(LONDON) — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth spoke for the first time publicly about her own battle with COVID-19, saying the virus leaves “one feeling very tired and exhausted.”
The queen, 95, tested positive for COVID-19 in February, just days after it was confirmed that her son, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, had also tested positive for COVID-19.
Buckingham Palace said at the time that Queen Elizabeth had “mild cold-like symptoms” as a result of the virus.
Last week, the queen virtually attended the official opening of the Queen Elizabeth Critical Care Unit at Royal London Hospital, of which she is patron. The 155-bed unit was built in five weeks to help care for the surge of patients during the pandemic.
Queen Elizabeth spoke on a video call with health care workers who treated patients during the pandemic as well as a man named Asef, who recovered from COVID-19 in the unit.
Buckingham Palace released video of the call on Sunday.
“I’m glad that you’re getting better,” the queen told Asef. “It does leave one feeling very tired and exhausted doesn’t it, this horrible pandemic.”
Queen Elizabeth has attended most events virtually over the past several months, due to her battle with COVID-19 and other health conditions. In October, she was hospitalized overnight for what Buckingham Palace described as “preliminary investigations.”
The queen’s first in-person appearance since battling COVID-19 was last month, when she attended the Thanksgiving service for her husband, Prince Philip, who died last April at age 99.
Buckingham Palace has announced the queen will not attend the Maundy Service on Thursday, an annual tradition in which she distributes special Maundy money to pensioners ahead of Easter Sunday.
Queen Elizabeth appeared upbeat on the Royal London Hospital call, during which she thanked health care workers for their service during the pandemic.
“It’s been very nice to be able to join you and also to hear what happened and how well it has been achieved,” said the queen. “Thank you very much indeed, all of you.”
Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(LONDON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that an attack from Russian forces in the east is looming. But he said Ukrainian troops are ready.
“Russian troops will move to even larger operations in the east of our state. They can use even more missiles against us, even more air bombs,” Zelenskyy said in a televised address late Sunday. “But we are preparing for their actions. We will respond. We will be even more active in providing Ukraine with weapons. We will be more active in the international arena. We will be even more active in the information field.”
After Russian forces invaded Ukraine from the north, east and south on Feb. 24, they quickly reached the outskirts of Kyiv, but ultimately failed to seize the Ukrainian capital and other major cities in the north. Russian forces were met with strong resistance from Ukrainian troops, despite weeks of relentless bombardment that decimated entire neighborhoods and claimed civilian lives.
The Russian military announced on March 29 it would scale down activities in the north around Kyiv and Chernihiv and instead focus its efforts on the “liberation” of the contested Donbas region in the east, which is home to a mostly Russian-speaking population. Russia-backed separatist forces have controlled two breakaway republics of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhanks oblasts in Donbas since 2014, following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
The Russian troops that have retreated from northern and northeastern Ukraine in recent days are now resting and resupplying in neighboring Belarus and Russia, according to observers, who noted it could take weeks before those troops are redployed for a fresh attack in the east.
“At least some of these forces will be transferred to East Ukraine to fight in the Donbas,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update on April 8. “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.”
Nevertheless, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that “this is a crucial phase of the war.”
“In the coming weeks, we expect a further Russian push in eastern and southern Ukraine to try to take the entire Donbas and to create a land bridge to occupied Crimea,” Stoltenberg said at a press conference on April 5.
Satellite images collected on April 8 by Maxar Technologies show a large military convoy of hundreds of vehicles, including tanks, that extends for at least 8 miles, moving south through the eastern Ukrainian town of Velykyi Burluk, about 55 miles east of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and some 65 miles from the border with Russia. Ukrainian authorities have warned citizens in the east that this is their last chance to flee, as Russian forces are expected to push south from Kharkiv and north from Donetsk in an attempt to encircle the battle-hardened Ukrainain troops in Donbas.
In his address on Sunday night, Zelenskyy said this coming “week will be no less important than” the previous ones.
“It will be just as tense and even more responsible. Russia will be even more afraid. Afraid to lose,” he said. “I will continue to address the parliaments and nations of the world. We will meet our partners, leaders of other states in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. We will attract even more funds and resources to help Ukraine.
(PARIS) — French President Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, a far-right presidential candidate, took the top two spots in the first round of the presidential elections on Sunday, according to preliminary results.
The two, who led a crowded field of twelve candidates, will advance to a second and final round of voting on April 24.
Macron, who is seeking reelection, placed first with about 28% of votes cast on Sunday, according to preliminary results. Le Pen carried about 23%.
Experts say the latest trends showed a strong and rapid rise in the number of voters in favor of Le Pen, while those of Macron were falling.
“We’ve seen a positive dynamic in favor of Marine Le Pen,” Henri Wallard, deputy CEO at Ipsos polling, told ABC News. “She has progressed clearly in the last two or three weeks before this first phase.”
The far-right candidate’s message has reached French people concerned about the cost of living.
“The most important concern expressed by the French voters is the purchasing power and and the social issues in general,” Wallard said. “And the fact is Marine Le Pen was early on in the campaign well-positioned on this topic … and the fact is that we have seen as a consequence of the current international crisis a surge in the price of oil and gas and the impact on inflation.”
The war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted this atypical presidential campaign and added uncertainty for voters.
France risks breaking the 2002 record of non-voters, which reached 28% in the whole of France, according to Jean Chiche, emeritus researcher at the SciencesPo Center for Political Research. Abstention hovers over the elections, as the majority of French people don’t feel represented by political office-holders, he said.
“There is a rejection of the political class,” Chiche told ABC News. “It is the young people of the working classes who live in isolated cities, or in peri-urban areas; they are the most abstaining.”
Macron achieved high scores in the first 15 days of the war in Ukraine, according to Chiche, a major boost for the president seeking reelection.
“Faced with the war in Ukraine, he fully assumed his responsibilities as head of state, everyone in France understands that,” Maud Bregeon, spokesperson for Macron’s La République En Marche party told ABC News.
Critics have pointed to Macron’s absence on the campaign trail since the beginning of the war as one cause for his dropping popularity.
Macron is also facing possible trouble at the polls since his government came under fire in February for hiring and paying large amounts to a U.S. consulting firm, as first revealed by two journalists from French newspaper L’Obs. The French government paid up 1.5 billion euros in 2020 to several private consulting firms for services such as counting health masks at the beginning of the pandemic or drafting a military strategy, the newspaper reported.
A senatorial commission of inquiry into the government’s frequent and expensive payments to those firms later unveiled that one of them, McKinsey & Company, did not pay taxes in France between 2011 and 2020, despite the large sums received. The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office opened a preliminary investigation on April 6 for aggravated money laundering of tax evasion.
McKinsey responded the same day, saying in a statement that “the tax approach applied by McKinsey is similar in the countries where it is present and has been consistent for years.”
“As it stands, if Macron doesn’t campaign more, if Marine Le Pen makes it to the second round and at the same time she doesn’t collapse like she had did in 2017, then the probability of her being elected is non-zero; it is between 15 to 30%,” Chiche before Sunday’s vote.
The rise of Le Pen’s party also led to the emergence of new candidates on the far-right, such as polemist Eric Zemmour.
Zemmour, who was found guilty in January of hate speech by a Paris court, has stood out with a campaign focused on what he calls the fight against Islamism, calling on French Muslims to “renounce the practice of Islam, which imposes a legal and political code.”
Proposals from conservative and far-right camps targeting Muslim populations — such as requiring French nationals to have certain first names — have come under strong criticism.
“It’s a reaction of disgust,” Abdallah Zekri, president of the National Observatory for the Fight against Islamophobia, told ABC News. “When he says we have to change our first names? Why change our first names? Zemmour is completely out of bounds.”
Other proposals targeting migrants, such as the conservative candidate Valérie Pécresse’s bid to systematically remove illegal immigrants accompanied by a “zero visa” policy for countries that refuse to take them back have also hit a nerve with migrant communities.
Zekri says speeches like that of Zemmour, conservative party candidate Valérie Pécresse and Le Pen tend to lead to an increase in Islamophobic acts.
“I have been following anti-Muslim acts for over 11 years,” Zekri said. “Whenever an election approaches, Islamophobic acts automatically increase; and it’s getting worse.”
Ukrainian forces fire GRAD rockets toward Russian positions in Donbas, Ukraine on April 10, 2022 – Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(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 10, 11:11 pm
Forces preparing to respond to Russian attack on eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian forces are preparing to respond to a planned Russian attack on the eastern side of the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in his address on Sunday.
Russian troops are expected to move to an even larger operation in the east of Ukraine, which will enable them to carry out even more bombardments, Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukrainian forces are ready for the attack.
“We are preparing for their actions,” Zelenskyy said. “We will respond. We will be even more active in providing Ukraine with weapons. We will be more active in the international arena. We will be even more active in the information field.”
Zelenskyy added that he and other government officials are doing everything they can to ensure that Ukraine gets the world’s attention, especially as Russia continues to attempt to influence the narrative and justify the invasion.
This coming week will be just as important as previous weeks, Zelenskyy said.
“It will be just as tense and even more responsible,” he added.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Apr 10, 5:00 pm
Thousands of refugees return to Ukraine
Nearly 23,000 Ukrainian refugees returned to Ukraine on Saturday after fleeing the country following the Russian invasion in February, according to Ukrainian and United Nations officials.
The repatriated Ukrainians are among the more than 4.5 million who left the country between Feb. 24 and April 9, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
More than half of the Ukrainian refugees fled to neighboring Poland, officials said.
The Polish border guard service is reporting that despite the war still raging in Ukraine, the number of refugees voluntarily returning to Ukraine reached the highest figure for a single day on Saturday since the war began, according to Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information.
The UNHCR estimated that as of April 8, more than 7.1 million people in Ukraine have been displaced due to the war.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Apr 10, 3:58 pm
Death toll from Kramatorsk train station attack rises to 57
The death toll climbed to 57 on Sunday from an alleged Russian rocket attack Friday on a crowded train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, Ukrainian officials said.
Among those killed in the attack were five children, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk Oblast in the Donbas region. Another 109 people were wounded when two Russian rockets struck the train station.
“There are many people in a serious condition, without arms or legs,” said Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Goncharenko according to the Associated Press.
The number of dead victims in the attack grew from 50 on Friday, officials said.
Ukraine’s state-owned railway company issued a statement on Facebook calling the attack “a purposeful strike on the passenger infrastructure of the railway and the residents of the city of Kramatorsk.”
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 remnants of a large rocket with the Russian words painted on its side reading “for our children” was also seen on the ground next to the main building of the train station.
Russia has denied involvement in the attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed involvement of Russian forces 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.”
(LONDON) — To Daria Kaleniuk, a Ukrainian anti-corruption activist, Russian President Vladimir Putin “has two armies.”
“One is visible and obvious, it operates in Ukraine,” Kaleniuk said Wednesday during a congressional hearing in Washington. “But another army is invisible.”
As Ukrainian forces fight to defend their country from Russia’s protracted invasion, experts say a second battle is being waged in London. In the 22 years since Putin swept into power, many in Russia’s billionaire class have gone abroad. Critics say in many cases it is to launder their money and reputation, finding a home in friendly real estate markets and cultural hubs. Now, the wealth they’ve amassed abroad has come under great scrutiny.
According to the anti-corruption NGO Transparency International, at least £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) worth of U.K. property is owned by Russians with links to the Kremlin or those suspected of financial crime. Due to the prevalence of opaque, offshore companies, the true scale of illicit wealth is likely far higher, hence the capital city’s nickname in some quarters: “Londongrad.”
Of course, not every wealthy Russian in London is an oligarch or is linked to illicit money. And wealthy oligarchs in London are not uniform in how close they are to Putin and how they accumulated wealth, but many do have in common ties to the Russian state, according to Thomas Mayne, an expert in corruption studies and visiting fellow at Chatham House, a London-based think tank.
“It’s a ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ type system,” he told ABC News. “You’re allowed to become unfathomably wealthy. But, on the other hand, you will be required depending on who you are at various times to support whatever the Kremlin wants you to do.”
Roman Abramovich, the now-sanctioned owner of Chelsea F.C., is perhaps the best known of these oligarchs. For almost two decades he enjoyed a privileged position in British society, investing a fortune in the London soccer club, ushering in an unprecedented era of success.
But Abramovich has “had a close relationship for decades” with Putin, according to the British government, which has announced sanctions against a host of oligarchs. Abramovich has repeatedly disputed reports suggesting his alleged closeness to Putin. He has not been sanctioned by the U.S.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office specifically mentioned Abramovich’s dealings with Evraz PLC, a manufacturing company that is said to be supplying steel to make some Russian tanks used in the war with Ukraine. Abramovich has not commented on the sanctions since they were imposed.
Abramovich has found himself in a bizarre position, and his role at the Ukraine-Russia negotiations — where he suffered a suspected poisoning along with Ukrainian delegates — has been the subject of a great deal of media intrigue.
Another investor in U.K. culture is Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who was the top shareholder of yet another major soccer club, Arsenal, until 2018. He maintained his deep ties to the Premier League until just last month, when Liverpool-based soccer club Everton suspended multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals with Russian companies linked to the oligarch. He was sanctioned by the U.K. shortly after.
The war in Ukraine has thrown London’s role as a hub for Russian money into sharp focus, spurring a response unseen after previous Russian actions, including the poisonings of Russian defectors Sergei Skripal in 2018 and Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the Georgian war of 2008.
The U.K. has now sanctioned over 1,000 individuals and businesses it says has links to the Russian state, according to the foreign office. The total asset value of the banks sanctioned is upwards of $650 billion, and the total wealth of oligarchs and their families sanctioned is upwards of $190 billion, according to official data.
“These oligarchs, businesses and hired thugs are complicit in the murder of innocent civilians and it is right that they pay the price,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in announcing the latest round of sanctions. “Putin should be under no illusions — we are united with our allies and will keep tightening the screw on the Russian economy to help ensure he fails in Ukraine. There will be no let-up.”
In terms of tackling illicit wealth and corruption of Russian origin, the response has been “robust” and “positive,” Mayne said, though questions remain about the sheer depth of Russian influence in the U.K.
“It’s perhaps surprising simply because of readiness in the last 20 years to accept this corrupt capital, this dirty cash,” he said. “You know, we’ve known for a long time Russia is a bad actor. But the big question is, you know, how did we let this happen in the first place?”
Experts say the assets that have surfaced likely reflect only a fraction of Russian wealth in the U.K. As with elsewhere in the West, many oligarchs and other wealthy individuals from foreign countries have hidden their assets in a complex network of shell companies or under the names of their family members. Critics say future sanction packages should take these loopholes into account.
“In the U.K., sanctioning oligarchs should include visa bans for [the oligarchs themselves] … but also for their family members,” Kaleniuk said during Wednesday’s hearing.
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a network of investigators and journalists, found five properties linked to Usmanov in the U.K., a network of investigators and journalists, estimated to be worth more than $200 million.
In announcing Usmanov’s sanctioning last month, the U.K. government said two of Usmanov’s large properties, Beechwood House, in London, and the 16th century Sutton Place estate, in Surrey, were among his frozen assets. But some of his wealth has proved more elusive — with the OCCRP reporting large portions have been transferred into trusts, out of reach of the British government, with his family holding the beneficial rights.
In 2020, a parliamentary committee released The Russia Report, which was commissioned following the poisoning of Skripal on the streets of Salisbury with a Novichok agent. Skripal and his daughter survived, though one other British national died and another became severely ill.
The report, which was critical of government measures to combat Russian influence, said many Russians with links to Putin had integrated into London’s “business and social scene,” some with connections to the “highest levels” of British politics. Lawyers, accountants and estate agents helped enable Russian influence, it added, describing it as the “new normal.”
A Golden visa scheme, guaranteeing residency for foreign investors, which reportedly helped 2,600 Russian investors in the U.K. since 2008, was only revoked on the eve of the Ukraine war.
“The Russia Report said that the security services have taken their eye off the ball when it came to the threat posed by Russia,” Mayne told ABC News. “And that has to be tied in with the obscene amounts of capital flowing into London from Russia, which they’ve been quite happy to accept, even though it’s been dubiously acquired. Now we’re only realizing that the folly of that position.”
Downing Street officials hope the new wave of sanctions — with potentially more to come — as well as a new Economic Crime Bill, will follow through on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s warning issued at the outset of war: that those attempting to launder money in the U.K. have “nowhere to hide.”
The U.K. government hopes that targeting Russian oligarchs will have a dual effect: preventing funds from reaching the Kremlin to finance the war in Ukraine, and also curtailing the lavish lifestyles of Russian elites who have enjoyed what their riches can buy them in the West. When the U.K. announced its first seizure of a Russian owned yacht in British waters at the end of last month, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it served as a “a clear and stark warning to Putin and his cronies.”
By their nature, sanctions are a “freeze, not a seize,” Mayne said, but the nature of Putin’s government means that targeting individuals could potentially, as the government hopes, have an effect.
The Economic Crime Bill will be paired with a National Security Agency tool, introduced in 2018 to tackle alleged dirty money, called “Unexplained Wealth Orders.” When they have been used they have been high profile — such as to target the wife of a disgraced Azeri banker who went on a major spending spree at Harrod’s — though so far only a handful have been meted out.
In an extract from his new book entitled “Butler to the World” published in The Times of London, financial journalist Oliver Bullough said sanctions will likely be challenged in court. The bill “contains nothing that will help to drive kleptocratic wealth out of this country,” he wrote.
“This really comes back to the question of what London has become, and whether this will truly be a line in the sand,” Mayne said. “Do we just sit back and continue to be happy to accept this money? Or do we start to realize that corruption poses a national security threat as Biden as identified in the U.S.? My suspicion is that, because London is the world’s largest financial center, we will go back to the way it was, with perhaps a bit of a caveat on specifically Russian cash.”
(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
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.
— 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
“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.
(NEW YORK) — At least 50 people, including five children, were killed in a rocket attack on a train station in eastern Ukraine on Friday, authorities said.
Two Russian rockets struck the station in 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 people killed died at the scene while 12 died in hospitals. At least 100 people were injured, according to the governor.
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.
Russia has denied involvement in the attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed involvement of Russian forces 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.”
According to a senior U.S. defense official, the initial assessment by the U.S. is this was a short-range ballistic missile fired by Russian forces from inside Ukraine.
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.”
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 eastern 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.
Yulii Zozulia/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images
(MARIUPOL, Ukraine) — In one of the creepiest allegations to emerge from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin is being accused by Ukrainian officials of using “mobile crematoriums” to incinerate dead civilians in a deliberate effort to cover-up alleged war crimes in the hard-hit city of Mariupol.
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko made the charge this week, saying he heard eyewitness accounts of Russian soldiers driving around Mariupol with crematoriums on lorries and collecting bodies of civilians while at the same time barring the International Committee of the Red Cross from entering the city with humanitarian aid.
“The world has not seen the scale of the tragedy in Mariupol since the existence of Nazis concentration camps,” Boychenko said on Tuesday. “The Russians have turned our entire city into a death camp. Unfortunately, the creepy analogy is getting more and more confirmation.”
In a statement released on its Facebook account, the Mariupol City Council said, “witnesses have seen evidence Russia is operating mobile crematoria in Mariupol, burning the bodies of dead civilians and covering up evidence of war crimes.”
The statement added “this is why Russia is not in a hurry” to let the ICRC and other human rights watch groups into Mariupol to rescue civilians still trapped there.
Boychenko and the city council said the portable human furnaces showed up in Mariupol after reports of alleged atrocities at the hands of Russian troops emerged in Bucha, a suburb of the capital city Kyiv. Ukrainian officials reported that at least 410 civilians were killed in Bucha, including many found with their hands tied behind their backs and shot in the head.
Boychenko said his once-thriving port city of 400,000 people has been completely decimated by bombing raids and estimated that around 5,000 people there have been killed.
U.S. defense officials told ABC News they have not confirmed the allegations that Russia is using mobile crematoriums to hide evidence of war crimes.
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts, told ABC News on Thursday that he is not surprised by the reports.
Moulton, a former Marine and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said that during a 2015 fact-finding mission in Ukraine that he went on with other House members, “credible sources” informed him that the Russian Army was using mobile crematoriums on its own soldiers in the Russian occupied Crimea, Ukraine. He said the sources told him Russia was using the devices to cover up the number of its soldiers killed in Crimea.
“We heard this from a variety of sources over there, enough that I was confident in the veracity of the information,” Moulton said. “None of that has changed. That is absolutely what was going on back then and I’m now hearing reports, unsurprisingly, that it’s happening again.”
Moulton said he has no reason to discounts reports from Ukrainian officials that Russia is using the incinerators to hide new war crimes.
“The bottom line is this is nothing new for the Russian Army and Vladimir Putin,” Moulton said.
In an interview with Turkish media this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged that Russian soldiers were “cleaning up” before allowing aid workers into the heavily bombed Mariupol.
Pressure has been mounting from the international community to bring war crimes against Putin and other Russian officials. The international criminal court in The Hague has launched an investigation into the atrocities allegedly committed against Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops since the invasion started on Feb. 24.
A report released Thursday by Amnesty International claims Russian forces have committed numerous war crimes throughout Ukraine. The organization said its crisis response investigators interviewed more than 20 people from villages and towns near Kyiv and many claimed to have witnessed civilian executions.
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday voted to pass a resolution to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council in response to Russian forces’ alleged killings of civilians in Ukraine.
“I’m not sure who needs more proof that Russia is committing war crimes,” Moulton told ABC News. “They’re trying to cover their tracks.”
Russia has denied committing atrocities and targeting civilians.
(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 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.
(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 08, 9:36 am
Russia isn’t telling most families who’ve lost sons in war: US 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.
-ABC News’ Martha Raddatz
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.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
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.
