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Buildings damaged as Zaporizhzhia hit by Russian rocket attacks, military administration says
From CNN's Josh Pennington and Mohammed Tawfeeq
Multiple rocket attacks hit the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia Friday, damaging several buildings, according to a statement from Zaporizhzhia's Regional Military Administration.
The military administration said rockets hit the regional center and suburbs. There were no casualties but civil and residential buildings were damaged by the blast wave, according to the statement.
First responders are at the scene to help mitigate the damage caused by the strike, the statement added.
How a team of US and Canadian surgeons try to repair faces shattered by war in Ukraine
From CNN's David McKenzie, Ghazi Balkiz and Maria Avdeeva
Dr. John Frodel, left, operates on Roman Belinsky, an injured Ukrainian serviceman, in Ivano-Frankivsk regional hospital. (Ghazi Balkiz/CNN)Lesya Belinska is proud of her son. She stands next to Roman Belinsky at her home and hugs him with one arm. Belinsky waves her away, embarrassed.
Belinsky’s face is badly disfigured from a serious combat injury. The 42-year-old was discharged from duty recently, but still wears his army uniform.
“I am proud because you didn’t run and hide. You must be born with that. I am proud of my son and all his boys. If not for this, the Russians will destroy us,” his mother says.
Belinsky says he volunteered for a Ukrainian mechanized infantry brigade in 2020. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, it was one of the first groups to see combat.
In May, Belinsky and his brigade defended Huliaipole, in central Ukraine – the Russians threw everything at them, he said.
“I don’t know how I survived. I don’t know how I survived the shelling. My eye was hanging out. I was concussed. My whole face was covered in blood. Shrapnel pierced my lungs through my body armor,” he said.
Field surgeons saved his life, he says. But what followed were months of painful and increasingly technical operations to try to put Belinsky’s skull and face back together.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine to boycott Olympic qualifying events in which Russians are participating
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Josh Pennington and Jennifer Deaton
Ukraine has decided to boycott Olympic qualifying events in which Russians are competing for the Paris 2024 Games.
It comes after International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach outlined new guidelines on Tuesday that would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, paving the way for their participation.
In a televised interview on Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne on Thursday Oleh Nemchinov, the Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, acknowledged that the decision means some Ukrainian athletes will miss their chance to participate in the Games.
"You know, I wouldn't wish it on anyone," he said, when he asked what will happen to the Ukrainian athletes. He added that while this decision might impact the athletes careers, ultimately "you and your children's lives will be saved."
Ukrainian skeleton star and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympian Vladyslav Heraskevych told CNN on Wednesday that the IOC's decision to allow Russian and Belarussian athletes to participate in international competitions comes as "a slap in the face, not only to Ukrainian athletes but to all Ukraine and all Ukrainians."
But Heraskevych also told CNN that boycotting Paris 2024 Games should be up to athletes and that "athletes should decide their own road."
Russia is set to lead the UN Security Council as shelling in Ukraine continues. Here's the latest from the frontlines
From CNN Staff
A general view shows a United Nations security council meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on March 20. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)Russia will assume the presidency of the United Nations Security Council Saturday as part of the position's regularly scheduled rotation of countries, despite fierce criticism from many of the alliance's members over its invasion of Ukraine.
The United States and 44 other countries in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Thursday invoked a special mechanism to investigate alleged human rights violations by Russia during its war in Ukraine, “particularly with regard to the forced transfer and deportation of children."
Here are the other latest developments:
- American journalist detained: Wall Street Journal reporter and US national Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia on suspicion of "espionage" and placed under arrest until May 29, according to a Moscow court Thursday. It is the first time an American journalist has been detained on accusations by Moscow of spying since the Cold War. The WSJ “vehemently denies" the Kremlin's allegations and is seeking his release. The White House condemned the arrest and the US State Department is in touch with Russia on the matter.
- Explosions in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv: On the ground in Ukraine, local monitoring groups reported late-night explosions in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia and urged residents to take shelter. Meanwhile, Russia fired at least six missiles at Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, Thursday night, according to the head of Kharkiv's regional military administration.
- Russian assaults: The Ukrainian military said its units repelled nearly 50 Russian assaults across the front lines in the eastern Donetsk region Thursday – but there have been far fewer missile and air strikes than normal. Russian shelling has been centered around the embattled city of Bakhmut, as well as Avdiivka and Mariinka in Donetsk, and Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, the military said. A top US general saying the battle for Bakhmut has turned into a "slaughter house" for Russians.
- Ukraine's training: More than 7,000 Ukrainian troops have received training by United States forces since the beginning of Russia’s invasion last year, according to the Pentagon. More than 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers will have completed combined arms training in Germany at the end of this month, the Pentagon said.
- Finland's NATO membership: Turkey’s parliament unanimously approved Finland’s accession to NATO after a vote Thursday, clearing the path for the Nordic country to become the 31st NATO member. The Turkish parliament vote was the last major hurdle facing Finland’s bid to join the alliance.
- Sanctions: President Vladimir Putin has conceded that Western sanctions designed to starve the Kremlin of funds for its invasion of Ukraine could deal a blow to Russia’s economy. It is a rare admission by the Russian leader, who has repeatedly insisted that his country's economy remains resilient.
- Delegation to North Korea: Russia aims to send a delegation to North Korea as part of the Kremlin's ongoing effort to acquire more weapons from Pyongyang, according to a spokesperson for the US National Security Council. Alleged arms dealer Ashot Mkrtychev is at the center of this latest effort by Russia to circumvent Western sanctions and export controls over its invasion of Ukraine, said John Kirby, the NSC strategic communications coordinator.
An American journalist was arrested in Russia. Here's what to know to get up to speed
From CNN staff
Wall Street Journal reporter and US national Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia on suspicion of "espionage" and placed under arrest until May 29, according to a Moscow court Thursday. It comes amid a crackdown in Russia on independent journalists and foreign news outlets in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
The US State Department is tasked with officially determining if Americans are detained wrongfully abroad.
Here's what we know so far:
- What happened: The Russian intelligence agency, the FSB, said Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg, on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains "while trying to obtain secret information" relating to "the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.” The Wall Street Journal, which has had a decades-long presence in Moscow, has categorically rejected those allegations.
- Some background: It is the first time an American journalist has been detained on accusations by Moscow of spying since the Cold War, and comes a week after US authorities arrested Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, who they accused of being a Russian spy and was indicted in federal court. The Kremlin did not comment when asked if Gershkovich’s arrest was a tit-for-tat move for Cherkasov's arrest. Detentions of other Americans, including Paul Whelan, have led to lengthy and difficult negations between Washington and Moscow.
- Russia's response: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the arrest was a "prerogative of the FSB." In a call with reporters, he added: "As far as we know, he was caught red-handed." The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs routinely makes baseless claims about the work and motives of foreign journalists in Russia.
- United States' response: The US has condemned the detainment, saying it is "deeply concerned." The State Department has been directly in touch with the Russian government, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. The US Embassy in Moscow has formally requested consular access — something officials say is a priority for Gershkovich's well-being and to collect more information.
- Reaction: Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker told staff in a memo Thursday she was "very concerned" for the reporter's safety. Almar Latour — the chief executive of Dow Jones, which publishes The Wall Street Journal — said the safety of journalists is his top priority and that the company is working "around the clock" to secure Gershkovich's release. The New York Times said in a statement it is "deeply concerned” by the arrest and called for his immediate release.
Explosions reported in Zaporizhzhia as Ukrainian official urges residents to take shelter
From CNN's Yulia Kasaieva in Kyiv
Local monitoring groups reported two explosions in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia just after midnight local time Friday (5 p.m. ET Thursday).
As sirens blared in the city, the Ukrainian Secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council Anatolii Kurtiev urged residents on Telegram to immediately head to shelters and stay there.
The head of a Russian-installed governing council in occupied parts of the Zaporizhzhia region also reported explosions.
“It’s loud in Zaporizhzhia!” the Russia-backed official, Vladimir Rogov, said on his Telegram channel.
Rogov said “several explosions were heard in the regional center."
Ukraine condemns Russia's impending UN Security Council presidency
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva
Despite fierce criticism from many of the alliance's members over its invasion of Ukraine, Russia will assume the presidency of the United Nations Security Council Saturday as part of the position's regularly scheduled rotation of countries.
In condemning Russia's assumption of the post, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba noted Saturday is April 1, and called it the worst kind of "April Fool’s Day joke."
Kuleba made the remarks Thursday in a conversation hosted by the policy institute Chatham House.
The foreign minister downplayed Moscow's ability to wield significant power during the course of its presidency, though.
The foreign minister also said he expects the other members of the UNSC, both permanent and non-permanent, to “corner Russia as much as they can within existing procedures and rules during its presidency, not allow it to abuse the UNSC rules and to continue pushing the narratives which tell the truth about this war that Russia is conducting.”
Why this is happening: The presidency of the Security Council is held by each member in turn for one month, following the English alphabetical order of the member states' names. The council requires consensus to adopt most decisions, regardless of which country sits at the head of its meetings. You can read more about how it functions here.
Turkey approves Finland’s NATO application, clearing the last hurdle. Sweden is still waiting
From CNN's Ivana Kottasová
Turkey has finally approved Finland’s application to join NATO, putting an end to months of delays while also continuing to block Sweden from joining the military alliance.
The Turkish Parliament voted unanimously in favor of Finland’s membership on Thursday, clearing the last hurdle in the accession process.
The vote fulfills Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “promise” to allow Finland in the defense alliance. Turkey was the last NATO member to approve Finland’s accession, although Hungary only did so on Monday.
In a statement after the vote, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said his country is “now ready to join NATO.”
“We look forward to welcoming Sweden to join us as soon as possible,” the Finnish president added.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also hailed the decision. “I welcome the vote of the Grand National Assembly of #Türkiye to complete the ratification of #Finland’s accession. This will make the whole #NATO family stronger & safer,” Stoltenberg said in a tweet.
Read more here.
WSJ editor tells staff she is "very concerned" for safety of reporter arrested in Russia
From CNN's Oliver Darcy
Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker told staff in a memo Thursday that she was “very concerned” for the safety of Russia-based reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested Wednesday by security forces in the city of Yekaterinburg.
“I am very sorry to let you know you that one of our reporters Evan Gershkovich was yesterday detained outside Moscow according to a statement put out by the Russian security services,” Tucker wrote in a memo to newspaper staff at 5:11 am ET and later obtained by CNN.
“We are very concerned for the safety of Evan and will keep you informed of the situation.”
Gershkovich was arrested in Russia on suspicion of espionage, the first time a US journalist has been detained on accusations by Moscow of spying since the Cold War.
In a statement, the Wall Street Journal said it “vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich.”
“We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family,” the newspaper said. A person familiar tells CNN that the Journal is in contact with the family about the matter.
Read more here.
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