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Ukraine war: 120,000 civilians trapped in Mariupol, says Zelenskyy as evacuations halt

Servicemen of Donetsk People's Republic militia walk past damaged vehicles in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, April 19, 2022.
Servicemen of Donetsk People's Republic militia walk past damaged vehicles in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, April 19, 2022. Copyright  AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov
Copyright AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov
By Euronews with AP, AFP
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Ukraine says Russian shelling meant no evacuations were possible from Mariupol on Thursday. The city's mayor alleges 'mass burials' of civilians in a nearby village.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday told Russian forces not to storm Ukraine's last stronghold in the port city of Mariupol as the city's Ukrainian defenders said they may only have a few days or hours left.

It comes after Ukrainian officials called for a "special round of negotiations" in Mariupol without conditions as Russia's offensive intensifies in the east.

Read the latest updates from Ukraine in our blog below and watch our TV coverage in the video player above.

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Thursday's key points:

  • No residents could be evacuated from Mariupol on Thursday due to continuing Russian shelling of agreed-to humanitarian corridors, Ukraine's deputy PM said.


  • Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has said some 120,000 civilians are still trapped in the besieged port city. Just a handful of buses evacuating civilians arrived in Zaporizhzhia after leaving Mariupol earlier.


  • Vladimir Putin told Russian forces to lay siege to the last Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol rather than storming the industrial site where they are holding out, "in such a way that not a single fly would pass".


  • Joe Biden says it is "questionable" that Russia controls the city, after Moscow said earlier that it had been "liberated".


  • The US president pledged $800 million (€737 million) in military aid for Ukraine, saying it is the 'frontline of freedom'. He also announced a ban on Russian ships from US ports.


  • The Luhansk governor said Russian forces now control 80% of the region, which is one of two regions that make up the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.


  • Estonia and Latvia recognised the Russian war in Ukraine as 'genocide'. Euronews' Valérie Gauriat has heard more testimony of Russian atrocities in Borodianka


  • Mark Zuckerberg and the US Vice President Kamala Harris have been sanctioned by Russia, in a tit-for-tat exchange with the US.


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'No green corridors': Ukraine says Russian shelling halts Mariupol evacuations

No residents could be evacuated from the encircled city of Mariupol on Thursday due to continuing Russian shelling of agreed-to humanitarian corridors, Ukrainian deputy PM Iryna Vereshchuk said in a Telegram post on Thursday evening.


In the same post, Vereshchuk acknowledged that on Wednesday, a four-bus convoy was allowed to transport 79 civilians from Mariupol to Kyiv-controlled territory in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region - a development she said “gave her hope.”


Read the full story here:


Ukraine blames Russian shelling for sabotaging Mariupol evacuations

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says 120,000 civilians are trapped in Mariupol. On Thursday Ukraine said none could be evacuated due to Russian shelling.

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Ukraine receives 19 prisoners of war from Russia — deputy PM

Russia handed over to Ukraine 10 soldiers, including two officers, and nine civilians in an exchange of prisoners of war, Iryna Vereshchuk, the Ukrainian deputy prime minister said on Thursday.


"This time there were wounded among those released and ... now they will be able to receive full treatment and undergo rehabilitation," she said in Telegram messaging app.


(Reuters)


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17% of Ukraine's population internally displaced — UN agency

More than 600,000 additional people were internally displaced in Ukraine in the first 17 days of April, the International Organization for Migration said on Thursday, pushing the total number since the start of the war above 7.7 million, or 17% of the population.


The new assessment conducted between April 11 and 17 showed that women represent at least 60% of those on the run. More than half of internally displaced persons -- mainly in the east of Ukraine -- reported a lack of some food products, the UN agency added in a report.


More than 5 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, UN data show.


(Reuters)


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'Thousands buried' in mass grave near Mariupol — mayor

As many as 9,000 civilians could be buried in a mass grave in the village of Manhush outside Mariupol, the city’s mayor said in a Telegram post Thursday.


“The greatest war crime of the 21st century has been committed in Mariupol. This is the new Babi Yar,” Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said, referring to the site of multiple Nazi massacres in which nearly 34,000 Ukrainian Jews were killed in 1941.


“Then Hitler killed Jews, Roma and Slavs. And now Putin is destroying Ukrainians. He has already killed tens of thousands of civilians in Mariupol,” he added. “This requires a strong reaction from the entire world. We need to stop the genocide by any means possible.”


In a separate statement earlier Thursday, Boychenko alleged the Russians had dug huge trenches near Manhush, 20 kilometres west of Mariupol, and were “hiding their war crimes” by dumping bodies there.


On Thursday evening, Ukrainian media published satellite photos of Manhush, showing what they said were mass graves similar to - although much larger in size from - the ones discovered in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. The accuracy of these claims and images could not be immediately verified.


A private U.S. company said on Thursday said satellite imagery from Manhush shows a mass grave site that has expanded in recent weeks to contain more than 200 new graves.


Maxar Technologies said a review of images from mid-March through mid-April indicates the expansion began between March 23-26. The site lies adjacent to an existing cemetery in the village west of Mariupol, Maxar said.


(AP and Reuters)


This satellite image released by Maxar Technologies on April 21, 2022, shows an overview of a cemetery and expansion of graves site on the northwestern edge of Manhush. SATELLITE IMAGE ©2022 MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES / AFP
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Holocaust survivor dies in Mariupol siege

A 91-year-old Holocaust survivor has died in a basement in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol.


The Judaism website Chabad.org and the Auschwitz Memorial announced the death of Vanda Semyonovna Obiedkova.


Chabad.org, a website run by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, reported that Obiedkova's daughter shared the news about her mother after arriving to a safe location with the rest of her family. The daughter said Obiedkova died pleading for water in a freezing basement on April 4.


Obiedkova was 10 years old when the Nazis occupied Mariupol in 1941 and killed thousands of Jews in a single day, including her mother. She survived in a basement then, and died in a basement in the same city 81 years later. (AP)


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Ukraine needs $7 billion a month to make up for losses — Zelenskyy

Ukraine needs $7 billion (€6.45 billion) a month to compensate for economic losses caused by Russia's war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday.


"And we will need hundreds of billions of dollars for reconstruction," he said during a roundtable discussion on aid to Ukraine at a meeting of the IMF and World Bank in Washington.


(AFP)


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Russia accused of burying dead civilians to 'hide' their alleged 'military crimes'

Russian forces have been accused of burying the bodies of Ukrainian civilians in order to cover up their "military crimes" by Mariupol's mayor. 


Vadym Boychenko, mayor of the besieged city, alleged on Thursday that the Russians had buried hundreds of civilians on the outskirts of Mariupol. 


This claim cannot be independently verified, with Russia saying publically that it has not targeted civilians. 


"The bodies started disappearing from the streets of the city,” said Boychenko during an online briefing, adding that Russia's troops were “hiding the trace of their crimes and using mass graves as one of the instruments for that.”


“They are hiding their military crimes,” he continued. 


Boychenko said that the Russians dug huge trenches near Manhush, 20 kilometres (about 12 miles) west of Mariupol. Here they took " the bodies of the dead residents of Mariupol in trucks and throw them into those trenches.” 


Four people who died during the Russian occupation await burial during funerals in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti).
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120,000 civilians blocked from leaving Mariupol: Zelenskyy

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said some 120,000 civilians are blocked from leaving the besieged city of Mariupol. 


Only a handful of buses evacuating civilians from Mariupol, which has been attacked since the start of the war, reportedly arrived in Zaporizhia Thursday.


Watch Mairupol evacuees arrive by bus in the southeastern city here


(AFP)


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UK bans imports of caviar from Russia 

The UK's department for international trade has announced a ban on imports of Russian caviar and other high-end products.


This latest round of sanctions will cover silver and wood products, while tariffs on imports of diamonds and rubber from Russia and Belarus are being hiked by 35%. 


"We are taking every opportunity we can to ratchet the pressure to isolate the Russian economy," said the UK's UK’s international trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, in a statement. 


"These further measures will tighten the screws, shutting down lucrative avenues of funding for [Vladimir] Putin’s war machine," she added.


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Russia's claim Mariupol has fallen 'questionable', says Biden

Speaking at the White House, US President Joe Biden has said it is "questionable" that Russia controls the besieged port city in eastern Ukraine. 


Russia said it "liberated" Mariupol early Thursday morning, although a pocket of Ukrainian resistance remained in the Azovstal steel plant. 


"There is no evidence yet that Mariupol has completely fallen," said Biden. 


He repeated calls for a humanitarian corridor to be set up, so that wounded soldiers and civilians could leave the steel plant.


"That's what any head of state would do in such a circumstance," Biden said.  


(AP)


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'It saves the lives of our defenders' - Zelenskyy thanks US for new measures

Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the US for its support after US President Biden announced a raft of support for Ukraine. 


The US aid "saves the lives of our defenders of democracy and freedom," he said in the tweet published Thursday afternoon. 



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A volunteer helps an elderly woman to board transport during an evacuation for civilians with limited mobility in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko).
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Mark Zuckerberg sanctioned by Russia 

The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg has been sanctioned by Russia, along with 29 other US citizens.


Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States, has also been sanctioned it was announced Thursday. 


The other people targetted by Russia include politicians, media personalities and business figures.


Under the sanctions, which Russia says are a tit-for-tat reltation for similar US measures, Zuckerberg and co will not be able to enter Russian territory. 


(AFP)


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'He stood in front of the armoured vehicle and they just ran over him'

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US bans Russian-linked ships from its ports 

President of the United States Joe Biden has said the US will ban Russian-affiliated ships from its ports, in a bid to pile "pressure on Putin."


"No ship that sails under the Russian flag, or that is owned or operated by Russian interests, will be able to dock in a US port or access our shores," he said at the White House on Thursday. 


"None," he added.


Biden delivered his comments on the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci).
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Biden too soft on Russia, finds US poll

Many Americans think US President Joe Biden is not showing enough strength towards Russia's war in Ukraine, a poll has found. 


The Associated Press NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research shows 54% of Americans think Biden has not "been tough enough," although many approve of the steps the US is already taking and few want troops in the conflict. 


Thirty-six per cent of Americans think Biden's approach has been about right, while 8% say he’s been too tough.


The findings highlight the difficult position the US is in, claim AP journalists. 


They write: "As images of Russian attacks on civilians and hospitals are shared around the world, there's pressure to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin and help millions of Ukrainians under attack in their home country or fleeing for safety.


But Biden must also manage the threat of escalation with Putin, who has raised the alert level on using Russia's nuclear weapons and prevent the U.S. from getting involved in a much larger conflict." 


(AP)


Members and supporters of the Ukrainian community attend a protest against the Russian invasion and call for a no-fly zone, in Times Square, New York, on March 5, 2022. Ed Jones / AFP
(AFP)
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Biden announces $800m in military aid for Ukraine 

US President Joe Biden has said the US will provide $800 in military assistance to Ukraine, saying the country is on the "frontlines of freedom."


The new round of funding means the US has sent a total of $3.4 billion (€3.1 billion) in arms packages to Ukraine since the start of the invasion. 


The US has “the capacity to do this for a long time,” said Biden, adding that his country must also work harder to rachet up the pressure on Russia.  


It comes on top of $500 million in economic aid that President Joe Biden unveiled in March.


Biden says he will ask Congress next week to approve billions more dollars in aid for Ukraine because the assistance package passed last month is now “almost exhausted.”


The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are currently holding a series of spring meetings over how to manage the economic fallout of the Russian invasion, both on Ukraine and the wider world. 



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'Butcher of Bucha' targetted in fresh UK sanctions

The so-called "Butcher of Bucha" - Lt Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov - has been targeted in a new wave of sanctions by the UK government. 


Omurbekov, who now faces a travel ban and asset freezes, led a unit of Russian soliders in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, where hundreds of bodies have been discovered. 


Many of the bodies were found to have been shot with their hands and feet bound, indicating a possible war crime, although this is not confirmed. 


Russia disputes these allegations, maintaining that its forces have not killed civilians. 


Posts casting doubt on evidence of alleged war crimes in Bucha have been shared 208,000 times on Facebook in a week, analysis by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue has found.


"The depravity of Russia’s assault on the people of Ukraine is plain for all to see," said UK foreign secretary Liz Truss. "Today’s new wave of sanctions hits the generals and defence companies that have blood on their hands."


Supporters of Russia's invasion of Ukraine have also been hit with sanctions, including Oleg Belozyorov, the CEO and chairman of logistics company Russian Railways, and several other Russian commanders. 


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Ukrainian children who fled the war paint Easter eggs next to an entertainer dressed in a rabbit costume during an event for Ukrainian refugees in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, April 21, 2022.
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Spanish PM talks of 'horror' on the streets of Ukraine 

Spain's Prime Minister says he saw the "horror and atrocities of Putin's war on the streets" of Ukraine. 


Writing on Twitter, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said "we will not leave the Ukrainian people alone," after he visited Borodyanka, a town in northern Ukraine. 


The tweet was accompanied by images of Sánchez and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen walking through the town, which has been devastated by the Russian invasion. 


Sánchez and Frederiksen are to hold a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later Thursday.


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Latvian parliament recognises Russian war in Ukraine as 'genocide'

Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, unanimously adopted a statement on the war in Ukraine, recognising it as "genocide".

"The Saeima acknowledges that the Russian Federation is currently committing genocide against the people of Ukraine," the parliament said in a statement. 

Rihards Kols, the parliament's foreign affairs committee chair, emphasised that the priority should now be preventing "further crimes against humanity and helping Ukraine free its land from occupants."

"The only way to achieve this is to immediately and radically increase the supply of weapons to Ukraine and to stop the EU imports of fossil energy resources from Russia at once," he said.


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Estonia recognises Russian invasion as 'genocide'

Estonia's ambassador to Ukraine Mariana Betsa has announced the country's decision to recognise Russia's offensive in Ukraine as a "genocide," in what she claimed was a first.

"Russia must bear full responsibility for its horrible crimes," she said.


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'Russia is our friend': Serbian minister questions EU goal over war

Serbia's interior minister believes his country should reconsider its goal of European Union membership due to the Ukraine war, saying "Russia is our friend."


Aleksandar Vulin told Serbia's parliament they should question joining the bloc because of alleged western pressure to join international sanctions against Russia.


“We are an old, ancient, historical nation that chooses its friends," he said, responding to a draft European Parliament resolution calling on Serbia to show its willingness to join the EU by sanctioning Russia.


"Russia is our friend,” Vulin added. 


The draft "clearly indicates that the EU does not want Serbia in its composition" and it is "high time that Serbia also reconsiders its decision to remain on the path to EU membership," he told state broadcaster RTS. 


Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow, although it voted in favour of three United Nations resolutions condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine. 


(AP)


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More tanks bound for Ukraine 

Combat tanks from Eastern Europe will be sent to Ukraine in "days" to help it counter the Russian offensive, Germany's Defence Minister has said. 


"These are combat tanks, armoured vehicles, or other possibilities (of equipment) that countries can cede" to Ukraine, explained Christine Lambrecht during an interview.


This material will be delivered "in the next few days" as military experts say "the next two weeks will be decisive" in the Russian war in Ukraine, she said.


German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday his country would help Eastern European countries supply Soviet-made weapons to Kyiv.


“Each country decides what it can give, and we guarantee that we will support them to replenish (their stocks) so that the countries of Eastern Europe can ensure the defence of their own territory," he said. 


(AFP)


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Pressure mounting on Germany over Ukraine stance

Euronews' Kate Brady in Berlin reports on the criticism of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government which is showing some reluctance to supply Kyiv with arms.


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Google fined by Russia for inappropriate Youtube content

Internet giant Google has been fined 11 million rubles (€126,000) by a Russian court for failing to take down "banned" content surrounding Russia's offensive in Ukraine. 


Russia has criticised Google for hosting on YouTube a video of an alleged telephone conversation between Russian soldiers and their relatives in which the soldiers complained of significant losses, Russian news agencies reported.


Another video posted on Youtube and deemed illegal in Russia contained calls from the Ukrainian radical group Pravy Sektor to carry out attacks and acts of sabotage on Russian territory, according to the agencies.


Google has previously been fined 4 million rubles (€46,000) over content associated with the war in Ukraine. 


Thursday's second court decision in Moscow adds a further 7 million roubles on top of that fine, taking the total to 11 million roubles (€126,000). 


Earlier in April, Russia vowed to retaliate after the YouTube account of Russia's lower house of parliament was shut down. 


Many pro-Kremlin media channels and Russian officials were also blocked.


Google has not yet responded to a comment request from Reuters. 


(AFP/Reuters)


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A resident looks for belongings in an apartment building destroyed during fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in Borodyanka, Ukraine, on April 5, 2022.
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German exports to Russia nose dive over invasion

Figures released by Germany show that the country's exports to Russia plunged in March, following the Ukraine invasion.


Exports to Russia were down 57.5% at 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) compared to a year earlier, as a result of sanctions and other decisions by German businesses, according to the Federal Statistical Office. 


Goods traded between Russia and Germany are mainly raw materials, vehicles and machinery.


Russia accounted for 2.3% of total German foreign trade and was among the 15 most important trading partners of Germany in 2021.


Outside the European Union, Russia was Germany’s fifth most important country importing German goods in 2021.


Now it has slid down to the 12th most export market for Germany. 


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'Urgent humanitarian corridor' needed in Mariupol, says Ukraine's deputy PM

Ukraine's deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk has made an urgent appeal for a humanitarian corridor in the besieged city of Mariupol. 


Writing on Telegram, she said it was needed to evacuate civilians and wounded soldiers from the Azovstal steel plant, one of the last pockets of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol. 


"We demand from the Russians an urgent humanitarian corridor from the Mariupol plant Azovstal," she said. "There are now about 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers.


"They all need to be removed from Azovstal today."


Vereshchuk ended the message with an appeal to world leaders "to focus their efforts on Azovstal now.


"This is a key point and a key moment for the humanitarian effort," she added.


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Putin tells Russian forces not to storm Ukrainian holdout in Mariupol



Russian President Vladimir Putin told Russian forces to lay siege to the last Ukrainian fighters rather than storming the industrial site where they are holding out.


"The end of the work to liberate Mariupol is a success," President Vladimir Putin told his defence minister Sergei Shoigu, adding that it was necessary to besiege "the area in such a way that not a single fly would pass".


Shoigu told Putin on Thursday that the sprawling Azovstal steel plant where Ukrainian forces were holed up was “securely blocked.”


Leaving the plant in Ukrainian hands, however, robs the Russians of the ability to declare complete victory in Mariupol. The city's capture has both strategic and symbolic importance.

(AP, AFP)


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Spanish and Danish prime ministers arrive in Kyiv

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen were the latest European leaders to arrive in Ukraine.


“I look forward to the meeting with Zelenskyy, where my message will be that Denmark will continue to help Ukraine,” Frederiksen said in a statement announcing her arrival in Kyiv Thursday. “The West stands together to support the Ukrainian people.”


Frederiksen is the first Nordic leader to travel to Kyiv since Russia began its invasion in late February.


Sánchez’s office had announced earlier this week that the prime minister would travel to Ukraine following the visits by several European leaders, but officials had cited security concerns to avoid specifying the visit’s exact date.

(with AP)


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Kyiv police find 2 mass graves with civilians

Kyiv regional police said two mass graves with nine bodies were discovered the day before in the city of Borodyanka northwest of the Ukrainian capital.


Head of the Kyiv regional police Andriy Nebytov said two women and a teenager were among the “civilians killed by the Russian occupants.”


“I want to stress that these people are civilians. The Russian military deliberately shot civilians that didn’t put up any resistance and didn’t pose any threat,” Nebytov said, adding that some of the victims were apparently tortured.


All of the bodies were transported to the morgues of the Kyiv region for further forensic study.

(AP)


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Russian forces make 'minor advances' in eastern offensive, think tank says

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment of the war in Ukraine that Russian forces "made minor advances in the ongoing offensive in eastern Ukraine".

"Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine secured minor gains in the last 24 hours, taking parts of the key frontline towns of Rubizhne and Popasna," the institute said overnight.

Their forces made "incremental advances in Mariupol" as they aim to declare victory by 9 May at the latest, the institute added.


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Russia wants 'significant successes' before 9 May, UK defence ministry says

In its latest defence intelligence update, the UK defence ministry said Russia "likely desires to demonstrate significant successes ahead of their annual 9th May Victory Day celebrations."

The UK said this could impact how they attempt to conduct operations ahead of this date, adding that they are advancing from areas in the Donbas towards Kramatorsk.

Russia is using air support to help its offensive in eastern Ukraine and destroy Ukrainian air defence capabilities, the UK defence ministry added.


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Zelenskyy says he discussed EU sanctions with Charles Michel

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had discussed EU sanctions with European Council President Charles Michel who travelled to the country on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian president called for the EU's sixth round of sanctions to be "truly painful" stating that they must "motivate Russia to seek peace".

Zelenskyy said the two leaders discussed Ukraine's "movement towards European integration".

"This is the historic moment where we can develop maximum speed in joining the EU," Zelenskyy said.

As part of Michel's trip to Ukraine, he visited Borodyanka to see alleged atrocities committed by Russian forces. The European Council president said there must be justice for these "war crimes".

Read more about Charles Michel's trip to Ukraine here.
 


European Council President Charles Michel, centre, as he is given a tour of the region of Borodyanka, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (Dario Pignatelli/European Council via AP)

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US set to send more military aid to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden is set to announce plans to send more military aid to Ukraine on Thursday, an official told AP.

Biden is expected to deliver an address on Thursday morning to detail his plans to send more military assistance.


Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said his country will send heavy artillery to Ukraine.


And Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the Netherlands will send more heavy weapons, including armoured vehicles.


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Russian forces now control 80% of Luhansk in Donbas, governor says

The Luhansk governor said Russian forces now control 80% of the region, which is one of two regions that make up the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.


One of Russia’s stated goals is to expand the territory in the Donbas under the control of Moscow-backed separatists.


Before Russia invaded, Ukraine controlled 60% of the Luhansk region.

Serhiy Haidai said the Russians, who renewed their offensive this week in eastern and southern Ukraine, have strengthened their attacks in the Luhansk region.


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Ukrainian officials call for negotiations in Mariupol

Ukrainian officials called for a "special round of negotiations" in the besieged port city of Mariupol as the last Ukrainian defenders warned that they may only have days or hours left.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that negotiators were ready to hold negotiations "without conditions" inside Mariupol to protect its defenders and civilians.

The city has been subject to constant shelling with most of its buildings and infrastructure destroyed.


Podolyak said that Ukraine is ready for talks “to save our guys, Azov, military, civilians, children, the living and the wounded. Everyone. Because they are ours. Because they are in my heart. Forever.”


There was no immediate response from Russia to Podolyak’s offer.


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