April 19, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.

The South Korean government sent about 20 tons of additional humanitarian aid to Ukraine on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The shipment is part of a $30 million humanitarian aid package announced by the government and is in addition to a $10 million package sent in March, the ministry said in a press release on Wednesday.?

Items in the shipment include automatic defibrillators, ventilators and first aid kits, which were sent following a request from Ukraine. South Korea is also considering additional support, the ministry said.

Part of Mariupol’s Azov shipyard has been?heavily damaged?by fighting in the city, a new video released by the Mariupol City Council shows.

CNN has geolocated?the video?and verified?its?authenticity.?

In the video, the shipyard’s entrance sign and gate can be seen. Debris is scattered?outside?the gate, where a car and a forklift appear to have been strategically placed to block access.

The small building next to the gate has been destroyed by an explosion.

Toward?a fence, two Czech hedgehogs — three metal beams welded together?to act?as an anti-tank barrier — can be seen.

Some context: Ukrainian forces are?continuing to resist?Russian attacks in the southeastern port city of Mariupol, with a Ukrainian commander?telling CNN?the situation at the nearby Azovstal steel plant — one of the city’s last bastions still under Ukrainian control — is “critical” as a large number of troops are wounded and time is limited.?

The United States believes Russia will target routes used for weapons shipments, according to a defense official, in an attempt to slow the supply of US and partner weapons flowing into Ukraine.

Russian forces have not frequently struck moving targets such as convoys or rail deliveries, but they could try to destroy the bridges, roads and rails used to transport the weapons and supplies into the country, the official said.

Even if the Russians were successful in striking those routes, the official said, they would be unable to stop the shipments in their entirety. There are simply too many shipments going in.?

Weapons into Ukraine: The US and partner nations have shipped nearly 70,000 anti-tank and anti-armor weapons into Ukraine, including Javelins, NLAWs, RPGs and more, the official said. The shipments have also included nearly 30,000 anti-aircraft missiles, such as Stingers, and some 7,000 launchers for these weapons.

Earlier this month, Joints Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee that some 60,000 anti-tank weapons and 25,000 anti-aircraft weapons had been sent into the country. Since then, the US has authorized hundreds of millions more dollars in military assistance.

Slowing down Russian invasion: The US and NATO have assessed that?Ukrainian forces have used these systems very effectively to slow down and in some places stymie the Russian invasion. Part of that success has come from Ukraine’s adaptation of a decentralized command and control which allows junior commanders to make important battlefield decisions without higher authorization, the official said

Russia retains some advantage: The official also noted that Ukraine has had years to prepare for Russia’s offensive in southeast Ukraine, since the Donbas region has seen regular fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed proxies.

Ukraine has prepared trenches, anti-armor ambushes and more ahead of this imminent fight, the official said, but warned that Russia still retains the advantage in military technology and overall military power. Instead of spreading that power out over much of Ukraine, it is now concentrated in the south and east for what may be a massive assault.

Simon Coveney, Minister for Defense of Ireland, speaks during a press conference ahead of the United Nations Security Council meeting at the United Nations on April 19, in New York City.

Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense called on Russia to agree to an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and asked the UN Security Council to find a way to stop the war.?

Simon Coveney told Tuesday’s UN briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine that he had just visited the country and seen the devastation in Bucha.

Coveney said that, instead of seeking an end to the war, he’s seen a renewed and upscaled offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Long reach of the war: In his address, Coveney said the conflict within Ukraine’s borders was causing economic consequences felt thousands of miles away by people living in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

A shelter above the sarcophagus covering the exploded reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukraine, seen on Saturday, April 16.

Direct communications?between?the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the?Chernobyl nuclear power plant was restored late Tuesday, according to?a press statement?from IAEA’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

Russian forces held Chernobyl for five weeks before withdrawing on March 31. IAEA lost contact with the nuclear power site on March 10.

The statement added that a “mission of IAEA experts” plans to visit the site later this month to “conduct nuclear safety, security and radiological assessments, deliver vital equipment and repair the Agency’s remote safeguards monitoring systems.”

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, speaks during the United Nations Security Council meeting at the United Nations on Tuesday, April 19 in New York City.?

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Tuesday called on the organization to step up in response to the massive refugee crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Every day I’m asked … is the Security Council irrelevant to this crisis?” Thomas-Greenfield said at a UN Security Council meeting.

Thomas-Greenfield called on her fellow nations on the council to “show the world what we have learned from decades of addressing refugee crises and humanitarian situations” and support not only Ukrainians, but also third-country nationals fleeing the war. She also said they must make sure to take steps to mitigate the risk of women and children facing trafficking or gender based violence.

“Let’s show the world that when Russia provoked the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, the rest of the Security Council and the United Nations stepped up and helped those most in need,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield praised the work of humanitarian aid workers, noting “they are impartial, and they should be protected, not shelled indiscriminately.”

Russia will be marked as a “source of evil” for targeting civilians, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Tuesday.?

The intensity of Russian fire towards the regions of Kharkiv and Donbas has “significantly increased,” Zelensky said.?

In Mariupol, the situation remains “brutal and unchanged,” Zelensky said. He claimed that Russian forces are blocking corridors and evacuations from Mariupol. Zelensky added that he had signed a decree to honor Ukrainian armed forces defending Mariupol.?

Zelensky met with members of parliament to recommend the extension of martial law in Ukraine, he said.?

“It’s very important to ensure stable activities at all of the borders,” he said.

Rep. Victoria Spartz, a Republican from Indiana who is the first Ukrainian-born member of US Congress, described her recent visit to her war-torn homeland in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“I grew up in Chernihiv?originally … big part of my life,” Spartz said. “And I have to tell you, you?know, the city is heroic to hold?the ground for over a month and?really helped to save Kyiv.?But the destruction was just?unbelievable.?Most villages almost burned to?the ground,” she said.

The Ukrainian-American lawmaker said that 70% of the city of Chernihiv was “left in destruction” and many people survived without basic necessities.

“I really can’t believe things?like that are happening in the?21st century. You know?you read things like that in the books about?World War II.?Well, my grandma, who is is 95, said?this destruction, this area?hasn’t seen even during Stalin?times and World War II.?But this is the tragedy of women and?children.?You look at the kids playing in?the rubble.?Really cleaning the rubbles and women?are trying to get their life?together,” she said.

The Republican lawmaker called for continued pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin “to get to the table.”

“I think the West, if we do?not want to destabilize the?world and have this crisis and?war continue even further, we?have to get serious and put?pressure on Putin to get to the?table. And unfortunately, the only?pressure he will understand now?is military pressure,” she said.

“If we supply proper weapons in?western Europe, in eastern?Europe, to help Ukrainian people?to fight this war, and stop him,?then we will have a resolution?and discussion,” Spartz continued.

Watch the full interview here:

The US is preparing another $800 million security assistance package for Ukraine, according to three senior administration officials and two sources familiar with the planning.

Details of the latest package were still being discussed and could change, but earlier Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said the US plans to send more artillery to Ukraine.?

Upon arrival in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Biden was asked by reporters on the tarmac if he plans to send more artillery to Ukraine.

Per the pool, Biden told reporters, “Yes,” before boarding his motorcade.

One senior administration official said the newest package could be approved within the next 36 hours, though another administration official said the timing isn’t locked down and it could be within the coming days.?

The size of the package could also change at the last minute, the second official said.

The latest package comes just a week after the Biden administration authorized another $800 million security package, which included artillery and anti-artillery radars for the first time since the Russian invasion began.

The Biden administration is working to get the security assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible because they believe the war is in a critical stage and the continued US assistance could make a difference when Russia’s more aggressive assault begins in Eastern Ukraine, the third administration officials said.?

The more open terrain in that region favors the use of artillery and long-range systems, which is why the administration has placed a premium on getting those types of systems in quickly as the fighting moves away from Kyiv and into the Donbas region.

The region also borders Russia, allowing the Russian forces to maintain shorter supply lines needed to sustain an assault. Ukraine and Russia, through its own forces and proxies, have fought in the Donbas region for the last eight years, making it familiar territory for both forces.

More background: This week US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will meet with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, in Washington, DC, to discuss aid for Ukraine and holding Russia accountable. A Ukrainian delegation will be in the capital this week as part of the 2022 IMF-World Bank Spring meetings.

If approved, the latest package of $800 million would mean the US has committed approximately $3.4 billion dollars in assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24th.

This would be the last presidential drawdown until Congress approves more money for weapons to Ukraine. In a presidential drawdown, the Defense Department pulls weapons and equipment from US inventories to send to Ukraine instead of purchasing new weapons from manufacturers.

Maj. Serhii?Volyna, commander of Ukraine’s?36th Separate Marine Brigade, spoke by phone with CNN from the besieged city of Mariupol Tuesday evening and requested that a third country provide evacuation for troops and civilians trapped in the Azovstal steel plant under heavy Russian bombardment.?

Ukrainian forces inside the besieged city have consolidated around the massive Azovstal steel factory.?

Ukrainian officials have said hundreds of civilians are sheltering in the basements of the massive steelworks. A Mariupol police official told CNN food and water supplies were dwindling amid heavy bombardment.?

Asked how an evacuation might be facilitated, Volyna said, “This should be at the level of agreements. If we talk about practical application, it could be a ship with helicopters, for example, that could pick us up. Or an international humanitarian mission that can come to us and guarantee our security and accompany us on the way to the state that will make such commitments.”

Volyna described the situation at the plant as “critical,” with a large number of wounded troops and limited medical care.?

“We are completely surrounded,” he said. “There are about 500 wounded military, it is very difficult to provide them with medical care. They literally rot. There are civilians on the territory. They are also suffering from explosions, blasts on them, next to them. They [the Russians] use heavy aircraft bombs against us and strike with artillery.”

“This happens all the time. The city is destroyed. Enemy groups outnumber us dozens of times, they have a complete advantage in air, artillery, equipment, manpower. We fight to the last, but we have very little time left,” he continued.

The Ukrainian commander estimated that there were “hundreds of civilians” sheltering on the territory of the plant.?

Volyna declined to comment on the number of military holding out at Azovstal.?

“If the world hears us, if the world leaders hear us, we very much hope so, and the extraction procedure will be carried out, then everyone will understand the quantitative composition of the people who were in captivity,” he said.?

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held a virtual meeting with several US allies on Tuesday.

The military leaders “shared assessments of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, including multilateral security assistance to help Ukraine regain and defend their sovereignty,” a readout of the meeting from spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said.

The call included leaders from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, the readout said.

Milley “urged Allies to continue to expedite additional military assistance to Ukraine and reaffirmed the importance of engagements with Allies and partners to meet urgent needs for Ukraine,” the readout added.

US President Joe Biden told reporters in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Tuesday he’s not sure if he’ll travel to Ukraine.

“More than any other — I’m the only one who’s spoken to the Rada twice,” he said, referring to the parliament of Ukraine.

Previously, the White House has said there are no plans for the President to travel to Ukraine, but added if there were, they were unlikely to preview a trip due to security concerns.

“If anyone were to go,” Psaki told reporters Monday, “We would not outline from here or anywhere from the government, who, if, and when, for security reasons, so we wouldn’t have any details to preview regardless.”

Last Thursday, Biden said he was still working with his team to determine whether he should dispatch a senior member of his administration to Ukraine,?a potentially dramatic show of support?for the nation as it?comes under attack from Russia.

Since Russian forces withdrew from the region surrounding Kyiv, a number of Western leaders have made their way?to the Ukrainian capital to demonstrate support.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made?a surprise visit to Kyiv earlier this month.

CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian forces have repelled “numerous attempted advances” by Russian forces on the Donbas line of control as Moscow’s shelling and attacks in the area “continue to increase” on Tuesday, according to the latest British defense intelligence update.

Russian forces have not been able to “stamp out resistance” in Mariupol, despite several “indiscriminate” attacks, which is “indicative of their failure to achieve their aims as quickly as they would like,” it added.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby?

Ukraine has received additional fighter aircraft from other countries not including the US, as well as additional aircraft parts to allow them to get more planes in the air, according to a Defense Department spokesperson.

More context: A White House official told CNN Saturday that shipments from the Biden administration’s latest security assistance package to Ukraine “have begun arriving,”

US President Joe Biden last week approved an?additional package of $800 million?worth of weapons, ammunition, and security assistance to Ukraine.

The US has, for the first time, agreed to provide Kyiv with the types of high-power capabilities some Biden administration officials a few short weeks ago viewed as too great of an escalation risk, including 11 Mi-17 helicopters; 18 155 mm Howitzer cannons[ and 300 more Switchblade drones.

The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement Tuesday claiming that Russian forces had opened an evacuation corridor around the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, a claim dismissed by a Ukrainian police official on the scene.

“Given the catastrophic situation that has developed at the Azovstal metallurgical plant in the city of Mariupol, and also guided by purely humane principles, from 14:00 (2:00 p.m. Moscow time) on April 19, 2022, the Russian Armed Forces opened a humanitarian corridor for the withdrawal of Ukrainian military personnel who voluntarily laid down their arms and militants of nationalist formations,” the statement read. “For this purpose, a ‘ceasefire mode’ has been introduced, any hostilities have been stopped, units of the Russian Armed Forces and the formations of the Donetsk People’s Republic along the entire perimeter of Azovstal have been withdrawn to a safe distance.”

The statement also repeated a call for Ukrainian forces to surrender. “Realizing?that the commanders of Ukrainian units may not receive?such orders and commands?from Kyiv authorities, we urge them to make the decision on their own and lay down their arms,” it said.

Myhailo Vershynin, chief of the Mariupol Patrol Police, called the Russian conditions “unacceptable” the Ukrainian forces holding out in the plant.?

Vershynin said the Azovstal plant, where Ukrainian defenders are holding out and civilians are sheltering, was being hit with “super-powerful bombs. And this will continue.”?

Video of women and children, purportedly sheltering in the basement of the Azovstal plant in the besieged Ukrainian port of?Mariupol, emerged Monday evening on social media.?Vershynin said the Russians had allowed some civilians to leave, but others were reluctant to exit the city via evacuation routes that led into Russian-controlled territory.?

“Those who remained in [Azovstal] shelters are people who categorically do not want to go to the DPR [the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic], they want to go to Ukraine,” Vershynin said.

“That is why we are requesting: Organise a corridor, the safety of the civilians must be guaranteed. The Russians believe it’s fake. It’s not fake. This is a real video filmed in the shelters of the plant. We cannot go to all the shelters due to constant shelling. We have filmed in a shelter that we could reach. And there are hundreds of such people all over the territory. They [the Russians] are declaring humanitarian corridors, a ceasefire. They say, come out, surrender, get the civilians out of here. Those civilians who wanted to leave, have left. Those who stayed they will not go to the Russians. That is why we are asking for a humanitarian corridor to Ukrainian side,” Vershynin said.

Russia claims evacuation corridors will be opened Wednesday: Later on Tuesday evening, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement saying it was offering Ukrainian forces encircled in the besieged city of Mariupol a ceasefire effective Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. Moscow time (7:00 a.m. ET), claiming that Ukrainian forces had failed to take advantage of a previous offer to withdraw and lay down arms.?

The Russian statement said Russian armed forces and separatist Donetsk People’s Republic formations would at that time cease combat operations along the entire perimeter of the besieged Azovstal steel factory and withdraw to a safe distance.

CNN’s Josh Pennington contributed reporting to this post.

US President Joe Biden hit the road Tuesday, touting his domestic accomplishments in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as he acknowledged 40-year high inflation. He pointed to the economic disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as he warned the ongoing war would continue to “take its toll” on the global economy.

“Look, we’ve made a lot of progress and we have an incredible opportunity ahead of us but we know that families are still struggling with higher prices,” he said in remarks at the Port Authority of New Hampshire.?

Biden cast blame directly on Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “big reason for inflation.”

Biden added that he was doing everything he could to drive down prices, pointing to the release of gas from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves and his coordination with US allies and partners, prompting applause.

“The fact is that we are in a situation where the war in Ukraine is going to continue to take its toll on the world economy. It’s going to take its toll on energy. It’s going to take its toll relative to food … An awful lot of people are hurting. It makes a big difference, it makes a big difference, the cost of a dozen eggs, the cost of a gallon of gasoline, it matters,” Biden said.

“We’re going to build this economy from the bottom up and the middle out,” the President continued.

rime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street on Tuesday, April 19.

On Tuesday, the British and Kurdish leaders held a meeting in London where the two leaders discussed exporting energy to Europe as a way to reduce its reliance on Russian oil and gas, according to a UK government statement.?

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street, and the Kurdish leader “spoke about his aspiration to export energy to Europe” and Johnson “lauded his efforts to help reduce Western reliance on Russian oil and gas.”

The pair also discussed Johnson’s recent visit to Kyiv and “the need for the international community to continue to push back against Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” the statement added.??

Johnson expressed his “enduring commitment to Iraqi stability and the counter-Daesh operations across the Middle East,” Downing Street said.

“The leaders highlighted the strength of their relationship, recognizing the UK’s deep ties with the Kurdish people. They noted the significant opportunities for greater partnerships across trade and investment,” the statement continued.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet with his Polish and Czech counterparts in separate bilateral meetings at the Pentagon on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Ukraine will be a focus in both meetings, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said during a briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday.

Austin will meet with his Polish counterpart, National Defence Minister Mariusz B?aszczak, at the Pentagon on Wednesday. He will meet with his Czech counterpart, Defence Minister Jana ?ernochová, at the Pentagon on Thursday.?

Both bilateral meetings will be focused “not only on our relationships with these individual countries but of course what’s going on in Ukraine,” Kirby said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz issues a statement following a virtual meeting with world leaders at the Chancellery on Tuesday, April 19, in Berlin.

Germany has exhausted the weapons it can provide to Ukraine from its stocks, but will work with private military equipment makers to help Kyiv with its requirements, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday.?

“We intend to pay for these deliveries,” Scholz told a news conference in Berlin.

“Weapons with substantial impact” have already been delivered to Ukraine, he said, adding that Germany will help work with arms manufacturers to provide Kyiv anti-tank and air defense weapons.??

“We are ready to make things possible (for Ukraine),” he added.??

On Friday, Scholz said his government will boost the country’s military assistance spending in 2022 to $2.16 billion, of which a large share of which will go to Ukraine.

Scholz has been criticized by his coalition partners and the opposition for his “indecision” and “lack of leadership” in the face of the Ukrainian demands for heavy weaponries to combat the Russian aggression.?

The German chancellor said he agrees with the assessment of Ukraine’s allies that?“Russia may not win this war.”

He called on Moscow to “stop the bombardment of the Ukrainian cities and enable a ceasefire immediately.”

“Withdraw your soldiers from Ukraine and conduct serious negotiations with Ukraine. Stop this horrible war,” Scholz demanded.?

The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) seen here in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2015.

NATO’s annual large-scale drill for cyberattacks began Tuesday, with participants from 32 countries practicing fending off hacks against critical infrastructure like power plants and air defense systems.?

The mock hacking incident will charge participants with “maintaining and ensuring the availability of essential capabilities such as a water plant, power plant, air defence system, financial systems, etc.”

Nearly 2,000 participants from 32 countries will participate in cyber defense exercise known as Locked Shields, according to the US-based Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a threat-sharing hub for big banks that is leading a portion of the drill.?

The drill was planned months in advance and does not directly incorporate cyber threats stemming from Russia’s war in Ukraine, West said. But the war, and suspected Russian and Belarusian cyber activity tied to it, is impossible to ignore.?

More background: As Russia’s invasion began in late February, suspected Belarusian hackers attempted to breach the email accounts of European government officials “involved in managing the logistics of refugees fleeing Ukraine,” according to cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, which discovered the incident.

Around that time, unidentified attackers targeted Ukrainian government contractors with a presence in Latvia and Lithuania, two NATO members, with malicious code that wiped computer systems, according to researchers at Broadcom Software.?

Locked Shields, which debuted in 2010 and is run out of NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Estonia, reflects the alliance’s increasing emphasis on cyberspace as a domain of multilateral defense.?

Though Russia invaded Ukraine to prevent it from one day joining NATO, the bloc’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence voted days after Russia’s invasion to admit Ukraine as a “contributing participant” to the cybersecurity research and training hub.?

“Ukraine could bring valuable first-hand knowledge of several adversaries within the cyber domain to be used for research, exercises and training,” said Col Jaak Tarien, CCDCOE’s director, in a apparent nod to years of Russian cyberattacks aimed at Ukraine.?

The heads of World Bank and International Monetary Fund will meet with Ukraine’s prime minister and finance minister on Thursday to discuss further aid.

“We’re going to have an important meeting on Thursday, where we’ll talk with Ukraine’s prime minister and the finance minister. Some of the countries that are supporting Ukraine will be there, and we hope to both be providing assistance as they try to survive the battles,” World Bank President David Malpass said during a panel with IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva who will also be in attendance on Thursday’s meeting.

He used hospital workers as an example of assistance, and also said that the meeting will look at how a rebuilding phase for Ukraine could be done “most effectively.”

IMF’s Georgieva said she had spoken to President Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend about “reconstructing” Ukraine but also about keeping the economy functioning whilst the war was still happening.

She said there was a “duty” to support Ukraine during the next couple of months and doing so would require more financial aid than had already been given.

“We have provided $1.4bn in emergency financing, but more would be necessary, and it would be a great investment over the next couple of months to keep the economy functioning and prevent inflation shooting up,” she said.

US President Joe Biden steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, April 19.

US President Joe Biden said he plans to send more artillery to Ukraine.

Upon arrival in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Biden was asked by reporters on the tarmac if he plans to supply Ukraine with more artillery, which he answered “yes” before boarding his motorcade, according to pool reporters.

Over the weekend, CNN reported shipments from the administration’s latest $800 million security assistance package to Ukraine “have begun arriving,” including heavier-duty equipment, like 11 Mi-17 helicopters, 18 155mm Howitzer cannons and 300 more Switchblade drones.

Donbas, a sprawling and beleaguered heartland region that blankets much of eastern Ukraine, has been the front line of the country’s conflict with Russia since 2014.

But now its people, already scarred by eight years of fighting, are bracing for an assault even more intense. An?impending battle for control?of the territory is expected to define Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, after his forces suffered costly failures in Kyiv, and across central and northern Ukraine.

But what does the Donbas region mean to Putin? Despite its move into independence along with the rest of Ukraine in 1991, Donbas has maintained a place in the psyche of Russian leadership.

A famous Soviet propaganda?poster?from 1921 dubbed Donbas “the heart of Russia,” depicting the region as a beating organ with vessels stretching across the Russian empire. Before then, the region was part of the concept of “Novorossiya,” or New Russia, a term given to territories towards the west of which the Russian empire had expansionist ideas.

Cities like Luhansk and Donetsk are historically “places that (Russians) could see a certain version of themselves,” Rory Finnin, associate professor of Ukrainian studies at the University of Cambridge, told CNN.

And that historical image could still persist inside Putin’s own worldview, experts suggest.

Observers have often suggested that Putin’s desired endgame is to rebuild the Soviet Union in which he first rose up the ranks. Anna Makanju, former director for Russia at the US National Security Council,?last month?suggested?that Putin “believes he is like the czars,”?the imperial dynasties that ruled Russia for centuries, “potentially called by God in order to control and restore the glory of the Russian empire.”

But such a project could not be attempted without an effort to recapture Donbas, given its emotional resonance as the Russian empire’s industrial backbone. “It’s symbolically very important; the Donbas supplied the entire Soviet Union with raw materials,” Markian Dobczansky, an associate at Harvard University’s Ukrainian Research Institute, said.

It is in that context that Putin has refocused his stuttering invasion on the region where his conflict with Ukraine began eight years ago. US intelligence intercepts suggest Putin has refocused his war strategy on achieving?some kind of victory in the east by May 9, Russia’s “Victory Day” that marks the Nazi surrender in World War II.

“Taking the Donbas (would be) a consolation prize, because Kyiv is now out of Russia’s military grasp, but it’s a good consolation prize,” Puri said.

Read more about Donbas here and learn more about Russia’s strategy in the region in the video below:

US President Joe Biden and fellow world leaders “reiterated” their commitment to providing Ukraine with security, economic and humanitarian assistance on a secure video call Tuesday, the White House said.

On the call, which included the leaders of several European countries along with Canada and Japan, the leaders “affirmed their solidarity” with the Ukrainian people and condemned humanitarian suffering in the country.

They also discussed their “respective diplomatic engagements” and efforts to “impose severe economic costs to hold Russia accountable.”

The leaders agreed to continue their discussions going forward.

The participants on the call included?Canadian Prime Minister?Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The Ukrainian Freedom Fund (UFF), a non-profit that has a footprint in Ukraine and is working to procure defense materials for Ukrainian troops, received a letter from Kyiv’s deputy mayor yesterday requesting 200,000 respirators — also known as gas masks — to shield Ukrainians from any potential chemical weapons attacks.?

This request?shows how urgently the Ukrainians believe they need this equipment.?As part of the new security assistance announced last week by US President Biden’s administration has given some protective equipment to Ukraine to shield them from possible chemical weapons attacks and more will follow, a US State Department spokesperson said on Tuesday. The department would not detail the amount of this material provided so far.

Last week there were?unconfirmed reports of the use of chemical weapons in Mariupol. US officials have also warned that they have had credible information that Russian forces may use a variety of riot control agents, like tear gas mixed with chemical agents, as part of their Mariupol assault.

The risk of Russia carrying out a chemical weapons attack in Ukraine still stands, but the likelihood has not gone up or down in recent days, a US intelligence official said.?

Yet because the risk remains, Ukrainians want to be prepared which has driven this urgent effort. The demand is much higher than it has ever been, making procurement challenging.??

The organization is working on procuring those gas masks now and has already provided thousands of bullet proof vests, helmets, vehicles and field first aid kits (IFAKS) to Ukraine’s Territorial Defense forces, and is continuing its efforts.

The US has few ways to track the?substantial supply?of anti-tank, anti-aircraft and other weaponry it has sent across the border into Ukraine, sources tell CNN, a blind spot that’s due in large part to the lack of US boots on the ground in the country — and the easy portability of many of the smaller systems now pouring across the border.

It’s a conscious risk US President Joe Biden’s administration is willing to take.

In the short term, the US sees the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment to be vital to the Ukrainians’ ability to hold off Moscow’s invasion. A senior defense official said Tuesday that it is “certainly the largest recent supply to a partner country in a conflict.” But the risk, both current US officials and defense analysts say, is that in the long term, some of those weapons may wind up in the hands of other militaries and militias that the US did not intend to arm.

In making the decision to send billions of dollars of weapons and equipment into Ukraine, the Biden administration factored in the risk that some of the shipments may ultimately end up in unexpected places, a defense official said.

But right now, the official said, the administration views a failure to adequately arm Ukraine as a greater risk.

Continue reading here:

Ukrainian servicemen load a truck with Javelin missiles.

Related article What happens to weapons sent to Ukraine? The US doesn't really know

A flight carrying US security assistance for Ukraine from the $800 million drawdown package signed last week arrived in Europe yesterday, and seven more?flights?with security assistance are expected to arrive in Europe in the next 24 hours, a senior US defense official told reporters Tuesday.

The official could not say when that assistance will arrive in Ukraine via “ground transportation” but said “none of these shipments sit around very long before being offloaded off of” airplanes and “onloaded appropriately” to be sent to Ukraine.

More on the package: The US is providing Ukraine with 11 Mi-17 helicopters, 300 Switchblade drones, 18 Howitzers and protective equipment to guard against chemical attacks in the latest batch of security assistance approved by the White House, the Pentagon announced.

In addition, the new weapons package includes 200 M113 armored personnel carriers, 10 counter-artillery radars, 500 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 30,000 sets of body armor and helmets.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the $800 million package was intended to “meet urgent Ukrainian needs for today’s fight” as Russian forces shift the focus of their attack to eastern and southern Ukraine.

The $800 million shipment brings the?total amount of military assistance?the US has provided to Ukraine to more than $3 billion.?

CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.?

Smoke rises above Azovstal steelworks, in Mariupol, Ukraine, in this still image obtained from a video posted on social media.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Tuesday released a purported communications intercept of a Russian ground unit commander, who said Russian aircraft were planning to “level everything to the ground” around Azovstal, the steel factory that is a redoubt of Ukrainian defenders in the besieged port city of Mariupol.

The audio recording released Tuesday purports to feature the voice of the leader of a Russian platoon four kilometers (or about 2.5 miles) from Azovstal.

The man’s voice says, “We are expecting ‘surprises’ from Russia here.”

“What kind of surprises?” a woman’s voice replies.

“Three-ton ones, from the sky,” the man replies, adding that his command “said to level everything to the ground.”

CNN cannot vouch for the authenticity of the recording, but the SBU has previously released audio from intercepted radio traffic revealing Russian soldiers discussing killing and raping civilians, bolstering allegations of war crimes by Russian troops.

Germany’s foreign intelligence service has also intercepted radio communications where Russian soldiers talked about shooting soldiers and civilians in Ukraine. Military observers have also noted a tendency of Russian troops to use unsecured communications in Ukraine.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Ukrainian officials and military commanders have described the situation around the Azovstal plant to be extremely difficult, with hundreds of civilians also sheltering in the basements of the?steel?factory with dwindling supplies and defenders under constant attack.

“Everybody left,” the voice on the audio recording says. “Everyone who wanted to, all left. All that’s left are the patriots and the very smart ones.”

Describing the impending aerial bombardment of Azovstal, the man adds, “A lieutenant colonel came and said, ‘You?will feel the effect of it yourself.’”

The man in the audio recording also mentions another Ukrainian town in Luhansk region, Lysychansk, saying it “is being wiped out from the face of the earth. For the third day in a row.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a video address on Monday that Russia had commenced the battle for Donbas in eastern Ukraine, adding that Ukrainian forces will continue to fight against a Russian incursion in the region. Recent satellite images have shown Russian military convoys moving towards Donbas in preparation for a large-scale invasion — one that is likely to shape the fate of the war.?

Ukrainian forces continue to resist?Russian attacks in the southeastern port city of?Mariupol. The fate of the city rests on an unknown number of defenders making their last stand at the?Azovstal?steel plant, where Ukrainian troops have previously rejected a deadline to surrender.?

If you’re just catching up on the news, here are the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict:

The US has seen “limited offensive operations” undertaken by Russia southwest of Donetsk and south of Izium in Ukraine, according to a senior US defense official, who added that the US believes these are “preludes to larger offensive operations.”?

The official said the new operations have consisted of “ground movements … supported, of course, by some long-range fires, mostly artillery.”

But the official also stressed that Russia is still conducting “shaping operations” as well “to make sure they have logistics and sustainment in place” along with other “enabling capabilities.”?

The US expects to see a “more blended approach” to the new operations in Ukraine after their failures in the north of the country, according to the official.?

Russia has added two more battalion tactical groups (BTGs) to its forces inside Ukraine in the last 24 hours, according to the official, bringing the total to 78 BTGs.?

However, the official said the US assesses that Russia is now down to 75% of the “combat power” that had been amassed before the latest invasion of Ukraine.

“This is across all functions … it’s infantry, it’s artillery, it’s aviation, both fixed and rotary, it’s ballistic missile, cruise missile,” the official said on a call with reporters. “When you just add it all up, our general assessment is he’s about 75% of his original combat power.”

The US is working “around the clock” to get weapons to Ukraine at “unprecedented” speed, a senior defense official said.

Since the beginning of the invasion, the Biden administration has authorized $2.3 billion in shipments of weapons and equipment to Ukraine drawn from US inventories, as well as another $300 million as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which purchases weapons from manufacturers.

“This is certainly the largest recent supply to a partner country in a conflict,” said the official. “What is unprecedented here is the amount of successive drawdowns that we are moving at this speed.”

Here’s how the official says the process usually works: The process begins with a list of requirements developed in concert with the Ukrainians. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) then checks available military stocks for weapons and equipment before assessing the impact on US military readiness. Based on available stock, the US puts together a package of arms and equipment, which is then reviewed by the Joint Chiefs Chairman and others.

The Defense Secretary then signs a memo approving the drawdown of US inventory, the US President directs the drawdown, and the US Secretary of State signs a memo instructing the Defense Department to execute it. Finally, the DSCA puts out the order to execute the drawdown.

“That whole process has been known in the last several months to be possible to do in as few as 48-72 hours, which is unprecedented,” the official said.

In In response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, Canada announced today that it is imposing new sanctions on 14 close associates of the Russian regime, including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, a?release?from Global Affairs Canada said.

According to the release, the new measures demonstrate that “Canada will not relent in holding Russian President Vladimir Putin and his associates accountable for their complicity in the Russian regime’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Global Affairs Canada also noted that it intends to implement further measures in response to the “serious atrocities and human rights violations in Ukraine, including war crimes and likely crimes against humanity.”

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks to the media at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on March 14.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is appealing for a four-day Holy Week humanitarian pause beginning on Holy Thursday and running through Easter Sunday April 24, according to a statement.

The “Easter Appeal for Ukraine” will allow for the opening of humanitarian corridors, he said.

“Instead of celebration of a new life, this Easter coincides with a Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine,” he added.?“Holy Week is being observed under the cloud of a war that represents the total negation of the Easter message.”?

A humanitarian pause will allow for the passage of civilians willing to leave areas of current and expected confrontation, and well as allow for safe delivery of “lifesaving humanitarian aid” to people in hard hit areas including Mariupol, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk, Guterres said. “The United Nations is ready to send humanitarian aid convoys during this period to these locations.?We are submitting detailed plans to the parties.”

Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths this morning briefed the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations – including Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish leaders.

“Inspired by Holy Week and all that it represents, I urge all parties – and all champions of peace around the world — to join my Easter appeal,” he continued. “Save lives. Stop the bloodshed and destruction. Open a window for dialogue and peace and keep faith with the meaning and the message of Easter.”

Russian “orcs” have taken control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kreminna, Serhii Haidai, head of Luhansk Regional Military Administration, said in a briefing on Tuesday.?

“Kreminna is under the control of the ‘orcs.’ They have entered the city,” Haidai said.

The word “orc” refers to the elf race of brutish fighters in the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy “Lord of the Rings” and is a commonly used derogatory term in Ukraine to describe the Russian army.?

Haidai added that troops had withdrawn from the city and taken up new positions.?

The evacuation of civilians continues as Russia attacks from “from all directions in the way of mass shelling, intense bombardment, air bombardment on all defensive lines,” according to the military governor.???

He estimates around 350,000 people lived in the region prior to it coming under Russian control. He believes only around 70,000 are left.?

“They have either left on their own or with the help of volunteers or religious organizations … They’re going to the west of Ukraine,” Haidai said.?

“People can decide whether they want to go to Europe and receive refugee status or whether they would like to get a job where they are, or whether they like to wait until victory and the end of occupation and they can come back to their own homes. If those homes are still standing. If not, the government is developing a program on accelerated construction,” he continued, adding that Russian shelling had “destroyed almost all critical infrastructure” and that it was “impossible” to restore water and electricity supplies.

“Everything is destroyed completely. Our repair teams can fix a little bit but then an hour later, new shelling severs communication again. It’s the same process every time. It’s a huge problem.”?

Regarding the number of civilian deaths, Haidai said it was “impossible” to give a number.?

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk region military administration, said Russian forces are “changing tactic,” but the besieged city of Mariupol continues to be in Ukrainian control.

After capturing the town of Kreminna in the Luhansk region, Russian forces are looking to advance toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in the northern part of the Donetsk region, Kyrylenko said.

There have been constant shelling and missile strikes toward the towns Marinka and Avdiivka and an offensive to the south toward Mariupol to “close the circle.”

He said Ukrainian forces continue to defend Mariupol under heavy bombardment and there is tank fighting on some streets, but “the Ukrainian flag is flying?over the city.”

“The enemy is changing tactic,” he said. “The reason for that?is it has suffered losses,?losses in terms of heavy?artillery, in terms of its weapons?and also personnel.?These losses are felt by the?Russian Federation itself.?It is an undeniable fact.?Therefore, they are forced to be?more economical in terms of how?they use their force, and they?have to focus on certain areas?in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions where they are trying to gain?some strategic advantage.”?

While fighting has been going on in the region for years between Ukrainians and pro-Russian separatists, he claimed that pro-Russian sentiments have “been reduced” recently due to aggressive Russian military tactics.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a press conference in Moscow, Russia, on April 7.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that a new phase of the fighting in Ukraine has started, and it will be “a very important moment of this entire special operation.”

“This operation in the east of Ukraine is aimed as it was announced from the very beginning to fully liberate the Donetsk and Luhansk republics,” Lavrov said in an exclusive video interview to India Today.?“Another stage of this operation is beginning and I’m sure this will be a very important moment of this entire special operation.”

When asked repeatedly if Russia plans to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Lavrov said those allegations are coming from the Ukrainian side and specifically Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and that Russia historically has been against the use of nuclear weapons.?

“We never mentioned about this,” Lavrov said, referencing comments made by Zelensky alleging Russia may use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.?

When asked the same question again, Lavrov said:?“When the Soviet Union and the US in 1987, Gorbachev and Reagan decided that they have a special responsibility for peace on this planet, they signed a solemn declaration that there could be no winners in a nuclear war and therefore a nuclear war must never be launched.

Responding to a question about civilian deaths in Ukraine and holding Russian military forces accountable for possible violations, Lavrov said,?“We have our law, which prohibits the military to do anything which is not allowed under international humanitarian law,” adding “Any violations are absolutely registered and investigated.”?

He also said reports about atrocities committed by Russian forces in Bucha are?“staged and played.”?

When asked about what exactly happed to the Russian cruiser Moskva, Lavrov directed the answer to the Russian Ministry of Defense.?

The office of the Moscow Exchange in the city of Moscow, Russia, on March 24.

Britain on Tuesday announced its intention to revoke the Moscow Stock Exchange’s status as a recognized stock exchange, according to a statement issued by British tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).?

The removal of status means that investors will no longer be able to access certain UK tax benefits in the future when trading on the Moscow Stock Exchange.?

However, existing investments will be protected.???

The move is the latest in a string of sanctions the British Government has imposed on Russia following its?invasion of Ukraine.

“As we continue to isolate Russia in response to their illegal war on Ukraine, revoking Moscow Stock Exchange’s recognized status sends a clear message – there is no case for new investments in Russia,” British Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Lucy Frazer, said in the statement.?

The recognized stock exchange status is a classification given by HMRC for tax purposes, enabling securities traded on a recognized exchange to be eligible for certain tax treatments and reliefs.?

Servicemen of the Ukrainian Military Forces move to their position in the Luhansk region of Ukraine on March 8.

The International Monetary Fund has slashed its expectations for global economic growth over the next two years because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, comparing the ripple effects from the conflict to an “earthquake.”

“The economic effects of the war are spreading far and wide,” the organization said in its latest outlook, published Tuesday.

The IMF now expects the world economy to expand by 3.6% in both 2022 and 2023, a sharp deceleration from growth of 6.1% in 2021. The new forecasts reflect downgrades of 0.8 and 0.2 percentage points, respectively, from its January forecast.

The outlook assumes that the war remains confined to Ukraine, that further sanctions on Russia don’t target its huge energy sector and the effects of the pandemic continue to fade.

IMF says the conflict will hit Ukraine and Russia the hardest. The IMF expects Ukraine’s economy to shrink 35% this year, while the West’s efforts to punish Russia are poised to cause its economy to contract by 8.5%. But because the war has caused a spike in the price of energy and other commodities, worsening supply chain problems and feeding expectations for more persistent inflation, its effects will be felt almost everywhere.

In Europe, which relies heavily on Russia to meet its energy needs, growth is now expected to slow to 2.8% in 2022, a downgrade of 1.1 percentage points versus January.

The United States is comparatively insulated. Yet weakness among its trading partners, as well as the Federal Reserve’s plans to quickly pull back pandemic-era support for the economy and raise interest rates, are weighing on the outlook. The IMF projects US growth of 3.7% in 2022 and 2.3% in 2023, down 0.3 percentage points since its last forecast.

While the report observes that “global economic prospects have worsened significantly” since the start of the year, it does not predict a recession, which the IMF typically calls when growth falls to 2.5% or lower.

But the IMF also notes uncertainty “well beyond the normal range” surrounding its projections because of the unprecedented nature of the shock. And the risks of an even greater slowdown, combined with persistently high inflation, are rising.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the Dutch House of Representatives in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 31.

The Netherlands will send “heavier material” to Ukraine, “including armored vehicles,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday.

In a tweet, Rutte said that he and the Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren had expressed their support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone conversation, “as Russia begins a renewed offensive.”

Zelensky also tweeted after the phone call, saying that he had informed Rutte “about the aggravation of the situation in Donbas” and was “grateful” for the support.

“When peace is restored we’ll build Ukraine-Netherlands relations of a new quality together in the EU!” Zelensky said.?

Images emerged early Monday, April 18,?on social media showing Russia's guided-missile cruiser, the Moskva, badly damaged and on fire in the hours before the ship sunk in the Black Sea on April 14.

A Russian father took to social media to seek information on sailors missing after the sinking of the Russian guided-missile cruiser Moskva, amid limited information on Russian state media about the extent of casualties from the loss of the ship.

The Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, went down last week after what Ukrainian officials said was a strike with anti-ship missiles.

Russian authorities acknowledged that the vessel sank, but said only that the vessel went down following a fire on board and the explosion of ammunition.

Dmitry Shkrebets, the father of a conscript aboard the ship, wrote a post on the Russian social network Vkontakte claiming his son, Yegor Shkrebets, had been on the ship and served as a ship’s cook.

“On the night of April 13 to April 14, a tragedy occurred, the truth about which we have yet to find out, the official report of the Ministry of Defense states that a fire broke out on the ship and the ammunition detonated,” the elder Shkrebets wrote.

“It was reported that the entire crew had been evacuated. It’s a lie! A blatant and cynical lie!”

He said he was informed that his son was not listed among the dead and wounded and was on a list of missing sailors.

“After my attempts to clarify the data on the incident, the cruiser commander and his deputy stopped communicating,” Shkrebets said. “I asked directly why you, the officers, are alive, and my son, a conscript soldier, died?”

Russian President Vladimir Putin initially stated that Russian draftees would not take part in what the Russian government euphemistically refers to as the “special military operation” in Ukraine, but the Kremlin has acknowledged that the participation of conscripts in combat operations is being investigated.

Asked about the post by Shkrebets on Vkontakte, a Kremlin spokesperson referred all questions on the matter to the Russian military. CNN was unable to reach Shkrebets directly.

Russia will “of course” try to go further west if it takes control of the eastern territory of Ukraine, Wladimir Klitschko, the brother of Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, claimed Tuesday. However, he added that he doesn’t know how much further the forces would go, but that he expects the attack to return to Kyiv.

Help is “crucially” needed, he continued.

“We can only defend our country?during the war with the weapons.?There is no other way.?Otherwise, this senseless killing?of the civilian?population and destruction of?our infrastructure is going to?continue,” Klitschko said. “I don’t think we need any?military.?We just need weapons to defend?ourselves.”

He also emphasized the need to close the sky over Ukraine — something that Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenksy had earlier called on the international community to do. However, he has moved away from making that request more recently.

“[If] allies and partners cannot close the sky [over Ukraine,] we will?constantly get bombarded with?rockets and air strikes,” he said.?“So if you don’t close the sky,?just give us the weapons.?We’re going to close the sky on?our own.?And we have enough of our will?to defend our country.?We just need the equipment to do?it.”

Klitschko, who is also a member of the Kyiv Territorial Defense, called on the world to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia with sanctions.

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire burning at a garage in?Kharkiv, Ukraine, on April 18.

Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov has told CNN that there has been “non-stop bombardment of civilian districts” in the city since Sunday.

Before then, Terekhov said Russian shelling and bombardments had been focused on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city located in the east of the country near the Russian border.

Kharkiv has been targeted by Russian strikes since the invasion of Ukraine was launched nearly two months ago.

“In the last few days, [Russian shelling] has been in the center and it’s targeting peaceful civilians,” Terekhov told CNN “New Day” Tuesday.

“The enemy is targeting civilians, many people are wounded and some unfortunately dead. In the past day and a half, we’ve had 15 people killed and more than 50 wounded. Those 15 killed was just in one attack.”

Terekhov also said that Ukraine would fight for every bit of land and would not agree to territorial concessions while Russian attacks continue.

Maxar satellite imagery overview of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, eastern Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 9.

Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that Russian forces had begun bombing and shelling the Azovstal factory in the besieged city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces and civilians remain encircled.

Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said in a statement that Russian forces “are not only striking Azovstal with bombs but also with artillery and tanks, continuing their chaotic attacks on the residential area of the Left Bank (Livoberezhnyi) district along the line from the Meotidy Boulevard.”

Andriushchenko is not in Mariupol but maintains a network of contacts in the city. CNN cannot independently confirm the location of Russian strikes, but pro-Kremlin media embedded with separatists and Russian forces have released footage of the shelling of Azovstal.?

The Russian military gave Ukrainians defending?Azovstal until 12 p.m. Moscow time Tuesday (5 a.m. ET) to surrender — a deadline that has now passed.?

Liudmyla Denisova, the Ukrainian parliament’s human-rights ombudsman, said that about 1,000 civilians, including children, remain in the basement of the plant, a figure consistent with estimates provided by Ukrainian units defending the plant.?

Denisova claimed that Russian forces had ordered residents to wear white armbands — similar to those worn as friend-or-foe identifiers by Russian and separatist forces — when moving around Mariupol, making them harder to distinguish from combatants.?

CNN could not verify that claim.?

Mariupol has been under relentless bombardment for weeks, with more than 90% of the city’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, according to Ukrainian estimates.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks during a joint media conference at the President's palace in Vilnius, Lithuania, on March 31.

Denmark will increase its natural gas production in the North Sea “for a limited time period,” to reduce its dependency on Russian energy, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday.?

Denmark is ultimately aiming to phase out its use natural gases to become independent of Russian supplies, Frederiksen added.

Despite the “temporary increase,” Frederiksen assured that Denmark remained committed to plans to end its North Sea oil and gas production by 2050.

Some background: Meanwhile on Tuesday, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said France supported extending sanctions on Russian oil.

France has been attempting to persuade European partners to stop imports of Russian oil, Le Maire said, alleging that some countries were “hesitant” to do so.

Russian forces have regrouped and launched an offensive in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine — a moment one Ukrainian lawmaker described as “the major battle” of the war.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official says control of Kreminna in the eastern Luhansk region has been “lost” in heavy fighting as Russia continues to bombard cities across the country.

Here are the latest developments:

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Spanish parliament via video link on April 5, in Madrid, Spain.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will travel to Kyiv in the next few days to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a senior Spanish government official told CNN Tuesday.

The official said they could not release any more information “for security reasons.”

Spain announced Monday it would be reopening its Kyiv embassy “in the coming days.”

The embassy was shut with personnel evacuated to Warsaw in neighboring Poland soon after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February.

The reopening will be “a new sign of the commitment of the Spanish government and society to the Ukrainian people,” Sánchez told Spanish TV Antena 3 on Monday.

The Russian-flagged oil tanker Pegas is pictured at a port in Marmara Ereglisi, western Turkey, on January 16.

Greek authorities have seized a Russian tanker off the southern coast of the Greek island of Evia, a spokesperson for the country’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy confirmed to CNN Tuesday.

Pegas, the crude oil tanker sailing under the Russian flag with 19 Russian crew members on board was seized near the town of Karystos on April 15 as part of the European Union’s latest sanctions, the spokesperson said.

They added that the authorities seized the vessel but not its oil cargo, and the ministry could not provide further details at this point.

Some background: The EU’s latest sanctions package announced earlier this month includes the closing of EU ports to Russian vessels. Exemptions were granted to vessels carrying energy, food and other humanitarian aid.

Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Yucheng speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, China, on April 16 2021.

China says it will “continue to strengthen strategic coordination” with Russia, regardless of how the “international landscape may change,” according to a statement released by China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

China’s?Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng expressed this view to the Russian ambassador to China Andrey Denisov during a meeting on Monday, the ministry said.

“No matter how the international landscape may change, China will continue to strengthen strategic coordination with Russia to achieve win-win cooperation, jointly safeguard our common interests and promote the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind,” Le said, according to the statement.

Le cited a nearly 30% increase in trade between the two countries during the first quarter of the year, reaching around $38.2 billion, as a testament to the “tremendous resilience” of its bilateral cooperation.

The two sides also exchanged views on Ukraine, as well as other international and regional issues of concern. However, no further details were provided by the ministry.

Some context: In public statements and at international summits, Chinese officials have attempted to stake out a seemingly neutral position on the?war in Ukraine, neither condemning Russian actions nor ruling out the possibility Beijing could?act as a mediator?in a push for peace.

Before the invasion, allies China and Russia proclaimed their relationship had “no limits.”

But Beijing has since been quietly distancing itself from Russia’s sanction-hit economy and has?repeatedly denounced?sanctions against Moscow?as an ineffective way of resolving the crisis.

Residents in the Sumy region in northern Ukraine have been advised to attend Easter services virtually this weekend amid concerns about potential “provocations” by Russia.

“We urge people to stay at home for Easter holidays,” said Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the head of the Sumy regional military administration in northern Ukraine, adding that an online livestream of the church service would be organized.

Many Ukrainians celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar, with Easter Sunday falling this year on April 24. Zhyvytskyi said law enforcement would work extra shifts during Easter celebrations.

Some context: Russian troops recently withdrew from Sumy, which borders Russia’s Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions.

In the days after the retreat, authorities said more than 100 bodies had been discovered, some tortured.

Zhyvytskyi said on April 13 that the number of bodies was growing every day and there had been “a lot of people found dead with their hands tied with the signs of torture.” He added at the time that others remained captive with “daily negotiations” for them to be exchanged or freed.

Kira Rudik talks to CNN on April 19.

The fight for the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine will be “the major battle” of the war with Russia, Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudik told CNN Tuesday.

In a video address on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had commenced the battle for Donbas and that Ukrainian forces will continue to fight against a Russian incursion in the region.

Rudik also echoed calls from Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials for military equipment to be sent to Ukraine to help repel Russian attacks. ?

In an interview with CNN last week, Zelensky said the weapons the US and other countries have provided to Ukraine to date, including the Biden administration’s new $800 million security assistance package, have helped his country resist?Russia’s invasion.

But he said more would be needed, and that his country’s trainers would be able to get his forces up to speed quickly.

“At some point(s), we are getting enough, at other points we are not getting anything,” she added.

“Right now, rather than being upset with the ones who are not giving us what we asked (for), I would like to thank every single country that is supporting us and say: Give us more.

“You see how critical it is, you see that we are fighting not only for ourselves, but for the whole democratic world, for the whole of Europe.”

France supports extending sanctions to ban imports of Russian oil, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday.

“When you see what is going on in the Donbas, it is more necessary than ever to stop importing Russian oil,” Le Maire told radio station Europe 1.

Le Maire went on to say that it was oil, not gas, that has been “the first source of currency for Putin’s regime for several years,” and therefore “stopping Russian oil imports means hurting the financing of the war in Ukraine for those who are in power in Russia.”

France was attempting to persuade European partners to stop imports of Russian oil, Le Maire added, alleging that some countries were “hesitant” to do so.

Speaking earlier this month to CNN, Le Maire said: “As France is concerned we stand ready to go further and to decide a ban on oil and I’m deeply convinced that the next steps and the next discussions will focus on this question of the ban on Russian oil.”

Some background: Earlier this month, European leaders agreed to go after Russia’s vast energy sector for the first time by banning all forms of Russian coal from the European Union. The European Commission predicted the move would affect about 8 billion euros ($8.7 billion) worth of Russian exports per year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reiterated his call for an oil embargo, saying on April 8: “How much longer can the Europe ignore the introduction of an embargo against oil supplies from Russia?”

The European Commission says that about 45% of the bloc’s natural gas imports, and around 25% of its oil imports, come?from Russia. The EU has imported about 35 billion euros ($38 billion) worth of Russian energy since the war began.

08 April 2022, Berlin: Activists wearing masks with the likenesses of Chancellor Scholz (M), Finance Minister Lindner (l) and Economics Minister Habeck and holding a sign reading "Oil embargo?" demonstrate at the Brandenburg Gate in favor of an embargo on Russian oil and gas.

Related article Europe turns its back on Russian coal. Is oil next?

New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta speaks during a session of the UN Human Rights Council on February 28, in Geneva, Switzerland.

New Zealand has imposed new sanctions against more than a dozen Russian financial entities, including the country’s central bank, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced in a statement Tuesday.

The sanctions target 18 financial organizations that?allegedly?finance Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and which make up about 80% of Russia’s total banking assets,?Mahuta said in a statement released by the New Zealand government.?

“These sanctions are designed to impose an economic and political cost,” Mahuta said in the statement. “With this latest round of sanctions, New Zealand is joining countries around the world who have imposed heavy penalties on President Putin and the system financing his illegal invasion.”

The 18 newly-sanctioned organizations are: Alfa-Bank, Bank Rossiya, Bank Otkritie, Black Sea Bank for Development and Reconstruction, Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Credit Bank of Moscow, Gazprombank, GenBank, Industrial Savings Bank, Novikombank, Russia Agricultural Bank, Russian National Commercial Bank, Russian Direct Investment Fund, Sberbank, Sovcombank, SMP Bank, Vnesheconombank, VTB.

Over the past month, New Zealand has issued a raft of sanctions against Russian entities and individuals, including against Russian President Vladimir Putin, members of his security council, politicians, oligarchs and military leaders.

Fugitive oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk is seen handcuffed after a special operation was carried out by Security Service of Ukraine in Ukraine on April 12.

The United Kingdom is not looking to help Moscow with the prospect of a prisoner swap that would trade pro-Russian oligarch and Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk for two British fighters captured in Ukraine by Russian forces, a government minister said Tuesday.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis would not confirm to Sky News if his government is working to return the fighters to the UK, saying he would not comment on “what are effectively national security issues.”

Russian state TV footage that it said shows Shaun Pinner, a British fighter captured in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol by Russian forces, at an unknown location, from a video released on April 18, 2022.

Video footage of both captive Britons has aired on Russian TV. They previously fought with the UK armed forces and were volunteering with the Ukrainian military in the fight against Russia.

Russian state TV footage that it said shows Aiden Aslin, a British fighter captured in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol by Russian forces, at an unknown location, from a video released on April 18, 2022.

Asked about the prospect of exchanging the Britons for Medvedchuk, who is currently detained by Ukrainian forces, he said: “We’re actually going through the process of sanctioning people who are close to the [Russian President Vladimir] Putin regime. We’re not going to be looking at how we can help Russia.”

Lewis encouraged people who want to help Ukraine to do so through the “right channels” – such as financially or by opening their homes to refugees – “rather than taking very dangerous and actually not legal processes to go out” and fight, he said.

Some context: Medvedchuk served as a go-between for Moscow and Kyiv after the outbreak of the Donbas conflict in 2014 by leveraging his personal ties with Putin. In a 2019 interview with filmmaker Oliver Stone, Putin acknowledged that he was godfather to Medvedchuk’s daughter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last week that Medvedchuk had been detained in a “special operation.” Medvedchuk’s wife, Oksana Marchenko, has?posted videos appealing for the release of her husband in exchange for British nationals taken captive.

People board a bus leaving Severodonetsk, in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, on April 13.

The head of the Luhansk regional military administration urged civilians on Tuesday to evacuate amid an escalation in fighting and the fall of the town of Kreminna to Russian forces.?

Haidai said evacuations would take place even though Russian forces had refused a ceasefire.

Evacuation efforts would focus on the areas of Rubizhne, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Popasna and Hirske, Haidai said, adding people had volunteered to help despite heavy Russian shelling.?

Some context: Russian forces have been trying to advance toward the borders of both Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbas region. Russia’s focus has shifted to the east of the country since its failure to gain territory around the capital Kyiv, and other parts of central and northern Ukraine.

On Monday, Russian forces entered Kreminna, a town in the eastern Luhansk region, with “a huge amount of equipment,” said Haidai, claiming that “the offensive has begun.”

Damaged residential buildings in the southern port city of?Mariupol, Ukraine, April 18.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said no evacuation routes for civilians had been agreed with Russian forces on Tuesday, amid warnings from Ukrainian officials that a major battle for the Donbas region had begun.

The Russians had refused to open an evacuation route for civilians in the besieged city of Mariupol to leave for the port city of Berdyansk, Vereshchuk said, while talks on other routes were ongoing.

Some context: Civilians in Mariupol remain trapped in an increasingly dire situation with little chance of escape, officials say, as Russian shelling and attacks continue.

Over the weekend, the Russian Defense Ministry laid down conditions for the surrender of the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol — an ultimatum rejected by officials in the city.

A funeral ceremony at a cemetery in Bucha, Ukraine, on April 18.

A brigade accused of committing war crimes in the Ukrainian town of Bucha has been awarded an honorary title by Russian President Vladimir Putin.?

In a signed letter on Monday, Putin congratulated Russia’s 64th?Separate?Guards Motor Rifle Brigade for their “great heroism and courage” and awarded the unit the title of “Guards” for “protecting Russia’s sovereignty.”?

Earlier this month, mass graves full of hundreds of murdered civilians – which CNN teams visited – were discovered in the towns of Bucha and Borodyanka following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region.?

In a statement issued April 4, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense named the servicemen of the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade as war criminals directly involved in the atrocities committed against the civilians of Bucha.?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russia for the killings and called on Moscow to stop committing “war crimes.”

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the mass killings, while reiterating baseless claims that the images of civilian bodies on the streets of Bucha are fake.

During a visit to Bucha and Borodyanka last week, International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said there were “reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC are being committed.”

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 an ICC statute that gives the court jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

Russia does not extradite its citizens to other countries.

Mila Turchyn walks into a McDonald’s parking lot near the Poland-Ukraine border. She is anxious. She doesn’t trust the man she is about to meet. He is a smuggler.

Turchyn found the man via a messaging app a few days ago, advertising transport services for Ukrainians stranded in Russia. They made a deal — $500 to drive Turchyn’s mom and sister from Moscow to Przemysl, Poland. It’s more than most families fleeing war can afford.

She is wondering if it worked.

Turchyn turns and suddenly finds herself in her sister’s arms. There is a brief moment of joy, but no time to hug her mom. The smuggler wants to be paid now. He demands more cash. She pays. At this point, she wants nothing more than to be with her family.

The exchange is finally over and the three women are reunited in Poland. They quietly and quickly embrace.

For the Ukrainians who now find themselves displaced in Russia, however, getting to safety is dangerous.

Read the full story:

Related article A woman's family were forced into Russia. She smuggled them to Poland

A statue of Vladimir?Lenin reinstalled in Russian-occupied?Henichesk, Ukraine.

A statue of?former Soviet leader Vladimir?Lenin has been erected in Russian-occupied Henichesk, Ukraine,?photos posted?Monday?to social media show,?nearly seven years after one was removed as part of “decommunization” efforts.

The town of Henichesk sits on the Sea of Azov in Kherson province, just north of the border with Russian-annexed Crimea.

Three photos, posted on Facebook, show the new?Lenin?statue?in front of the regional council building.?A?Russian flag?is seen on the roof of the building.?

CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the photos.

The original Lenin statue?outside the government building was taken down by order of the city council on July 16, 2015, video and local news reports show. According to those reports, Henichesk was one of the last towns in the region to have a statue of Lenin.?

Yuri Sobolevsky, Ukrainian regional deputy for Kherson, confirmed the new statue?in a post on Facebook.?

Having regrouped to launch an offensive in the east of Ukraine, Russian forces have started what one Ukrainian official described as the “second phase of the war” – the battle for Donbas.

Control of Kreminna, a town in the eastern Luhansk region, has already been “lost” during heavy fighting, a Ukrainian official said.

The developments come after Russia bombarded cities across Ukraine on Monday, with a least four missile strikes reported in the western city of Lviv and at least seven people killed.

Here are the latest developments on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:

A frame from a video shows Ukrainian forces ambushing a Russian convoy in Mariupol.

A new video posted by the Azov Battalion on Monday shows Ukrainian forces in Mariupol ambushing a Russian military convoy.

CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the video, but it’s unclear when the ambush occurred. The Azov Battalion is a unit that began as an ultra-nationalist militia but has since integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces.

The video, taken by a drone, shows a convoy of six vehicles moving south along Metallurgists Avenue in Mariupol. The convoy?pulls off the road and onto a sidewalk just outside the Ararat cafe.

As the drone zooms out,?it shows at least?nine?Ukrainian troops?creeping toward?the convoy, which has stopped moving.?The video then cuts to soldiers firing in the direction of the convoy.

It then cuts to another scene,?in which at least three of the six vehicles are on fire. A “Z” – the symbol of the Russian invasion – can be seen on at least two of the vehicles.

The video then shows Ukrainian soldiers throwing grenades over a brick wall, in the direction of Russian soldiers?who?are?taking cover?between one of the vehicles and?a?wall.

CNN is not airing the entire video, as it shows grenades exploding on top of the Russian soldiers.?

Smoke rises above the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works company and buildings in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Monday, April 18.

In an address on Monday to world leaders, commander of the Azov Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko, said Russian forces are firing on the?Azovstal steelworks factory “willingly” in Mariupol as hundreds of people are sheltering inside.?

The Azov Regiment, sometimes referred to as the Azov Battalion, is a unit that began as an ultra-nationalist volunteer militia but has since integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces.

Prokopenko, who is the commander of one of the?Ukrainian units defending the port city, said in a post on Telegram account that among those sheltering are, “people of all ages, women, children, and families of Mariupol defenders. They are sheltering in the basements and bunkers from the ‘Russian world.’”

According to Prokopenko, those sheltering “found their only available shelter next to the Ukrainian soldiers, who are still defending the city from Russian invaders.”

He added, “City theatre, maternity hospital, schools, kindergartens, and houses were destroyed by those who now offer civilians evacuation and safety. These are the same people. And nobody believes.”

Watch: Drone footage shows smoke rising from Azovstal plant

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00:37 - Source: cnn

New images emerged early Monday on social media showing?Russia’s guided-missile cruiser,?the Moskva, badly damaged and on fire in the hours before the ship sank in the Black Sea on Thursday.

The sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, was the?biggest wartime loss?of a naval ship in 40 years – and a huge embarrassment for Moscow.

The images show the Moskva listing to one side, with black holes from possible missile puncture marks, and significant scarring at and just above the waterline on the port (left) side of the middle of the vessel.

A large plume of black smoke can be seen billowing upwards, partly obscuring the front of the stricken ship.

Analysts told CNN the warship in the images looked like the Moskva, a Slava Class guided-missile destroyer.

Ukraine and Russia have provided conflicting accounts of what happened during Thursday’s incident in the Black Sea.

Read the full story here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back against concerns from US and NATO officials that his military would need significant training before receiving advanced weapons from other countries, telling CNN his forces need weapons quickly – and can learn to use them just as fast.

Zelensky said in the interview from the office of the president in Kyiv that weapons provided by the US and other countries, including the Biden administration’s new $800 million security assistance package, have helped his country resist Russia’s invasion.

But he said that more would be needed, and his country’s trainers would be able to get his forces up to speed quickly.

Related Coverage: Exclusive: Zelensky rejects ‘tall tales’ his forces need months of training to operate advanced weapons | CNN Politics

US Customs and Border Protection officials encountered just more than 5,000 Ukrainians in March, including 3,274 along the US southern border, according to newly released agency data.

The challenge some Ukrainians face in getting to the US through an existing legal pathway is reflected in part on the US-Mexico border. There, hundreds have gathered to enter the US through a port of entry and potentially be paroled into the United States.

US Customs and Border Protection has sent additional officers to the San Ysidro port of entry, near the Mexican border city of Tijuana, to help with processing, according to the agency. The Biden administration is also planning to roll out a program that would expedite the process for Ukrainians trying to come to the United States.

The 3,274 Ukrainians made up a small share of the 221,303 encounters at the US-Mexico border in March, which marked yet another jump in arrests along the US-Mexico border. CBP has already apprehended more than 1 million people this fiscal year. That includes some repeat crossers.?

New video images of women and children, purportedly sheltering in the basement of the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, were published Monday evening on Telegram.?

The video was posted by the Azov Battalion, a unit that began as an ultra-nationalist militia but has since integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces.?The video was later shared?by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It appears to show dozens of children and families who have been sheltering for weeks in the basement of the plant where Ukrainian forces are holding out against Russian attacks.

CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the video, or when it was taken. However, after reviewing thousands of photos and videos of the Azovstal steel plant, the walls of the shelter appear to match the lime-green painted walls of the steel plant’s basements.

Some context: Commander of the Azov Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko, in Mariupol said in a video posted Monday on Telegram that Russian forces have been firing “willingly” on the Azovstal steelworks factory, where hundreds of civilians are sheltering alongside Ukrainian forces.

Prokopenko said that among those sheltering are, “people of all ages, women, children, and families of Mariupol defenders. They are sheltering in the basements and bunkers from the ‘Russian world’.”?

Myhailo Vershynin, the chief of the Mariupol Patrol Police, also told CNN that women, children and the elderly were among those sheltering inside the steel plant.