By Julian Duplain
,
Christine Armario
and
Today at 12: 30 a.m. EDT|Updated today at 5: 08 p.m. EDT
A high-ranking Ukrainian official and the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that all women, children and the elderly had been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians were trapped for weeks amid an intense Russian assault.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a Telegram post that “this part of the Mariupol humanitarian operation has been completed.” Ukrainian fighters are still holed up at the sprawling plant complex — and a regional police leader told The Washington Post that three were killed Friday during the civilian evacuation. In his Saturday nightly address, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine would continue to push its citizens out of this area.
Russia aims to capture the plant — the last sliver of Mariupol still under Ukrainian control — and is pressuring the soldiers there to surrender. Russia would be able to create a land bridge between annexed Crimea and Mariupol if it controls the plant.
Meanwhile, fighting continued in Ukraine’s eastern region, with Kyiv accusing Russian forces Saturday of blowing up three bridges northeast of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, to prevent counterattacks. According to Ukrainian military, Russian forces fired cruise missiles on the Black Sea port at Odessa, striking a civilian target.
Here’s what else to know
- First lady Jill Biden, who is in Romania as part of a four-day trip to Eastern Europe, met Ukrainian refugee students and their mothers Saturday at a school in Bucharest.
- President Biden and other Group of Seven leaders will meet online with Zelensky on Sunday to discuss ways to support Ukraine and “impose severe costs” on Russia for its invasion, the White House said.
- By comparing Ukraine to Nazi Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying “to twist history” to justify the war, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday.
- The Ukrainian government is warning residents of potentially increased Russian cyberattacks on Victory Day, the Russian holiday Monday commemorating the end of World War II in Europe.The Washington Post has lifted its paywall for readers in Russia and Ukraine. Telegram users can subscribe to our channel.
Russian strike hits school with 90 people inside, Luhansk governor says
Russian forces bombed a school in Luhansk, trapping dozens of people in the rubble, the region’s governor said Saturday.
About 90 people in the eastern Ukrainian village of Bilohorivka were hiding in the school’s basement when Russian forces attacked, Serhiy Haidai, the regional governor of Luhansk, shared on his Telegram channel, along with photos of the smoldering ruins of a red-brick building.
Haidai said that about 30 people were rescued from the rubble and the search continues for survivors.
The Washington Post could not verify the accuracy of the assertions.
U.S. officials say Russia aims to establish control over the Luhansk region and neighboring Donetsk.
Nigeria halts domestic flights, citing high fuel costs due to Ukraine war
Nigeria’s airline operators association is suspending all domestic flights as of Monday, citing an untenable surge in fuel prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nigerian state radio reported Saturday.
Africa’s largest economy has already been best by major domestic flight disruptions and cancellations since March. Nigerian airliners say this is because of jet fuel scarcities triggered by spiking crude oil prices following Russia’s war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
In recent weeks, the price per liter of jet fuel in Nigeria has risen from 190 naira ($0. 46) to 700 naira ($1. 69), according state-run Radio Nigeria.
While jet fuel makes up about 40 percent of operating costs for airlines worldwide, that rate has risen to about 95 percent in Nigeria, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa, president of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, told Radio Nigeria.
The average operating cost for one airline seat was now 120,000 naira ($289), Yunusa said, a sharp rise from 70,000 naira ($169) several months ago.
At this rate, the Airline Operators of Nigeria told the federal government Saturday, the group’s members could no longer afford to absorb and subsidize the skyrocketing costs of flights. This group represents Nigeria’s domestic airlines.
Nigerian passengers pay for domestic flights in naira, the local currency, which has fallen sharply as a result of devaluations in recent years. Nigeria, despite being a large oil exporter country, imports jet fuel from the United States and pays for it using U.S. Dollars, which have become increasingly difficult to find due to currency devaluations.
In March, the airline operators told a parliamentary hearing that they were close to shutting down domestic flights if the government did not take urgent action to reduce the price of aviation fuel.
Updates from key cities: Ukrainians brace for Russian Victory Day as troops gain ground in Kharkiv
By Washington Post Staff4: 00 p.m.
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
Sumy
POLAND
Kharkiv
Kyiv
Lviv
Izyum
UKRAINE
Separatist-
controlled
area
Dnipro
Russian-held
areas
and troop
movement
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
ROMANIA
Kherson
Odessa
Crimea
Annexed
by Russia
in 2014
Control areas effective May 6,
100 MILES
Sources : Institute for the Study of War. AEI’s Critical Threats Project. Post reporting
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Sumy
Chernihiv
Separatist-
controlled
area
POL.
Kharkiv
Kyiv
Lviv
Izyum
Dnipro
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
ROMANIA
Odessa
Kherson
Crimea
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
200 MILES
Control zones as of May 6
Sources : Institute for the Study of War ,
AEI Critical Threats Project Report
THE WASHINGTON POS
BELARUS
Chernihiv
RUSSIA
Sumy
POLAND
Russian-held areas
and troop movement
Kharkiv
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Poltava
Lviv
Izyum
Cherkasy
UKRAINE
Kramatorsk
Luhansk
Dnipro
Uman
Kirovohrad
Donetsk
Separatist-
controlled
area
Zaporizhzhia
Mariupol
Russian-held
areas, troop movement
Mykolaiv
ROMANIA
Berdyansk
Kherson
Odessa
RUSSIA
Crimea
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
Control zones as of May 5,
100 MILES
Sources : Institute for the Study of War. AEI’s Critical Threats Project. Post reporting
Here are major developments from across the country:
Odessa: Russian forces used cruise missiles to strike a civilian target in this port city Saturday, Ukraine’s military claimed. The military did not announce any injuries. The region will be under a curfew from Sunday evening until Tuesday morning out of concern for Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, Ukrainian Col. Maksym Mikhailovich Marchenko said in a video message. Officials from Ukraine have expressed concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin might use this occasion to declare war on Ukraine.
Mariupol: All women, children and elderly people have been evacuated from Azovstal Iron and Steel Works after being trapped there for weeks, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Saturday. According to a regional police officer, three Ukrainian soldiers were shot and killed during civilian evacuation. The Russians have essentially taken control of the center of Kiev and its metalworking plants, while Ukrainian troops are still fighting for their survival.
Luhansk: Two boys, ages 11 and 14, were found dead in a yard after shelling by Russian forces struck a residential area of Pryvillya, Luhansk Regional Military Administration Chief Serhiy Haidai said Saturday. Two girls and a woman were injured when shrapnel flew in to their homes. He said that more people could be hurt.
Kyiv: There will be increased patrols around the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram post Friday, adding that authorities won’t implement a curfew. Klitschko stated that there was a “high probability” of rocket fires in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. “Be aware and take care of your own safety!”
Kharkiv: Ukraine accused Russian forces Saturday of blowing up three bridges northeast of Kharkiv to thwart counterattacks, although The Post could not independently verify the claim. Ukrainian forces have been retaking territory in this northeastern city as it has recently come under renewed attack.
Putin sees ‘doubling down’ as right move on Ukraine, CIA director says
Despite facing global condemnation and historic sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin is “doubling down” on the war in Ukraine in hopes of finding better results, CIA Director William J. Burns said Saturday.
Speaking at a Financial Times event in Washington, Burns said that Russia’s offensive in the eastern part of Ukraine is as dangerous as the initial stretch of the invasion that focused on the southern and western portions of the country. According to the CIA director, he believes Putin will continue to push for victory in Ukraine.
“He’s in a frame of mind in which he doesn’t believe he can afford to lose,” Burns said, according to Reuters. “I think he’s convinced right now that doubling down still will enable him to make progress.”
Burns, who engaged with Putin when he was U.S. ambassador to Russia, has been outspoken in his disdain of the invasion. Last month, in his first public speech as director of the CIA, Burns called the killings of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha “crimes” and said Russia had “inflicted massive material and reputational damage on itself” by invading Ukraine.
Ahead of Monday’s Victory Day, Russia’s most patriotic and somber holiday, there has been no declaration of victory in the war against Ukraine, but rumors suggest Putin will order a general mobilization of soldiers to secure one. Many top Russian officials including VyacheslavVolodin (the speaker of Russia’s parliament) have tried to discredit the rumors.
Robyn Dixon and Liz Sly contributed to this report.
WHO says it has verified over 200 attacks on health-care facilities
Health-care facilities in Ukraine have sustained more than 200 attacks since the war began, World Health Organization officials said Saturday, characterizing the assaults as war crimes.
Mike Ryan, the executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said intentional assaults on health-care facilities violate international humanitarian law. The true number of attacks on health-care facilities is likely higher, he said.
“When those attacks are used as a part of the tactic of war, to terrorize communities, to take away hope that people have for the future, that is the essential objective of these situations,” he said at a news conference.
Ryan also expressed skepticism that a meaningful number of the strikes could have been inadvertent.
“This discussion we have around collateral damage or accidents — we have to ask the question, how many accidents can you have before you are in a situation where it is completely and utterly unacceptable?” he said.
Hospitals and health-care workers have been in the line of fire since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. In a particularly egregious incident, a Russian airstrike hit a maternity hospital in the southern city of Mariupol, killing at least three people.
Ukrainian military says it has retaken a town outside Kharkiv
Ukraine regained control of the town of Tsyrkuny, about 12 miles northeast of Kharkiv, a military spokesman said Saturday.
Pavlo Kovalchuk, a spokesman for the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, said in a video posted to YouTube that Russia continued to conduct a “full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine” in the hope of establishing full control over the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The Ukrainian forces managed to free the city of Tsyrkuny.
“As a result of the offensive of units of the armed forces of Ukraine, [the] Russian enemy lost control over the settlement of Tsyrkuny,” Kovalchuk said.
Kovalchuk added that Russia’s attempt Saturday to take over Alexandrovka, a settlement in central Ukraine, was “unsuccessful.” The spokesman also claimed that Russian forces “suffered significant losses” in battles across Ukraine, including the more than 100 Russian troops who were found wounded in the southeast village of Burchak.
The Washington Post cannot independently verify the figures mentioned by Kovalchuk.
Russia’s most senior lawmaker accuses U.S. of ‘directly participating in military actions’
Russia’s most senior lawmaker, who is one of the Kremlin’s strongest supporters, has accused the United States of “directly participating in military actions” against Russia by providing intelligence to Ukraine.
Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the Russian parliament, claimed without evidence in a Telegram post that the United States was “taking part in hostilities in Ukraine” by giving not just aid and resources but also intelligence.
“Washington is essentially coordinating and developing military operations, thereby directly participating in military actions against our country,” he wrote.
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment Saturday.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby addressed the issue of intelligence-sharing on Thursday, saying the United States does “not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.”
Intelligence shared by the United States with Ukraine, however, has paid off during the course of the war. According to sources familiar with the matter, intelligence shared by the United States with Ukraine has paid off over the course of war. The missile strike by Ukrainian forces, which was an extraordinary embarrassment for the Kremlin that deprived Russia of a key vessel in its military campaign, may not have been possible without the U.S. assistance, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
Volodin said the United States should be “held accountable” for Ukraine’s actions against Russia.
The senior lawmaker was also the latest Russian official to falsely compare Ukraine to Nazi Germany, describing the Ukrainian government as the “Kyiv Nazi regime.” Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have faced global criticism for using Nazi rhetoric to describe Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken blasted Putin on Saturday, saying the Russian leader was trying “to twist history” to justify the invasion.
Shane Harris, Paul Sonne, Dan Lamothe and Michael Birnbaum contributed to this report.
Berlin police destroy ‘incendiary device’ at Russian media building
Authorities in Berlin said they removed and destroyed an “incendiary” device at a building housing Russian journalists and family members.
In Berlin’s Stieglitz district on Friday, police said they responded to an incident in which an empty beer bottle was thrown at the building. Police said they found “a suspect item” when inspecting the structure.
“The object discovered in the light shaft in front of the window of a storage cellar appeared to be an incendiary device,” police wrote in a statement Saturday.
The building houses elements of Russian state media, including the news agency RIA Novosti.
Authorities were able to remove and destroy the device on-site, police said. Police continue to investigate the motive and extent of the danger.
The Russian Embassy in Germany said in a statement that no one was injured in the incident, according to RIA Novosti. According to the news agency, the embassy claimed that the attack was a terrorist act against Russian journalists and their families. The embassy also claimed, without offering evidence, that “this egregious act may be directly related to the atmosphere unleashed in the Federal Republic of Germany of persecution of state-owned Russian media, which are indiscriminately accused of spreading disinformation and propaganda.”
All women, children and elderly evacuated from Azovstal plant, Ukraine says
All of the women, children and elderly residents at Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol have now been evacuated from the besieged area, according to the Ukrainian government and the Russian Defense Ministry.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote in a Telegram post that a significant piece of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wishes were completed on Saturday in the port city devastated by weeks of Russian shelling.
“The President’s order has been carried out: all women, children and the elderly have been evacuated from Azovstal,” Vereshchuk wrote. “This part of the Mariupol humanitarian operation has been completed.”
Zelensky has noted that diplomatic efforts were underway to free Ukrainian fighters still holding out at the plant against the constant bombardment of the invading forces.
Earlier this week, the first 100 civilians arrived 140 miles northwest in the relative safety of the town of Zaporizhzhia, and they began to tell their stories. The elderly and women claimed that they lived without sunlight for over a month. The Russian bombings pounded the complex, causing dust to fall from its ceiling.
3 Ukrainian troops killed in Azovstal plant evacuation, official says
The head of the Donetsk regional police patrol says three Ukrainian troops were killed at the Azovstal steel plant during a civilian evacuation on Friday.
Mykhailo Vershynin told The Washington Post that Russian troops opened fire “several times” during a scheduled cease-fire. Six people sustained serious injuries, and three of the victims were killed.
“For the level of medical treatment we have here, and the lack of medicines, these people can die,” Vershynin said in a voice message sent over the WhatsApp messaging application.
The Azovstal steel plant has emerged as the final battleground for Mariupol, the strategic port city that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to secure to connect mainland Russia to Crimea, the peninsula Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Around 500 people in recent days have been evacuated from the sprawling plant, where civilians sought shelter and ended up stuck underground for weeks, according to the United Nations. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president has stated that diplomatic efforts have been made to ensure passage for outgunned soldiers at the steel plant.
Neither the United Nations nor the International Committee of the Red Cross, which organized the evacuations, immediately responded to a request for further information on the evacuation effort Saturday. Officials from Russia did not immediately respond to a request for information on Saturday’s evacuation.
Putin is trying ‘to twist history’ to justify invasion, Blinken says
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying “to twist history” by comparing Ukraine to Nazi Germany in an effort to justify the invasion of Russia’s western neighbor.
In a news release ahead of the 77th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, Blinken reflected on the latest war raging in Europe. In doing so, Blinken said the world needs to “increase our resolve to resist those who now seek to manipulate historical memory in order to advance their own ambitions.”
“President Putin tries to twist history to attempt to justify his unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine,” Blinken said. People who have studied the history of Ukraine know that President [Volodymyr] Zelensky, and those of Ukraine’s bravery embody the spirit of the Second World War. They are valiantly defending their country, their democracy, and Ukraine’s rightful future in a Europe whole, free, and at peace.”
The supposed threat of Nazism in Ukraine has been one of the Kremlin’s most brazen and baseless claims since the start of the invasion. Putin claimed that Ukraine was ruled and dominated by neo Nazism when he launched Russia’s “special army operation” in February.
Putin offered a rare apology Thursday to Israel over recent antisemitic comments from Russia’s foreign minister connecting Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to Judaism. After Zelensky had accused Russia of using Nazi propaganda to justify its invasion, and Russian leaders have repeatedly compared Zelensky with Hitler, the reported apology was offered by Putin.
Blinken, who recently traveled to Ukraine with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said the United States continues to mourn the deaths of millions of people decades ago while keeping an eye on the invasion.
“And we renew our resolve to work together to oppose the aggression and inhumanity that darken our world still today,” he said.
Ukraine claims it destroyed a Russian transport ship
By Christine Armario11: 54 a.m.
Ukraine’s military is claiming it has destroyed another Russian ship — a landing vessel designed to transport troops, equipment and cargo.
The Defense Ministry wrote Saturday on Twitter that a Bayraktar TB2 — a Turkish-made drone — struck a Serna-class ship. Officials have released a black and white video showing a target looking at the ship while people are seen moving around onboard. The explosion is followed by a thick smoke cloud.
“The traditional parade of the russian Black Sea fleet on May 9 this year will be held near Snake Island — at the bottom of the sea,” the ministry wrote.
Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms exporter, describes the Serna-class vessel as a “fast landing craft” that can carry up to 45 tons. It can also be used to “over the beach landing” military personnel and vehicles. The number of people on board the struck craft was not known.
Ukraine’s claim could not immediately be independently verified by The Washington Post.
Ukraine bought its first Bayraktar TB2 drones in 2019 — although it held off using them until last October. The military reported deploying one that month to destroy a D-30 howitzer fielded by Russian-backed separatists in the eastern Donbas region.
The drones have been used frequently since the start of Russia’s invasion and were reportedly employed as a distraction tool in the sinking of the missile cruiser Moskva. Two anti-ship missiles struck the Russian Black Sea flagship in April. It sank while being pushed to shore by a strong storm.
A Russian Defense Ministry update Saturday made no mention of Ukraine’s claim but said its forces had struck more than a dozen Ukrainian military targets.
Ukraine warns of possible increased Russian cyberattacks on Victory Day
The Ukrainian government is warning residents of potentially increased Russian cyberattacks on Victory Day, the Russian holiday Monday commemorating the end of World War II in Europe.
The Ukrainian State Special Communications Service wrote on Telegram that it expects “an increase in hacker attacks” on Monday, noting that “not only bullets and shells” are used by Russia during the invasion.
“A smartphone or computer hacked by Russian hackers is also a murder weapon, simply with a delayed effect,” the agency wrote.
On the eve of a holiday such as Victory Day, when Russians honor their role in defeating Nazi Germany, Russian hackers might want to escalate cyberthreats against Ukraine, according to the agency.
“They use such periods to intensify cyberattacks,” wrote the State Special Communications Service. Many cyberattacks target ordinary users. They are also a target of Russian hackers, because during the war every Ukrainian can potentially become an entry point for hackers in the country’s information infrastructure.”
The agency posted an 18-point list of measures to help protect Ukrainians from cyberattacks.
“Urgently report a cyberattack if you are hacked,” reads the last measure.
Russian cruise missiles hit Odessa, Ukrainian military says
Russian forces launched cruise missiles at the Black Sea port of Odessa on Saturday, hitting a civilian target, according to the Ukrainian military.
The Odessa City Council posted on Telegram a news release from the Ukrainian military’s Operational Command “Pivden,” meaning South.
“The enemy continues not only the physical destruction of the region’s infrastructure, but also the psychological pressure on the civilian population,” the military wrote.
While the city’s infrastructure was damaged, no casualties were immediately reported.
“We will rebuild the damaged infrastructure,” the operational command wrote.
The Washington Post cannot independently verify the details surrounding the missiles launched at Odessa.
The Odessa Suspilne, the region’s public broadcaster, reported that Russian forces launched six missiles, with four of them damaging “a civilian enterprise in a residential area.” Two of the missiles hit “a previously destroyed runway,” according to the Suspilne.
Ukrainian member of parliament Lesia Vasylenko tweeted that the skies in Odessa were “black all morning.”
“Missile and rocket attacks are basically ongoing,” she wrote. Ukrainian air defense systems “have a lot of work today.”
