European leaders reject Putin’s demand to buy gas in rubles

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that he has removed two generals from Ukraine’s top law enforcement and intelligence agency, accusing them of being “antiheroes” who were disloyal to their country.

Zelensky, speaking during his nightly video address, gave few details but said the two dismissed generals worked for the Security Service of Ukraine. It is unclear what consequences they will face, but news of the firing comes as the country is increasingly on edge over reports of saboteur groups working with Russia to undermine Ukrainian defenses.

“I do not have time to deal with all the traitors,” Zelensky said. “But gradually they will all be punished.”

He added: “Those servicemen among senior officers who have not decided where their homeland is, who violate the military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people as regards the protection of our state, its freedom and independence, will inevitably be deprived of senior military ranks.”

Officials and aid workers say they are preparing to evacuate more civilians from the port city of Mariupol on Friday.

“It’s desperately important that this operation takes place,” the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. “The lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it.”

The humanitarian group said Thursday that its teams were traveling with “relief items and medical supplies” and would be ready to lead a “safe passage operation” Friday if all parties agreed on terms.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a Telegram message that more than 600 Mariupol residents reached the Ukrainian-held inland city of Zaporizhzhia on Thursday via “humanitarian corridors.” But Vereshchuk also continued to accuse Russian forces of blocking some humanitarian efforts and said Ukraine is negotiating for the return of supplies-packed buses meant to ferry people out of Melitopol, another southern city, on Friday.

A U.N. official also said Thursday that the organization has not been able to reach Mariupol and other places of great need, “despite extensive efforts.”

By Thursday evening, dozens of buses had arrived at the outskirts of the Russian-controlled city of Berdyansk to help Mariupol residents evacuate, local authorities said. Vereshchuk said more than 30 buses remain at the city entrance waiting to pick people up and take them to Zaporizhzhia on Friday morning.

Despite a cease-fire agreement meant to clear the way for civilians, part of the bus convoy was fired upon Thursday afternoon while driving toward Berdyansk, damaging at least one vehicle, according Tetiana Ignatenkova, a spokeswoman for the Donetsk regional administration.

Eugene Lakatosh and Kim Bellware contributed to this report.

A senior administration official said that the first barrels of oil from the strategic reserve would hit the market in May and that the drawdown would serve as “a bridge” to greater supplies. He said the administration is “committed to restocking the reserve once we’re through this emergency.”

The price of crude oil on U.S. and international markets fell about 4 percent by the early afternoon.

Administration officials have been scrambling to devise a way to lower gasoline prices, which have risen as the United States and other nations have cut back imports of Russian oil and natural gas in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. As of Wednesday, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States was $4.24, according to AAA, up from $3.60 per gallon last month and $2.90 per gallon last year.

U.S. officials have made “limited additional progress” in gaining access to Americans detained in Russia, the State Department’s spokesperson said Thursday, as high-profile arrests have raised concerns that Moscow is targeting U.S. citizens.

The spokesperson, Ned Price, declined to say how many Americans are detained in Russia, but acknowledged the cases of WNBA star Brittney Griner and Marine Corps veteran Trevor Reed.

“We are warning U.S. citizens that Russian government security officials may be singling out U.S. citizens based on their nationality,” Price said at a news briefing. “We reiterate that all U.S. citizens in Russia and Ukraine should depart immediately.”

Last week, a U.S. Embassy official was allowed to visit Griner, who has been detained since mid-February, and reported that she is “doing as well as can be expected under these very difficult circumstances.” Under international law, consular officials are entitled to meet with citizens from their country who have been detained abroad, and U.S. diplomats have urged Russia to comply.

“Our demand, consistent with Russia’s own obligations, is this not be a one off,” Price said. “That consular access to Americans detained in Russia, including those in pretrial detention, be regular and be consistent.”

Price also said Russian troops have detained Americans in Ukraine, but they have since been released. He declined to specify how many U.S. citizens have been detained in Ukraine, but confirmed that there were multiple cases. Tyler Jacob, the 28-year-old American teacher who was taken while fleeing the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, was released from custody last week after being whisked to Russia and held there for 10 days.

The Pentagon said Thursday that it was “unclear” about the accuracy of unconfirmed reports that Russian soldiers who are leaving the Chernobyl nuclear station in Ukraine had been exposed to high levels of radiation and presented signs of illness.

Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned atomic energy firm, said earlier in the day that Russian soldiers who were stationed within the exclusion zone — a radioactive area designated after the 1986 disaster in the surroundings of the plant — had received “significant doses of radiation,” and showed signs of illness, suggesting that it was the cause of their departure.

The Pentagon press secretary, John F. Kirby, told reporters that although the situation was not clear, it appeared that the retreat of the Russian troops was part of “a larger effort to refit and resupply and not necessarily done because of health hazards or some sort of emergency or a crisis at Chernobyl.”

In a statement on its website, the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was not able to confirm the reports of radiation exposure and said they are seeking further information to provide an independent assessment.

The chief of Ukraine’s energy ministry confirmed that Russian soldiers were withdrawing from the nuclear power plant after handing over control to Ukrainian authorities.

Stocks tumbled in the final hour of trading Thursday to close out one of the most volatile quarters in recent memory.

The Dow Jones industrial average plummeted in the final hour of trading Thursday to finish the day 550 points lower. Oil prices, meanwhile, tumbled on news that the Biden administration will tap the nation’s strategic reserves in an attempt to bring down gas prices. The reserve holds roughly 568 million barrels of oil.

West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, dropped 6.5 percent to $100.88 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 5.7 percent to about $105 per barrel.

Oil prices have been volatile since Russia invaded Ukraine, surging above $130 per barrel in early March. Though prices have eased, they remain elevated and consumers have been feeling it at the pump. On Thursday, the U.S. average for a gallon of gasoline stood at $4.22, according to AAA. That’s 61 cents higher than a month ago and $1.35 more than a year ago.

Stocks, meanwhile, opened slightly lower and slid throughout the day. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 550 points, or more than 1.5 percent. The broader S&P 500 shed 72 points, or nearly 1.6 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq index lost 221 points for a decline of 1.5 percent. Stocks have recovered somewhat from their early-March low point, but the Dow remains about 5 percent below where it started the year.

Rachel Pannett contributed to this report.

The chief of Ukraine’s energy ministry said Thursday that Russian soldiers are withdrawing from what he characterized as the “main part” of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site but noted some troops remain at the facility.

Minister German Galushchenko cautioned that “no one can predict their next steps.”

The remark came shortly after Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned atomic energy firm, said that Russian forces were handing over Chernobyl to Ukrainian authorities and withdrawing troops. In a statement on Telegram, the company said Russian troops were moving toward the Ukrainian border with Belarus after announcing plans to leave the plant, site of a 1986 disaster.

The company also shared a letter on Telegram in which Russian and Ukrainian forces purportedly agreed to the “transfer of protection” of the site. The letter states that for more than five weeks Russian troops had “guarded and defended” the station in a “reliable” manner and that Ukrainians had no complaints against them.

Russian forces are also getting ready to withdraw from the satellite city of Slavutych, Energoatom said, where many Chernobyl employees work.

The claims could not be independently verified.

In a statement on its website, the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday said it was in touch with Ukrainian officials about control of Chernobyl. The agency said it is consulting with Ukrainian authorities about sending support to the plant in the coming days.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has arrived in Kalingrad for discussions with senior Russian officials beginning Friday morning, the statement said, following Wednesday talks with senior Ukrainian officials at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant.

On Wednesday, a senior U.S. defense official confirmed to The Washington Post that Russian troops had begun to depart Chernobyl. The Pentagon also said about 20 percent of Russian troops around Kyiv started moving north away from the capital, but warned that the troops would be getting ready to reposition and resupply before being deployed elsewhere.

Russian forces captured the Chernobyl site in February shortly after the war began.

Brittany Shammas contributed to this report.