Russia is hiding evidence of its “barbaric” war crimes in Mariupol by burying the bodies of civilians killed in a new mass grave, the mayor said after a US satellite imagery company released photos that appeared to match the site.
US officials have rejected Vladimir Putin’s claim that his forces “liberated” the port city of Mariupol as misinformation. The Russian president made the claim despite his defense minister’s acknowledgment that the Russian military is still fighting thousands of Ukrainian soldiers hiding at the Azovstal steel plant.
Western officials have said Putin is “still in a position to win” in Ukraine, although he has failed to achieve his pre-war goals. Russia has begun to address some of the problems that hindered its military at the start of the invasion, an official said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia has rejected the proposed Easter truce, but continues to hope for prospects for peace. Earlier this week, Russia rejected the same request from the United Nations, saying it was not “sincere” and would give Ukrainian fighters more time to arm themselves.
Zelensky also told World Bank and IMF leaders that Ukraine would need “hundreds of billions of dollars” to recover from the war. Ukraine needs $ 7 billion a month to sustain its economy amid “economic losses” from Russia, Zelensky said via video link. He also proposed a special military tax for Russia. World Bank President David Malpas said the physical damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure had reached $ 60 billion.
Ukraine’s chief prosecutor, Irina Venediktov, confirmed that war crimes experts are helping Ukraine “ensure the inevitability of Russia’s responsibility.” The United States has said it is also in contact with Ukraine’s prosecutor and is helping to preserve and gather evidence of war crimes committed by Russia, said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine apologized to the residents of Mariupol for the unsuccessful efforts to evacuate from the besieged port city. She added that the authorities would not give up. Authorities estimate that 100,000 people are currently trapped in the city.
The US Secretary of Defense will host defense talks aimed at Ukraine with allies in Germany next week, the Pentagon confirmed. Lloyd Austin will meet with allies on April 26 at Rammstein Air Force Base in southwestern Germany, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. The Pentagon has also confirmed that the recently discovered Ghost drones are part of America’s latest weapons package for Ukraine.
Russia has imposed “indefinite” travel bans on US Vice President Kamala Harris and Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, as well as on dozens of prominent Americans and Canadians in retaliation for sanctions against Ukraine. Russia’s foreign ministry has said that travel restrictions for 29 Americans and 61 Canadians – including defense officials, business leaders and journalists from both countries – will remain in effect indefinitely.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has revealed that dozens of Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in Britain, learning how to use 120 British armored vehicles before returning with them to fight in the war against Russia. British forces are also training Ukrainian counterparts in Poland on how to use anti-aircraft missiles, the prime minister said.
About 120,000 civilians are blocked from leaving Mariupol, Zelenski said. Three school buses full of people from Mariupol arrived in Zaporozhye today after passing through Russian-held territory, but Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said the number of evacuees was much smaller than expected.
Russian forces seized dozens of villages in the eastern Donetsk region on Thursday, Zelensky’s assistant chief of staff said.
The bodies of 1,020 civilians are being stored in morgues in and around Kyiv after the withdrawal of Russian troops, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina told AFP. Her comments came after police said they found the remains of nine civilians in the town of Borodyanka, 54km (34 miles) from the capital, buried in municipal graves and showing traces of torture.
The parliaments of Estonia and Latvia have recognized Russia’s actions in Ukraine as “genocide”. In a statement, the Estonian parliament said that Russian troops in the temporarily occupied territories had committed “acts of genocide” against the civilian population, including “killings, enforced disappearances, deportations, imprisonment, torture, rape and desecration of corpses”.
Joe Biden said the United States would provide another $ 800 million (£ 614 million) in a package of military aid to Ukraine to “further complement Ukraine’s ability to fight east in the Donbass region.” The new supply of American weapons will include 72 howitzers and their towing vehicles, along with 144,000 artillery shells and more than 120 drones tailored to Ukraine’s needs. Biden also announced that the United States will accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees under a new program.
Russian troops have used a number of weapons widely banned around the world that have killed hundreds of civilians in Ukraine’s Kyiv region, according to a Guardian study. Evidence gathered during a visit to Bucha, Hostomel and Borodyanka shows that Russian troops used cluster munitions, cluster bombs and extremely powerful unguided bombs in populated areas that destroyed at least eight civilian buildings.
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