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Russians facing heavy losses in Bakhmut, top US general says. Here's the latest from Ukraine
From CNN staff
A Ukrainian tank rolls on a muddy road near Bakhmut on Wednesday. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)Russia's Wagner mercenary group is "suffering an enormous amount of casualties in the Bakhmut area," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told US lawmakers Wednesday, describing the battle for the eastern city as a “slaughter-fest" for the Russians.
Meanwhile, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message Wednesday that the battle for the city "has already practically destroyed the Ukrainian army," but added his troops had "been pretty battered" as well.
Here are the latest developments:
- Russia sees long-term "hybrid war": The Kremlin sees the conflict in Ukraine as part of a long-term war, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. “If you mean war in a broad context — a confrontation with hostile states and with unfriendly countries, a hybrid war that they unleashed against Russia — this is for long,” he said.
- Ukraine hints at new offensive: Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov suggested that Ukrainian offensive action involving Western tanks may begin in April or May. In an interview with Estonian television, Reznikov said German Leopard tanks, which have begun arriving in Ukraine, will be part of “the counteroffensive campaign under the decision of our General Staff. … They are planning that in different directions.”
- Monks can stay: Ukraine is not ordering monks from the pro-Russia Ukrainian Orthodox Church to leave a historic cave monastery complex in Kyiv, the country's culture minister said. The Ukrainian government and security service says some members of the church are loyal to Moscow.
- Melitopol strike: Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-appointed military-civilian administration in occupied Zaporizhzhia in southeast Ukraine, said Wednesday that six Ukrainian HIMARS rockets struck rail infrastructure in a pre-dawn attack. Rogov said Russian air defenses shot down three of the rockets, and the remaining three hit objects in Melitopol: a railway, an electricity substation and the railway depot. No casualties were reported.
- Nuclear concerns: The situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has not improved, according to director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi. The plant has been occupied by Russian forces since March of last year and is now run by Russia's atomic agency.
- Budapest's "grievances": Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said Wednesday there is “an ample amount of grievances that need to be addressed” before Sweden’s bid to join NATO is ratified by the country. The Hungarian parliament approved a bill on Monday to allow Finland to join NATO but has not yet voted on Sweden’s NATO accession.
Germany to increase military support to Ukraine by $13 billion, government says
From CNN's Chris Stern in Berlin and Sharon Braithwaite in London
The German federal government has agreed to allocate an additional 12 billion euros ($13 billion) worth of military support to Ukraine over the next decade, it announced Wednesday in a statement.
Around $4.3 billion will go to the German military to replace the military aid Berlin has given to Kyiv since the invasion, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius added.
Earlier this year, Berlin made a historic move to arm Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks.
"The whole Ukrainian nation is traumatized," deputy foreign minister says
From CNN’s Alex Hardie, Ami Kaufman and Ben Kirby
The whole of Ukraine is traumatized since Russia's invasion last year, according to Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour from Kyiv, Dzhaparova said she thinks “a long-term process of recovery will be happening after the resolution of war,” but added that “at this stage of the war it’s still an existential matter of survival so we need to survive physically and after that, we can speak about the mental recovery.”
The deputy minister told CNN she has seen her two daughters, who are abroad, only three times since the invasion.
The four main battlefields, according to Dzhaparova, are Lyman, Mariinka, Avdiivka and Bakhmut.
The situation in Bakhmut is “still terrible,” she said.
Approximately 17% of Ukrainian soil is “still under occupation,” down from what she said was 20% at the beginning of the invasion.
Battle for Bakhmut has turned into a "slaughter-fest for the Russians," top US general says
From CNN's Haley Britzky
Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on March 29. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg/Getty Images)There are roughly 6,000 Wagner group mercenaries fighting in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told US lawmakers on Wednesday.
The battle over Bakhmut has turned into a “slaughter-fest" for the Russians, Milley said.
The head of the Russian private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in an audio message earlier Wednesday that the battle for the city "has already practically destroyed the Ukrainian army," but added that Wagner has "been pretty battered" as well.
IAEA director general says situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has not improved
From CNN's Tim Lister
The situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has not improved, according to director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi.
The plant has been occupied by Russian forces since March of last year and is now run by the Russian atomic agency, ROSATOM.
Grossi said military activity and the number of troops in the area were increasing, without specifying whether he meant both Russian and Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian troops are stationed several miles across the reservoir from the plant.
He said original plans to create a demilitarized zone around the plant had “evolved” toward greater protection of the plant itself and added there should not be heavy military equipment at the plant. Ukraine has accused the Russians of basing rocket systems at the plant, which Moscow has denied.
Grossi said he was trying to formulate “realistic, viable proposals” that would be acceptable to both sides.
Top US general says China-Russia-Iran partnership will be "problematic" for "years to come"
From CNN's Haley Britzky
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told lawmakers Wednesday that China, Russia, and Iran would be a problem for the US “for many years to come” as the three are working more closely together.
Speaking before the House Armed Services Committee alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Milley said Russia and China are “getting closer together.”
While the US has made clear for years now that the three countries are focuses of the military — particularly China and Russia — tensions with all three have been on the rise in recent months and even weeks.
Read more here.
Ukrainian Olympics star says IOC allowing Russian and athletes to compete is a "slap in the face"
From CNN's Amanda Davies, Don Riddell and Ben Morse
Vladyslav Heraskevych of Ukraine compete in the Men's Skeleton during the BMW IBSF Bob & Skeleton World Cup at the Veltins-EisArena on January 6, in Winterberg, Germany (Patrick Goosen/BSR Agency/Getty Images)The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow Russian and Belarussian athletes to participate in international competitions comes as a “slap in the face” to Ukrainian skeleton star Vladyslav Heraskevych.
On Tuesday, IOC president Thomas Bach outlined new guidelines that would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, paving the way for their return.
Athletes from the two nations were banned from most international competitions in February 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and following the IOC executive board’s recommendation.
Heraskevych, who shot to fame at the Beijing Winter Olympics last year when he held up a “No War in Ukraine” banner to protest the impending Russian invasion, said the decision is a shocking one for him and his compatriots.
According to the IOC’s latest recommendations, athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport must compete only as individual neutral athletes and meet all anti-doping requirements, while those who support the war or are contracted to military or national service cannot compete.
Read more here.
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