Even though US President Joe Biden declares that "there is no evidence", the Russians are claiming the conquest of Mariupol. "The city is under Russian control," says Russian Defense Minister Sergej Shoigu, quoted by Interfax. About 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are still besieged in the Azovstal steel plant and remain barricaded inside the steel center, while about 142,000 civilians have been evacuated from the city, he added.
Vladimir Putin canceled the operation to storm the steel mill to "save the life of the troops" and asked those in there to surrender: "Those who surrender will have their lives spared," he said, defining "a Mariupol's “liberation” happened. He also imposed the blockade of the steel mill so that "a fly cannot pass".
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshcuk calls for an "urgent humanitarian corridor" from the steel plant, where there would be "a thousand civilians and 500 wounded soldiers to be evacuated".
The announcement of the alleged capture of Mariupol comes on the day when Kiev proposed a "special session of negotiations" in Moscow in the city that symbolizes martyrdom. In Mariupol, the Russian forces are preparing a military parade in grand style on May 9, the day of victory against the Nazis during the Second World War. And the Soviet red flag is already flying in several occupied cities, from Kherson to Kreminna.
On the aid front, weapons and ammunition "will flow every day to help Ukrainians defend themselves from Russian aggression", assured Joe Biden, receiving Zelensky's applause: "Our partners have begun to understand what we need and when. we need it now ”, commented the Ukrainian president. Aid to Kiev of 1.3 billion dollars has been announced from the US: 800 million for military support and 500 million for financial support.
Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke again on the economic war, stating that Beijing "opposes unilateral sanctions, double standards and long-arm jurisdiction".
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Here is the news by the hour.
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7.45 pm - The CEO of the Azovstal steel mill: "Close to the catastrophe"
The situation at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol is "close to a catastrophe". Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the CEO of the company that owns the plant, told CNN. "When the war started we had stored a good supply of food and water in the air raid shelters and in the plant facilities - he explained -. Unfortunately, everything tends to run out, especially food and daily needs. I think now it is close to a catastrophe ". A hotline has been established for steel mill employees, he added, and 4,500 have been in contact so far, while about 6,000 have yet to be traced.
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18.20 - New drones from the US in Kiev
The US aviation has created new drones specifically to meet the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces. The Pentagon spokesman told CNN. This is the Phoenix Ghost system of which the United States will send 121 pieces in the next weapons package. Compared to the Switchblades, the so-called 'kamikaze drones already sent by the United States, these have a wider "range", Kirby said without giving any further details.
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5.50 pm - Exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine
New exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, the sixth since the beginning of the war. According to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, quoted by The Kyiv Independent, two officers, eight soldiers and nine civilians were released by the Russians. Some are injured. Vereshchuk did not disclose the number of Russian POWs Ukraine has sent to Russia in exchange.
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5.15 pm - Russia sanctions Zuckerberg and Kamala Harris
Russia has imposed sanctions on 29 US officials, businessmen and journalists, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Other sanctions were imposed on 61 Canadian citizens. This was announced by the Moscow Foreign Ministry, quoted by TASS.
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16.20 - Biden: "There is no evidence of Mariupol's fall"
Joe Biden, in a press conference at the White House, questioned that Mariupol has completely fallen into Russian hands: "There is no evidence." "Putin will not win but in Ukraine - he added - he will never be able to occupy it completely". The US, however, "will never give up fighting against tyrants".
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15.20 - From the US also 500 million in financial aid to Kiev
The US Treasury Department has announced a new $ 500 million financial aid package for Ukraine.
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3 pm - Biden announces another 800 million dollars in military aid
Joe Biden will announce an additional $ 800 million US military aid package to Ukraine. This was reported by a senior executive in the American administration. The president will make the announcement from the White House before flying to Portland, Oregon.
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2.40 pm - Kiev: "The Russians are not advancing in Lugansk"
The Russian army has failed to advance in the last 24 hours both in the Lugansk region and in the direction of Gulyai Pole, in the province of Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine. This was stated by the advisor to the head of the office of the Ukrainian President Oleksiy Arestovych, quoted by Ukrinform.
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14.10 - Moscow orders the closure of Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian consulates
Moscow has ordered the closure of the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian consulates in Russia as a retaliatory measure: the Foreign Ministry has announced, reports Sky News. Earlier this month Latvia and Estonia had ordered the closure of two Russian consulates each due to the invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, Lithuania had expelled the Russian ambassador after Ukraine accused Russian forces of killing civilians in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kiev. The Russian Foreign Ministry specified in a statement that the Latvian consulates in St. Petersburg and Pskov, the Estonian consulate in St. Petersburg and its office in Pskov, as well as the Lithuanian consulate in St. Petersburg will be closed.
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13.45 - Estonia recognizes Russian actions as genocide
Estonia has today become the first country to officially recognize Russia's actions in Ukraine as genocide. The Kyiv Independent reports it. "The Estonian Parliament passed a resolution defining the aggression of Russia and subsequent war crimes against Ukraine as an act of genocide and urged other countries to do the same," writes the newspaper in a tweet.
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1.15 pm - Russia: "1,001 Ukrainian military targets hit in the night"
Russian forces last night struck 1,001 military targets in Ukraine with missiles and artillery shells, including 162 fire positions, the country's defense ministry said. The Guardian reports it.
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12.50 - Moscow: "Ukrainian soldiers can lay down their weapons and leave Mariupol with corridors"
The Ukrainian military can lay down their weapons and leave Mariupol through the humanitarian corridors. This was stated by the spokesman of the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov. "The Ukrainian military has had and still has the ability to lay down their weapons and leave the city through the designated corridors," Peskov told a press conference commenting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal that captured Russian troops be exchanged for the supply of a safe humanitarian passage for the Ukrainian military. "This possibility existed even before President Zelensky made his statement," he said.
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12.10 - Furious Russian bombing of Kharkiv
Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, is under intense bombing. Mayor Ihor Terekhov reports this, according to the Guardian. "Huge explosions. The Russian Federation is furiously bombing the city," he said. The mayor explained that there are still 1 million people in the city, while about 30% of the population, mostly women, children and the elderly, have been evacuated.
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11.45 am - Over a thousand bodies of civilians in the Kiev Oblast's morgues
The bodies of over a thousand civilians are currently found in the morgues of the Kiev region. A Ukrainian official indicated this to AFP. "1,020 civilian bodies, solely civilians, are (in the morgues) from the Kiev region," said Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanichyna speaking from the city of Borodianka, northwest of Kiev.
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11.30 - Video Putin-Shoigu, for Kiev it is a montage
Russian state media have released a video showing today's meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergej Shoigu, but according to the Kiev media, the video could be a "montage", Ukrainska Pravda reports.
"It is possible that the video is a montage. In particular, observers have noticed an unusually hunched (back) and unnatural movements of Putin's head," writes the online newspaper, which publishes a link to a clip of the video posted on Telegram. by the state news agency Ria Novosti.
The video, lasting one minute and 17 seconds, shows Putin and Shoigu sitting at a small table, facing each other: in the images, only the Russian president speaks, who appears with his head nestled between his hunched shoulders, while the Defense Minister merely nods.
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11.10 am - The mayor: "Mass grave in Mariupol"
"Our citizens reported that today in Mangush, near Mariupol, Russian soldiers dug a 30-meter mass grave and transported bodies with trucks." This was announced by the mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boychenko, quoted by the UNIAN Agency.
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10.30 - Kiev: "Urgent corridor from Azovstal, 1,500 to be evacuated"
"We are asking the Russians for an urgent humanitarian corridor from the Mariupol Azovstal plant. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshcuk is asking for it on Telegram." There are now about 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers. They must all be pulled out of Azovstal today, "adds the deputy prime minister, who appeals to world leaders and the international community to" focus their efforts on Azovstal now. Now - he concludes - this is a key point and a key moment for the humanitarian effort! ".
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10 am - No civilians left Azovstal
No civilians used the humanitarian corridors opened by Russia for evacuation from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol for two consecutive days. The Russian Defense Minister Sergej Shoigu said today to President Vladimir Putin, quoted by the Interfax Agency. "Over the past two days, we have followed his orders and declared a truce between 2 and 4 pm, all hostilities have ceased and humanitarian corridors have been opened for the evacuation of civilians who may have been present on the Azovstal ground. No one is out of Azovstal, "Shoigu said. "Other civilians, more than 100 people, managed to leave," he added.
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9.55 am - Putin to Shoigu: "Inappropriate assault on the steel mill, I order you to cancel it"
Russian President Vladimir Putin canceled the planned assault on the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, deeming it "inappropriate": Tass reports. "I find the proposed assault on the steel mill inappropriate. I order you to cancel it," Putin told his defense minister, Sergej Shoigu, during their meeting. "Okay," Shoigu replied, according to the Russian news agency.
“Especially in this case - Putin said -, we must think about preserving the life and health of our soldiers and officers. There is no need to go into those catacombs and crawl underground, under those industrial structures. But it blocks this industrial area so that not even a fly can enter or leave ”.
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9.50 am - Over 4 thousand soldiers killed in Mariupol
More than 4 thousand of the gods about 8 thousand soldiers, including Ukrainian regiments, nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries present in Mariupol at the time of the Russian encirclement, were eliminated during the liberation of the city; 1,478 have given up. This was reported by Russian Defense Minister Sergej Shoigu to Russian President Vladimir Putin quoted by TASS.
"At the time of the encirclement, the Ukrainian troops, nationalist formations and foreign mercenaries who were also in large numbers amounted to about 8,100," Shoigu said.
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9.40 am - Putin calls for Azovstal to be blocked: "A fly must not pass"
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the Azovstal industrial site in Mariupol to be blocked so that "a fly cannot pass". This was reported by the Russian agency Tass.
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9.30 - Putin cancels the operation in the steel plant
Russian President Vladimir Putin has canceled the operation to storm the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, indicating the need to save troops' lives. This was reported by the Russian agency Tass.
It will still take 3-4 days to complete operations at Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, where the remaining Ukrainian troops are located, Defense Minister Sergej Shoigu said.
"Mariupol's release is a success," Putin said, adding that those who surrender "will have their lives spared."
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9.15 am - Moscow: "We took Mariupol"
The city of Mariupol is under Russian control. This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Russia Sergej Shoigu, quoted by Interfax. About 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are besieged in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol and remain barricaded inside the steel center, he added. About 142,000 civilians were evacuated from the city.
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9.10 am - Soviet red flag flies in the cities occupied by the Russians
The Soviet red flag of World War II victory is beginning to appear in some occupied areas of Ukraine ahead of the May 9 celebration of Victory Day. CNN reports it.
Russian troops raised a large red flag in Kherson and Kreminna, occupied by the Moscow army. Videos posted by Russian-backed separatists showed troops attaching the victory flag to a Ukrainian government building. The flag was also hoisted atop the regional council building in the city of Henichesk, in the province of Kherson (southern Ukraine).
The red flag was flown over the Berlin Reichstag on May 9, 1945, when the Nazis surrendered to the Soviets. May 9 has since become a revered holiday in Russia and the flag an important icon.
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8.55 am - Spanish and Danish Premier in Kiev
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has arrived with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen in Kiev, where they will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This was announced by the Spanish government. ***
8.40 am - Nine bodies of civilians in Borodyanka: "Tortured"
Nine civilian bodies were found in Borodyanka, Kiev province, some with "signs of torture". The police in the Ukrainian capital reported Wednesday evening. "These people were killed by the Russian occupiers and some of the victims show signs of torture," local police chief Andrey Nebytov accused on Facebook.
According to Kiev, Boroyanka was the scene of "massacres of civilians" in March, when Russian forces occupied the city. Yesterday, the president of the EU Council Charles Michel visited the town: "History will not forget the war crimes committed here," he said.
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8.30 - "Continue with the evacuation from Mariupol"
The evacuation of civilians from Mariupol continues today. This was announced by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Telegram. In Mariupol "today we continue to evacuate women, children and the elderly", Vereshchuk said, stating that boarding on buses will begin at 2 pm local time. "The security situation is difficult. There may be changes," he added. Instead, the arrival of the "four evacuation buses" that managed to leave the city yesterday along the humanitarian corridor is expected: "They spent the night in Berdyansk and are now headed to Vasylivka. We are waiting for them soon in Zaporizhzhia".
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8.25 am - Russians advance towards Kramatorsk
"Russian forces are now advancing from base areas in Donbass to Kramatorsk" in eastern Ukraine, "which continues to be subject to persistent rocket attacks." The British Ministry of Defense writes in its latest intelligence update released on Twitter.
"The Russian forces probably want to demonstrate that they have achieved significant successes ahead of their annual Victory Day celebrations on May 9," continued intelligence, stating that "this could affect the speed and strength with which they attempt to conduct operations in the period preceding this date ".
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8 am - Kiev: "Moscow will hold a pseudo-referendum in Kherson"
Moscow will hold a 'pseudo-referendum' in the city of Kherson (south) on April 27, according to the Ukrainian army, reports the Kyiv Independent. According to the Ukrainian Southern Operational Command, it will be a "staging": Russia is not interested in giving a voice to the citizens since the false results of the popular poll in favor of the occupation are "already known".
(Unioneonline)
