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KRAMATORSK, Ukraine — At least 39 people were killed and 87 injured Friday at the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, in what they said was a Russian missile attack while thousands of evacuees were waiting to escape an expected Russian onslaught in the region. Washington Post reporters who arrived at the station 15 minutes after the attack counted at least 20 dead amid the destruction.
View live politics updatesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “cynically destroying the civilian population,” amid battlefield losses, adding: “This is an evil that has no limits.” The Russian Defense Ministry denied any involvement in the strike, calling the accusations a “provocation” and insinuating that Kyiv was responsible.
The deadly strike came as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She made the trip a day after the European Union approved a plan to phase out Russian coal by mid-August, a move spurred by global outrage after the brutal slaying of civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.
A British intelligence assessment Friday said Russian forces have now fully withdrawn from northern Ukraine into Russia and Belarus. Ukrainian officials say hundreds of corpses have been discovered in newly liberated areas of the Kyiv region — and Zelensky warned in his nightly address Thursday to expect “much worse” death and destruction in the Kyiv suburb of Borodyanka and the besieged southern port city of Mariupol.
Here’s what to know
Sumy under Ukrainian control but littered with Russian mines, governor says
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The Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine close to the Russian border is fully back under Ukrainian control but has been littered with Russian land mines, according to its regional governor, Dmytro Zhyvytsky.
“If you hear explosions … it’s rescuers and explosives. They are neutralizing the ammunition left by the Russian military on our land,” Zhyvytsky wrote in a Facebook post Friday. He warned that although troops have left the area, the land is still not safe, adding that people should avoid driving and using forest roads. Zhyvytsky said cleanup operations would be delayed until demining is completed.
Human Rights Watch said last month that Russian forces in the Kharkiv region were using “banned antipersonnel mines,” which can “indiscriminately kill and maim people within an apparent 16-meter [52-foot] range.”
The 1997 international Mine Ban Treaty bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of antipersonnel mines. However, Russia, along with the United States and China, is not among the 164 countries that are parties to the treaty.
On Monday, Zhyvytsky announced that Russian forces no longer occupied any settlements in the Sumy area. Russian forces have largely withdrawn from Ukraine’s north, including the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, as they reposition troops in the south and east. Sumy’s governor also said this week that trains were running again in the region and that electricity, water and communications have been mostly restored.
The Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine close to the Russian border is fully back under Ukrainian control but has been littered with Russian land mines, according to its regional governor, Dmytro Zhyvytsky.
“If you hear explosions … it’s rescuers and explosives. They are neutralizing the ammunition left by the Russian military on our land,” Zhyvytsky wrote in a Facebook post Friday. He warned that although troops have left the area, the land is still not safe, adding that people should avoid driving and using forest roads. Zhyvytsky said cleanup operations would be delayed until demining is completed.
Human Rights Watch said last month that Russian forces in the Kharkiv region were using “banned antipersonnel mines,” which can “indiscriminately kill and maim people within an apparent 16-meter [52-foot] range.”
The 1997 international Mine Ban Treaty bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of antipersonnel mines. However, Russia, along with the United States and China, is not among the 164 countries that are parties to the treaty.
On Monday, Zhyvytsky announced that Russian forces no longer occupied any settlements in the Sumy area. Russian forces have largely withdrawn from Ukraine’s north, including the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, as they reposition troops in the south and east. Sumy’s governor also said this week that trains were running again in the region and that electricity, water and communications have been mostly restored.
Russian aluminum giant calls for investigation into Bucha killings
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The chairman of the Russian aluminum giant United Co. Rusal this week called for an investigation into the killings of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, describing them as a “terrible tragedy” and a “crime.”
“We support an objective and impartial investigation of this crime and call for severe punishment for the perpetrators,” Rusal’s chairman, Dutch national Bernard Zonneveld, wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Hiss remarks add to a chorus of world leaders, including President Biden, who have called the killings in the Kyiv suburb a war crime. Russia has denied it is responsible and has said the gruesome images of dead Ukrainian citizens are fraudulent.
“We all wish an early end to this fratricidal conflict, which destroys lives, families and entire cities,” Zonneveld said.
The chairman of the Russian aluminum giant United Co. Rusal this week called for an investigation into the killings of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, describing them as a “terrible tragedy” and a “crime.”
“We support an objective and impartial investigation of this crime and call for severe punishment for the perpetrators,” Rusal’s chairman, Dutch national Bernard Zonneveld, wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Hiss remarks add to a chorus of world leaders, including President Biden, who have called the killings in the Kyiv suburb a war crime. Russia has denied it is responsible and has said the gruesome images of dead Ukrainian citizens are fraudulent.
“We all wish an early end to this fratricidal conflict, which destroys lives, families and entire cities,” Zonneveld said.
Russian units redeploying eastward will need at least a week, U.K. says
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Russian forces have now fully withdrawn from northern Ukraine and some will soon be transferred to the eastern region of Donbas to support the Kremlin’s war efforts, the British Defense Ministry said in a Friday morning intelligence update.
British officials said the units — many of which are now in Belarus and Russia — are likely to need “significant replenishment.” Any mass redeployment would probably require a week or more, Britain said.
The Kremlin has said it will now concentrate on eastern Ukraine, but a senior U.S. defense official told reporters this week that there were not yet signs of a fresh influx of Russian troops into the area.
Russian forces have now fully withdrawn from northern Ukraine and some will soon be transferred to the eastern region of Donbas to support the Kremlin’s war efforts, the British Defense Ministry said in a Friday morning intelligence update.
British officials said the units — many of which are now in Belarus and Russia — are likely to need “significant replenishment.” Any mass redeployment would probably require a week or more, Britain said.
The Kremlin has said it will now concentrate on eastern Ukraine, but a senior U.S. defense official told reporters this week that there were not yet signs of a fresh influx of Russian troops into the area.
Ten humanitarian corridors to open Friday, Ukraine says
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Ten humanitarian corridors will be opened Friday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, linking embattled towns in Ukraine’s south and east to safer central areas.
Civilians will be allowed to leave Mariupol and Melitopol, among other population centers, she said, though people have to arrange their own transport out of devastated Mariupol.
Five of the corridors will run through Luhansk, the region’s governor said, urging residents to leave immediately.
More than 4,600 people fled via the corridors on Thursday.
Ten humanitarian corridors will be opened Friday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, linking embattled towns in Ukraine’s south and east to safer central areas.
Civilians will be allowed to leave Mariupol and Melitopol, among other population centers, she said, though people have to arrange their own transport out of devastated Mariupol.
Five of the corridors will run through Luhansk, the region’s governor said, urging residents to leave immediately.
More than 4,600 people fled via the corridors on Thursday.
Key update
Airstrike on Kramatorsk rail station kills at least 39, officials say
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(Video: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine via Storyful, Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine via Storyful)
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine — At least 39 people were killed and 87 injured Friday at the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, in what they said was a Russian missile attack as hundreds of evacuees were waiting to escape a looming Russian offensive in the area.
As of 1 p.m. local time, the strike had claimed the lives of at least 39 people, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional administration, said on Telegram. He added that the deadly strike would not deter Ukrainian officials from helping citizens who are trying to leave as fighting in the region intensifies.
Washington Post reporters who arrived at the station in the eastern Donetsk region moments after the attack counted at least 20 dead amid the destruction, among them children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post that police and rescuers were at the scene and that victims were injured “to varying degrees.”
I strongly condemn this morning’s indiscriminate attack against a train station in #Kramatorsk by Russia, which killed dozens of people and left many more wounded. This is yet another attempt to close escape routes for those fleeing this unjustified war and cause human suffering
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 8, 2022Russia denied any involvement in the attack, calling Ukrainian officials’ accusations “absolutely untrue.” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday: “The Russian armed forces did not have any fire missions on April 8 in the city of Kramatorsk, and none were planned.” It claimed that apparent missile remnants found near the station were from weapons “used only by the Ukrainian armed forces.”
The chairman of the Ukrainian Railways operator, Alexander Kamyshin, wrote on Telegram that two missiles struck the station and that details were still being clarified. The Kramatorsk police said they were Russian ballistic missiles.
(Video: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine via Storyful, Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine via Storyful)
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine — At least 39 people were killed and 87 injured Friday at the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, in what they said was a Russian missile attack as hundreds of evacuees were waiting to escape a looming Russian offensive in the area.
As of 1 p.m. local time, the strike had claimed the lives of at least 39 people, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional administration, said on Telegram. He added that the deadly strike would not deter Ukrainian officials from helping citizens who are trying to leave as fighting in the region intensifies.
Washington Post reporters who arrived at the station in the eastern Donetsk region moments after the attack counted at least 20 dead amid the destruction, among them children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post that police and rescuers were at the scene and that victims were injured “to varying degrees.”
I strongly condemn this morning’s indiscriminate attack against a train station in #Kramatorsk by Russia, which killed dozens of people and left many more wounded. This is yet another attempt to close escape routes for those fleeing this unjustified war and cause human suffering
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 8, 2022Russia denied any involvement in the attack, calling Ukrainian officials’ accusations “absolutely untrue.” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday: “The Russian armed forces did not have any fire missions on April 8 in the city of Kramatorsk, and none were planned.” It claimed that apparent missile remnants found near the station were from weapons “used only by the Ukrainian armed forces.”
The chairman of the Ukrainian Railways operator, Alexander Kamyshin, wrote on Telegram that two missiles struck the station and that details were still being clarified. The Kramatorsk police said they were Russian ballistic missiles.
Japan ramps up sanctions on Russia, expels diplomats
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TOKYO — Japan will expel eight Russian diplomats and issue a new round of sanctions on Moscow, while taking steps to decrease its energy dependence on Russia, Japanese officials said Friday.
Japan is set to ban coal imports and other products from Russia and expand its ban on Russian investments and assets, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a news conference.
Japan has also announced that it would release 15 million barrels of oil reserves as a member state of the International Energy Agency to stabilize the energy market in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The efforts are part of Japan’s continued ramp-up of pressure on Moscow. Kishida noted Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Japan in his speech to the Japanese parliament and requested further sanctions.
The historically refugee-averse country has so far accepted at least 400 evacuees from Ukraine. On Friday, Kishida announced that seats would be reserved weekly on direct flights from Poland to Japan to accommodate more evacuees. The first of those flights has already taken off from Poland, he said.
Japan’s decision to expel Russian diplomats and trade officials is unusual but not the first time, as the country had previously removed diplomats during the Soviet era, Reuters reported. Japan also expelled Syrian diplomats in 2012.
TOKYO — Japan will expel eight Russian diplomats and issue a new round of sanctions on Moscow, while taking steps to decrease its energy dependence on Russia, Japanese officials said Friday.
Japan is set to ban coal imports and other products from Russia and expand its ban on Russian investments and assets, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a news conference.
Japan has also announced that it would release 15 million barrels of oil reserves as a member state of the International Energy Agency to stabilize the energy market in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The efforts are part of Japan’s continued ramp-up of pressure on Moscow. Kishida noted Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Japan in his speech to the Japanese parliament and requested further sanctions.
The historically refugee-averse country has so far accepted at least 400 evacuees from Ukraine. On Friday, Kishida announced that seats would be reserved weekly on direct flights from Poland to Japan to accommodate more evacuees. The first of those flights has already taken off from Poland, he said.
Japan’s decision to expel Russian diplomats and trade officials is unusual but not the first time, as the country had previously removed diplomats during the Soviet era, Reuters reported. Japan also expelled Syrian diplomats in 2012.
Key update
European Commission president heads to Kyiv on Friday
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to visit Kyiv on Friday, where she will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Von der Leyen tweeted an image of herself walking beside a train and wrote that she was “looking forward to Kyiv.” The European Union’s top foreign policy official, Josep Borrell, is also on the trip.
Last month, the leaders of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic made a bold visit to Ukraine’s capital while it was under attack, to pledge “unequivocal support” to Ukraine, they said.
Looking forward to Kyiv.@JosepBorrellF @eduardheger pic.twitter.com/YFAgGr5Tlc
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 8, 2022The prime minister of Slovakia, Eduard Heger, also joined Friday’s trip. He tweeted that the group planned to discuss issues including wheat and other key exports from Ukraine, and the use of neighboring Slovakia as a humanitarian hub.
На шляху до Києва!
Going to Kyiv. #StandWithUkraine @vonderleyen @eduardheger pic.twitter.com/Lw8UaQUZgB
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to visit Kyiv on Friday, where she will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Von der Leyen tweeted an image of herself walking beside a train and wrote that she was “looking forward to Kyiv.” The European Union’s top foreign policy official, Josep Borrell, is also on the trip.
Last month, the leaders of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic made a bold visit to Ukraine’s capital while it was under attack, to pledge “unequivocal support” to Ukraine, they said.
Looking forward to Kyiv.@JosepBorrellF @eduardheger pic.twitter.com/YFAgGr5Tlc
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 8, 2022The prime minister of Slovakia, Eduard Heger, also joined Friday’s trip. He tweeted that the group planned to discuss issues including wheat and other key exports from Ukraine, and the use of neighboring Slovakia as a humanitarian hub.
На шляху до Києва!
Going to Kyiv. #StandWithUkraine @vonderleyen @eduardheger pic.twitter.com/Lw8UaQUZgB
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