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Air raid sirens sounded repeatedly across Chernihiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, as people continue to flee the Russian military assault. More than 2.3 million refugees have departed Ukraine since Feb. 24, according to the United Nations, with 80,000 alone fleeing from the areas north and east of Kyiv through humanitarian corridors in the last two days, according to a senior Ukrainian official.
While Ukrainian refugees have been welcomed across the continent, the European Union has held off on instantly granting Kyiv membership. European leaders said late Thursday that they had asked the E.U.'s executive arm to review Ukraine’s application, but that the bloc would also immediately “further strengthen our bonds and deepen our partnership to support Ukraine in pursuing its European path.”
Meanwhile, the lumbering convoy of Russian military vehicles that was stalled for days on the outskirts of Kyiv appears to be dispersing and redeploying, according to satellite images taken Thursday local time. Some equipment from the convoy was seen repositioned about 20 miles from Kyiv, with artillery set up in firing position.
Here’s what to know
Senior U.S. officials call for Russia to be investigated for war crimes
Return to menuSenior U.S. officials on Thursday denounced the Russian military’s attacks on civilians, with some accusing the Kremlin of committing war crimes.
When asked at a news conference alongside the Polish President if Washington would support an international investigation into alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine, Vice President Harris said “absolutely.”
She called the attack on a maternity hospital in Mariupol this week an atrocity and said that any intentional attack on innocent civilians is a “violation” of international norms and laws.
Her remarks came as Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Russia’s aggression against Ukraine constituted war crimes during an appearance on the BBC’s “Newshour.” Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence, also told lawmakers Thursday that Russian forces were “at the very least, operating with reckless disregard for the safety of civilians.”
The International Criminal Court can investigate and prosecute people accused of war crimes such as genocide. Although Ukraine and Russia have not ratified the Rome Statute, the court’s foundation document, Kyiv has twice said it would accept the court’s jurisdiction in its territories for alleged acts committed from November 2013.
Russians accused of bombarding weary Mariupol as diplomatic efforts stall
Return to menuZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Officials in Ukraine’s southern city of Mariupol accused Russian forces of bombarding the besieged seaside hub Thursday, amid international condemnation of a strike a day earlier that tore through a maternity hospital, killing at least three people and injuring 17.
As the war entered its third week, there were scant signs that the catastrophe with global implications would end anytime soon. High-level talks between Ukraine’s foreign minister and his Russian counterpart dissolved Thursday without any progress, nixing hopes of a cease-fire as the number of civilian casualties rises. Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled that — even though the economic consequences for his country were devastating — he intended to stay the course.
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