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Officials in Ukraine began urging people living in the eastern part of the country to evacuate Wednesday as new attacks on civilians were reported in areas where Russia is expected to step up offensives after withdrawing from Kyiv.
View live politics updatesA 10-story building in Severodonetsk caught on fire amid mass shelling and at least five civilians died in the Donetsk region, local officials said. In a television broadcast, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, “You have to evacuate, if this is possible. And this is possible.”
The attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded a tougher E.U. response Wednesday and criticized leaders who “still think war crimes are not as horrific as financial losses.” The Biden administration announced new sanctions that will target two of Russia’s largest banks and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s adult daughters. NATO foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels for discussions on Ukraine.
Here’s what to know
Apple restores Russian opposition app to its App Store
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Apple has resumed allowing Russians to download an app run by supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after criticism that it was acceding to unreasonable government demands for censorship.
As reported by The Washington Post last month, law enforcement agents had repeatedly threatened the top Apple and Google officials in Russia with arrest in September unless they removed Navalny’s Smart Voting app, which included more than 1,000 endorsements of candidates for seats in Russia’s legislature.
Those demands came as voting was about to begin, and both companies complied. Google later reinstated the app for Android phones soon after the election, while Apple did not.
That changed this week, according to independent researchers and Navalny’s chief of staff, Leonid Volkov.
Apple spokesmen declined to comment on the decision.
The reversal comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and outside companies, many of which have withdrawn from the market or curtailed activities there since Russia invaded Ukraine. But civil liberties groups and American officials are pushing the other way, arguing that Apple and other tech companies provide ordinary Russians with the means to find independent news sources and to connect to activists and nonprofit organizations opposed to the war in Ukraine.
Apps are an especially critical form of communication in Russia now because the country’s censorship apparatus has not been able to block or modify content flowing from installed apps to users’ phones.
Apple has resumed allowing Russians to download an app run by supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after criticism that it was acceding to unreasonable government demands for censorship.
As reported by The Washington Post last month, law enforcement agents had repeatedly threatened the top Apple and Google officials in Russia with arrest in September unless they removed Navalny’s Smart Voting app, which included more than 1,000 endorsements of candidates for seats in Russia’s legislature.
Those demands came as voting was about to begin, and both companies complied. Google later reinstated the app for Android phones soon after the election, while Apple did not.
That changed this week, according to independent researchers and Navalny’s chief of staff, Leonid Volkov.
Apple spokesmen declined to comment on the decision.
The reversal comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and outside companies, many of which have withdrawn from the market or curtailed activities there since Russia invaded Ukraine. But civil liberties groups and American officials are pushing the other way, arguing that Apple and other tech companies provide ordinary Russians with the means to find independent news sources and to connect to activists and nonprofit organizations opposed to the war in Ukraine.
Apps are an especially critical form of communication in Russia now because the country’s censorship apparatus has not been able to block or modify content flowing from installed apps to users’ phones.
10 high-rise buildings catch fire in Severodonetsk amid shelling
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Ten high-rise buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk caught fire amid “mass shelling,” according to a local military leader.
It is unclear how many people were injured or killed during the strike, regional military governor Serhii Haidai wrote Wednesday afternoon on Facebook. Volunteers working in a nearby storage area for humanitarian cargo were injured, Haidai later said in an interview with the Ukrainian TV channel Inter.
Video published April 6 shows people fleeing from shelling in a residential area in Severodonetsk. (Video: Facebook, Photo: Facebook)
Haidai shared a video, which was verified by The Washington Post, showing a small crowd of pedestrians on Tankistiv Street crouching and running for cover in a grocery store. Seconds later, an onslaught of shelling kicks up dirt and damages a business in view of the camera.
The strike comes as Ukrainian officials have warned of a Russian offensive in the eastern region and told people in the Luhansk oblast to escape while they can.
In nearby Papasnoye, people have been unable to evacuate amid intense artillery fire, Haidai told Inter. Strikes in Rubezhnoye on Wednesday killed one, while seven people remain missing.
Ten high-rise buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk caught fire amid “mass shelling,” according to a local military leader.
It is unclear how many people were injured or killed during the strike, regional military governor Serhii Haidai wrote Wednesday afternoon on Facebook. Volunteers working in a nearby storage area for humanitarian cargo were injured, Haidai later said in an interview with the Ukrainian TV channel Inter.
Video published April 6 shows people fleeing from shelling in a residential area in Severodonetsk. (Video: Facebook, Photo: Facebook)
Haidai shared a video, which was verified by The Washington Post, showing a small crowd of pedestrians on Tankistiv Street crouching and running for cover in a grocery store. Seconds later, an onslaught of shelling kicks up dirt and damages a business in view of the camera.
The strike comes as Ukrainian officials have warned of a Russian offensive in the eastern region and told people in the Luhansk oblast to escape while they can.
In nearby Papasnoye, people have been unable to evacuate amid intense artillery fire, Haidai told Inter. Strikes in Rubezhnoye on Wednesday killed one, while seven people remain missing.
Ukrainian officials urging people in eastern part of country to leave
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MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials urged people living in the eastern part of the country to be prepared to evacuate Wednesday and in some case recommended that they start to depart, as indications grow that Russia is preparing a major assault on Ukraine’s eastern regions.
In comments posted on her official webpage, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called for residents of eastern Ukraine to “follow closely” announcements by local officials, and in the case of an announcement of an evacuation, to “listen to them.”
Vereshchuk said the areas where residents are in particular danger are Donetsk, Luhansk and parts of Kharkiv regions.
Vereshchuk’s statement was posted on the webpage of the ministry she heads, the Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories — a reference to the breakaway portions of Donetsk and Luhansk under Russian control.
The post on the page also reprinted comments that she made Wednesday during a Ukrainian television broadcast, which took a more urgent tone.
“You need to make a decision immediately,” she said, addressing the residents of the eastern Ukraine. “You have to evacuate, if this is possible. And this is possible.”
If people waited, she said, then later they might not be able to escape.
“You need to do it because later people will be under fire. They will be shot at, and they won’t be able to do anything,” she said. “And we won’t be able to help them.”
Vereshchuk’s comments come as Western and Ukrainian officials warn that Russia is withdrawing its forces from around Kyiv and other areas to focus its operations in the east of the country.
The Kharkiv regional governor, Oleh Synyehubov, also said Wednesday that local authorities “recommended” that residents evacuate from the towns of Barvinkove and Lozova, south of the city of Kharkiv, near the Donetsk region.
Synyehubov said that authorities were not carrying out “centralized evacuation procedures” for the city of Kharkiv at the moment.
MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials urged people living in the eastern part of the country to be prepared to evacuate Wednesday and in some case recommended that they start to depart, as indications grow that Russia is preparing a major assault on Ukraine’s eastern regions.
In comments posted on her official webpage, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called for residents of eastern Ukraine to “follow closely” announcements by local officials, and in the case of an announcement of an evacuation, to “listen to them.”
Vereshchuk said the areas where residents are in particular danger are Donetsk, Luhansk and parts of Kharkiv regions.
Vereshchuk’s statement was posted on the webpage of the ministry she heads, the Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories — a reference to the breakaway portions of Donetsk and Luhansk under Russian control.
The post on the page also reprinted comments that she made Wednesday during a Ukrainian television broadcast, which took a more urgent tone.
“You need to make a decision immediately,” she said, addressing the residents of the eastern Ukraine. “You have to evacuate, if this is possible. And this is possible.”
If people waited, she said, then later they might not be able to escape.
“You need to do it because later people will be under fire. They will be shot at, and they won’t be able to do anything,” she said. “And we won’t be able to help them.”
Vereshchuk’s comments come as Western and Ukrainian officials warn that Russia is withdrawing its forces from around Kyiv and other areas to focus its operations in the east of the country.
The Kharkiv regional governor, Oleh Synyehubov, also said Wednesday that local authorities “recommended” that residents evacuate from the towns of Barvinkove and Lozova, south of the city of Kharkiv, near the Donetsk region.
Synyehubov said that authorities were not carrying out “centralized evacuation procedures” for the city of Kharkiv at the moment.
Lithuanian Olympic champ swims through blood-red pond for Ukraine
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Lithuania’s most decorated Olympic swimmer has returned to the water to show support for Ukraine.
Ruta Meilutyte, 25, titled her action “Swimming Through,” a performance she began Wednesday as she swam through the pond outside the Russian Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, which had been dyed a symbolic blood-red.
Meilutyte on Twitter described the swim as a call for action in support of the Ukrainian people, who she said are facing genocide by Russian forces. The act of swimming through the bloodlike water “symbolizes the need for continuous effort to fight through,” she wrote.
Swimming Through
The performance “Swimming Through” is a call for action in support of the Ukrainian people who are facing genocide committed by Russia. pic.twitter.com/LuXRFms2c4
“It is important not to get numb to the horrific images of mass killings of Ukrainians and their pain. The seemingly never-ending horrors imposed by Russia on the Ukrainian land must not become the norm,” Meilutyte wrote.
She added that it “makes it hard to remain hopeful” when countries fail to impose harsher sanctions on Russia and choose “money over people.”
“Therefore it’s crucial that we keep acting — spreading truthful information, volunteering, protesting, donating, and pressuring our governments to take action,” she wrote.
A 37-second clip of the performance is set to music by artist Viktoras Urbaitis, Meilutyte wrote. The performance itself was conceived by Lithuanian activists, artists and journalists, she said.
The pond sits on a site known as Boris Nemtsov Square. The parkland was renamed in 2018 for Nemtsov, a Russian opposition activist and outspoken critic of Putin who was assassinated in Moscow in 2015.
Lithuania’s most decorated Olympic swimmer has returned to the water to show support for Ukraine.
Ruta Meilutyte, 25, titled her action “Swimming Through,” a performance she began Wednesday as she swam through the pond outside the Russian Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, which had been dyed a symbolic blood-red.
Meilutyte on Twitter described the swim as a call for action in support of the Ukrainian people, who she said are facing genocide by Russian forces. The act of swimming through the bloodlike water “symbolizes the need for continuous effort to fight through,” she wrote.
Swimming Through
The performance “Swimming Through” is a call for action in support of the Ukrainian people who are facing genocide committed by Russia. pic.twitter.com/LuXRFms2c4
“It is important not to get numb to the horrific images of mass killings of Ukrainians and their pain. The seemingly never-ending horrors imposed by Russia on the Ukrainian land must not become the norm,” Meilutyte wrote.
She added that it “makes it hard to remain hopeful” when countries fail to impose harsher sanctions on Russia and choose “money over people.”
“Therefore it’s crucial that we keep acting — spreading truthful information, volunteering, protesting, donating, and pressuring our governments to take action,” she wrote.
A 37-second clip of the performance is set to music by artist Viktoras Urbaitis, Meilutyte wrote. The performance itself was conceived by Lithuanian activists, artists and journalists, she said.
The pond sits on a site known as Boris Nemtsov Square. The parkland was renamed in 2018 for Nemtsov, a Russian opposition activist and outspoken critic of Putin who was assassinated in Moscow in 2015.
At least 5 people killed in Donetsk region, governor says
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Russian shelling killed at least five people Wednesday evening in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, according to Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Four Ukrainians seeking humanitarian aid in the Donetsk city of Vuhledar were fatally struck by Russian fire and four were wounded, Kyrylenko said. A person in the Ocheretyn settlement was killed when the community came under fire twice on Wednesday, he said.
At least six houses, a kindergarten facility and a nonresidential structure were damaged in Ocheretyn, according to Kyrylenko, and Russian shelling also injured four civilians and damaged two homes in Donetsk’s Marinsky community.
Donetsk has been a flash point for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine since he unleashed his military on Ukrainian soil in late February.
Russian shelling killed at least five people Wednesday evening in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, according to Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Four Ukrainians seeking humanitarian aid in the Donetsk city of Vuhledar were fatally struck by Russian fire and four were wounded, Kyrylenko said. A person in the Ocheretyn settlement was killed when the community came under fire twice on Wednesday, he said.
At least six houses, a kindergarten facility and a nonresidential structure were damaged in Ocheretyn, according to Kyrylenko, and Russian shelling also injured four civilians and damaged two homes in Donetsk’s Marinsky community.
Donetsk has been a flash point for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine since he unleashed his military on Ukrainian soil in late February.
NATO to explore ways to expand support to Ukraine, Blinken says
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BRUSSELS — NATO will explore ways to expand support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers from across the transatlantic alliance, Blinken said NATO members had come together to back Ukraine’s fight against Russia, isolate Moscow and bolster NATO defenses in Eastern Europe.
“Today, tomorrow, we’ll continue to talk about not only how we can sustain these efforts but how we can build upon them,” he told reporters.
Blinken spoke alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who earlier in the day warned that the conflict could become protracted despite the surge of Western military support to Ukrainian forces.
“We have to be realistic and realize that this may last for a long time, for many months, for even years. And that’s the reason why we need also to be prepared for the long haul, both when it comes to supporting Ukraine, sustaining sanctions and strengthening our defenses,” Stoltenberg said.
NATO ministers, who will be joined by counterparts from Pacific partner nations, will address Ukraine’s military needs during meetings on Thursday. President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the world to do more to pressure Russia and provide Ukrainian soldiers with equipment needed to repel Russian troops.
Speaking earlier in the day to NBC News, Blinken said President Vladimir Putin’s invasion had not yielded the results Putin desired.
“This has already been a strategic setback, if not a failure,” Blinken said. He said Putin sees Ukraine “as a state that doesn’t deserve to be independent, that needs to be subsumed back into some kind of greater Russia. That is not happening, not just the retreat from Kyiv but the fact that, no matter how you play this out, the Ukrainians are not going to subject themselves to a Russian dictatorship.”
Blinken also addressed the U.S. goal of securing a resolution to the conflict that will ensure Russia does not mount similar attacks in the future.
After the conflict ends, “we have to do things to make sure that, to the best of our ability and Ukraine’s ability, this can’t happen again, that Russia is deterred, that Ukraine is defended,” he said.
BRUSSELS — NATO will explore ways to expand support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers from across the transatlantic alliance, Blinken said NATO members had come together to back Ukraine’s fight against Russia, isolate Moscow and bolster NATO defenses in Eastern Europe.
“Today, tomorrow, we’ll continue to talk about not only how we can sustain these efforts but how we can build upon them,” he told reporters.
Blinken spoke alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who earlier in the day warned that the conflict could become protracted despite the surge of Western military support to Ukrainian forces.
“We have to be realistic and realize that this may last for a long time, for many months, for even years. And that’s the reason why we need also to be prepared for the long haul, both when it comes to supporting Ukraine, sustaining sanctions and strengthening our defenses,” Stoltenberg said.
NATO ministers, who will be joined by counterparts from Pacific partner nations, will address Ukraine’s military needs during meetings on Thursday. President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the world to do more to pressure Russia and provide Ukrainian soldiers with equipment needed to repel Russian troops.
Speaking earlier in the day to NBC News, Blinken said President Vladimir Putin’s invasion had not yielded the results Putin desired.
“This has already been a strategic setback, if not a failure,” Blinken said. He said Putin sees Ukraine “as a state that doesn’t deserve to be independent, that needs to be subsumed back into some kind of greater Russia. That is not happening, not just the retreat from Kyiv but the fact that, no matter how you play this out, the Ukrainians are not going to subject themselves to a Russian dictatorship.”
Blinken also addressed the U.S. goal of securing a resolution to the conflict that will ensure Russia does not mount similar attacks in the future.
After the conflict ends, “we have to do things to make sure that, to the best of our ability and Ukraine’s ability, this can’t happen again, that Russia is deterred, that Ukraine is defended,” he said.
Key update
Biden to ban new U.S. investment in Russia through executive order
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President Biden on Wednesday condemned the atrocities taking place in Ukraine as “major war crimes” and called on “responsible nations” to come together to hold perpetrators accountable.
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