A Ukrainian soldier evacuates a dog that was separated from its owners in Irpin, Ukraine, on March 31, 2022.DANIEL BEREHULAK/The New York Times News Service
This digest has now been archived. Find the latest Russia-Ukraine updates here.
Here are the latest updates on the war in Ukraine:
- In an early-morning video address, Ukraine president Zelensky said he expected Russian attacks in the southeast after the assault in Kyiv was repelled; Russian forces continued to pound on the outskirts of Kyiv on Thursday
- A convoy of Ukrainian buses set out for the port city of Mariupol to try to reach trapped civilians; tens of thousands are still in the city, which has been hit hard by Russian forces
- NATO said Russian forces are not scaling back but rather regrouping; the comments come days after Russia promised to withdraw significantly from Kyiv
- International Red Cross in Ukraine says it is a victim of a disinformation campaign
10:23 p.m. ET
Ukraine negotiations to resume
Negotiations aimed at ending the five-week war were set to resume even as Ukraine braced for further attacks in the south and east.
In a late-night address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned of “battles ahead” in Donbas and the besieged southern port city of Mariupol.
“We still need to go down a very difficult path to get everything we want,” Zelenskiy said.
Peace negotiations are set to resume by video conference on Friday. Seeking to bolster its position, Moscow is redeploying forces from Russian-backed breakaway regions in Georgia to Ukraine, Britain’s defence ministry wrote on Twitter.
The reinforcements indicated Russia had sustained unexpected losses, it said.
- Reuters
8:37 p.m. ET
War is forcing businesses in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to find novel ways of staying afloat
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine last month, Maxym Starushko sent his wife and children to Poland from their home in Kyiv, and then he headed to his hometown just west of the capital.
He got so fed up watching the news that he went back to Kyiv and made a bold decision, given the city’s proximity to the fighting: He reopened the restaurant where he’d been working as a waiter.
“I need a job and I don’t want to sit at home and just listen to the news and be depressed,” he said during a short break at the Saw Fish, a seafood restaurant, on Thursday. “And of course people want food.”
He unlocked the doors last week. His initial plan was to serve free meals to pensioners – with the consent of the restaurant’s owners, who welcomed his gumption and kept in close contact. But soon regular customers started trickling in as well, and now Mr. Starushko, 39, is pulling in enough revenue to expand the free meal service.
- Paul Waldie in Kyiv
7:15 p.m. ET
Russian withdrawal of troops was just a tactic, Zelensky says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (on screen) gives a speech during a plenary session of the Chamber at the Federal Parliament in Brussels on March 31, 2022, in hopes of getting support in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.VIRGINIE LEFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after Russian troops withdrew from the north and centre of the country, the situation has been heating up in the southeast where Russian forces are building up for new powerful attacks.
In his nighttime video address to the nation Thursday, Zelensky said it was heartening for all Ukrainians to see Russian troops retreating from north of Kyiv, from around the northern town of Chernihiv and from Sumy in the northeast.
But he urged Ukrainians not to let up, saying the withdrawal was just a Russian tactic.
“We know their intentions. We know what they are planning and what they are doing,” Zelensky said. “We know that they are moving away from those areas where we hit them in order to focus on other, very important areas. There where it may be difficult for us.
“We all want to win,” Zelensky added. “But there will be battles ahead. We still have to go through a very difficult path ahead to get everything we are striving for.”
Zelensky said he spoke Thursday with European Council President Charles Michel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while his adviser spoke with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
“We need more support from our partners right now when Russian troops are concentrating additional forces in certain areas,” Zelensky said.
– The Associated Press
6:35 p.m. ET
Russia could crush minority faiths, top Ukrainian cleric warns
The Most Rev. Borys Gudziak, metropolitan archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Philadelphia for the United States, speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, March 15, 2022.Manuel Balce Ceneta/The Associated Press
The top-ranking Ukrainian Catholic cleric in the United States warned Thursday that religious minorities in the Eastern European country stand to be “crushed” if Moscow gains control, as fighting raged on more than a month after the Russian invasion began.
Archbishop Borys Gudziak said groups at risk include Catholics, Muslims and Orthodox who have broken away from the patriarch of Moscow.
Gudziak also cited reports that Russian forces have damaged two Holocaust memorials and Moscow’s false portrayal of Ukraine as a “Nazi” state although Ukraine overwhelmingly elected a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky.
“What is at stake for the people of faith is their freedom to practice their faith,” Gudziak said during an online panel discussion on the war, hosted by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.
Gudziak is head of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and president of Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine. He also oversees external relations for the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
– The Associated Press
6:20 p.m. ET
Ukraine’s Zelensky says situation difficult in south and Donbas, fires top officials
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (on screen) gives a speech during a plenary session of the Chamber at the Federal Parliament in Brussels on March 31, 2022, in hopes of getting support in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.VIRGINIE LEFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said the situation in the south and the Donbas region remained extremely difficult and reiterated that Russia was building up forces near the besieged city of Mariupol.
And in a rare sign of internal dissent, Zelensky also said in a video address that he had sacked two senior members of the national security service on the grounds they were traitors.
Zelensky, who often uses colourful imagery, said the Russians were so evil and so keen on destruction that they seemed to be from another world, “monsters who burn and plunder, who attack and are bent on murder”.
Russia says it is carrying out a “special operation” to disarm and “denazify” its neighbour. Moscow also denies Kyiv’s accusations that Russian forces are targeting civilians.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had pushed back the Russians from Kyiv and Chernihiv - two cities Moscow had announced would no longer be the focus of attacks as they seek to secure the separatist Donbas and Luhansk regions in the south-east.
“There will be battles ahead. We still need to go down a very difficult path to get everything we want,” he said.
“The situation in the south and in the Donbas remains extremely difficult.”
Zelensky also said he had fired two top officials at the national security service - the overall head of internal security as well as the head of the agency’s branch in the Kherson region.
“I do not have time to deal with all the traitors, but they will gradually all be punished,” he said, adding that the two men had betrayed their oath to defend Ukraine. He did not give specific details.
– Reuters
6:00 p.m. ET
Federal ministers cite need for international war crimes probe of Russia
Russia’s blocking of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and its bombing of medical facilities should be the subjects of an international war crimes investigation, says Canada’s international development minister.
Harjit Sajjan offered that view as a half dozen extra RCMP investigators head to The Hague to assist in the International Criminal Court investigation of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
“I have worked enough conflict areas and war zones to understand what international humanitarian law is. This is something that does need to be investigated. Civilians are not supposed to be harmed. That also includes when civilians need medical support, food support,” Sajjan said in an interview.
Sajjan, a former defence minister and Canadian Armed Forces veteran of the war in Afghanistan, was speaking ahead of the International Committee of the Red Cross announcement Thursday that it would be ready to start evacuating citizens from the besieged port city of Mariupol on Friday.
“For logistics and security reasons, we’ll be ready to lead the safe passage operation tomorrow, Friday, provided all the parties agree to the exact terms, including the route, the start time, and the duration,” the ICRC said in a statement on Thursday.
– The Canadian Press
5:50 p.m. ET
Federal government tells arts bodies to suspend cultural events funded by Russian state
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez rises during question period in the House of Commons, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Feb. 4, 2022.PATRICK DOYLE/The Canadian Press
Pablo Rodriguez is asking arts bodies that get Canadian government funding to suspend all cultural activity involving Russians linked to Putin’s regime.
In response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the heritage minister has told groups getting government grants to cancel tours and co-productions funded by Russian or Belarusian state organizations.
The instruction could lead to the cancelling of exhibitions of art loaned from Russian galleries, as well as concerts, festivals, theatre and ballet with Russian artists if they are funded directly or indirectly by the Russian state.
Rodriguez says Canadian cultural organizations found to have ties with the Russian or Belarusian states will also no longer get funding from Canadian Heritage.
Amid fears that Russian events with no ties to Putin could be penalized, a department spokeswoman says the instruction will not affect ordinary Russians and Belarusians living in Canada, who will still be eligible for government grants.
Canadian Heritage is carrying out a review to identify activities involving Russia and Belarus.
– The Canadian Press
5:40 p.m. ET
Ukrainian farmers fight to grow food amid war
5:10 p.m. ET
Weapons shipments arrive in Ukraine, Pentagon says
The Pentagon says an initial half-dozen shipments of weapons and other security assistance have reached Ukraine as part of the $800 million package of aid that President Joe Biden approved on March 16.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the shipments included Javelin anti-tank weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, body armour, medical supplies and other material. He said the 100 Switchblade armed drones that Biden approved as part of the package have not yet been delivered.
Kirby said the $800 million in assistance is likely to be fully delivered within about two weeks. It also includes Mi-17 helicopters, small arms, ammunition, vehicles, secure communications systems, and satellite imagery and analysis capability.
Separately, Kirby said U.S. troops are not training Ukrainian troops in Poland but are acting as liaisons with Ukrainian personnel who cross the border into Poland to take possession of U.S. security assistance. He noted that the standard U.S. military training mission that had existed in Ukraine for years was suspended shortly before Russia invaded.
– The Associated Press
4:50 p.m. ET
Ukraine state nuclear firm says all Russian forces have left Chernobyl plant
A general view shows the New Safe Confinement structure over the old sarcophagus covering the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in Chernobyl, Ukraine, April 5, 2017.Gleb Garanich/Reuters
The Ukrainian state nuclear company said on Thursday that all of the Russian forces occupying the Chernobyl nuclear power station had withdrawn from the territory of the defunct plant.
There was no immediate comment from the Russian authorities. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it is preparing to send a mission to the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl in northern Ukraine.
Though Russian soldiers seized control of Chernobyl soon after the Feb. 24 invasion, the plant’s Ukrainian staff continued to oversee the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel and supervise the concrete-encased remains of the reactor that exploded in 1986, causing the world’s worst nuclear accident.
“According to the staff of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, there are now no outsiders on site,” Energoatom said in an online post. State-owned Energoatom had earlier said most troops had gone, leaving only a small number behind.
Russian forces have also retreated from the nearby town of Slavutych, where workers at Chernobyl live, the company said.
– Reuters
4:35 p.m. ET
At least one person dead after Russian shelling hits aid convoy, Ukraine says
Ukraine’s ombudsperson says that at least one person has been killed and four others have been wounded in the Russian shelling of a humanitarian convoy.
Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova said those who came under the shelling on Thursday were volunteers accompanying a convoy of buses sent to the northern city of Chernihiv to evacuate residents.
She said that the Russian forces besieging Chernihiv have made it impossible to evacuate civilians from the city that has been cut from food, water and other supplies.
The Russian shelling continued two days after Moscow announced it would scale back military operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv.
– The Associated Press
4:20 p.m. ET
Russia cannot be constructive partner at G20 table, Trudeau says
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 31, 2022.BLAIR GABLE/Reuters
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that Russia cannot be a constructive partner in the G20, a group composed of most of the world’s largest economies, because of its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Trudeau said Group of Twenty (G20) leaders were having conversations about Russia’s participation because the Ukraine war has “upended economic growth for everyone around the world and (Russia) can’t possibly be a constructive partner.”
Any attempt by the United States, Canada and other Western allies to exclude Russia would likely be vetoed by others in the club, which includes China, India, Saudi Arabia and others.
Instead of expelling Russia, some countries are considering skipping G20 meetings this year, sources told Reuters last week.
“The bottom line is: It can’t be business as usual to have (Russian President) Vladimir Putin just sitting around the table pretending that everything’s okay,” Trudeau said.
U.S. President Joe Biden said he thinks Russia should be removed from the G20.
– The Canadian Press
3:55 p.m. ET
Not clear Russian convoy to Kyiv exists anymore, Pentagon says
This file Maxar satellite image taken and released on Feb. 28, 2022 shows part of a military convoy and burning homes, northwest of Ivankiv, Ukraine.-/AFP/Getty Images
The Pentagon said on Thursday it was not clear that Russia’s convoy of military vehicles to Kyiv, which once stretched some 40 miles, even exists anymore after failing to accomplish its mission.
“I don’t even know if it still exists at this point… They never really accomplished their mission,” said Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby.
The stalled convoy became a symbol of Russia’s battlefield difficulties and had been repeatedly attacked by Ukrainian forces during the first weeks of the more than month-long invasion.
– Reuters
3:30 p.m. ET
No ‘business as usual’ at G20 after Russian invasion: Trudeau
2:50 p.m. ET
‘No clear evidence’ of Russia pullback, Biden says
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said there’s “no clear evidence” that Vladimir Putin is scaling back military operations around Kyiv and suggested that the Russian president may have ordered some of his advisers fired or placed under house arrest.
Biden told reporters that “there’s some indication” that Putin has taken those steps against some of his advisers. He added, “But I don’t want to put too much stock in that at this time because we don’t have that much hard evidence.”
The White House on Wednesday released unclassified intelligence findings that Putin is being misinformed by his advisors about how badly the Russian military is performing.
The president made the comments after formally announcing that the U.S. would release 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve in hopes of easing surging gasoline prices.
Biden also reiterated that his administration remains skeptical that Russia will scale back operations around Kyiv as Moscow announced earlier this week.
Russian forces continued to shell Kyiv suburbs Thursday, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near both the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv.
– The Associated Press
2:20 p.m. ET
Russian forces killed 148 children, fired 1,370 missiles and destroyed 15 airports, Kyiv says
Destroyed Russian armor vehicles are seen in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 31, 2022.Rodrigo Abd/The Associated Press
Russian forces have killed 148 children during shelling and air strikes, fired 1,370 missiles and destroyed 15 Ukrainian airports since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24, Ukraine’s defence ministry said on Thursday.
More than 10 million Ukrainians have fled their homes, it said in a statement. Reuters could not independently verify the information.
– Reuters
1:55 p.m. ET
Moscow says all foreign leased aircraft will remain in Russia
All foreign leased aircraft still in Russia after the termination of Western leasing contracts will remain in Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said on Thursday.
Sanctions imposed by Western powers in response to Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine forced Western firms to terminate leasing contracts with Russian airlines for over 500 aircraft. Russia has said 78 of these planes were seized while abroad, meaning that well over 400 remain.
“The entire fleet, meaning foreign aircraft, will remain in Russia,” Borisov said on Russian television. “Some were impounded(abroad) as sanctions were being introduced, (but) the vast majority of Boeing and Airbus (planes) remain in Russia.”
Moscow has passed a law allowing the aircraft, worth almost $10 billion, to be entered on its own register, in contravention of international rules.
– Reuters
1:45 p.m. ET
Canada edges farther away from NATO spending target in latest estimate
New NATO figures suggest Canada is even farther from meeting the military alliance’s spending target than previously believed.
NATO estimated last June that Canada would spend about 1.39 per cent of its national GDP on defence in 2021.
But in a report released today the alliance has lowered that figure, estimating Canada spent only about 1.36 per cent of GDP on its military last year.
While the difference appears minuscule, it nonetheless moves Canada farther from the two per cent spending target that all NATO members agreed to in 2014 and reaffirmed during a special meeting last week.
It also comes as most allies are moving in the other direction, with only four of the 29 other NATO members set to spend less of their GDP on defence than Canada.
Defence Minister Anita Anand says this morning that the government has committed to increase defence spending, noting a federal budget will be presented next week.
– The Canadian Press
1:30 p.m. ET
UN struggling to aid cities in south Ukraine
A service member of pro-Russian troops walks near an apartment building destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 28, 2022.ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/Reuters
The UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine says the United Nations and its partners have delivered supplies for thousands of people in the country’s northeast but have been unable to reach some encircled cities in the south.
Osnat Lubrani said Thursday that food rations from the humanitarian organization People in Need and the UN World Food Program will benefit nearly 6,000 people in Sumy and areas including Trostianets and Okhtyrka.
In addition, she said, basic household items including blankets and kettles from the U.N. refugee agency will support 1,500 people and sanitation kits will help 6,000 people with hygiene and drinking water.
Lubrani said medical supplies and trauma kits from the U.N. World Health Organization will treat 150 patients needing intensive care for serious injuries while other medical supplies will support 10,000 people for three months.
Shei said the UN-facilitated humanitarian notification system with Ukraine and Russia enabled safe passage for the convoy to Sumy on Thursday “but this is clearly not enough.” Efforts over the past month to reach Mauripol, Kherson and other encircled cities in the south have been unsuccessful because of safety concerns.
– The Associated Press
1:15 p.m. ET
UN nuclear watchdog chief arrives in Russia
The UN nuclear watchdog says its director-general has arrived in Russia’s Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad for talks with senior Russian officials.
The International Atomic Energy Agency didn’t specify in a tweet whom exactly Rafael Mariano Grossi will meet on Friday or give further details of his agenda.
He arrived in Kaliningrad Thursday following a visit to Ukraine, where he visited a nuclear power plant and conferred with the energy minister and other officials on efforts to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
Ukraine has 15 active nuclear reactors at four plants — one of which, at Zaporizhzhia, is under the Russian military’s control.
– The Associated Press
12:40 p.m. ET
Putin threatens to halt a third of European gas contacts unless they are paid in rubles
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with government members via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, March 23, 2022.SPUTNIK/Reuters
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin threatened on Thursday to halt contracts supplying Europe with a third of its gas unless they are paid in rubles, his strongest economic riposte so far to crushing Western sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine.
The continent’s biggest recipient of Russian gas, Germany, called the ultimatum for Friday “blackmail.”
But Moscow did offer a mechanism for buyers to obtain rubles by sending foreign currency to a Russian bank.
The energy showdown has huge ramifications.
Europe wants to wean itself off Russian energy but that risks further inflating soaring fuel prices. Russia has a huge revenue source at stake even as it reels from sanctions.
– Reuters
12:04 a.m. ET
Russia to give $1.2 billion to help domestic airlines and flights
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would provide domestic airlines with 100 billion rubles ($1.25 billion) in support to help them deal with the consequences of international sanctions.
In televised remarks at the end of a meeting with representatives of airlines and aircraft manufacturers, he said domestic flights would receive government subsidies in 2022.
The world’s 11th largest aviation market is under severe pressure as the United States and Europe on one side and Russia on the other have each closed their airspace to the other’s airlines. In addition, Russian airlines can no longer buy parts or maintenance services from Europe or the United States.
Because of the sanctions, imposed in response to Russia’s decision to send its armed forces into Ukraine, Western aircraft lessors have also been forced to terminate contracts under which Russian airlines were leasing more than 500 aircraft.
Putin said he had instructed the government to work out measures to ease the burden of leasing payments on the airlines.
– Reuters
11:43 a.m ET
Russian forces leaving Chernobyl after radiation exposure
In this 2018 file photo, a general view shows the New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure over the old sarcophagus covering the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.GLEB GARANICH/Reuters
Russian troops began leaving the Chernobyl nuclear plant after soldiers got “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches at the highly contaminated site, Ukraine’s state power company said Thursday as heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts.
Energoatom, the operator, gave no immediate details on the condition of the troops or how many were affected. But it said the Russians had dug in the forest inside the exclusion zone around the now-closed plant, the site in 1986 of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
The troops “panicked at the first sign of illness,” which “showed up very quickly,” and began to prepare to leave, Energoatom said.
The Russians seized the Chernobyl site in the opening stages of the Feb. 24 invasion, raising fears that they would cause damage or disruption that could spread radiation. The work force at the site oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the concrete-entombed ruins of the exploded reactor.
The pullout came amid continued fighting and indications that the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is seeing “a buildup of Russian forces for new strikes on the Donbas, and we are preparing for that.”
– The Associated Press
11:09 a.m. ET
Kremlin decree allows foreign currency for gas
A Kremlin decree says “unfriendly countries” can continue to pay for natural gas in foreign currency through a Russian bank that will convert the money into rubles.
The decree published Thursday by state media came a day after the leaders of Italy and Germany said they received assurances from President Vladimir Putin.
Putin talked tougher, saying Russia will start accepting ruble payments starting Friday for Western countries that imposed sanctions over its conflict with Ukraine. He said contracts will be stopped if buyers don’t sign up to the new conditions, including opening ruble accounts in Russian banks.
European leaders had rejected paying for deliveries in rubles, saying it would undermine sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.
The decree Putin signed and published by state news agency RIA Novosti says a designated bank will open two accounts for each buyer, one in foreign currency and one in rubles. The buyers will pay in foreign currency and authorize the bank to sell that currency for rubles, which are placed in the second account, where the gas is formally purchased.
– The Associated Press
9:43 a.m. ET
Heavy fighting rages near Kyiv as Russia appears to regroup
A family rebuild their house after a military strike hit their neighborhood, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, March 31, 2022.NACHO DOCE/Reuters
Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones Thursday amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an early morning video address that Ukraine is seeing “a buildup of Russian forces for new strikes on the Donbas, and we are preparing for that.”
Meanwhile, a convoy of buses headed to Mariupol in another bid to evacuate people from the besieged port city after the Russian military agreed to a limited ceasefire in the area. And a new round of talks aimed at stopping the fighting was scheduled for Friday.
The Red Cross said its teams were headed for Mariupol with relief and medical supplies and hoped to help pull civilians out of the beleaguered city. Tens of thousands have managed to get out in the past few weeks by way of humanitarian corridors, reducing the city’s population from a pre-war 430,000 to an estimated 100,000, but other efforts have been thwarted by continued Russian attacks.
At the same time, Russian forces shelled suburbs of the capital that Ukraine recently retook control of, a regional official said, two days after the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back operations near Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.”
Britain’s Defense Ministry also confirmed “significant Russian shelling and missile strikes” around Chernihiv. The area’s governor, Viacheslav Chaus, said Russian troops were on the move but may not be withdrawing.
Russia’s Defense Ministry also reported new strikes on Ukrainian fuel stores late Wednesday, and Ukrainian officials said there were artillery barrages in and around the northeastern city of Kharkiv over the past day.
Despite the fighting raging in those areas, the Russian military said it committed to a ceasefire along the route from Mariupol to the Ukraine-held city of Zaporizhzhia.
– The Associated Press
8:47 a.m. ET
Death toll rises to 20 in strike on Mykolaiv government building
This handout picture released on March 30, 2022 by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine shows rescuers conducting search operations and dismantling the debris of a government building in Mykolaiv, which was hit by Russian rockets on Tuesday.STR/AFP/Getty Images
The Ukrainian emergency services say the death toll after a Russian missile strike Tuesday on the regional government headquarters in the southern city of Mykolaiv has risen to 20.
The emergency services said rescuers had now found 19 bodies in the ruins since the strike devastated the government building Tuesday morning. One other person died in hospital.
The regional governor accused Russia of waiting until people arrived for work before striking the building.
Emergency services said they are still working at the scene.
– Associated Press
8:11 a.m. ET
Russian troops not withdrawing but regrouping in Ukraine, NATO says
Service members of pro-Russian troops are seen atop of an armoured vehicle in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 30, 2022.ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/Reuters
Russian forces in Ukraine are not withdrawing but regrouping, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, commenting on Moscow’s announcements about a scaling down of military operations around Kyiv.
Stoltenberg also said the alliance has yet to be convinced that Russia was negotiating in good faith in peace talks in Istanbul because Moscow’s military objective since launching its invasion of Ukraine has not changed.
“According to our intelligence, Russian units are not withdrawing but repositioning. Russia is trying to regroup, resupply and reinforce its offensive in the Donbas region,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.
Moscow says it is now focusing on “liberating” the Donbas region – two southeastern provinces partly controlled by separatists Russia has backed since 2014.
“At the same time, Russia maintains pressure on Kyiv and other cities. So we can expect additional offensive actions, bringing even more suffering.”
Russia says it launched a “special military operation” to disarm and “de-nazify” its neighbour, and that the mission is going to plan.
Stoltenberg said: “We have no real change in the real Russian objective … they continue to pursue a military outcome.”
He also said NATO allies would continue to provide weapons to Ukraine for as a long as necessary. Read full story
– Reuters
7:41 a.m ET
Convoy heads to Ukraine’s Mariupol to attempt evacuation
A convoy of buses headed to Mariupol on Thursday in another attempt to evacuate people from the besieged port city, while Russia pressed its attacks in several parts of Ukraine ahead of a planned new round of talks aimed at ending the fighting.
After the Russian military agreed to a limited ceasefire in the area, the Red Cross said its teams were travelling to Mariupol with relief and medical supplies and hoped to help pull civilians out of the beleaguered city on Friday. Previous attempts at establishing a similar humanitarian corridor have fallen apart.
Russian forces, meanwhile, shelled suburbs of the capital that Ukraine recently retook control of, a regional official said. New attacks in the area where Moscow had promised to de-escalate further undermined hopes of a resolution to end the war on the eve of a new round of talks. A day earlier, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian shelling on the outskirts of Kyiv and around another city where it had vowed to ease up.
Russia’s Defense Ministry also reported new strikes on Ukrainian fuel stores late Wednesday, and Ukrainian officials said there were artillery barrages in and around the northeastern city of Kharkiv over the past day.
Despite the fighting raging in those areas, the Russian military said it committed to a ceasefire along the route from Mariupol to the Ukraine-held city of Zaporizhzhia from Thursday morning.
– The Associated Press
7:11 a.m. ET
U.K. sanctions Russian media organizations, targeting disinformation
Britain on Thursday announced new sanctions against more than a dozen Russian entities, including state media organization RT.DADO RUVIC/Reuters
Britain on Thursday announced sanctions on 14 more Russian entities and people, including on state media organizations behind RT and Sputnik and some of their senior figures, saying it was targeting those who push out President Vladimir Putin’s “fake news and narratives.”
Britain is acting in concert with its Western allies to try to cripple Russia’s economy as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine, and has already sanctioned more than 1,000 individuals and businesses.
Among those sanctioned on Thursday were RT’s managing director Alexey Nikolov, Sergey Brilev, a prominent news anchor at the state-owned Rossiya Television and Radio network, and Sputnik’s Editor-in-Chief Anton Anisimov.
The government said it was also directly sanctioning state media organizations, including Kremlin funded TV-Novosti which owns RT, and Rossiya Segodnya, which controls news agency Sputnik.
“Putin’s war on Ukraine is based on a torrent of lies,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.
“Britain has helped lead the world in exposing Kremlin disinformation, and this latest batch of sanctions hits the shameless propagandists who push out Putin’s fake news and narratives.”
– Reuters
6:23 a.m. ET
Russia drafts 134,500 conscripts but says they won’t go to Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree ordering 134,500 new conscripts into the army as part of Russia’s annual spring draft, but the defence ministry said the call-up had nothing to do with the war in Ukraine.
The order came five weeks into Russia’s invasion, which has run into fierce Ukrainian resistance. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that none of those called up would be sent to any “hot spots.”
The issue of conscripts’ involvement in the war is highly sensitive. On March 9, the defence ministry acknowledged that some had been sent to Ukraine after Putin had denied this on various occasions, saying only professional soldiers and officers had been sent in.
Putin’s spokesman said at the time that the president had ordered military prosecutors to investigate and punish the officials responsible for disobeying his instructions to exclude conscripts.
The annual spring military draft, which runs from April 1 to July 15, will affect Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27, Putin’s decree said.
Shoigu said on Tuesday that those called up would begin to be dispatched to their assigned bases in late May.
“Most military personnel will undergo professional training in training centres for three to five months. Let me emphasize that recruits will not be sent to any hot spots,” he said in remarks published on his ministry’s website.
– Reuters
6:04 a.m. ET
Red Cross ready for Mariupol evacuation Friday
A charred car is seen in front of an apartment building destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 30, 2022.ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/Reuters
The International Committee of the Red Cross says its teams are ready to facilitate the evacuation of civilians out of the besieged city of Mariupol.
The Red Cross said “for logistics and security reasons, we’ll be ready to lead the safe passage operation tomorrow, Friday, provided all the parties agree to the exact terms, including the route, the start time, and the duration.”
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine is sending out several dozen buses to collect civilians from Mariupol after Russia’s military said it committed to a localized ceasefire from the city to Ukraine-held Zaporizhzhia from Thursday morning.
“It’s desperately important that this operation takes place. The lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it,” the Red Cross said.
– The Associated Press
5:57 a.m. ET
Turkey offers to host more Ukraine talks
Turkey’s top diplomat says Ankara is working to bring the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers together again for talks.
In an interview with Turkey’s A Haber channel, Mevlut Cavusoglu said the meeting could happen within two weeks.
His comments came days after Turkey hosted Ukrainian and Russian negotiators for face-to-face talks in Istanbul. Cavusoglu said decisions taken during the talks had not fully been put into effect on the ground.
“After this meeting some decisions were taken, especially concerning the reduction of tensions,” Cavusoglu said. “But we do not see these decisions being reflected on the field – for example, the removal of Russian soldiers from some areas.”
Asked about the presence of sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in the negotiations, Cavusoglu said the businessman was engaged in “useful” efforts to end the fighting.
“Abramovich has been sincerely making efforts to end the fighting since the first day of the war,” he said.
During the talks in Istanbul Tuesday, Ukraine set out a detailed framework for a peace deal under which the country would remain neutral but its security would be guaranteed by a group of third countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, Turkey, China and Poland.
– The Associated Press
5:42 a.m. ET
Ukraine expects Russian assault in east after invaders pushed back near Kyiv
Ukrainian forces are preparing for new Russian attacks in the southeast region where Moscow’s guns are now trained after its assault on the capital Kyiv was repelled, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
Five weeks into an invasion that has blasted cities into wastelands and created more than 4 million refugees, U.S. and European officials said Russian President Vladimir Putin was misled by his generals about the dire performance of Russia’s military.
Tough resistance by Ukrainian forces has prevented Russia from capturing any major city, including the capital Kyiv, which it assaulted with armoured columns from the northwest and east.
Moscow says it is now focusing on “liberating” the Donbas region – two southeastern provinces partly controlled by separatists Russia has backed since 2014.
In an early morning video address, Zelensky said Russian troop movements away from Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv were not a withdrawal but rather “the consequence of our defenders’ work.” Read full story.
– Reuters
5:38 a.m. ET
International Red Cross in Ukraine says it is a victim of a disinformation campaign
Taras Logginov, head of emergency response for the Ukrainian Red Cross, stands inside of the basement they use as a cover during air raid alerts Kyiv, Ukraine, March 30, 2022.ANTON SKYBA/The Globe and Mail
The head of the emergency response division of the Ukrainian Red Cross says efforts to help people affected by the war with Russia have been hampered by a controversy enveloping its international counterpart and its role in the conflict.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been accused of being overly co-operative with Moscow and criticized for considering opening an office in Rostov-on-Don, a city in southern Russia close to the Ukrainian border, which some say could be used to facilitate the expulsion of Ukrainians.
The president of the ICRC, Peter Maurer, has further infuriated critics by being photographed shaking hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after a recent meeting in Moscow.
This week a group of Ukrainian MPs appealed to the ICRC to reconsider its plans for the Russian office. More than 3,000 people, including representatives from dozens of Ukrainian humanitarian organizations, have signed an open letter to Mr. Maurer calling on his organization to do more to stop forced evacuations and work more effectively with local volunteers. And the Ukrainian Canadian Congress has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to raise concerns about the Rostov-on-Don office and question how donations to the Canadian Red Cross are being spent in Ukraine.
ICRC officials say the accusations are unfounded – that the Red Cross would never evacuate people against their will. The organization said it works with all sides in conflict zones to help those in need and always remains neutral.
– The Globe’s Paul Waldie, in Lviv