Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomes Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer to Kyiv on Saturday. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomes Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer to Kyiv on Saturday. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters.
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• Ukraine called on civilians in the eastern Luhansk region to flee from Russian shelling after officials said at least 52 civilians trying to evacuate by rail from Kramatorsk were killed in a missile attack.
• Ukrainian claims and Russian counter-claims about the weapons used in the attack on Kramatorsk, and who is responsible, have continued with much of the argument surrounding the type of missile - remains of which were pictured at the scene.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russian forces appeared to have committed war crimes by targeting civilians in Ukraine, but she said lawyers must investigate the alleged incidents.
"My instinct says: If this is not a war crime, what is a war crime? But I am a medical doctor by training and lawyers have to investigate carefully," she said.
• Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said shelling in the region has increased in recent days as more Russian troops arrive.
• Ten humanitarian corridors to evacuate people from besieged regions have been agreed for Saturday, according to Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
• British military intelligence, which continues to share daily updates on the conflict, said Russian operations continue to focus on the Donbas region, Mariupol and Mykolaiv, supported by continued cruise missile launches by Russian naval forces.
• The Kremlin said on Friday the "special operation" in Ukraine could end in the "foreseeable future" with its aims being achieved by the Russian military and peace negotiators. The statement came a day after Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov seemed to admit Russian losses had been far greater than its armed forces have so far admitted.
UK Ministry of Defence / @DefenceHQ
UK Ministry of Defence / @DefenceHQ
• S&P lowered Russia's foreign currency ratings to "selective default" on increased risks that Moscow will not be willing or able to honor its commitments to foreign creditors.
• The U.S. broadened its export bans against Russia and Belarus, restricting access to imports of items such as fertilizer and pipe valves as it seeks to ratchet up pressure on Moscow and Minsk.
• YouTube has blocked Duma TV which broadcasts from Russia's lower house of parliament, drawing an angry response from officials who said the world's most popular streaming service could face restrictions from Moscow in response.
• Italy intends to re-open its embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv immediately after Easter, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said. "We were the last to leave Kyiv and we will be among the first to go back," Di Maio told reporters in Rome.
European Commission President Von der Leyen met Ukraine's President Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday./Reuters
European Commission President Von der Leyen met Ukraine's President Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday./Reuters
More leaders in Kyiv
The conflict in Ukraine moved into a new stage this week, with Russia moving its troops away from Kyiv and into the eastern and southern conflict zones of Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk.
As well as a re-organization of Russian forces, and perhaps a reassessment of what it can achieve, it has also allowed European leaders to visit Kyiv and President Zelenskyy.
The most high-profile visitor so far was European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, who visited the mass grave sites in Bucha after her meeting with Zelenskyy.
On her return to Brussels, Von der Leyen announced a further $652m in direct aid for Ukraine, and $432m for "the frontline states that are doing such an outstanding job and helping the refugees that are coming."
On Saturday it was the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who was pictured in Kyiv in the morning, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
While the Austrian leader's visit was public - with several photographs of the meeting handed to the media by both governments, and a video press conference to end the trip - Johnson's was a surprise.
In fact, the first anyone knew of the UK leader's clandestine trip was a photo shared on social media by the Ukrainian embassy in London.
A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed the visit: "The PM has traveled to Ukraine to meet President Zelenskyy in person, in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people. They will discuss the UK’s long term support to Ukraine & the PM will set out a new package of financial and military aid."
The photo tweeted by the Ukrainian embassy in London, revealing Johnson's visit.
The photo tweeted by the Ukrainian embassy in London, revealing Johnson's visit.
More maneuvers
Russia staged "war games" on Saturday in Kaliningrad - its enclave on the Baltic Sea sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania - according to the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet Command. It is only a few days after a senior official warned European countries against any potential action against Kaliningrad.
"Up to 1,000 military personnel... and more than 60 military equipment units were involved in the control checks," Interfax news agency quoted the Russian Baltic Fleet Command's press service as saying.
Separately, 20 Su-27 fighters and Su-24 front-line naval aviation bombers conducted planned combat training overnight, simulating attacks on low-speed air and ground targets, command posts and military equipment in Kaliningrad.
It did not give a reason for the exercises or say when they had been planned, although Polish and U.S. troops staged exercises in Nowa Deba, southeastern Poland this week. The Russian drills could be a reaction to NATO forces' own exercises.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko warned European countries on Wednesday against any potential action against the Kaliningrad, saying "this would be playing with fire."
But the action has the potential to raise tensions in the Baltic states, and Poland. On Friday Russia expelled 45 Polish embassy and consulate staff in retaliation to Warsaw's expulsion of 45 Russian diplomats in March.
Source(s): Reuters