(Francisco Seco / AP)
Russian forces have launched attacks on several targets that appear to be related to the transportation of military equipment to Ukraine. They include three railway substations damaged by missile strikes in the western city of Lviv, a local official said.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military has released videos showing the destruction of Russian military vehicles in the eastern Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, as well as an attack on an obvious Russian military position on Snake Island in the Black Sea.
Here’s what you need to know:
Four evacuation corridors are planned: Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk announced four planned evacuation corridors to the city of Zaporizhia on Wednesday, “if the security situation allows.” They will allow evacuation from Mariupol, Lunacharsky Circle, Tokmak and Vasilivka, Vereshchuk said. President Vladimir Zelensky said in an address Tuesday night that 156 people had arrived in Zaporozhye from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
Russian-backed high-ranking official visits Mariupol: Denis Pushilin, leader of the Russian-backed separatist region of Donetsk, becomes the first known Russian-backed Russian-backed official to visit the besieged Ukrainian city, according to photos in his Telegram channel. The visit is the first major sign of the upcoming Russification of Mariupol.
At least 290 civilian bodies found in Irpin after Russia’s withdrawal: The bodies of 290 civilians were found in the city of Irpin, outside Kyiv, after the withdrawal of Russian forces, Irpin Mayor Alexander Markushin said on Tuesday. Markushin said 185 of the dead had been identified and most were men. The cause of death was “shrapnel and gunshot wounds.”
The United States hopes to attract highly qualified Russians: US President Joe Biden has asked the US Congress to amend the Immigration and Citizenship Act to make it easier for highly educated Russians to obtain visas to work in the United States. Tens of thousands of highly educated Russians have reportedly fled Russia since the war, and the US administration hopes to take advantage of the brain drain, officials said.
Biden administration says it will not allow Russia to “co-opt” Victory Day: White House Senior Europe Security Council senior director Amanda Sloat told CNN that the Biden administration does not want to allow Putin to “co-opt” “Victory Day on Monday until linking it to the invasion of Ukraine. She declined to assess intelligence suggesting Putin could use the holiday to garner support for his invasion of Ukraine, including possible steps to formally declare war on a neighbor or annex the Donbass and Luhansk regions.
Two-hour conversation between Macron and Putin: French President Emmanuel Macron held a conversation with Putin that lasted more than two hours, the Elysee Palace said on Tuesday. Macron warned Putin of the consequences of the war and called for an end to the “devastating aggression,” it said. Macron also “expressed his deep concern about Mariupol” and the situation in the Donbass region.
Diplomatic dispute between Israel and Russia: Russia accused Israel of supporting the “neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv” on Tuesday, raising stakes in the diplomatic dispute between Moscow and the Jewish state over Ukraine, anti-Semitism and Adolf Hitler. The indictment potentially increases pressure on Israel, which has voted at the UN to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but has not fully joined Western sanctions against Moscow or failed to supply Ukraine with weapons.
US classifies WNBA player as “illegal detainee” in Russia: US State Department has already classified WNBA toy Britney Greener as illegal detainee in Russia and her case is now being considered by the office of US President’s Special Envoy for Hostages Roger Carstens , a State Department official confirmed to CNN. The SPEHA office directs and coordinates diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Americans wrongfully detained abroad. This played an important role in securing the release of American Trevor Reed from Russia last week.
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