Live blog: Ukraine’s FM calls Putin 'political animal' who can 'sense fear'

Sunday, April 28, 2024

1428 GMT — Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a “political animal” who can “sense fear,” as he urged Kiev’s partners to believe in his country’s “victory.”

“What we do need is (for) our partners to believe firmly that Ukraine’s victory is attainable. And second, to have no fear towards Putin, because Putin is a political animal who can sense fear and when he does, he becomes more aggressive,” Kuleba said in an interview with CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour.

Kuleba added that Putin would be “forced to step back” if he saw the strength of Ukraine’s partners in backing Kiev, especially after the recent US military aid package.

Ukraine’s top diplomat said it was “good to have America back” after the $60.8 billion military aid bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this week.

“It’s better when good things happen later than do not happen at all. But I do agree that this package should have been passed much, much earlier, and things would turn differently on many accounts,” Kuleba went on to say.

“What we do not see on this package is a battery of Patriots, but we keep working with the US administration on mobilizing more batteries from other countries in short perspective,” Kuleba added.

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1433 GMT — Russian drones set a Black Sea hotel ablaze as Ukraine army chief warns about front line pressure

Russian drones early Sunday struck the Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, setting a hotel ablaze and damaging energy infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said, while the army chief warned of a worsening situation as his forces wait for much-needed arms from a huge US aid package to reach the front lines.

Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv province, said that Russian drones “seriously damaged” a hotel in its namesake capital, sparking a fire that was later extinguished. Kim also reported that the strike damaged heat-generating infrastructure in the city. He added that there were no casualties.

Russian state agency RIA reported that the strike on Mykolaiv targeted a shipyard where naval drones are assembled, as well as a hotel housing “English-speaking mercenaries” who have fought for Kiev. The RIA report cited Sergei Lebedev, described as a coordinator of local pro-Moscow guerrillas. His comments couldn't be independently verified.

1350 GMT -- Ukraine army commander says situation 'worsened'

The commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces said Sunday Kiev's position on the frontline had deteriorated and that Russia had made a number of recent battlefield gains.

"The situation at the front has worsened," Oleksandr Syrsky said in a Facebook post.

He said Ukrainian troops had "retreated" to new defensive lines further to the west in some areas, conceding the loss of territory to the advancing Russians.

"The enemy has concentrated its main efforts in several sectors, creating a significant advantage in forces and means," he said.

Russia had secured "tactical successes in some sectors," he admitted.

1045 GMT — Russia claims forces captured village near Donetsk

Russian forces have taken over the village of Novobakhmutivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region, close to Ocheretyne, which has become a focal point of fighting in recent days, the Interfax news agency cited Russia's defence ministry as saying

Russian forces also repelled a series of Ukrainian counter-attacks near Chasiv Yar, the ministry said, another key point in the region where the sides have clashed repeatedly.

0945 GMT — Russia threatens West with severe response if its assets are touched

Russian officials have threatened the West with a "severe" response in the event that frozen Russian assets are confiscated, promising "endless" legal challenges and tit-for-tat measures.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia would never cede territories seized from Ukraine in exchange for the return of frozen assets.

"Our motherland is not for sale," Zakharova wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

"An Russian assets must remain untouched because otherwise there will be a severe response to Western thievery. Many in the West have already understood this. Alas, not everyone."

0858 GMT — Three killed by shelling in Russian-held parts of Ukraine: Russian official

Two people have been killed when Ukrainian forces shelled the town of Pologi in the Russian-held part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, Oleg Melnichenko, the governor of Russia's Penza region, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Separately, Russia's TASS news agency cited the authorities in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Donetsk region as saying one person was killed by Ukrainian shelling in the village of Oleksandrivka.

0513 GMT — Russia drone attack damages hotel in Mykolaiv: Ukraine

A Russian drone attack has heavily damaged a hotel in Ukraine's southern city of Mykolaiv, the governor of the broader Mykolaiv region said, with Russia's RIA news agency reporting the hotel housed English-speaking mercenaries fighting in Ukraine.

"The enemy attacked the city with an unmanned aerial vehicle of the 'Shahed-131/136' type," Mykolaiv's governor, Vitaly Kim, said on the Telegram messaging app.

"As a result, a hotel building was heavily damaged, a fire broke out, which was quickly extinguished ... There are no casualties."

0414 GMT — Russia 'destroyed' 17 drones launched by Ukraine

Russia's air defence systems have destroyed over its territory 17 drones launched by Ukraine, Russia's defence ministry said.

Nine of the drones were destroyed over the territory of the Bryansk region, three over the Kursk region, two over the Belgorod region and three over the Kaluga region, the ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

0059 GMT — Blasts erupt in western Ukraine, air raid sirens blare in region

Explosions have erupted in western Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region, Ukrainian news channel Channel 24 has reported, according to Russia-based TASS news agency.

No details regarding the cause or specific location of the explosions have been released as of yet.

An air raid warning has been issued for the Khmelnytskyi region.

The development comes amidst the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

For our live updates from Saturday, April 27, click here.