The Washington Post

2022-04-14 08:22:52 Here’s the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine.

Mariupol: Russia said more than 1,000 Ukrainian troops here surrendered, but Mariupol’s deputy mayor denied the claims, saying Ukrainian soldiers were fighting on. The city council said Wednesday that Russia has sought to “create a humanitarian catastrophe." The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe determined Moscow broke international humanitarian law with its targeted attacks here, and a chemical weapons watchdog said it was monitoring the battle for treaty violations.

Bucha: On Wednesday, more than a dozen bodies were unearthed from a Bucha mass grave, and investigators examined them for signs of torture and execution. International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan called the area a “crime scene” during a visit the same day.

Kharkiv: The head of the regional administration reported Wednesday that recent attacks have killed seven people and injured 22 more.

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2022-04-13 23:05:09 Here is the latest from Ukraine.

- The heads of state of Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — four of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters within NATO — traveled to Kyiv to meet Zelensky.

- Satellite images captured in recent days by the U.S. firm Maxar Technologies show Russian forces repositioning in Ukraine’s east, probably supplying more troops and military equipment in preparation for a fresh round of offensives in the region.

- The Kremlin dismissed a proposal from Zelensky of swapping Ukrainians in Russian detention with Putin’s trusted Ukrainian ally, the oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who was recaptured by Ukraine’s internal security service after weeks in hiding.

- International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan called Ukraine a “crime scene” during a visit to Bucha on Wednesday, amid mounting evidence that Russian troops committed atrocities during their occupation of the Kyiv suburb.

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2022-04-13 22:10:08 Who is the pro-Moscow Ukrainian mogul Viktor Medvedchuk?

Pro-Kremlin Ukrainian opposition politician Viktor Medvedchuk was captured Tuesday by Ukraine’s internal security service after being in hiding for weeks, according to Ukraine’s presidential administration. He had been charged with treason last year and escaped house arrest in February, two days after the Russian invasion.

In a video message, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky proposed Russia exchange Medvedchuk for Ukrainian prisoners — an idea that the Kremlin dismissed. A photograph released by Zelensky showed Medvedchuk looking disheveled and wearing a military uniform. According to Kyiv, he was dressed as an Ukrainian soldier to disguise himself for his escape.

As the leader of Ukraine’s most prominent Kremlin-friendly party, Medvedchuk has leveraged his proximity to Russian President Vladimir Putin to establish himself as one of Ukraine’s most influential behind-the-scenes political brokers.

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2022-04-13 21:15:07 Ukrainian fighter pilots in old jets take on better-equipped Russians

ODESSA, Ukraine — The fighter pilot known as “Juice” usually just has a few minutes to scramble. When he is on-call, which is pretty much always these days, he cannot be more than a bathroom break away from his cockpit. When a cruise missile or a Russian fighter is spotted moving toward the area Juice is assigned to by the Ukrainian air force, he doesn’t even have time to run through standard safety checks before taking off.

“We’re ready to be killed,” said Juice, who provided only his call sign for security reasons.

“But we don’t want this, of course,” the 29-year-old added. “We want to kill Russians and take down their bombers that are killing our cities and our families.”

Juice is one of the pilots helping Ukraine pull off the biggest surprise of this war: Its military has kept the airspace over Ukraine contested despite Russia’s more advanced jets and superior numbers.

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2022-04-13 20:27:04 Finland debates joining NATO, possibly expanding alliance Putin hates

Finland will launch an immediate debate on joining NATO, Finnish officials said on Wednesday, as the country reconsiders its longtime stance outside the Western military alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that a decision would be made in coming weeks.

“There are different perspectives to apply (for) NATO membership or not to apply and we have to analyze these very carefully,” she said at a news conference in Stockholm, according to Reuters. “But I think our process will be quite fast.”

Marin spoke alongside Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, who said Sweden was also re-examining its position outside NATO, after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine offensive plunged Europe into its most serious security crisis since World War II.

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2022-04-13 14:26:12 Russia broke international humanitarian law in Ukraine, says OSCE report

Russia committed human rights abuses and broke international humanitarian law during its invasion of Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe found.

The report from the Vienna-based security body, released Wednesday, dives into attacks on civilian targets in the battered port city of Mariupol and follows President Biden’s declaration for the first time that Russia was carrying out a “genocide” in Ukraine.

“Taken as a whole, the report documents the catalogue of inhumanity perpetrated by Russia’s forces in Ukraine,” said Michael Carpenter, U.S. ambassador to the OSCE, in a speech.

“This includes evidence of direct targeting of civilians, attacks on medical facilities, rape, executions, looting, and forced deportation of civilians to Russia.”

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2022-04-13 11:36:06 Pentagon looks to vastly expand weapons for Ukraine

The Biden administration is poised to dramatically expand the scope of weapons it is providing Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday, with the Pentagon looking to transfer armored Humvees and a range of other sophisticated equipment.

The new aid package could be worth $750 million, these people said. Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity because the transfer has not yet been finalized.

Preliminary plans circulating among government officials and lawmakers in Washington also included Mi-17 helicopters, howitzer cannons, coastal defense drones and protective suits to safeguard personnel in the event of a chemical, biological or nuclear attack, the officials said, though they cautioned that it was not immediately clear if all of those items would end up in the final aid package.

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2022-04-13 09:31:54 Here’s the latest from Ukraine.

- President Biden for the first time said that Russia was carrying out a “genocide” in Ukraine, prompting President Zelensky late Tuesday to call his remarks the “true words of a true leader.” Top U.S. officials have resisted using the term, even amid evidence of brutal, tortured killings.

- The results of an investigation by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe into alleged human rights violations by Russia in Ukraine is set to be released Wednesday, according to Germany. Forty-five OSCE member states invoked the body’s “Moscow Mechanism” to investigate the allegations.

- The heads of state of Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have traveled to Kyiv to meet Zelensky, according to the Polish presidency.

- The U.S., Britain and Australia are monitoring unconfirmed reports that Russia may have used chemical weapons during its siege of Mariupol, but heavy fighting has impeded investigations.

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2022-04-13 08:28:27 Here's the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine.

Mariupol: Fierce fighting continues here, where officials say the civilian death toll tops 10,000. Western and Ukrainian intelligence agencies said they were working to confirm unverified reports that Russia may have used chemical weapons.

Kharkiv Oblast: In this eastern region, Moscow has been amassing troops, military vehicles and equipment in preparation for its expected assault on the neighboring Donbas region. The miles-long Russian military convoy moving south from the border is now just 37 miles north of Izyum.

Luhansk Oblast: Controlling this region is now one of Russia’s central objectives, analysts say. Moscow has continued to launch attacks here and in Donetsk Oblast, but have failed to make significant progress during recent assaults, according to the Institute for the Study of War. The Ukrainian military claimed Tuesday to have destroyed several Russian tanks, armored vehicles and artillery systems in the area.

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2022-04-12 23:00:45 Here is the latest from Ukraine.

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky charged that Russia’s forces retreating from the north have left behind mines “everywhere.” Zelensky said Russian troops “deliberately did everything to kill or maim as many of our people as possible, even when they were forced to withdraw from our land.”

- The White House, which for weeks has tied surging gas prices to Russia’s invasion, will announce plans to ease the cost for millions of Americans dealing with inflation.

- After Russian authorities arrested Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent critic of the Kremlin who has written columns for The Washington Post, a top human rights official at the State Department said Tuesday that the move is in line with Moscow’s “crackdown on freedom of information” and “freedom of expression.”

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