Live blog: Ukraine's Zelenskyy dismisses Russia's military scaleback claims

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Ukraine's Zelensky dismisses Russian claims of scaleback

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he didn't trust Russian vows to scale back military activity and that his army was getting ready for further fighting in the east.

"We don't believe anyone, not a single beautiful phrase," Zelenskyy said in a video address to the nation, adding that Russian troops were regrouping to strike the eastern Donbass region. 

"We will not give anything away. We will fight for every metre of our territory."

Russia says forces near Ukraine capital and in north "regroup", focus on Donbass

Russia's defence ministry has said its forces were regrouping near Ukraine's capital Kiev and the northern city of Chernihiv to focus on other key areas and complete the "liberation" of the breakaway eastern Donbass region.

The ministry's statement, part of a reframing of Moscow's stated objectives in recent days, came a day after Russia said it would scale back operations near Kiev and Chernihiv to support progress in peace talks.

The defence ministry said on the 35th day of the conflict Russia had accomplished "all" the goals of the first phase of what it describes as its special military operation in Ukraine.

Pentagon: Russia starting to reposition under 20% of forces around Kiev

Russia has started to reposition under 20 percent of the forces arrayed around Ukraine's capital Kiev, the Pentagon has said, but cautioned Russia was expected to refit and resupply them for redeployment, and not bring the forces home.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said some of the Russian forces may have already moved into Belarus, as opposed to their home garrisons.

Kirby also told a news briefing Russian contractor Wagner Group had deployed about 1,000 contractors into Ukraine's Donbass region, which Moscow has declared a priority.

Biden, Zelenskyy discuss 'additional capabilities' for Ukraine's military

US President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have discussed "additional capabilities" to help the Ukrainian military, during a telephone call, the White House has said in a statement.

Biden also told Zelenskyy that the United States would provide the Ukrainian government with $500 million in direct aid, as Kiev battles against Russian forces.

"The leaders discussed...continued efforts by the United States with allies and partners to identify additional capabilities to help the Ukrainian military defend its country," the White House said.

Putin tells Scholz gas payments can continue in euros

The German government has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chancellor Olaf Scholz that Europe could continue paying for Russian gas in euros and not rubles as previously announced.

German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Putin had told Scholz that payments from Europe next month "would continue to be in euros and transferred as usual to the Gazprom Bank which is not affected by sanctions".

The bank would then convert the payments into rubles, Hebestreit quoted Putin as saying.

UN 'thankful' for Ankara's efforts in Ukraine peace talks

The United Nations has said that it thanked Türkiye for its efforts during talks to maintain peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that the UN continues to push for the success of the talks that recently took place in Istanbul.

"We're also very much thankful for the efforts of Türkiye in that regard and we hope that the statements and the promises that we heard turn into concrete action on the ground, which means silencing the guns," he said.

Russian hackers targeted NATO, eastern European militaries - Google

Russian hackers have recently attempted to penetrate the networks of NATO and the militaries of some eastern European countries, Google's Threat Analysis Group has said in a report.

The report did not say which militaries had been targeted in what Google described as "credential phishing campaigns" launched by a Russian-based group called Coldriver, or Callisto.

"These campaigns were sent using newly created Gmail accounts to non-Google accounts, so the success rate of these campaigns is unknown," the report said.

Abramovich an effective mediator with Russia: Ukraine negotiator

Ukraine sees the billionaire Roman Abramovich as an effective mediator between Kiev and Moscow who helps prevent misunderstandings from happening between the two sides, Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak has said.

"It has long been known in the media space that he is an extremely effective mediator between delegations and partially moderates the process so that there is no misunderstanding at the outset," he told a televised briefing.

Podolyak also played down as speculative "conspiracy theories" the reports that Abramovich had been poisoned several weeks ago, saying such reports were meant to put pressure on the delegations. 

Ukraine's Zelenskyy hires US law firm for sanctions advice

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office has hired an American law firm to advise on Western sanctions imposed after Russia's offensive and help engage with US officials on policy matters, according to a filing with the US Justice Department.

San Francisco-based Morrison & Foerster will counsel Zelenskyy's office on regulatory issues "including US, EU a nd UK sanctions regimes," John Smith, a partner in the firm, said in the Monday filing.

Smith led the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which oversees American sanctions, before joining Morrison & Foerster in 2018. Smith said in the filing that Morrison & Foerster will perform the work at no cost to Ukraine.

Local mayor says 80 civilians killed in Ukraine's Mykolayiv

About 80 civilians have been killed and around 450 wounded in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv since Russia started its offensive in Ukraine, the local mayor said.

Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych also said on national television that Russia had used cluster munitions in Mikolayiv. He provided no evidence but said there was a "huge number of cluster bombs scattered around the city".

Russia has previously denied using cluster munitions or targeting civilians since the beginning of the conflict on February 24.

Russian delegate positive on talks with Kiev

The head of Russia's delegation in talks with Ukraine this week has said that Kiev's readiness to consider a neutral status will meet a key Russian demand.

Vladimir Medinsky said that, during Tuesday’s talks in Istanbul, Ukraine submitted a set of proposals including its readiness to adopt a non-bloc, nuclear-free status and drop its bid to join NATO.

He said Ukraine also signalled its readiness not to host foreign military bases and to hold joint drills with foreign militaries only in consultation with countries serving as guarantors of a peace deal, which would include Russia.

Ukrainian negotiator voices optimism after talks with Russia

Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak has said he felt optimistic after talks with Russia at which Moscow said it will scale down military operations near Kiev and a city in northern Ukraine.

"I have an optimistic impression of the round of negotiations in Istanbul," Podolyak told an online briefing following Tuesday's talks in Turkey.

He said a proposed system of security guarantees for Ukraine, which would be offered in exchange for its neutrality, would be put to a nationwide referendum only after Russian troops withdrew to positions they held before attacking Ukraine. 

At least 200 killed in Kiev suburb Irpin since start of conflict

At least 200 people have been killed in the Kiev suburb of Irpin since Russia's offensive in Ukraine, its mayor has said, adding that more than half of the city had been destroyed and it was not safe for residents to return.

"I think about 200 to 300 people have died unfortunately," mayor Oleksandr Markushyn told reporters.

"Fifty percent of the city is destroyed, including critical infrastructure," he said, adding that while Irpin was "100 percent" under Ukrainian control, it was "still dangerous" and still being shelled by Russia.

UN rights chief warns of 'war crimes' in Ukraine conflict

Russia's widespread and indiscriminate attacks in populated areas of Ukraine are of "immense concern", the UN rights chief has said, warning that they could amount to "war crimes".

"Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited under international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes," Michelle Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

"The massive destruction of civilian objects and the high number of civilian casualties strongly indicate that the fundamental principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution have not been sufficiently adhered to."

Slovakia expels 35 Russian diplomats

Slovakia, a member of the European Union, has said it decided to expel 35 Russian diplomats based on information provided by intelligence services.

The country will "reduce the staff of the Russian embassy in Bratislava by 35," foreign ministry spokesman Juraj Tomaga said.

"We regret that following the previous expulsions of Russian diplomats in the last couple of years, the Russian diplomatic mission has not shown any interest in operating correctly in Slovakia," he added.

Russia sanctions should increase until full withdrawal: UK

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Western powers should tighten the economic noose around Russia until it withdraws all its soldiers from Ukraine.

At a hearing in parliament, Johnson told MPs that to lift G7 sanctions simply in return for a Russian ceasefire in Ukraine would go "straight into (Vladimir) Putin's playbook".

"My view is we should intensify sanctions with a rolling programme until every single one of his troops is out of Ukraine," he said.

Putin misled by advisers on Ukraine, US intel determines

US intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about Russian forces’ performance in Ukraine, according to a US official.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the recently declassified intelligence finding, said that Putin has felt misled by the Russian military and there is now persistent tension between him and senior Russian defence officials.

The official did not detail underlying evidence for how US intelligence made the determination.

UN official to vet forced evacuation claims

The UN human rights chief has said her office is looking into allegations that some residents of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol have been forcibly evacuated to areas controlled by Russian forces or to Russia itself.

Speaking to the UN's Human Rights Council, Michelle Bachelet decried life of “sheer terror” for people in the southeastern port city since Russia’s offensive on February 24.

Ukraine has charged that Russian forces were forcibly taking people from Mariupol and other areas to Russia. Moscow has denied the claims, saying about 500,000 Ukrainians left for Russia voluntarily.

Ukraine to discuss co-operation with Turkish officials

The Ukrainian delegation which held talks with Russia in Istanbul this week is staying behind to hold talks on military-technical co-operation with the Turkish government, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia has said.

Ukraine says shelling continues around Kiev

A senior Ukrainian official has said that the Russian military has continued shelling areas around the Ukrainian capital.

Oleksandr Pavliuk, the head of the Kiev region military administration, said that there were 30 Russian shellings of the residential areas and civilian infrastructure in the Bucha, Brovary and Vyshhorod regions around the capital.

The barrage came despite a Russian pledge to reduce military activities around Kiev and the northern city of Chernihiv after Tuesday’s talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul.

Russia says it hit 64 more military objects in Ukraine

The Russian Defense Ministry has said that 64 military objects were destroyed in Ukraine over the past day.

Speaking at a daily press briefing in Moscow, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that among the hit objects were four control centers, three air defense systems - one S-300 and two Buk-M1 - three installations of multiple rocket launchers, two artillery batteries, two large fuel depots and 49 areas of concentration of Ukrainian military equipment.

Also, two large ammunition depots were hit with missiles, fired from a mobile short-range ballistic missile system Iskander, Konashenkov added.

Zelenskyy addresses Norway's Parliament

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the Norwegian Parliament that Russia wants “to destroy the foundation of Europe.”

Zelenskyy, speaking through an interpreter during a live video appearance before the 169-member Stortinget, said that “the future of Europe is being decided now.”

Speaking generally of Russia’s military activities in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said that “for the Russians, there are no prohibited targets.”

Russian strikes hit Red Cross building in Mariupol

Russian forces have struck a Red Cross facility in the besieged and destroyed southern Ukraine port city of Mariupol, Kiev said, where officials have warned of an unfolding humanitarian disaster.

"Enemy aircraft and artillery fired on a building marked with a red cross on a white background, indicating the presence of wounded people or civilian or humanitarian cargo," Ukrainian ombudsperson Lyudmyla Denisova said in a statement on social media.

Denisova did not specify when the strikes had taken place and said there was no confirmation yet if anyone had been killed or injured in the attack.

Kremlin: Roubles for gas switch will take time

The Kremlin has said that it will take some time to switch payments for Russian gas to roubles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to make the necessary arrangements by Friday to ensure that European customers pay for Russian gas in roubles rather than Western currencies. The West has rejected the demand.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the switch is going to be a “drawn-out process.” He didn’t give a specific timeframe.

Ukraine: Russian troops more active in east

The Ukrainian military has said that Russian troops have intensified their activities in the country’s east.

The Ukrainian general staff said that the Russians have scaled up their activities around Izyum, south of Kharkiv, after redeploying some units from other areas. 

It also said that the Russian forces have intensified shelling and attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, focusing on trying to win control of Mariupol, Popasna and Rubizhne.

Kremlin says nothing 'promising' from Russia-Ukraine talks

The Kremlin has played down hopes of a breakthrough following peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegates in Istanbul.

"We cannot state that there was anything too promising or any breakthroughs," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.  He added that Moscow considered it "positive" that Kiev had started outlining its demands in writing.

Following Tuesday's talks, Russia said it would be significantly reducing its military activity near Kiev and Chernihiv. But Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday Russian forces had bombarded Chernihiv.

UN rights council appoints Norwegian judge to lead probe

The UN Human Rights Council has appointed a Norwegian judge who has served on several international courts to lead an investigation into alleged violations committed by Russia in Ukraine.

Erik Mose, a former judge on Norway's supreme court and on the European Court of Human Rights, was named chair of the newly created independent international commission of inquiry.

Human Rights Council president Federico Villegas also appointed Jasminka Dzumhur, the human rights ombudsperson of Bosnia Herzegovina, and Pablo de Greiff of Colombia, who has served as the UN's top expert on the promotion of truth, justice and reparations, to the three-person team.

UN atomic watchdog chief visits Ukraine nuclear plant

UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi has visited a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine on his first trip to the country since Russia's attacks. He has repeatedly warned of the dangers of the conflict — the first in a country with a vast nuclear estate.

Russian forces have seized control of the defunct Chernobyl plant site. They have also captured Europe's largest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia on March 4, sparking alarm when shelling caused a fire at a training facility.

"I'm at South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant to meet Ukrainian government officials and staff, and start IAEA technical assistance for safety and security of country's nuclear facilities," the International Atomic Energy Agency head wrote on Twitter.

Poland to end Russian oil imports; Germany warns on gas

Poland has announced steps to end all Russian oil imports by the end of 2022, as Germany issued a warning over natural gas supplies in a sign of escalating economic tensions in Europe.

Poland has already largely reduced its dependence on Russian oil, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, adding that the country was launching the most radical plan among European nations to wean off Russian energy sources.

In Germany, the government called on consumers to save energy amid concerns that Russia could cut off deliveries unless it is paid in roubles. Western nations have rejected the Russian demand for rouble payments.

UK issues 25,500 visas to Ukrainian refugees

The British government says it has issued 25,500 visas to Ukrainians under schemes set up to bring in refugees after Russia attacked Ukraine last month.

Data from the Home Office showed that 22,800 visas had been given under the Ukraine family scheme, with 2,700 being offered under the sponsorship scheme.

Russia denies striking site of Hasidic Jewish pilgrimage

Russia has denied a claim by Ukraine that it had struck the town of Uman, visited by tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews each year, and showed pictures of what it said were Ukrainian forces loading arms near a synagogue there.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Israeli lawmakers on March 20 that Russia had struck Uman on the first day of the conflict in February, according to a transcript of the speech supplied by The Times of Israel.

"I want to underscore that the Russian armed forces do not strike civilian targets as part of the special military operation," Russian defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said. Russia, Konashenkov said, had not hit any religious buildings or other places of public worship.

Russia, China condemn Western sanctions on Moscow

Foreign ministers of Russia and China have condemned what they called illegal and counterproductive Western sanctions, the Russian foreign ministry has said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui.

"The ministers had a thorough exchange of views...The head of the Russian foreign ministry informed his Chinese counterpart about the progress of the special military operation...and the dynamics of the negotiation process with the Kiev regime," the ministry said in a statement.

"The sides noted the counterproductive nature of the illegal unilateral sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and its satellites."

Over 4 million fled Ukraine: UN

More than four million Ukrainians have fled the country to escape Russia's attacks, United Nations figures show —  a grim milestone in the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 4,019,287 Ukrainians had fled across the country's borders since the beginning of the February 24 assault, with more than 2.3 million having headed west into Poland.

Aid workers say the flow has eased in recent days. An estimated 6.5 million people have also been displaced from their homes within Ukraine.

Governor of Chernihiv region sees no let-up in attacks

The governor of Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region has said he sees no let-up in Russian attacks despite a promise by Moscow to scale down military operations there.

"Do we believe in it (the promise)? Of course not," Governor Viacheslav Chaus said on the Telegram app. "The 'decreased activity' in the Chernihiv region was demonstrated by the enemy carrying out strikes on (the city of) Nizhyn, including air strikes, and all night long they hit (the city of) Chernihiv."

Earlier, the Ukrainian General Staff had said  the Russian army was continuing to withdraw from the Kiev and Chernihiv regions.

Ukraine demands Russia withdraw from Chernobyl area

Ukraine's armed forces say there is a danger of ammunition exploding at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station and that Russian forces occupying the plant must pull out of the area, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said.

She also said Ukraine had asked Russia at talks on Tuesday to allow 97 humanitarian corridors to be established to the worst-hit towns, cities and villages in Ukraine.

"We demand that the UN Security Council immediately take measures to demilitarise the Chernobyl exclusion zone and introduce a special UN mission there to eliminate the risk of the repeat of a nuclear catastrophe," she said.

UK taking skeptical view towards Russian pledges: Deputy PM

Britain will take a very skeptical view towards any promises coming from Russia about Ukraine and will respond to Moscow based on its actions, not its words, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has said.

"I would be very careful in taking at face value what is coming out of Putin's war machine," he told Times Radio, adding that room for diplomacy must still be made.

"Ultimately, they need to be tested by their actions and they need to withdraw from Ukraine, not just reposition. But I think we take a very sceptical view about anything coming out of Moscow."

Moscow, Beijing agree to 'widen cooperation'

Russia and China have agreed to widen cooperation at a meeting of their foreign ministers in China, the Interfax news agency has cited Russia's foreign ministry as saying, amid what Moscow described as "difficult international conditions".

Interfax said cooperation included building up foreign policy coordination and speaking with one voice on global affairs.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui.

Mariupol hospital forcibly evacuated to Russia: mayor

The city of Mariupol has denounced what it says is a forced evacuation to Russia of a maternity hospital from the besieged city, where another such facility was bombed by Russian forces on March 9.

"More than 70 people, women and medical personnel from maternity hospital No. 2 from the left bank district were taken by force by the occupiers," the mayor's office said on its Telegram channel.

More than 20,000 of Mariupol residents have been taken "against their will" to Russia, where their identity documents were confiscated and before they were moved "to Russian cities far away," the office said.

Russia continues to withdraw from Kiev, Chernihiv: Ukraine

The Ukrainian General Staff has said that the Russian army was continuing to withdraw from the Kiev and Chernihiv regions.

The General Staff in a post on Facebook evaluated the 34th day of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The statement said the Russian army could not fulfil the task of besieging Kiev and that it will probably concentrate its troops in the east of the country.

It said the Russian army continued its attacks in Donetsk and carried out air and missile attacks on the settlements of Kreminna and Mariupol. The Russian army focused on seizing control of the Popasna and Rubizhne settlements in the Luhansk region and the city of Mariupol, the statement added.

Ukraine leader skeptical of Russian scale back

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed skepticism about Russia’s announcement that it would significantly scale back military operations near Ukraine’s capital and a northern city.

“Yes, we can call those signals that we hear at the negotiations positive. But those signals don’t silence the explosions of Russian shells,” Zelenskyy said. “Of course we see the risks. Of course we don’t see any basis for trusting the words voiced by those or other representatives of the state that is continuing to fight for our destruction.”

“Ukrainians are not naïve people,” Zelenskyy said. “Ukrainians have already learned during the 34 days of the invasion and during the past eight years of war in the Donbass that you can trust only concrete results.”

US advisory: Moscow may detain Americans in Russia 

The US State Department has issued a travel advisory warning that Moscow "may single out and detain US citizens in Russia" and repeated earlier warnings for Americans not to travel to the country.

The warning was "due to the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces" as well as the potential for harassment of US citizens by Russian authorities, the travel advisory said, repeating calls for Americans travelling or living in Russia to leave "immediately."

Ukraine envoy: Russia being demilitarised

Ukraine's UN envoy Sergiy Kyslytsya has told the UN Security Council that the "demilitarisation of Russia is well under way."

Since the beginning of the offensive into Ukraine, Kyslytsya said the Russians have lost more than 17,000 military personnel, over 1,700 armoured vehicles and almost 600 tanks.

He also said Russia also has lost 300 artillery systems, 127 planes and 129 helicopters, almost 100 rocket launchers systems, 54 air defense systems and seven ships. Kyslytsya said that is "an unprecedented blow to Moscow, where the numbers of Soviet losses in Afghanistan pale in comparison."

UN food chief: Ukraine conflict has a global impact

The UN food chief is warning that the conflict in Ukraine has created "a catastrophe on top of a catastrophe" and will have a global impact "beyond anything we've seen since World War II" because farmers from the country which was the "breadbasket of the world" are on the front lines fighting Russia and already high food prices are skyrocketing.

David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Program, told the UN Security Council that his agency, which was feeding 125 million people before Russia's assault on Ukraine on February 24, was already beginning to cut rations because of rising food, fuel and shipping costs for millions of families around the world. 

In war-torn Yemen, he said, eight million people just had their food allotment cut to 50 percent "and now we're looking at going to zero rations."

The conflict in Ukraine is decimating the country, "turning the breadbasket of the world to breadlines" for millions of its people, Beasley said. But it is also devastating countries around the world like Egypt which is 85 percent dependent on Ukraine grain and Lebanon which was 81percent dependent in 2020.

For live updates from Tuesday (March 29), click here