Russia has released the first images of surviving sailors from its sunken Black Sea flagship, Moskva, as they met with its naval chief in Crimea. It came as Moscow announced a window for the surrender of the southern city of Mariupol, starting at 6am local time on Sunday morning, saying that any Ukrainian forces handing over their weapons during this period would not be harmed. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said talks with Russia could be suspended if Mariupol’s defenders are “eliminated.” Speaking to Ukrainian media, Mr Zelensky said: “I want to say that the elimination of our army, of our children, will put an end to all negotiations.” And his comments came as Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man, pledged to help rebuild the besieged city. The billionaire tycoon said the war-torn city on the Black Sea coast is important to him, as it is where Metinvest’s company has two steel mills that he says will once again compete globally.
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Prince Charles dedicates an Easter message to the refugees
The Prince of Wales dedicated his Easter message to the millions of refugees who are “hurt by the past, afraid of the future”. The words of Prince Charles come as thousands of Ukrainians continue to seek refuge from the fighting in their homeland, following in the footsteps of millions of refugees who have already fled the Russian invasion. He said that having met the “innocent victims of the conflict” all these years, he had found it “deeply moving” to see the number of people ready to call those in need into their homes. More than 200,000 people in the UK have expressed interest in opening their homes to Ukrainian refugees as part of the government’s Homes for Ukraine grant program. Prince Charles says he is “devastated by the suffering of innocent victims of the conflict” (REUTERS) Sam Rkaina17 April 2022 10:27 1650185948
No sign of Ukraine surrender to Mariupol six hours after deadline
It has been six hours since Russia issued an ultimatum to Ukrainian troops to lay down their arms in the southeastern port of Mariupol. However, several hours after the deadline at 3 p.m. GMT, there was no sign of compliance by Ukrainian fighters hiding in the huge Azovstal steelworks overlooking the Sea of Azov. Having failed to overcome Ukrainian resistance in the north since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion on February 24, the Russian military has refocused on the eastern Donbas region, where Mariupol is the main port. The Russian Defense Ministry said its troops had cleared the urban area of Mariupol, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting and the worst suffering of civilians with corpses sweeping the streets and thousands chasing under horrific conditions under the terrain. The steelworks, one of the largest metallurgical plants in Europe with a maze of railway tracks and blast furnaces, has become the last stop for the defenders. “The Russian Armed Forces are offering to the nationalist fighters and foreign mercenaries from 06:00 (Moscow time) on April 17, 2022, to stop any hostilities and to lay down their arms,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. “Everyone who lays down their arms is guaranteed that their lives will be saved,” he said, offering the defending “remnants” a four-hour window to leave the factory without weapons or ammunition. There was no immediate response from Kyiv to the ultimatum, although the Ukrainian military said Russian airstrikes on Mariupol continued along with offensive operations near the port. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday accused Russia of “deliberately trying to destroy everyone” in Mariupol and said his government was in contact with defenders. But he did not mention Moscow’s claim that Ukrainian forces were no longer in urban areas. He said the killing of his troops would pay for his peace efforts. Sam Rkaina17 April 2022 09:59 1650185760
Ukrainian citizens reveal the horror of the Russian torture chamber
The Independent’s international correspondent, Bel Trew, spoke with victims of torture and uncovered new evidence of possible war crimes in northeastern Ukraine. A prisoner remembers how a man was beaten to death next to him. Another says he was stripped, stabbed and electrocuted. Andrei is one of eight detainees held in a torture chamber in Trostanyets (Bell Trew) Sam Rkaina17 April 2022 09:56 1650182733
Putin “believes he is winning the war” in Ukraine, says Austrian Chancellor
Austrian Chancellor Carl Nehammer – the only EU leader to have met Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine – said the Russian president believed he was winning the war. In an interview, Nehammer said the conversation with the Russian president in Moscow last week was not friendly, calling it “honest and tough.” In Moscow, Mr Nehammer said he had made it clear to the president that “no one shares his position, his point of view”. The Austrian chancellor said Putin saw it as “a kind of self-defense operation by the Russian Federation. He calls it special military operations. I call it war. “ Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer (R) leaves after visiting the site of a mass grave in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, near Kyiv (AFP via Getty Images) Sam Rkaina17 April 2022 09:05 1650180350
L’Occitane closes all stores in Russia with a reversal, after customers threatened with a boycott
The French beauty brand L’Occitane turned to its decision to continue trading in Russia in the midst of the invasion of Ukraine and will close all stores in the country. Just two days ago, the cosmetics company told the BBC it would not close its stores and stop online sales in Russia because it could not “guarantee that our 700 employees in Russia would not retaliate”. But on Friday night, L’Occitane issued a statement confirming its decision to close Russian companies after approval by its board. L’Occitane initially decided not to close (AFP via Getty Images) Sam Rkaina17 April 2022 08:25 1650178520
Rocket attack damaged infrastructure in a city near Kyiv, the mayor claims
A rocket attack in the early hours of Sunday morning destroyed infrastructure in a city near Kyiv, it is alleged. The bomber struck shortly after noon in Brovary, near the Ukrainian capital, Igor Sapozhko, the mayor of the city. There are no details yet on the extent of the disaster and the possible victims. Sam Rkaina17 April 2022 07:55 1650177226
Russia’s goal “remains the same” despite the focus on the east, says the United Kingdom
Russia’s goal in Ukraine “remains the same” despite the shift of focus to the east of the country, says the United Kingdom. Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Twitter today that Russia was “committed to forcing Ukraine to abandon its Euro-Atlantic orientation and claim its own regional sovereignty.” The report also said that Putin’s artillery continued to hit Ukrainian positions throughout the east as part of a plan to “resume its offensive.” Russian forces are also continuing to redeploy combat equipment and support from Belarus to eastern Ukraine. Sam Rkaina17 April 2022 07:33 1650175376
Ukrainian forces in Mariupol show no interest in surrendering
Ukrainian forces in Mariupol have shown no interest in surrendering to Russian forces so far, ABC News reported. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense had stated that it was willing to “give the lives” of the “fighters” in Mariupol who surrendered. The ministry said in a statement that “the lives of all those who lay down their arms will be saved.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had also said that any destruction of the port city would end negotiations. So far, however, it is unclear whether Ukraine would agree to the agreement proposed by the Russian Defense Ministry. Zelensky had also described the situation in Mariupol as “very difficult”. More than 20,000 civilians have been killed in Mariupol since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and more than 100,000 people are still trapped in the city. Maroosha Muzaffar17 April 2022 07:02 1650175328
Pictures of the surviving Moscow crew were published by the Russian Ministry of Defense
Russia’s Defense Ministry has released images showing the surviving crew of the country’s flagship cruiser in the Black Sea, Moskva. The photos show a large group of sailors parading in Sevastopol and meeting with Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov. The commander of the Russian navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, meets the crew members of the sunken cruise missile Moskva in Sevastopol, Crimea, in this still image taken from a video released on April 16, 2022 (via REUTERS) The crew of the sunken Moskva cruise missile line up for a meeting with the commander of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, in Sevastopol, Crimea. (via REUTERS) Russia’s Defense Ministry released pictures of surviving members of the Moscow crew on Saturday (via REUTERS) On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Moskva cruiser sank while being towed in rough seas after an explosion with ammunition on the ship (via REUTERS) Maroosha Muzaffar17 April 2022 07:02 1650172557
EU chief says next round of sanctions against Russia will hit banking sector
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the next round of sanctions against Russia will target the country’s banking sector, “especially Sberbank”. In an interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, she said: “We are looking further at the banking sector, especially Sberbank, which accounts for 37 percent of the Russian banking sector. And, of course, there are energy issues. “ He added: “What should not happen is that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is collecting even higher prices in other markets for supplies that would otherwise go to the EU.” “The top priority is to cut Putin’s revenue,” he said.
