Live blog: Zelenskyy to meet top US officials in Kiev

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Zelenskyy to meet top US officials in Kiev

Ukraine's president has said he will meet with the US secretary of state and secretary of defence on Sunday in Kiev.

He did not immediately share more details about the visit from Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin. The White House and State Department declined to comment.

Zelenskyy has for weeks urged Western allies to send Ukraine more weapons to counter the Russian offensive.

Governor: Six civilians dies in Ukraine's Luhansk

At least six civilians have died in Russian shelling in the village of Girske in Ukraine's Luhansk region, its governor said.

"The village of Girske suffered heavy Russian shelling the entire day," Sergiy Gayday said on Telegram. 

"Six inhabitants of the village died."

Ukraine to pull out of talks if its soldiers killed in Mariupol: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Kiev will quit talks with Moscow if Russia eliminates Ukraine's soldiers in the city of Mariupol and holds referendums in occupied territories. 

"If our men are killed in Mariupol and if these pseudo-referendums are organised in the (southern) region of Kherson, then Ukraine will withdraw from any negotiation process," Zelenskyy told a news conference in Kiev.

Russia claims strike on depot stocking Western weapons near Odessa

Russia's defence ministry has said its troops have conducted a missile strike on a depot containing weapons delivered by the United States and European countries to Ukrainian forces near Odessa.

"Russian armed forces today disabled with high-precision and long-range missiles a logistics terminal at the military airfield near Odessa where a large batch of foreign weapons delivered by the United States and European countries were stored," it said in a statement.

The strike was among 22 Ukrainian military sites Russia targetted by missiles, including three arms and munitions depots near Ilichiovka and Kramatorsk, said the ministry.

Kiev meeting set with US officials: Zelenskyy

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Kiev on Sunday, the day the Russian offensive in Ukraine enters its third month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

"Tomorrow, the American officials are coming to visit us; I will meet the Defense Secretary (Lloyd Austin) and Antony Blinken," he told reporters.

It will be the first official visit by US government officials since the February 24 military operation.

UK confirms supply of vehicles, drones and anti-tank weapons to Ukraine

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to confirm Britain will supply fresh weaponry to support Ukraine's defence against Russia's offensive.

"The Prime Minister confirmed that the UK is providing more defensive military aid, including protected mobility vehicles, drones and anti-tank weapons," a readout of the call published by Johnson's office said.

Ukraine accuses Russia of thwarting new evacuation push from Mariupol

A new attempt to evacuate Ukrainian civilians from Mariupol has failed, an aide to the city's mayor said on his Telegram channel, blaming Russian forces.

The official said 200 residents of Mariupol had gathered to be evacuated, but that the Russian military told them to disperse and warned of possible shelling.

Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for repeated failures to evacuate people from Mariupol.

Missile strike kills five people in Ukraine's Odessa: official

At least five people have been killed and 18 injured in a missile strike on Ukraine's southern port city of Odessa, the president's chief of staff Andriy Yermak has said in an online post.

Ukraine's southern air command had earlier said that two missiles struck a military facility and two residential buildings in Odessa.

Nearly 5.2M Ukrainians flee conflict: UN

The number of Ukrainians who have fled the country since Russia's offensive is approaching 5.2 million, the UN refugee agency has said.

The total 5,163,686 figure is an increase of 29,939 over Thursday's data, UNHCR said. Some 1,128,000 Ukrainians have left during April so far, compared with 3.4 million for the whole of March.

Women and children account for 90 percent of those who fled abroad, with men aged 18 to 60 eligible for military call-up unable to leave.

21,600 Russian troops killed so far: Ukraine

At least 21,600 Russian soldiers have so far been killed in Ukraine, the Ukrainian military has claimed.

In addition, the Ukrainian troops destroyed 854 Russian tanks, 2,205 armored personnel vehicles, 403 artillery systems, 143 multiple launch rocket systems and four short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) systems, the Ukrainian General Staff announced in a statement.

The Ukrainian forces also destroyed 177 aircraft, 154 helicopters, 182 UAVs of operational-tactical level and eight naval vessels, among other weapon systems, the statement added.

A third of gas exports to Europe via Ukraine in danger due to Russian forces - Naftogaz

One third of gas exports from Russia to the European Union via Ukraine could be lost if Russian forces continue disrupting operations in newly occupied areas, the head of Ukraine's state energy firm Naftogaz has said.

Russia is the 27-nation EU's top gas supplier and its offensive in Ukraine has raised concerns about possible disruptions, which sent prices to record highs in March.

Governors: 'Fierce battles' in eastern Ukraine

Authorities in two eastern Ukrainian regions have said that fighting with Russian forces is "fierce", as hope fades for a truce over Orthodox Easter weekend.

The governor of the eastern Kharkiv region, Oleg Sinegubov, said on Telegram that Kiev retook three villages near the Russian border after "fierce battles". "Our units kicked Russian troops out of the settlements of Bezruki, Slatine, Prudyanka," he said, adding that the Ukrainian forced "secured their positions".

The governor of the neighbouring Luhansk region, Sergiy Gaiday, said in a video on Telegram that fighting also raged there. "There is round the clock shelling," Gaiday said, adding that Russian forces "continue to attack" the cities of Rubizhne and Severodonetsk.

Missile strikes infrastructure of Ukraine's Odessa: city council

A missile has struck infrastructure in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, the local authorities has said in an online statement without giving further details.

"Odessa was hit by a missile strike. Infrastructure has been hit," the statement said.

Lviv announces curfew starting Easter night

Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy has announced a curfew starting on Orthodox Easter night.

Citing “new intelligence,” Kozytskyy said the curfew would run from 11PM Saturday to 5AM Sunday, and then every day between those hours until further notice.

“Unfortunately, the enemy doesn’t have such a concept as a major religious holiday,” Kozytskyy wrote. “They are so beastly that they don’t understand what Easter is.”

Artillery strike kills two civilians in Ukraine's Luhansk region: governor

An artillery strike on the front line town of Zolote in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region killed two civilians and wounded two others, Governor Sergiy Gaiday said in an online post.

Russia resumes offensive against Ukrainian forces: official

Russian forces have resumed air strikes on and are trying to storm the Azovstal steel works where Ukraine's remaining forces in Mariupol are holding out, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has said.

"The enemy is trying to strangle the final resistance of the defenders of Mariupol in the Azovstal area," Arestovych said on national television.

Video shows civilians in underground shelters 

A video released by the Azov regiment of Ukraine’s National Guard, part of a group currently holed up in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, shows women and children sheltering underground.

Some of them have been hiding in the plant’s tunnels for up to two months. “We want to see peaceful skies, we want to breathe in fresh air,” said one woman in the video.

Another young girl in the video says she and her relatives left home on Feb. 27. Since then, they have seen “neither the sky, nor the sun.” “We really want to get out of here safely, so that no one gets hurt,” the girl pleads.

Two killed in Russian shelling

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov says two people were killed and 19 more wounded by Russian shelling.

Synehubov said on the messaging app Telegram that over the past day Russian forces fired at the region’s civilian infrastructure 56 times.

Kharkiv, which is near the front lines, has faced repeated shelling from Russian forces.

Ukraine to evacuate Mariupol civilians

Ukraine will make a new attempt to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, the heavily destroyed city largely controlled by Russian forces, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said.

"Today we will again try to evacuate women, children and the elderly," Vereshchuk said on Telegram, calling for people to gather on the motorway close to the Port City shopping centre in the city. 

"If everything happens as planned, we will start the evacuation around noon."

Russia shoots down Ukrainian fighter jet in Kharkiv region

Russia's defence ministry has said that its forces had shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet and destroyed three MI-8 helicopters at an airfield in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.

There was no immediate reaction from Ukraine regarding the Russian claims.

Russian shelling of Luhansk's cities intensifies: official

All the Ukrainian-controlled cities in the eastern region of Luhansk were constantly being shelled by Russian forces and the barrage was intensifying, the region's governor Sergiy Gaiday has said on television.

He said Ukrainian forces were leaving some settlements there in order to regroup, but that the move did not amount to a critical setback. Russia denies targeting civilian areas.

Ukraine: Russian offensive continues in east

The Ukraine military's general staff has that Russian forces continue their "offensive operations" in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces in the past 24 hours repelled eight Russian attacks in the Donbass region, destroying nine tanks, 18 armoured units and 13 vehicles, a tanker and three artillery systems, the general staff said on its Facebook page.

Russian forces continue to partially block and shell Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, and are active in the area of Izyum, the update said.

Russian forces made no major gains in the last 24 hours: UK

Russian forces have made no major gains in the last 24 hours despite increased activity, as Ukrainian counterattacks continue to hinder their efforts, British military intelligence has said.

Despite Russia's claimed conquest of the port city of Mariupol, heavy fighting continues to frustrate Moscow's attempts to capture the city, impeding their progress in the Donbass region, the Ministry of Defence tweeted.

Russia's air and maritime forces have not established control in either domain owing to the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air and sea defences, it said.

Zelenskyy: Russia eyes other countries after Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia's offensive on his country was just the beginning and that Moscow has designs on capturing other countries after a Russian general said it wants full control over southern Ukraine that would give it access to Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova in the west.

"All the nations that, like us, believe in the victory of life over death must fight with us. They must help us because we are the first in line. And who will come next?" Zelenskyy said in a video address.

US 'absolutely' will re-open its embassy in Kiev

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said that he "absolutely" expected the United States would eventually re-open its embassy in Ukraine, but stopped short of predicting when that would happen.

"It will happen, absolutely, but we will wait," Shmyhal told reporters at a conclusion of a visit to Washington, DC, when asked whether he had received assurances from the United States that it would re-open its embassy.

Britain announced on Friday it would reopen its embassy in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev next week, joining other European countries that have announced such plans after Russian forces withdrew from the country's north in the face of strong Ukrainian resistance.

Ukraine: Negotiations for guarantees will be finished in week

Ukraine's negotiations with partner countries on security guarantees will be completed within one week, a senior Ukrainian official has said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, the top negotiator and adviser to Ukraine’s president, said consultations at the level of political advisers continue with potential guarantor countries.

"Of course, there will be different guarantees. The procurement of weapons, the closure of the airspace, military consultations, and funds for the purchase of additional weapons are important for us. I think the talks on these issues can be completed in a week at the most," said Podolyak.

Maxar: Images show new mass grave in Mariupol

Satellite photos released by Maxar Technologies have revealed what appeared to be a second mass grave site excavated recently near Mariupol. The site at a cemetery in the town of Vynohradne has several newly dug parallel trenches measuring about 40 metres (13 1 feet) long, Maxar said in a statement.

A day earlier, Maxar made public satellite photos of what appeared to be rows upon rows of more than 200 freshly dug mass graves next to a cemetery in the town of Manhush, outside Mariupol. That prompted Ukrainian accusations that the Russians are trying to conceal the slaughter of civilians in the city.

“This confirms again that the occupiers arrange the collection, burial and cremation of dead residents in every district of the city,” Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the Mariupol mayor, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Governor: At least three civilians killed, seven injured in Donetsk

At least three civilians died and seven more were injured in shelling attacks in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, as Russian forces continue to roll into the country’s industrial east, the governor of the region said in a Telegram post.

Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko blamed the deaths of “three more peaceful residents” in a small town and two villages on Russian shelling.

In a separate Telegram post earlier, Kyrylenko said that as of Friday afternoon, Russians had opened fire at 20 settlements in the region and destroyed or damaged 34 civilian infrastructure facilities.

US to host meeting in Germany for Ukraine's capability

The Pentagon has invited 40 allies to meet in Germany next week to discuss Ukraine's longer-term security needs even as Kiev continues to battle Russian forces in the country's east and south.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said defence ministers and senior generals of 20 countries, NATO and non-NATO members, have already accepted the invitation from US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for the meeting on Tuesday at the US-controlled Ramstein Air Base in western Germany.

"It's really largely about modernising and making sure their [Ukrainian] military is still potent and capable going forward. It's not about security guarantees, it's about their actual military posture," Kirby told reporters.

Guterres to meet Putin, Zelenskyy

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine next week after a stop in Moscow to confer with President Vladimir Putin about the offensive, the UN has said.

Guterres will see Zelenskyy and Ukraine's foreign minister on Thursday, two days after visiting Moscow, the United Nations said in a statement.

"At this time of great peril and consequence, he would like to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said this week.

Moldova summons Russian envoy, calls respect on neutrality

The Moldovan foreign ministry said it had summoned Moscow's ambassador to express "deep concern" about comments by a top military commander, who suggested the country's Russian-speaking population was being oppressed.

"These statements are unfounded," the foreign ministry said on its website.

"Moldova ... is a neutral state and this principle must be respected by all international actors, including the Russian Federation."

For live updates from Friday (April 22), click here