Mariupol looks close to falling under Russian control after a fierce battle for the key port city. Russia’s defense ministry says it has cleared urban areas of Ukrainian forces and issued an ultimatum at 3 a.m. GMT “Surrender or Die” to other defenders it claims were caught in a steel plant. If it falls, it will be the first capture of a large city from Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that the situation in Mariupol remains “extremely difficult”, but did not admit it could fall. He warned that peace talks would be suspended if Russia killed the city’s other defenders. “The elimination of our troops, of our people (in Mariupol) will put an end to all negotiations,” he said.
Zelensky spoke on Saturday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who praised the “courage” of Ukraine’s defenders and vowed to “continue to provide the means to defend Ukraine.”
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has traveled to Kyiv in a bid to resume peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, according to Bloomberg. The report, based on unnamed sources, says Abramovich met with Ukrainian negotiators in a bid to save the weakening talks.
Russia has resumed scattered rocket attacks on Kyiv and western cities in Ukraine, with reports of civilian deaths in Kharkiv and the capital. Russia has warned it will step up its missile bombings following the sinking of its flagship missile cruiser, Moscow.
The mayor of Irpin, in the western part of Kyiv, says more than 70% of the city’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed by Russian forces, according to the Kyiv Independent. In a Telegram publication, Alexander Markushin said a UN study based on satellite data showed that 115 buildings were completely destroyed, 698 were significantly damaged and 187 were partially damaged.
The upcoming sixth round of EU sanctions against Russia will target oil and banks, particularly Sberbank, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. The EU has so far spared Sberbank because, together with Gazprombank, it is one of the main payment channels for Russian oil and gas.
The President of Ukraine warned that the world “must prepare” for the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons. He told reporters in Kyiv that “we should not wait for the moment” that Russia has used chemical or nuclear weapons. “[They] “I can use any weapon, I’m convinced of that,” he said.
Russia’s foreign ministry has banned Johnson and other politicians and members of the British government from entering the country in response to the government’s “hostile actions”, including sanctions. The Kremlin has said it will expand restrictions on British politicians over what it calls a “wave of anti-Russian hysteria.”
The number of people evacuated from Ukrainian cities along humanitarian corridors decreased significantly on Saturday compared to the previous day. A total of 1,449 people were evacuated, less than 2,864 who fled on Friday.
Pope Francis condemned the “darkness and cruelty of war” in his Easter sermon at the Vatican. Francis said his prayers were with four Ukrainian politicians at the rally, including the mayor of the occupied city of Melitopol, and “for all those who suffer.”
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