Ukraine And Russia Nearing Agreement On ‘Critical Subjects’, Turkish Foreign Minister Says

Pope Calls War In Ukraine A ‘Senseless Massacre’ As Zelensky Calls Russian Actions In Mariupol Historic

Pope Francis said there is “no justification” for Russia’s war on Ukraine during a Sunday address in Vatican City, calling it a “senseless massacre where every day slaughters and atrocities are being repeated.” The pope said the war is “inhumane and sacrilegious” and referenced Russian shelling of civilians. He has repeatedly denounced the war in Ukraine, calling Russia’s tactics in the war “barbaric” and rejecting Russia’s labeling of its invasion as a “special military operation” not a war in prior Sunday speeches.

In a video address earlier Sunday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s actions in the besieged city of Mariupol “will go down in history,” according to the official English translation of the speech. Mariupol, a city of about 400,000 in southeastern Ukraine, has specifically garnered international humanitarian attention, as efforts to evacuate civilians have repeatedly failed and Russian forces have allegedly targeted civilian shelters, including an art school and theater, in recent days. Zelensky said Russia is using “terror” and committing war crimes in Mariupol.

—Derek Saul

Ukraine-Russia Nearing Agreement On ‘Critical’ Issues, Says Turkish Foreign Minister

Ukraine and Russia were nearing an agreement on “critical” issues which could lead to a ceasefire soon, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview on Sunday.

Speaking to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Cavusoglu said “rapprochement in the positions of both sides on important subjects, critical subjects,” according to a translation by Reuters.

“We can say we are hopeful for a ceasefire if the sides do not take a step back from the current positions,” he said, without offering additional details about these “critical” subjects.

Turkey has emerged as a key interlocutor between the Russian and Ukrainian sides with the country hosting a meeting between Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier this month.

— Siladitya Ray

At Least 115 Children Have Been Killed Since The Start Of Russian Invasion, Ukrainian Parliament Says

At least 115 children have been killed and more than 140 have been wounded since the beginning of Russia’s invasion last month, the Ukrainian Parliament said in a tweet.

On Saturday, the United Nations said it had recorded the death of at least 847 civilians in Ukraine of whom 64 were children. These numbers only include confirmed deaths, and the actual toll is “considerably higher,” the global body warned.

According to the UN’s report most civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes.

— Siladitya Ray

Russian Forces Struck School Sheltering 400 People, Mariupol City Council Says

Russian Forces on Saturday allegedly bombarded an art school in Mariupol which was sheltering around 400 people, the Mariupol city council said on its official Telegram channel on Sunday.

The city council says the number of casualties from the attack on the building—which was sheltering women, children and the elderly—remains unclear as many people remain trapped under the ruble.

The besieged city of Mariupol has come under severe shelling by Russian forces resulting in some of the worst civilian casualties of the invasion. Earlier in the week a theater in the city which was being used to shelter a large number of civilians was destroyed in a Russian strike. It’s still unclear how many people have survived that attack.

The Mariupol city council in its statement decried Russia’s actions in the city as a genocide and a war crime.

— Siladitya Ray

Russian Forces Have Increased ‘Indiscriminate Shelling’ In Eastern Ukraine, Says U.K. Defense Ministry

Russian forces have made limited progress in capturing major cities in eastern Ukraine over the past week, and because of this have now increased “indiscriminate shelling” of urban areas, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence update on Sunday.

According to the report, Russian forces are continuing to encircle a number of cities in eastern Ukraine and their bombardment of these urban centers have resulted in large scale civilian casualties and destruction.

The update adds that Russia will continue to rely on heavy artillery barrages and missile strikes on cities as it attempts to curb severe losses in its own ranks.

— Siladitya Ray

China’s Ukraine Stance On The ‘Right Side Of History’, Foreign Minister Wang Yi Says

China is on the right side of history when its comes to its handling of the Ukraine crisis and its stance is backed by most countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

“China will never accept any external coercion or pressure, and opposes any unfounded accusations and suspicious against China,” Wang said.

Wang the reiterated Beijing’s calls to abandon the “Cold War mentality” and form a “balanced, effective and sustainable” regional security architecture. “Only in this way can long-term stability on the European continent be achieved.”

The Chinese foreign minister statement comes after U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday where he attempted to dissuade him from aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

— Siladitya Ray

Frontlines Littered With Russian Corpses As Some Units Are Losing 80-90% Of Soldiers, Zelensky Claims

The Russian military is sustaining “unprecedented losses” with some units losing between 80-90% of their soldiers, Ukrainian Presidente Volodymyr Zelensky claimed early on Sunday in a video address.

Mid way through his address Zelensky switched from speaking Ukrainian to Russia and noted that areas where heavy combat has taken place, the frontline is littered with Russians corpses. He also claimed that the dead soldiers are not being picked up by anyone and new Russian military units are being made to advance right over them.

Earlier this week, U.S. officials indicated that more than 7,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the start of the invasion and anywhere between 14,000 and 21,000 of them had been wounded in battle.

— Siladitya Ray

Ukraine Has Defeated Russia’s Initial Campaign, Analysts Say

Russia’s initial offensive in Ukraine has effectively culminated and a state of stalemate is taking hold in most of Ukraine, a military think tank in Washington, D.C., said Saturday, asserting that there’s little likelihood that Russian forces will be able to achieve their current campaign’s objectives of soon taking Kyiv, Kharkiv and other major cities and ousting the government.

Rather than accepting that and pausing operations while a new campaign is planned, Russia is “instead continuing to feed small collections of reinforcements into an ongoing effort to keep the current campaign alive,” according to an assessment from the Institute for the Study of War. “We assess that that effort will fail.”

Russian forces appear to be digging in around Kyiv and elsewhere with the goal of holding onto their gains, the institute said. “The war will likely descend into a phase of bloody stalemate that could last for weeks or months,” it said, with Russia ramping up its bombardment of civilians to break Ukraine’s will to fight.

Mariupol Officials Allege Russia Has Deported ‘Several Thousand’ Residents

The Mariupol city council and its mayor accused Russian forces of forcibly deporting Ukrainians from the besieged city to Russia, they said on Telegram on Saturday.

The city council said “several thousand” Ukrainians had been taken away to “remote cities in Russia” and the whereabouts of others were unknown.

A city official told the New York Times that Russian troops had deported somewhere “between 4,000 and 4,500 Mariupol residents” to Taganrog, a city in southwestern Russia. The claims couldn’t be independently corroborated.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko likened Russia’s actions to “the horrific events of World War II, when the Nazis forcibly captured people,” adding Russia must be punished for its war crimes.

Russian forces have been bombarding the strategically important port city for weeks, and Ukrainian officials and locals have reported high numbers of civilian casualties. Rescue workers are still searching for survivors in the rubble of a theater that was bombed on Wednesday where about 1,300 civilians had taken shelter.

– Lisa Kim

Satellite Image Shows Damage To Mariupol Theater After Bombing

A newly released satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows extensive damage to a theater in Mariupol where Ukrainian officials said about 1,300 civilians had been sheltering when Russian forces bombed the building on Wednesday. At least half of the building appears to have been destroyed, and the Russian word for “children” is visible on one side of the theater in white lettering on the ground.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 130 survivors have been rescued from the rubble, and that at least one person was seriously injured. Communication with city officials has been difficult, as Russian soldiers have “deliberately destroyed” the city’s infrastructure, according to Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko. The total number of casualties from the bombing remains unclear.

— Anna Kaplan

Russian Space Agency Denies Cosmonauts Wore Yellow Uniforms In Support Of Ukraine

Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, denied Saturday that three cosmonauts who flew to the International Space Station wore yellow spacesuits as a statement of support for Ukraine, writing in a Telegram post, “Sometimes yellow is just yellow.”

Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveyev and Sergey Korsakov launched into space Friday morning from Kazakhstan, and were welcomed aboard the ISS wearing yellow uniforms with blue trim, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, leading some to speculate it was a political statement.

Artemyev, the mission commander, said during a press conference from the ISS the space agency had “accumulated a lot of yellow fabric, so we needed to use it up.” Roscomos also said in the Telegram post the colors reflected the emblem of Bauman Moscow State Technical University, which all three cosmonauts graduated from. “To see the Ukrainian flag everywhere and in everything is crazy,” the space agency wrote in the post, according to a Reuters translation.

— Anna Kaplan

U.S. Officials Reportedly Believe Russia Used Hypersonic Missiles In Ukraine

Russia launched hypersonic missiles during an attack in Ukraine last week, CNN reports, marking the first known use of the missiles in combat. Multiple anonymous U.S. officials told CNN the U.S. was able to track the launches in real-time, and they believed the launches were likely both a test of the weapon and a message about Russia’s capabilities.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed Saturday it had used hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in an attack on a military warehouse in western Ukraine on Friday. Forbes was unable to independently verify these claims, and the Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kinzhal is one of several weapons Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled in a 2018 address to lawmakers, saying Russia had developed an “invincible” missile that can evade missile defenses. Kinzhal is an air-launched, nuclear-capable missile carried by modified MiG-31 fighters that has a reported range of 930 to 1,200 miles, and can reach speeds up to Mach 10 (7,600 mph).

While almost all ballistic missiles reach hypersonic speeds above Mach 5, the term hypersonic missiles is often used to refer to a new class of weapons that China, Russia and the U.S. are developing that are both fast and can change direction during flight, making it hard for missile defense systems to counter.

— Anna Kaplan

Putin Lays Out Demands In Call With Turkish President — But He Isn’t Ready To Speak With Zelensky, Reports Say

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not ready to speak directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate a peace deal, a Turkish official said in an interview with the New York Times, but he said he believes they will reach an agreement “at some point.”

Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman and adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, told the Times Erdogan spoke with Putin and Zelensky on Thursday, and Zelensky said he wants to meet face to face with Putin. “Putin thinks that the positions to have this meeting at the leaders’ level are not close enough yet,” Kalin said.

In a separate interview with Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, Kalin said Putin laid out these demands during his call with Erdogan, according to a CNN translation:

• Ukraine must renounce NATO membership and achieve neutrality.
• Disarmament and mutual security guarantees in which Ukraine becomes a non-aligned state on the model of Austria or Sweden.
• The process that the Russian side refers to as “de-Nazification.” (Baseless claims Russian officials have made of Ukraine committing a “genocide” of Russian people in the country.)
• Allowing widespread use of the Russian language in Ukraine.
• The recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and recognition of two Russian-backed separatist states in Ukraine.

CNN reports Kalin said some progress has been made on the first four demands, but the final recognition demands “are not acceptable” for Ukraine and the international community. Kalin said Turkey has been working “to keep our lines of communication open with Russia” as a mediator, as Putin and Ergodan have a good relationship, despite Turkey being a member of NATO, but he told the Times, “at the end of the day, it’s President Putin who will call this war off.”

“When he will feel like doing it, when he thinks that he has gotten what he wanted out of this war — compromise, concession, deal — I do not know. But I think we are moving in that direction,” he said.

— Anna Kaplan

10 Humanitarian Corridors Open As War Displaces 1 In 5 Ukrainians

Ukraine is opening 10 humanitarian corridors Saturday to evacuate residents out of cities on the front lines with Russian forces, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

“Please, if there is an opportunity, use it today,” she said. Vereshchuk noted Russia “insidiously breaks our agreements,” referring to claims that Russian troops have broken ceasefire agreements by continuing to shell evacuation routes in recent weeks.

A “number” of corridors will be available for people to flee the Kyiv region, and 14 trucks with humanitarian aid are being sent to Kherson, one of the first cities that fell to Russian forces. Vereshchuk also said evacuation routes would resume out of Mariupol, a city in southern Ukraine that has been hit with near-constant bombardment for days.

Ukrainian Army Major Denis Prokopenko told CNN Mariupol residents risk their lives every time they leave shelter. “Mariupol is under fire during the whole day and night. Prokopenko said. “Sometimes there is 30 minutes of silence, but then the city is again under attack.” Ukrainian officials said Russian forces bombed a theater in Mariupol sheltering about 1,300 people, including children, earlier this week.

The U.N. estimates one in five Ukrianians are either internally displaced or have left the country due to the war, according to a report released Wednesday. About 6.4 million people are internally displaced due to the war, and an additional 3 million have left Ukraine, according to the U.N.

— Anna Kaplan

Ukraine Claims Another Russian General Died In Southern Ukrainian Battle

The Ukrainian armed forces said Saturday morning Russian Lt. Gen. Andrei Mordvichev—who commanded the 8th Combined Arms Army—was killed during fighting in southern Ukraine, the latest high-level Russian military officer to purportedly die during the Ukraine invasion.

Mordvichev’s death has not been independently verified, and the Russian military hasn’t appeared to comment on it.

Ukraine’s military also destroyed the 8th Army’s forward command post near the southern city of Kherson, Interfax Ukraine reported Friday, citing an advisor to the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.

Mordvichev is at least the fifth Russian general whose death has been reported by the Ukrainian government since the invasion began. Some experts told the Wall Street Journal earlier this week the deaths could be symptoms of insecure communications, stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces and a centralized military structure that encourages high-ranking officers to make tactical decisions near the front line. And an unnamed member of Zelensky’s inner circle told the Journal a team of Ukrainian military intelligence operatives have worked to track down and target “high profile generals” and other key Russian officers.

— Joe Walsh

Ukraine Says Russia Cut Off Its Access To Sea Of Azov

Russia “temporarily” blocked Ukraine from accessing the Sea of Azov, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said in a Saturday morning Facebook post, though it’s unclear whether Ukraine regained access to the Black Sea inlet.

Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, troops based in the Crimean Peninsula began moving up the coast of the Sea of Azov. Russian personnel have surrounded and extensively bombarded the strategically important port city of Mariupol, and while Ukrainian forces still appear to be defending the city, its mayor said Friday fighting had reached the city center.

Before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some observers speculated he may focus on seizing control of Ukraine’s coastline on the Sea of Azov. This approach would connect Crimea—which was annexed by Russia in 2014—to the Russian mainland, making the contested peninsula less reliant on a single bridge to Russia.

— Joe Walsh

U.S. Defense Secretary Promises ‘Negative Reaction’ If Russia Uses Chemical Weapons

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told CNN on Friday Russia will face a “negative reaction from the international community” if it uses chemical weapons in Ukraine—but he did not specify what that reaction will be.

President Joe Biden also promised last week Russia will pay a “severe price” if it uses a chemical weapon. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki declined to say how the United States would react to a chemical attack in Ukraine, but she said Biden’s aversion to sending U.S. troops to the country “has not changed.”

In recent weeks, Russia has repeated unsubstantiated claims about purported U.S.-funded bioweapons research facilities in Ukraine. The Biden Administration has fervently denied these claims, and warns they could be a pretext for Russia to use biological or chemical weapons.

— Joe Walsh

Zelensky: Russia Will Face ‘Damage’ Unless It Starts Meaningful Negotiations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the Russian government to immediately participate in “meaningful” negotiations in a speech early Saturday morning, warning peace talks are “the only chance for Russia to reduce the damage from its own mistakes.”

Zelensky accused Russia of blocking humanitarian aid deliveries to besieged Ukrainian cities, a move he called a “war crime” and cast as a deliberate attempt to force Ukraine to capitulate. He also said the Russian military’s slow progress on the ground is causing it to adopt “cruel and erroneous tactics to exhaust us.” Zelensky argued this strategy will likely cause Russia to face further economic sanctions and international isolation.

“It’s time to meet. Time to talk. It is time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine,” Zelensky said, according to an English-language transcript released by his office. “Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be so huge that several generations will not be enough to rebound.”

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have met repeatedly in recent weeks, but it’s not clear whether a ceasefire deal is realistic. The Kremlin has reportedly discussed neutrality for Ukraine along the same lines as Sweden or Austria, but Ukrainian officials rebuffed that idea and said Ukraine needs strong security guarantees, though Zelensky has acknowledged in recent days that Ukraine is unlikely to join the NATO alliance. Peace negotiations will also likely need to address the status of the Crimean Peninsula (which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014) and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (which are partly controlled by pro-Russia separatists).

— Joe Walsh

Former Presidents Clinton And Bush Visit Chicago Ukrainian Church Together

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush visited a Ukrainian Catholic church in Chicago together on Friday to lay flowers. “America stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine as they fight for their freedom and their future,” Bush said in an Instagram post documenting the visit.

Despite their partisan differences, Bush and Clinton have occasionally collaborated since leaving office. The two men founded a charitable group to assist Haiti’s recovery from a devastating 2010 earthquake, and they taped a coronavirus vaccine PSA alongside former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama last year.

Carter and Obama have also condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Former President Donald Trump’s reaction has been somewhat mixed: Days before the invasion began, he called Russian President Vladimir Putin “very savvy” for his “genius” decision to recognize the independence of two pro-Russian separatist states in eastern Ukraine. Since then, he has frequently criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the crisis in Ukraine and insisted Putin wouldn’t have ordered an invasion if he were still president.

— Joe Walsh

Russia Released Detained Mayor Of Northeastern Ukrainian Town, Official Says

The mayor of Velykoburlutska—a town near Ukraine’s border with Russia—was released from Russian custody Friday, one day after he appeared to become the fourth Ukrainian mayor to be detained by the Russian military, a regional government official reportedly said.

Mayor Viktor Tereschenko is now receiving medical treatment at a hospital, Kharkiv regional administrator Oleh Synehubov announced in a video message translated by CNN and Interfax Ukraine on Friday. Tereschenko’s release has not been independently verified.

Ukrainian officials have also accused the Russian military of abducting the mayors of Melitopol, Dniprorudne and Skadovsk in the last week. Melitopol Mayor Ivan Federov was freed Wednesday after five days of captivity following a prisoner swap with Russia, the Ukrainian government says.

— Joe Walsh

Blinken: U.S. Denied Access To WNBA Star Brittney Griner After Arrest In Russia

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russia on Friday to grant the U.S. government consular access to WNBA player Britney Griner, who is being detained on drug charges. Blinken said U.S. officials want to check on Griner’s wellbeing and ensure her rights are being respected, but Russia has denied them access, which he called a violation of international law.

A Russian government source told state-owned news service TASS this week the detention center is “ready to create all conditions” for a consular visit, but U.S. diplomats haven’t visited yet.

Griner was arrested at the Moscow airport last month for allegedly carrying vape cartridges in her luggage, and a Russian court extended her detention until mid-May this week. Supporters and some American politicians have pushed Russia to release Griner. Her detention was reported after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, which has plunged diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States to their lowest point in decades.

Read more here.

— Joe Walsh

U.S. Defense Secretary Says Russia Has Made ‘Missteps’ In Ukraine

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told CNN on Friday the Russian military has made a “number of missteps” in its slower-than-expected invasion of Ukraine, including poor use of intelligence, logistical problems and an inability to coordinate its air and ground forces.

A senior U.S. defense official told reporters Russian ground troops have not made significant progress toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv or the northeastern city of Kharkiv in the last day.

Read more here.

— Joe Walsh

Satellite Images Show Toll Of Russian Shelling In Ukraine

Pictures taken Friday by satellite company Maxar showed smoldering buildings and infrastructure damage across major Ukrainian cities as Russian forces continues shelling civilian targets.

The southern city of Mariupol appeared to sustain some of the heaviest damage. Local officials say thousands of civilians have been killed there, and Mayor Mayor Vadym Boichenko told the BBC on Friday that fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces had reached the city center.

— Nicholas Reimann

Biden Warns China’s Xi Of ‘Consequences’ If China Aids Russia

“(Biden) described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians,” the White House said in a readout of a call held Friday morning call held between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The conversation, which lasted nearly two hours, was one of the first between the two figures in months and came shortly after Russia reportedly asked China for military support in its effort to topple the Ukrainian government. Xi has largely shied away from publicly supporting Russia despite longstanding close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. China released a readout of the call earlier in the day which emphasized Xi’s position that military conflict between nations is not “in anyone’s interest.”

— Nicholas Reimann

Fighting Has Reached Mariupol’s Center, Mayor Says

The battle between Ukrainian and Russian forces for control of Mariupol has reached the city center, Mayor Vadym Boichenko told the BBC Friday.

Boichenko also said more than 80% of residential buildings have been damaged, with around 30% mangled beyond repair, confirming earlier reports of catastrophic damage in the city.

Russians have besieged the port city along the Sea of Azov for weeks, and appear to have isolated it from the rest of Ukrainian-controlled areas in the southern part of the country. Getting control of Mariupol seems to be a top priority for Russian forces, since it would complete a landbridge between Russian-backed separatist states in the Donbas region and Crimea.

The mayor said “everybody is hiding in bunkers” in the city, which had been home to more than 400,000 people. Local officials believe more than 2,300 civilians have been killed in the city so far and about 30,000 have fled.

Russian shelling hit a theater Wednesday where residents were sheltering in a basement. Ukrainians officials believe around 1,300 people were in the building when it was bombed, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that, as of Friday, only about 130 people had been rescued from the rubble.

Russians also struck a maternity hospital in Mariupol last week.

— Nicholas Reimann

Putin Speaks At War Rally In Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to thousands of supporters in a packed stadium in Moscow on Friday to rally support for the country’s invasion into Ukraine. During Putin’s speech, he falsely claimed his invasion was to prevent the “genocide” of Russian people in Ukraine, and paraphrased the Bible, saying “there is no greater love than giving up one’s soul for one’s friends.” Read more about the rally here.

— Anna Kaplan

China’s Xi Tells Biden Conflict Is Not In ‘Anyone’s Interest’

Conflict and confrontation are not in “anyone’s interest,” Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden on a call Friday morning, according to Chinese state news agency CCTV.

“State-to-state relations cannot go to the stage of military confrontation,” CCTV quoted Xi as saying on the call. “Peace and security are the most cherished treasures of the international community.”

Al Jazeera and CNN report Xi also said China and the U.S. have a responsibility to ensure peace, adding “the Ukraine crisis is something that we don’t want to see.”

The call between Xi and Biden lasted for about an hour and 50 minutes, according to the White House, in one of the first conversations between the two leaders in months. The White House has not yet released a readout of the call.

Biden and Xi’s conversation comes at a tense time in relations between the countries, as Russia reportedly asked China for military support and economic assistance earlier this week. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have strengthened their countries’ partnership in recent years, saying in a joint statement their cooperation knows “no limits” ahead of the 2022 Olympics in February. The New York Times reports China asked Russia to delay the invasion until after the Beijing games ended. The Closing Ceremony ended on February 20, and Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

— Anna Kaplan

At Least 130 Survivors Rescued From Mariupol Theater — But Hundreds More May Be Trapped

At least 130 people have been rescued on Friday from a theater bombed by Russia, while more than 1,300 civilians were sheltering there, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Liudmyla Denisova said in an interview with a Ukrainian news outlet. It is unclear how many people remain under the rubble from the bombing.

“According to our data there are still more than 1,300 people there who are in these basements, in that bomb shelter,” Denisova said, according to a translation from the New York Times. Denisova said she doesn’t have figures on how many people were injured or killed from the Wednesday attack.

Satellite images taken in the days before the attack appeared to show “children” written in Russian on both sides of the building. Communication with people in the city has been difficult, as Russian soldiers have “deliberately destroyed” the city’s infrastructure, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko wrote in a Facebook post. Denisova said Mariupol has been hit with “continuous” bombardment in recent days and that 70% of houses in the city have been damaged.

— Anna Kaplan

Russia Loses Bid To Get Back Into FIFA

The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Russia’s attempt to block a FIFA ban on Russian soccer teams and clubs pending a full appeal, the court said Friday.

The court decision means Russia is banned from playing Poland in the World Cup qualifying playoffs next week.

The court on Tuesday declined to freeze the Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA) ban on Russian soccer teams, the Associated Press reported.

Last month, FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian soccer teams and clubs from competing in events until further notice in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, they said in a statement.

Several Russian sports teams and athletes, including gymnasts, have been banned from international events following the Russian invasion.

— Lisa Kim

Russia Threatens Strike On Foreign Military Supplies Moving Into Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday any foreign supplies to Ukraine that Russia believes hold military equipment would be “legitimate targets” for Russian strikes.

“We clearly said that any cargo moving into the Ukrainian territory which we would believe is carrying weapons would be fair game,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian news agency RT. “This is clear because we are implementing the operation the goal of which is to remove any threat to the Russian Federation coming from the Ukrainian soil.”

Lavrov also threatened “countries playing with the idea” of supplying Ukraine with Soviet-made weapons, saying some of the weapons have end-user certificates which prevent the transfer of the materials to another country. “The end-user certificate doesn’t allow for that, to send weapons to any third country without our consent,” Lavrov said, noting it is a legal obligation.

— Anna Kaplan

Food Supply Chains Are ‘Falling Apart’ In Ukraine, UN Warns

Ukraine’s food supply chain is collapsing amid Russia’s invasion, warned an official from the United Nations’ World Food Program on Friday, according to Reuters.

“The country’s food supply chain is falling apart,” said the WFP’s Jakob Kern, who is the organization’s emergency coordinator for the Ukraine crisis. Supplies of food and water are running out in encircled cities like Mariupol and the organization’s convoys are unable to gain access to replenish supplies, Kern added. The movement of goods into and around Ukraine has also slowed, Kern said, pointing to the security situation and reluctance of drivers.

The implications of the invasion for food security reach far beyond Ukraine, Kern said, warning of “collateral hunger” elsewhere. The WFP buys nearly half its wheat from Ukraine and the disruption has caused a sharp increase in prices. The increase, which is also driven by inflation, means the organization is spending an extra $71 million on food a month. That’s enough to purchase food supplies for 4 million people, Kern said.

– Robert Hart

Putin Accuses Kyiv Of Trying To ‘Drag Out’ Negotiations

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv of “trying to drag out” peace talks with “unrealistic proposals,” in a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday, according to multiple news reports. Putin said Russia was keen to continue negotiations “in line with its well-known principled approaches” during the fourth round of talks.

Those briefed on talks say there has been significant progress on agreeing terms, including a ceasefire and withdrawal in exchange for Kyiv declaring neutrality, according to the Financial Times.

On Wednesday, both sides signaled progress in negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said proposals were becoming “more realistic,” admitting that Ukraine will not become a NATO member despite its aspirations.

Russia has been accused of negotiating in bad faith to gain a tactical advantage fighting. Moscow has also likely negotiated—and later broke—ceasefires as a ploy to reset troops, according to U.K. military intelligence.

– Robert Hart

Drive Less, Fly Less And WFH To Avoid ‘Crippling Oil Shock’ From Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine, Says IEA

The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Friday called on wealthy nations to cut speed limits on highways, fly less, drive less and work from home more to reduce oil demand and stave off the “risk of a crippling oil crunch” in the wake of supply issues following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has potentially triggered one of the biggest oil supply shocks in decades, the IEA warned. The organization proposed a “10-Point Plan to Cut Oil Use” to help mitigate the crisis.

Read more about the IEA’s proposal here.

– Robert Hart

Russian Forces Have Made ‘Minimal Progress This Week,’ U.K. Defense Ministry Says

Russian forces have “made minimal progress” in Ukraine this week, according to an intelligence update from the U.K. defense ministry on Friday.

Ukrainian forces are continuing to frustrate Russian attempts to encircle the cities of Kyiv and Mykolaiv, the report said. The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol, however, remain encircled and are “subject to heavy Russian shelling,” the report added.

Earlier this week, the ministry outlined a number of “logistical problems” that have hampered “Russia’s faltering invasion of Ukraine,” including ongoing supply problems driven by its failure to control airspace, a “reluctance to maneuver cross-country” and limited bridging capabilities. “Incessant Ukrainian counterattacks” have also forced Russia to divert large numbers of troops to defend its own supply lines, which is “severely limiting Russia’s offensive potential.”

– Robert Hart

British Media Watchdog Revokes Kremlin-Backed RT’s Broadcast License

Russian state-backed news outlet RT has had its broadcasting license in the U.K. revoked with “immediate effect,” Britain’s media watchdog Ofcom announced on Friday. The regulator said it was not satisfied that RT can be “a responsible broadcaster” or that its licensee, ANO TV Novosti, is “fit and proper to hold” a broadcast license.

Ofcom cited 29 ongoing investigations into the channel’s coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its poor history of impartiality and the fact it is funded by the Russian state when explaining its decision. It also cited Russian laws “which effectively criminalize any independent journalism that departs from the Russian state’s own news narrative.” Ofcom’s chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said the U.K. “fiercely” guards freedom of expression “and the bar for action on broadcasters is rightly set very high.”

RT deputy editor-in-chief Anna Belkina said the decision showed Ofcom was “nothing more than a tool of government.”

– Robert Hart

Key Takeaways: Reported Missile Strikes Near Western City Of Lviv

• Missiles struck the western Ukrainian city of Lviv early Friday, Mayor Andriy Sadovy said, adding the missiles hit an unknown target near Lviv’s airport less than four miles from the city center.
• Australia and Japan unveiled additional sanctions on Russian companies and individuals Friday, targeting more than a dozen Russian government officials, defense contractors, Russian billionaires as well as major Russian banks and financial institutions.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged paid fighters from Russia to stay away from the conflict early Friday, saying: “This will be the worst decision of your life.”
• Russian forces have taken into custody the mayor of Velykoburlutska in northeastern Ukraine, according to multiple reports—the mayor, Viktor Tereshchenko, appears to be the fourth Ukrainian political figure the Russians have detained in recent days.
• A U.S. citizen has been killed in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference Thursday, and multiple reports said the American was killed in the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, citing local police who said the death was a result of Russian artillery fire.
• The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly approved revoking normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, paving the way for higher tariffs on goods from those countries.