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Washington Post Pentagon and national security reporter Karoun Demirjian explains the difficulties of deciding which weapons to send Ukraine. (Video: Joshua Carroll/The Washington Post, Photo: The Washington Post)
International outrage over alleged war crimes in a Kyiv suburb is deepening Moscow’s isolation, as the European Commission proposes a ban on Russian coal and the United States plans a new package of sanctions.
The United States has already escalated financial measures against Russia amid reports of atrocities against civilians in Bucha, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital. On Wednesday, the Biden administration will announce more penalties, including a ban on all new investment in Russia, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Tuesday’s meeting of the United Nations Security Council also underscored the Kremlin’s pariah status as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian leaders and soldiers should face a special tribunal. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged nations to suspend Russia’s membership in the U.N. Human Rights Council, a move that would require a two-thirds vote by the 193-member General Assembly.
Here’s what to know
U.S. to send Ukraine $100 million worth of antitank Javelins
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The Biden administration on Tuesday approved sending additional Javelin antitank missile systems to Ukraine to aid in its defense against Russia.
The $100 million worth of Javelins is the sixth such drawdown of equipment from the Pentagon’s inventories since August, said Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby, adding that the Ukrainians have been using the Javelins “so effectively to defend their country.”
At a congressional hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers praised the Ukrainians’ deft use of the Javelins in discussions with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley. The Javelin is a shoulder-mounted antitank missile system that locks onto a target’s thermal picture. It can strike from the top, making it very potent against tanks.
The Javelin missiles have been heralded in Ukraine, as the country’s outmanned and outgunned military keeps up its fight against Russia. Merchandise affixed with “Saint Javelin,” an image of a saint holding a Javelin system, is being sold to raise money for humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Justice Ministry said this week that two newborns in the country — a boy named Yan Javelin and a girl named Javelina — had been named for the missiles.
Washington Post Pentagon and national security reporter Karoun Demirjian explains the difficulties of deciding which weapons to send Ukraine. (Video: Joshua Carroll/The Washington Post, Photo: The Washington Post)
The Biden administration on Tuesday approved sending additional Javelin antitank missile systems to Ukraine to aid in its defense against Russia.
The $100 million worth of Javelins is the sixth such drawdown of equipment from the Pentagon’s inventories since August, said Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby, adding that the Ukrainians have been using the Javelins “so effectively to defend their country.”
At a congressional hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers praised the Ukrainians’ deft use of the Javelins in discussions with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley. The Javelin is a shoulder-mounted antitank missile system that locks onto a target’s thermal picture. It can strike from the top, making it very potent against tanks.
The Javelin missiles have been heralded in Ukraine, as the country’s outmanned and outgunned military keeps up its fight against Russia. Merchandise affixed with “Saint Javelin,” an image of a saint holding a Javelin system, is being sold to raise money for humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Justice Ministry said this week that two newborns in the country — a boy named Yan Javelin and a girl named Javelina — had been named for the missiles.
Photos show the destruction of Antonov airport and the world’s largest cargo plane
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Antonov airport in Hostomel, Ukraine, was the site of heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the early days of the invasion in late February. Photographs by Post photographer Heidi Levine show the destruction of what was the world’s largest cargo plane, the Antonov An-225. The tarmac was also littered with ruins of military equipment. Ukrainian troops have regained control of the facility.
Antonov airport in Hostomel, Ukraine, was the site of heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the early days of the invasion in late February. Photographs by Post photographer Heidi Levine show the destruction of what was the world’s largest cargo plane, the Antonov An-225. The tarmac was also littered with ruins of military equipment. Ukrainian troops have regained control of the facility.
Russia abuses global forums to ‘spread lies,’ Zelensky says
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Hours after addressing the United Nations Security Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a scathing critique of the institution and said Russia abuses its participation in international forums.
“The U.N. Security Council exists and security in the world doesn’t,” Zelensky said in a video posted late Tuesday night to Telegram, echoing his earlier criticisms that the U.N. is useless if it cannot rein in Russia.
“Admit it if there is nothing you can do besides conversation,” Zelensky had said during Tuesday’s meeting of the Security Council, where Russia holds one of five permanent seats and therefore wields veto power.
Moscow’s representative to the U.N. used the same meeting to claim that Ukrainian “Nazis” rather than Russian troops are committing war crimes — furthering Russia’s false narrative of a “special operation” that is saving the Ukrainian people. Ukrainian and Western leaders have said there is mounting evidence of war crimes in occupied territory.
Revisiting the issue of international institutions in his video address, Zelensky said the U.N. is “currently unable to carry out the functions for which it was created” and called Russia a discredit to the groups in which it participates.
“Well, not exactly participates,” he added. Instead, he said, Russia “tries to block everything constructive and use global architecture in order to spread lies and justify the evil it does.”
Hours after addressing the United Nations Security Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a scathing critique of the institution and said Russia abuses its participation in international forums.
“The U.N. Security Council exists and security in the world doesn’t,” Zelensky said in a video posted late Tuesday night to Telegram, echoing his earlier criticisms that the U.N. is useless if it cannot rein in Russia.
“Admit it if there is nothing you can do besides conversation,” Zelensky had said during Tuesday’s meeting of the Security Council, where Russia holds one of five permanent seats and therefore wields veto power.
Moscow’s representative to the U.N. used the same meeting to claim that Ukrainian “Nazis” rather than Russian troops are committing war crimes — furthering Russia’s false narrative of a “special operation” that is saving the Ukrainian people. Ukrainian and Western leaders have said there is mounting evidence of war crimes in occupied territory.
Revisiting the issue of international institutions in his video address, Zelensky said the U.N. is “currently unable to carry out the functions for which it was created” and called Russia a discredit to the groups in which it participates.
“Well, not exactly participates,” he added. Instead, he said, Russia “tries to block everything constructive and use global architecture in order to spread lies and justify the evil it does.”
The latest on Ukraine’s key battlegrounds and retaken cities
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Russian-held areas and troop movement
BELARUS
RUSSIA
POL.
Chernihiv
Separatist-
controlled
area
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Odessa
ROMANIA
200 MILES
Control areas as of April 5
Sources: Institute for the Study of War,
AEI’s Critical Threats Project, Post reporting
THE WASHINGTON POST
Russian-held areas
and troop movement
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
POLAND
Chernobyl
Kyiv
Sumy
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Separatist-
controlled
area
Odessa
Mariupol
Berdyansk
ROMANIA
Kherson
Sea of
Azov
Crimea
Annexed by Russia
in 2014
100 MILES
Active nuclear power plants with power-generating capabilities
Black Sea
Control areas as of April 5
Sources: Institute for the Study of War, AEI's Critical Threats Project, Post reporting
Russian-held areas
and troop movement
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
POLAND
Chernobyl
Kyiv
Sumy
Lviv
Kharkiv
Separatist-
controlled
area
UKRAINE
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Berdyansk
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
Sea of
Azov
Kherson
Crimea
Annexed by Russia
in 2014
Active nuclear power plants with power-generating capabilities
Black
Sea
Control areas as of April 5
100 MILES
Sources: Institute for the Study of War, AEI's Critical Threats Project, Post reporting
Mariupol: Bombardment of this already-devastated port city continued on Tuesday, with more than 100,000 people still trapped inside, according to the mayor, and humanitarian evacuations proceeding haltingly. Nearly 1,500 people made it out of Mariupol on Tuesday, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, but a larger Red Cross convoy has still not been able to gain access to the city after days of trying.Kharkiv region: The Ukrainian military reported more shelling in this eastern region, which is not far from the border with Russia. In Izyum, Ukraine’s military officials accused Russian troops of bombing the city and preparing to blame the damage on Kyiv. The city of Kharkiv has also come under mortar and artillery fire, the regional governor said.Borodyanka: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the death toll in this settlement outside of Kyiv may be even higher than that of Bucha, the suburb where Ukrainian officials say Russian troops killed more than 300 civilians. Ukraine’s forces have retaken the city, and photos from local media show widespread destruction.Bucha: Ukrainian citizens and soldiers continue to survey the damage in this town, just 15 miles northwest of Kyiv. A Post photographer who returned there Tuesday witnessed bodies of residents and their pets lying in gardens and backyards. A site said to have been used by Russian troops for torture was spotted with bloodstains and bullet holes.Chernihiv: The largest city besieged by Russian troops and retaken by Ukrainians, Chernihiv saw more than half of its 300,000 residents flee and hundreds more killed, the mayor said. The toll remains unclear, but survivors have described atrocities that echo those that have emerged from other cities Russia has occupied.
Russian-held areas and troop movement
BELARUS
RUSSIA
POL.
Chernihiv
Separatist-
controlled
area
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Odessa
ROMANIA
200 MILES
Control areas as of April 5
Sources: Institute for the Study of War,
AEI’s Critical Threats Project, Post reporting
THE WASHINGTON POST
Russian-held areas
and troop movement
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
POLAND
Chernobyl
Kyiv
Sumy
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Separatist-
controlled
area
Odessa
Mariupol
Berdyansk
ROMANIA
Kherson
Sea of
Azov
Crimea
Annexed by Russia
in 2014
100 MILES
Active nuclear power plants with power-generating capabilities
Black Sea
Control areas as of April 5
Sources: Institute for the Study of War, AEI's Critical Threats Project, Post reporting
Russian-held areas
and troop movement
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Chernihiv
POLAND
Chernobyl
Kyiv
Sumy
Lviv
Kharkiv
Separatist-
controlled
area
UKRAINE
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Berdyansk
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
Sea of
Azov
Kherson
Crimea
Annexed by Russia
in 2014
Active nuclear power plants with power-generating capabilities
Black
Sea
Control areas as of April 5
100 MILES
Sources: Institute for the Study of War, AEI's Critical Threats Project, Post reporting
NASA astronaut: Russians were ‘blindsided’ by reaction to yellow suits
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Three Russian cosmonauts landed on the International Space Station on March 19 wearing yellow flight suits with blue stripes and accents. (Video: Roscosmos via Storyful, Photo: Roscosmos via Storyful)
He stayed away from social media, so he didn’t see the tweets from the head of the Russian space agency suggesting that the International Space Station might crash into the ground, or even leave him behind.
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei learned from his wife that Dmitry Rogozin was using Twitter to spew out all sorts of bombastic rhetoric about the future of the long-standing partnership between the United States and Russia on the space station, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions that followed.
In his first public comments since returning to Earth last week after a record-breaking 355 days in space, Vande Hei said Tuesday that he was never worried about his safety on the station or on the Russian spacecraft that flew him and two cosmonauts home.
Three Russian cosmonauts landed on the International Space Station on March 19 wearing yellow flight suits with blue stripes and accents. (Video: Roscosmos via Storyful, Photo: Roscosmos via Storyful)
He stayed away from social media, so he didn’t see the tweets from the head of the Russian space agency suggesting that the International Space Station might crash into the ground, or even leave him behind.
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei learned from his wife that Dmitry Rogozin was using Twitter to spew out all sorts of bombastic rhetoric about the future
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