(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian troops invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Russian forces have since been met with “stiff resistance” from Ukrainians, according to U.S. officials.
In recent days, Russian forces have retreated from northern Ukraine, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. After graphic images emerged of civilians lying dead in the streets of Bucha, a town northwest of Kyiv, the United States and European countries accused Russia of committing war crimes.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 09, 3:10 pm
Global campaign raises 9.1 million euros for refugees
The “Stand Up for Ukraine” global pledging event and campaign raised 9.1 billion euros, or $9.8 billion (USD), for people fleeing the invasion of Ukraine.
The money raised includes 1 billion euros from the European Commission.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development also announced a loan of 1 billion euros to cover the needs of people displaced by the invasion.
Apr 09, 2:34 pm
Ukrainian defense ministry says it found ‘132 tormented bodies’ in Makariv
Ukraine’s defense ministry said it found 132 “tormented bodies” of tortured, murdered citizens in the town of Makariv, after Russian forces retreated.
As 🇺🇦 rescuers advance in the territory liberated from 🇷🇺 occupiers, new monstrous war crimes are uncovered. The town of Makariv in the Kyiv region is half ruined. 132 tormented bodies of tortured, murdered citizens have already been found.#russianwarcrimes
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 9, 2022
The ministry said it uncovered “new monstrous war crimes,” saying the town is “half ruined.”
Apr 09, 2:00 pm
Russia says it opened fire on Ukrainian ship in Black Sea
The Russian defense ministry claimed it fired on the Ukrainian Apache, a dry-cargo ship, which allegedly changed course and attempted to break through to the Mariupol seaport, the ministry said.
The Ukrainian dry-cargo ship did not respond to Russian border guards’ demands to contact them through the international channel and continued heading in the direction of Mariupol port, Russia claimed.
Russia said two border patrol ships fired warning artillery along the vessel’s course, but the cargo ship did not change course or slow down.
The cargo ship, over radio communication, transmitted a message, saying, “I am ‘Maniac’, coming for you,” and signal fires were observed on the shore, according to Russia’s defense ministry.
The Black Sea Fleet then opened artillery fire on the Apache dry-cargo ship to block the vessel, Russia’s defense ministry said.
A direct hit caused a fire in the stern of the ship and it then went adrift. The crew got in touch with border ships with a request to cease fire and said they will comply with the demands of Russian sailors, Russia said.
Russia said no crew members were injured and the fire was extinguished by the ship’s crew.
The ship was inspected and then convoyed to the Yeysk port along with its crew, according to Russia.
Apr 09, 10:33 am
British prime minister visits Kyiv
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday, according to the Ukrainian Embassy in London.
Surprise 😉 pic.twitter.com/AWa5RjYosD
— Embassy of Ukraine to the UK (@UkrEmbLondon) April 9, 2022
“The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson is one of the most principled opponents of the Russian invasion, a leader in sanctions pressure on Russia and defence support for Ukraine. Congratulations in Kyiv, my friend!” Zelenskyy said in a post online.
Today I met my friend President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv as a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine.
We’re setting out a new package of financial & military aid which is a testament of our commitment to his country’s struggle against Russia’s barbaric campaign. pic.twitter.com/KNY0Nm6NQ3
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 9, 2022
“Today I met my friend President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv as a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine. We’re setting out a new package of financial & military aid which is a testament of our commitment to his country’s struggle against Russia’s barbaric campaign,” Johnson said.
Apr 09, 9:10 am
Russian forces regrouping in east, may move toward Kharkiv: Ukraine defense intelligence
Ukraine claimed Saturday that its intelligence indicates Russian forces are currently regrouping in eastern Ukraine, then the tankers intend to move toward Kharkiv, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov said.
Russians are also regrouping in the direction of Izum, in the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainians said.
“They plan to enter Kharkiv in the first place. They will try to conquer the city of Mariupol and only after that they can try to initiate Kiev,” Budanov said in an interview on CNN.
To compensate for their significant losses in Ukraine, the Russian army is transferring additional troops to Belgorod (Russia), from where they are relocated to Kharkiv region, the Ukrainians claimed.
Budanov said Ukraine needs serious military support from allies so its soldiers can more effectively resist Russian aggression.
Apr 08, 6:08 pm
Strike on Kramatorsk train station ‘another war crime,’ Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Friday’s deadly missile attack on the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine “another war crime of Russia.”
“All the world’s leading powers have already condemned Russia’s attack on Kramatorsk,” Zelenskyy said during his latest national address Friday. “We expect a firm, global response to this war crime.”
The president called for the missile strike, which killed at least 50, to be among the charges in a war crimes tribunal against Russia.
“All the efforts of the world will be aimed to establish every minute: who did what, who gave orders. Where did the rocket come from, who was carrying it, who gave the order and how the strike was coordinated,” Zelenskyy said. “Responsibility is inevitable.”
Apr 08, 5:45 pm
Claims Russia not involved in train attack ‘unconvincing’: Pentagon
During his daily press briefing, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby was clear that the U.S. believes that Russia was behind the rocket attack on a train station in eastern Ukraine earlier Friday.
“We find unconvincing Russian claims that they weren’t involved, particularly when the ministry actually announced it and then when they saw reports of civilian casualties they decided to unannounce it,” Kirby said during Friday afternoon’s briefing. “So our assessment is that this was a Russian strike and they used a short-range ballistic missile to conduct it.”
Kirby called it a part of the trend by Russia of “brutality” and “carelessness” in not avoiding civilian casualties as they carry out this war in Ukraine.
At least 50 people, including five children, were killed in the rocket attack in Kramatorsk, Ukrainian authorities said.
A Kremlin spokesman denied involvement in the attack, saying Russia’s Armed Forces do not use the type of missile used in the strike and that no combat tasks were planned in the region.
Apr 08, 3:23 pm
EU president witnesses mass grave in Bucha
European Union President Ursula Von der Leyen was seen on camera witnessing a mass grave in Bucha, Ukraine, during a visit to the demolished city with the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
After touring Bucha, Von der Leyen met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and handed him an envelope with a questionnaire, marking the first step toward membership in the EU. Zelenskyy said he’d have responses in one week.
Global officials have accused Russian troops of committing war crimes after graphic images emerged of civilians lying dead in the streets of Bucha following the withdrawal of Russian forces.
At a press conference Thursday Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “The sickening images and accounts coming out of Bucha and other parts of Ukraine have only strengthened our collective resolve and unity.”
Apr 08, 3:12 pm
Russia has lost 15-20% of combat power, U.S. says
The Pentagon is “not buying” Russia’s denial of responsibility for the Ukraine train station attack that killed at least 50, a senior U.S. defense official said Friday.
“They originally claimed a successful strike and then only retracted it when there were reports of civilian casualties,” the official said. “It’s our full expectation that this was a Russian strike — we believe they used a short-range ballistic missile, an SS-21.”
As Russian troops retreat from some Ukrainian cities, some of the Russian battalion tactical groups (or BTGs, with roughly 800-1,000 troops each) that have withdrawn back across the Belarusian and Russian borders have been essentially “eradicated” from the fighting in Ukraine, according to the senior defense official.
“There’s just nothing left of the BTG except a handful of troops and maybe a small number of vehicles,” the official said.
In terms of total losses — counting troops, tanks, aircraft and missile inventory — Russia has lost between 15-20% of the combat power it originally had arrayed against Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion, according to the official.
According to the official, some of the withdrawn Russian forces are now making their way to the Russian cities of Belgorod and Valuyki, to the northwest of Donbas. But there are “no indications” that fresh troops are waiting there to join them, the official said.
For now, degraded Russian BTGs are “exploring the option of” consolidating, banding together remaining troops and supplies to form new units, the official said.
Russia is also aiming to recruit upwards of 60,000 new troops, according to the official.
After Russian BTGs rebuild, “the most likely course of action would be for them to move immediately south right into the Donbas,” the official said.
The Pentagon now estimates more than 40 Russian BTGs are positioned in or near the Donbas region. The estimate was “more than 30” on Wednesday, meaning up to 10,000 more troops have arrived in recent days.
Apr 08, 2:57 pm
State Dept. reacts to train station attack
Jalina Porter, the State Department’s deputy spokesperson, is responding to the Russian attack at a Ukraine train station that killed at least 50, saying, “We can no longer be surprised by the Kremlin’s repugnant disregard for human life.”
Five children were among those killed when Russian rockets struck the station in Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on Friday morning, according to Ukraine’s state-owned railway company. At least 100 people were injured, according to Donetsk Oblast Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Russia has denied involvement in the attack, which occurred as “thousands” of civilians fleeing the Russian invasion were at the train station waiting to be taken to “safer regions of Ukraine,” according to Kyrylenko.
“Civilians are killed when they stay in their homes, and they’re killed when they try to leave,” Porter said. “Actions like these demonstrate why Russia did not belong on the U.N. Human Rights Council, and they also reinforce the U.S. assessment that members of Russian forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine.”
Porter declined to say if the department considers the train station attack a war crime, saying, “Assessing individual criminal liability in specific cases is the responsibility of courts, as well as other investigatory bodies. But as the secretary, Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken, has said, ‘Those responsible for war crimes and other atrocities committed in Ukraine will be held to account.”
Apr 08, 10:43 am
Death toll rises to 50 after attack on Ukrainian train station
At least 50 people, including five children, were killed in a rocket attack on a railway station in eastern Ukraine on Friday, authorities said.
Two Russian rockets struck the train station in the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on Friday morning, according to Ukraine’s state-owned railway company, which in a statement via Facebook called the attack “a purposeful strike on the passenger infrastructure of the railway and the residents of the city of Kramatorsk.”
Donetsk Oblast Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said 38 of the 50 killed died at the scene while 12 died in hospitals. At least 100 were injured, according to the governor.
The attack occurred as “thousands” of civilians fleeing the Russian invasion were at the train station waiting to be taken to “safer regions of Ukraine,” according to Kyrylenko, who accused Russian forces of “deliberately trying to disrupt the evacuation of civilians.”
“The evacuation will continue,” the governor added. “Anyone who wants to leave the region will be able to do so.”
Graphic images provided by Ukrainian officials showed the aftermath of the attack — bodies lying on the ground next to scattered luggage and debris, with charred vehicles parked nearby. The remains of a large rocket with the words “for our children” in Russian painted on the side was also seen on the ground next to the main building of the station. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement via Facebook that a Tochka-U short-range ballistic missile was used in Friday’s attack.
Earlier this week, large crowds of people were seen waiting on the platform to board trains at the Kramatorsk railway station as they fled the city in Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region.
Since 2014, Russia-backed separatist forces have controlled two breakaway republics of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in the Donbas. The separatists have been fighting alongside Russian troops to seize more territory there, after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Now, the Russian military is said to be refocusing its offensive in the Donbas as its troops withdraw from northern Ukraine.
Apr 08, 9:36 am
Russia isn’t telling most families who’ve lost sons in war: U.S. official
A senior administration official told ABC News that Russia isn’t informing the majority of families when someone is killed in the war.
The official said mothers and spouses are starting to show up outside military bases to try to get information but are told to leave.
The official said mobile crematoriums are being used to burn the bodies of some Russian soldiers.
Apr 08, 9:00 am
EU, UK target Putin’s daughters in fresh sanctions
The European Union announced Friday a fifth set of sanctions against Russian individuals and businesses, including a prohibition to buy and import coal and solid fossil fuels, with the package expected to include sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, who were sanctioned by the United States earlier this week.
The fresh sanctions also include a prohibition on Russian flagged ships accessing E.U. ports, further export bans on technologically goods and import bans on raw materials, accounting for billions of dollars.
An E.U. spokesperson would not confirm to ABC News on Friday morning that Putin’s daughters were among the latest individuals targeted, but said more details would be announced later in the day.
The bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in a statement Friday that the “latest sanctions were adopted following the atrocities committed by Russian armed forces in Bucha and other places under Russian occupation.”
“The aim of our sanctions is to stop the reckless, inhuman and aggressive behaviour of the Russian troops and make clear to the decision makers in the Kremlin that their illegal aggression comes at a heavy cost,” Borrell added.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom formally announced new sanctions against Putin’s two daughters as well as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, targeting the “lavish lifestyles of the Kremlin’s inner circle.”
“Our unprecedented package of sanctions is hitting the elite and their families, while degrading the Russian economy on a scale Russia hasn’t seen since the fall of the Soviet Union,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement Friday. “But we need to do more. Through the G-7, we are ending the use of Russian energy and hitting Putin’s ability to fund his illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.”
“Together, we are tightening the ratchet on Russia’s war machine, cutting off Putin’s sources of cash,” she added.
Apr 08, 8:09 am
Russia denies attack on Ukrainian train station
Russia denied its involvement in a rocket attack that killed dozens of people at a train station in eastern Ukraine on Friday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov alleged that the involvement of Russian forces in the attack on the railway station in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk was already ruled out by the Russian Ministry of Defense, based on the type of missile that was used — a Tochka-U short-range ballistic missile.
“Our Armed Forces do not use missiles of this type,” Peskov told reporters during a press briefing Friday. “No combat tasks were set or planned for today in Kramatorsk.”
Apr 08, 7:52 am
Death toll rises to 39 after attack on Ukrainian train station
At least 39 people were killed in a rocket attack on a railway station in eastern Ukraine on Friday, authorities said.
Two Russian rockets struck the train station in the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on Friday morning, according to Ukraine’s state-owned railway company, which in a statement via Facebook called the attack “a purposeful strike on the passenger infrastructure of the railway and the residents of the city of Kramatorsk.”
By Friday afternoon, Donetsk Oblast Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed that the death toll had risen from 30 to 39. He said in a statement via Telegram that another 87 were wounded, many seriously. The number of injured was down from earlier estimates of more than 100.
The attack occurred as “thousands” of civilians fleeing the Russian invasion were at the train station waiting to be taken to “safer regions of Ukraine,” according to Kyrylenko, who accused Russian forces of “deliberately trying to disrupt the evacuation of civilians.”
“The evacuation will continue,” the governor added. “Anyone who wants to leave the region will be able to do so.”
Graphic images provided by Ukrainian officials showed the aftermath of the attack — bodies lying on the ground next to scattered luggage and debris, with charred vehicles parked nearby. The remains of a large rocket with the words “for our children” in Russian painted on the side was also seen on the ground next to the main building of the station.
Earlier this week, large crowds of people were seen waiting on the platform to board trains at the Kramatorsk railway station as they fled the city in Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region.
Since 2014, Russia-backed separatist forces have controlled two breakaway republics of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in the Donbas. The separatists have been fighting alongside Russian troops to seize more territory there, after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Now, the Russian military is said to be refocusing its offensive in the Donbas as it withdraws its troops from northern Ukraine.
Apr 08, 6:19 am
EU president, top diplomat to meet with Zelenskyy in Kyiv
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the bloc’s top diplomat, Joseph Borrell, were due to arrive in Ukraine’s capital on Friday.
While in Kyiv, the pair will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It will be their first visit to the Ukrainian capital since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24.
Apr 08, 5:08 am
At least 30 killed, over 100 injured in attack on Ukrainian train station
At least 30 people were killed and more than 100 others injured in a rocket attack on a railway station in eastern Ukraine on Friday morning, authorities said.
According to Ukraine’s state-owned railway company, two Russian rockets struck the train station in the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast.
“This is a purposeful strike on the passenger infrastructure of the railway and the residents of the city of Kramatorsk,” Ukrainian Railways said in a post on Facebook.
Donetsk Oblast Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said the station was teeming with civilians fleeing the Russian invasion. Kyrylenko accused Russian forces of wanting “to take as many peaceful people as possible.”
“Thousands of people were at the station during the missile strike, as residents of Donetsk Oblast are being evacuated to safer regions of Ukraine,” Kyrylenko said in a post on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the rockets targeted an area at the station where “thousands of peaceful Ukrainians were waiting for evacuation.”
“Not having the strength and courage to confront us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying the civilian population,” Zelenskyy said in a post on Facebook. “This is an evil that has no limits. And if it is not punished, it will never stop.”
Graphic images provided by Ukrainian officials showed the aftermath of the attack — bodies lying on the ground next to scattered luggage and debris, with charred vehicles parked nearby.
Apr 08, 4:33 am
Russian forces need ‘at least a week’ before redeploying, UK says
Russian forces in northern Ukraine have now fully withdrawn to neighboring Belarus and Russia, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Friday in an intelligence update.
“At least some of these forces will be transferred to East Ukraine to fight in the Donbas,” the ministry added. “Many of these forces will require significant replenishment before being ready to deploy further east with any mass redeployment from the north likely to take at least a week minimum.”
Meanwhile, cities in eastern and southern Ukraine continue to be shelled by Russian forces as the troops advance “further south from the strategically important city of Izium which remains under their control,” according to the ministry.
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