the region through military activity in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria.
“This is showing that if Moldova supports Ukraine this is what’s going to happen,” he said.
In recent days, Ukraine has accused Russian troops of firing missiles and conducting operations in Transnistria.
When asked about the number of Russian troops present in Transnistria, Zelensky said Ukrainian armed forces are “prepared and not afraid” to deal with a new front of the military invasion.
“With regard to certain Russian troops that are constantly present in the temporarily occupied territory — this has been so for many, many years. We know they’re on alert, just waiting for the order,” Zelensky said.
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Germany has agreed to send heavy weapons to Ukraine. Here's why that is significant
From CNN's Ivana Kottasová, Stephanie Halasz and Ulrike Heil
Germany will provide Gepard anti-aircraft systems, similar to the one seen here.
(Sven Eckelkamp/IMAGO/Reuters/FILE)
Germany has agreed to deliver anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine, the German Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday, a move that underscores a major shift in its approach to providing military help to Ukraine.
The commitment to deliver the Gepard anti-aircraft systems was announced by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht during a meeting of international defense officials at the Ramstein US Air Force base in Germany.
Why does this matter? This is the first time Germany has agreed to provide this type of heavy weaponry to Ukraine as it fights off the Russian invasion. The Gepard systems were phased out from active duty in Germany in 2010.
Germany initially resisted calls to provide weaponry to Kyiv, agreeing only to provide humanitarian help and medical equipment. That approach was in line with Germany’s decades-long policy of not supplying lethal weapons to crisis zone.
Just months before Russian President Vladimir Putin order the invasion into Ukraine, the then new German government agreed to include the restrictive arms export policy into its coalition agreement.
But facing pressure from allies and the German public, the government was forced to overhaul the rules. By late February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Germany would start delivering some weapons to Ukraine, although at that point he insisted on calling them “defensive.”
He also announced Germany would start pumping more money into its own armed forces.
First such investment was publicly confirmed last month when Germany announced it would buy 35 US-made F-35A fighter jets.
Exclusive: New drone video shows Russian military vehicles and forces on Bucha street strewn with civilian bodies
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy and Sandi Sidhu
(Obtained by CNN)
Despite Russia’s repeated denials they were responsible for any carnage in Bucha, located outside Kyiv, Russian military vehicles and forces were seen on a Bucha street near civilian bodies, new drone video obtained exclusively by CNN shows.
CNN has geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the videos, which were taken by a drone on March 12 and 13. CNN is not naming the individual that took the video over concerns for their safety.
A Russian military vehicle is seen sitting at an intersection in the video from March 13. CNN has identified three objects in the video — just down the street from the military vehicle — are the same bodies that were seen in the video from April 1 and satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies on March 18.
Additional drone video from March 13 shows another Russian military vehicle traveling further up the street, in the direction of the bodies.
In the March 12 video, a number of Russian soldiers are seen around a military vehicle parked outside of a house, just down the street from the bodies. It’s unclear what they are doing at the house.
CNN asked the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
International outrage: Russian officials — President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — have repeatedly claimed that the videos and satellite images that show bodies in Bucha are fake.
This drone video is the first piece of evidence to emerge from Bucha that shows Russian vehicles and troops operating on the street, where the bodies were found by Ukrainian forces when they retook the town on April 1.
The images that emerged from Bucha after Russian forces retreated have drawn enormous outrage from the international community. It also prompted some leaders, including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, to call the atrocities that took place in Bucha war crimes.
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Russia will shut off gas deliveries to Bulgaria starting Wednesday, Bulgarian energy ministry says
From CNN’s Sugam Pokharel and Josh Pennington
A view of the compressor gas station of the Yamal--Europe gas pipeline on February 19, in Wloclawek, Poland.
(Omar Marques/Getty Images)
Russian energy giant Gazprom has told Bulgaria’s state-owned gas company Bulgargaz that it will shut off gas supplies starting Wednesday, Bulgaria’s energy ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Bulgaria is now the second country, after Poland, to face Russia’s gas embargo starting Wednesday after they refused to pay in rubles.
The energy ministry said that the new payment procedure proposed by Russia was not compatible with the existing contract until the end of this year and posed “significant risks” to Bulgaria.
It said the Bulgarian side has “fully fulfilled its obligations and has made all payments required under this contract in a timely manner, diligently and in accordance with its provisions.”
The Bulgarian government agencies have taken steps to make alternative arrangements for the supply of natural gas and to address the situation, it said.
“At present, no restrictive measures have been imposed on gas consumption in Bulgaria,” the ministry added.
Bulgarian Minister of Energy Alexander Nikolov will make a statement on the situation on Wednesday.
