DNIPRO, Ukraine — A major evacuation effort stalled Friday after the Red Cross said it was unable to reach the port city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian authorities said thousands escaped but have estimated as many as 100,000 people remained trapped in grim conditions. The International Committee of the Red Cross stated that it will attempt to return to Mariupol this weekend, despite conditions making it difficult to continue with major humanitarian missions. The ICRC prepared a nine-person team for civilian evacuation after the Kremlin declared cease-fire.
Shelling destroyed much of Mariupol as a weeks-long Russian blockade severed the city from the outside world, raising alarms about dwindling resources.
Here’s what to know
- Russia accused Ukraine on Friday of attacking a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod in what appeared to be Ukraine’s first airstrike on Russian soil since the invasion.
- Oil prices fell Friday after member nations of the International Energy Agency authorized the release of emergency oil reserves, joining with the United States.
- The U.S. Air Force canceled a scheduled test of an intercontinental ballistic missile earlier this month to avoid the potential for escalated tensions with Russia, the service said.
- The Washington Post has lifted its paywall for readers in Russia and Ukraine. Telegram users can subscribe to our channel for updates.
UNDERSTANDING THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT
U.S. cancels missile test to avoid Russia tension
The U.S. Air Force canceled a scheduled test of an intercontinental ballistic missile last month to avoid the potential for escalated tensions with Russia, the service said Friday.
The Minuteman III test flight was scheduled for early March, days after Russia invaded Ukraine and Moscow put its nuclear forces on alert. The test was delayed by an “overabundance in caution to avoid misinterpretation and miscommunication”. As the conflict escalated, Ann Stefanek, Air Force spokesperson, stated that the test was cancelled.
” Our next scheduled test flight will be later in the year. Stefanek stated that the Department was confident in its readiness to support the United States’ strategic forces.
Reuters first reported the cancellation. Jeffrey Lewis, a missile research specialist at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies said to the outlet that the Minuteman missile was a reliable weapon system. He downplayed this cancellation.
“There’s a value to doing the tests but I don’t think missing one test in the grand scheme of things is a really big deal,” Lewis told Reuters.
Here’s the status of some key Ukrainian cities under Russian attack
- Kyiv region: Ukrainian officials said Friday they have retaken many communities around the capital as Russian forces withdraw. Col. Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian defense ministry, claimed nearly a dozen “settlements” returned to Ukrainian control, while the mayor of Bucha said his town 15 miles northwest of Kyiv was retaken on Thursday. The Post could not independently verify these claims, and Western officials have been skeptical of Russia’s pledge this week to pull back from the capital.
- Mariupol: The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was unable to reach Mariupol on Friday to deliver badly needed supplies and help evacuate civilians. Ukrainian leaders have said some 100,000 people may remain trapped in the southern port city that has suffered for weeks under Russian blockade and heavy shelling. Nevertheless, authorities in Ukraine have confirmed that several thousand Mariupol citizens made it safely to their safe territory on Friday.
- Mykolaiv: On Friday, authorities were still revising the death toll for a Tuesday attack on this southern city’s main government building. They claimed that dozens of people were injured and killed in the attack on the main government building in Mykolaiv. Ukrainian forces held on to the city, and made some recent gains that put Russian artillery beyond reach of Mykolaiv’s downtown.
- Donetsk region: A Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson said Russian cruise missiles “destroyed” a Ukrainian army headquarters building and “up to 40 personnel” in the eastern Donetsk region, according to Interfax, a Russian news agency. Moscow has seemed to shift its focus toward eastern Ukraine, where pro-Kremlin separatists controlled some territory before the invasion. Officials in the West and Ukraine worry that Russian troops could attack new areas after regrouping.
Isabelle Khurshudyan contributed to this report.
Photos: Scenes from an evacuation route out of Mariupol
Wojciech Grzedzinski, a freelance photographer working on assignment for The Post, has been documenting the flight of people from the war-torn port city of Mariupol.
Grzedzinski said he had seen where a convoy had been shelled and people told him that they had seen burned cars along the evacuation route.
86 Ukrainian service members freed in prisoner swap, officials say
Eighty-six Ukrainian service members, including 15 women, from the Zaporizhzhia region have been freed in a prisoner exchange with Russian forces, Ukrainian presidential adviser Yulia Tymoshenko and Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced Friday.
Neither side disclosed the number of Russian prisoners released.
Russian and Ukrainian forces for weeks have engaged in intermittent prisoner swaps, including one in mid-March where Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov was freed in exchange for nine Russian conscripts. Fedorov said he was abducted by Russian troops and taken to the southeastern city of Luhansk, which is held by Russian separatists.
Oil prices fall after more countries authorize release of emergency reserves
Oil prices fell Friday after member nations of the International Energy Agency authorized the release of emergency oil reserves, joining with the United States. U.S. stocks, meanwhile, ushered in a new quarter, edging higher in choppy trading after the federal government released another robust jobs report. The IEA stated that its decision, which details will be released next week, reflects how the Russian invasion has affected global oil markets. It also comes one day after President Biden announced plans to release 1 million barrels of crude oil a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — its biggest ever — to try to offset the loss of Russian oil from world markets, starve Russia of revenue and rein in gasoline prices.
On Friday, West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, hovered near $99. 50 per barrel, down 0.8 percent. Brent crude, the global benchmark, dipped 0.1 percent, to roughly $104.50. The average price of a gallon gasoline in the United States is $4. 21 on Friday, according to AAA. That’s 60 cents higher than a month ago and $1. 34 more than a year ago.
Stocks climbed after the Labor Department said the economy added 431,000 jobs in March, bringing the unemployment rate to a pandemic low of 3.6 percent. That marks the 11th consecutive month in which job growth topped 400,000, which is considered to be a particularly strong pace.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed the day up 139. 92 points, or 0.4 percent, to 34,818.27. The broader S&P 500 index added 15. 45 points, or 0.3 percent, to settle at 4,545.86. And the tech-centric Nasdaq climbed 40. 98 points, or 0.3 percent, to end at 14,261.50.
The three indexes fell sharply Thursday, with the Dow tumbling 550 points, to mark the end of the first quarter. The blue-chip index finished the three-month period 4.6 percent lower, while the S&P 500 shed 4.9 percent and Nasdaq lost 9.1 percent, according to MarketWatch.
Red Cross evacuations from Mariupol stymied, but thousands make it out
DNIPRO — Thousands of people from war-ravaged Mariupol were successfully evacuated to Ukrainian-held territory Friday, Ukrainian officials reported, even as the Red Cross said it was unable to reach the port city.
Dozens of buses traveled Thursday to the outskirts of Berdyansk — a Russian-controlled city down the coast from Mariupol — to pick up refugees who had gathered there. On Friday, about 1,800 refugees arrived in Zaporizhzhia, several hours inland, on 42 buses, officials said. According to Zaporizhia officials, thousands more refugees, most of them from Mariupol traveled by private car and were evacuated on Friday from Russian-held territory.
About 6,200 refugees made it to Zaporizhzhia on Friday, they said. The International Committee of the Red Cross stated that it will attempt to reach Mariupol on Saturday, after its humanitarian mission failed Friday.
Three vehicles and nine personnel “had to return to Zaporizhzhia after arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed,” the ICRC said in a statement late Friday.
” “For this operation to be successful, it’s critical that all parties respect the agreements” and give security guarantees.
The Kremlin had declared a cease-fire ahead of the planned evacuations. Ukrainian authorities have estimated that as many as 100,000 people remained trapped in Mariupol in grim conditions, deprived of power, heat and communications and with critical shortages of supplies. The city is still closed for entry, and it’s very unsafe to travel in your own vehicle,” said Petro Andryushchenko (an adviser to Mariupol’s mayor). He said that “our forecasts remain disappointing” in a Telegram message. “We are working.”
Kim Bellware and Ellen Francis contributed to this report.
White House keeps focus on ‘aggressor’ Russia after Belgorod claims
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday sought to keep the focus on Russia’s aggression following claims by Moscow that Ukraine had attacked a Russian fuel depot.
Russian officials have accused Ukraine of carrying out a helicopter attack against a fuel depot in Belgorod, a city about 40 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, it will not confirm or deny that Russia attacked its territory.
“We’ve seen these reports,” Psaki stated Friday. We are not able to comment on statements made by the Kremlin, but we would like to point out that Ukraine hasn’t confirmed these reports. I would note Ukraine has not made any statements or confirmation of these reports.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the alleged incident days after Ukrainian negotiators offered their Russian counterparts a detailed peace proposal was “certainly” an escalation.
But Psaki remained focused on Russia and blamed President Vladimir Putin for initiating the war.
“This war was started by President Putin — it is brutal with Russia’s military continuing to bomb cities in Ukraine and commit horrific acts of violence,” Psaki stated. “We’ve seen the people of Ukraine fight valiantly in the face of unprovoked Russian brutality.”
“But there is one aggressor here: and that is President Putin and the Russian military at his direction,” she added.
U.S. providing Ukraine with protective equipment against chemical attack, Psaki says
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that the United States is providing Ukraine with protective equipment against hazardous materials because of the threat of chemical attacks from Russia. Psaki stated that the United States and other members of international communities have warned repeatedly about Russia’s potential use of chemical weapons or biological weapons against Ukraine during a press briefing.
Politico reported earlier Friday that the United States has granted Ukraine’s request for protective equipment against a possible chemical weapons attack from Russia.
Psaki said that, “in an effort to assist our Ukrainian partners, the U.S. government is providing the government of Ukraine with lifesaving equipment and supplies that could be deployed in the event of Russian’s use of a chemical and biological weapon against Ukraine.”
The support, Psaki emphasized, does not compromise the United States’ domestic preparedness.
Who is Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich?
Among soccer fans, Roman Abramovich is a household name. As the longtime owner of the English Premier League’s Chelsea Football Club, the 55-year-old Russian businessman has transformed the association into a global powerhouse.
At the same time, Abramovich has worked to stay out of the spotlight, rarely giving interviews or posing for photos. This was challenged when the West targeted Abramovich, along with other Russian oligarchs, to punish Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in March.
On Tuesday the silver-haired billionaire, was seen in Istanbul, at the sidelines peace negotiations between Russia, Ukraine. However, his role in these talks is still unclear. A close associate of Abramovich said this week that Abramovich and others had become ill from suspected poisoning following a March meeting.
Analysis: Zelensky is hugely popular in the U.S. There’s one catch.
President Biden could be forgiven for having a little job-approval envy toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A new Pew Research Center poll finds 72 percent of Americans have a lot of (33 percent) or some (39 percent) confidence in Zelensky to do the right thing in world affairs — better than any other national leader tied to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Zelensky’s sky-high standings follow his assertive courtship of the international community’s support for fending off Russian forces. Regularly photographed in combat gear or T-shirts, Zelensky has addressed many legislative bodies, including the U.S. Congress to plead for assistance as Moscow’s bombs decimate Ukrainian cities.
Digging into Zelensky’s robust public support in the United States, a couple of things stand out: Differences based on partisan affiliation and, especially, the age of the respondents.
The Ukrainian president does best with liberal Democrats, 83 percent of whom have confidence he’ll do the right thing in world affairs. Among those who identify as conservative or moderate, 78 percent. Among Republicans, Zelensky does better among conservatives (68 percent) than moderates or liberals (65 percent). What about your age? Some fear that Russia will invade Ukraine’s front lines.
As Russia begins draft, some fear ending up on Ukraine’s front lines
By Mary Ilyushina2: 10 p.m.
RIGA, Latvia — The Russian military began its spring draft Friday, aiming to sign up 134,500 conscripts and stoking fears among young men that they may end up on the front lines of the invasion of Ukraine.
Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has vowed that none of them will be used to reinforce Russian troops now fighting in Ukraine. In televised comments on Tuesday, Sergey Shoigu stated that no conscripts would be sent to “hot spots” and that all those who had been drafted in the spring of last year will be released after their service. Despite the significant losses that Russian forces suffered in their Ukrainian campaign which lasted much longer than expected, Shoigu’s promises haven’t made any conscripts or their families feel at ease.
Human rights groups and lawyers say that since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, they have been receiving a barrage of calls from eligible men, their wives, girlfriends and mothers seeking legal help in avoiding the draft. According to a Russian lawyer, the number of applicants is huge.
Canada’s cryptologic agency warns of Russian ‘disinformation’ online
TORONTO — In a rare move, Canada’s foreign signals intelligence agency warned Friday that Russia has been spreading “disinformation” online to build support for its invasion of Ukraine, including false stories that Ukraine is harvesting organs of fallen soldiers, women and children, and using mobile cremators to hide the evidence.
In tweets, the Communications Security Establishment, an agency similar to the United States’ National Security Agency, said that it was sharing information from classified intelligence reports “to help inform Canadians so they can protect themselves from disinformation.”
Since Russia’s brazen and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, we have observed numerous Russia-backed #disinformation campaigns online designed to support their actions.
Here are some observations pulled from CSE’s classified reporting on this issue.
— CSE (@cse_cst) April 1, 2022
“Russia has created and amplified fake stories and narratives falsely claiming that only military targets were being attacked, and that civilian casualties in Ukraine were lower [than] what confirmed, verifiable reports have shown,” it said in a tweet.
The agency said it had also seen Russia try “to promote stories that falsely categorize Russian protesters and citizens opposed to the invasion as supporting neo-Nazis and genocide.”
Ukrainian lawmakers discuss their week in D.C.
Five members of the Ukrainian parliament finished a whirlwind week of meetings with members of Congress to press for more assistance. It was not an easy journey. Some delegation members had to travel for days through block posts and shelled terrains to reach their flights from Warsaw. Five of the five women were mothers, who left their children to go on the trip.
” It’s hard not to be motivated and moved,” Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., who was co-chairman of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus met Monday with the delegation. It’s affected me. Look, I’m the liberal Democrat from Chicago talking about a no-fly zone.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a co-chair of the same caucus who served as an FBI agent in Ukraine, said: “There’s a lot of things that they’re asking for that there is broad bipartisan support here in Congress to give them. There is concern within the administration over provocation and escalation. And I think that’s really where, to the extent that there’s a rift between the two branches, that’s where it is.”
Dozens remain unaccounted for at Mykolaiv’s main government building
MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — Dozens of people remain unaccounted for after a cruise missile struck Mykolaiv’s main government building Tuesday morning, said Dmytro Pletenchuk, a press officer of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration.
Mykolaiv Gov. Vitaliy Kim said on Telegram on Friday that 28 people are confirmed dead. However, the death toll could rise. More than 30 were injured, and rescue operations are ongoing, Pletenchuk said. We keep searching; there are still dozens of people underneath,” Pletenchuk stated. It was the canteen which was most damaged, but it was still working every day. Those under the rubble are the people who were having breakfast and the canteen staff.”
Out of staff of about 700 people, 200 had continued coming to work at the government office, even after the start of the war, Pletenchuk said.
Funerals were held Friday for many of the victims. Men and women in military fatigues moved between services at Mykolaiv’s oldest cemetery to the next one.
Andrii Tanulin, a volunteer with the Territorial Defense Forces, died guarding the Regional State Administration building. He was 51.
“Forgive me,” his mother sobbed over his casket at the funeral Friday. “I couldn’t protect him.”
After Russian forces captured the southeastern port of Kherson, they have been unable to advance westward past Mykolaiv. Instead, the Ukrainian military has driven back the Russians and retook some territories around the south front line.
The Ukrainians managed to push the Russian artillery from downtown Mykolaiv. However, Tuesday’s attack on the administration building was caused by a cruise missile, Pletenchuk stated. It originated from Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet. “It’s because the military can’t defeat us,” Pletenchuk said. “So they resort to common terrorism.”
