Invasion of Ukraine LIVE: Zelensky accused Russia of lying to young people to send them to attack their territory

Ukraine remains under Russian attack, despite the Kremlin's promise of de-escalation of the conflict.

The exodus of Ukrainian civilians continues and the US is preparing to accept 100,000 refugees fleeing the horror caused by the Kremlin troops.

About 2,000 civilians ride evacuation buses heading from the coastal city of Berdyansk to Zaporizhzhia, which is controlled by the Ukrainian government, transporting evacuees from the besieged city of Mariupol.

Ukraine denounced that another 45,000 people were forcibly deported to Russia and also to the separatist territory of Donetsk — a self-proclaimed republic and recognized by the Kremlin.

Next, the minute by minute of the Russian invasion: (Ukrainian time, GMT+3):

Saturday, April 2:

3:45: The US Department of Defense announced this Friday that it will allocate an additional $300 million to “security assistance” to boost defensive capabilities of Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion.

In addition to the $1.6 billion already committed by Washington, the aid includes laser-guided rocket systems, drones, ammunition, night vision devices, tactical secure communications systems, medical supplies and spare parts.

“This decision underscores America's unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in support of its heroic efforts to repel Russia's war,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

02:56: The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, criticized Europe for “reacting silently” to the humanitarian catastrophe in the city of Mariupol, in the south of the country, caused by the Russian bombings and siege.

It is estimated that some 160,000 citizens have been living without basic services for more than a month in Mariupol, a port on the Sea of Azov that has become the main target of Russian troops in Ukraine due to its strategic position between the Crimean peninsula and the Dombas.

He stated that Russian citizens “are not told the truth” in the context of the announcement by Russia to resume the mobilization of young people for military service mandatory spring.

“This year's recruits can be sent to war against our State, against our people. It's a guaranteed death for many very young boys. And even though they are not our citizens, it is still our duty as a people to warn them,” he said.

02:15: More than 6,000 people have been evacuated this Friday through humanitarian corridors on a difficult day in which the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that they have not been able to access the city of Mariupol, where they were going to help escort a convoy with twelve buses and civilian vehicles.

Specifically, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Irina Vereshchuk, has cited more than 1,400 civilians who have left Berdyansk and Melitopol — 771 people from the latter city — on her own transport to Zaporizhzhia.

01:47: The Ukrainian authorities have warned that Russia could use chemical weapons in the country, “as they already did in the Syrian war”, and have said that they “must be prepared”, so medical institutions are receiving training to be able to deal with this possible scenario.

“Despite the ban on the use of chemical weapons by all international institutions, they used them in Syria (the Russians). We have a clear awareness that they can do so in our country. We must be prepared for this,” said the secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Oleksei Danilov.

01:26: Several buses with inhabitants of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, besieged and bombed by Russian troops, arrived on Friday night in Zaporizhzhia, a Ukrainian city controlled by the Kiev army, according to journalists from the AFP agency on the spot.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, a total of about 3,700 people were rescued.

00:48: The United States began to hand over to Ukraine protective equipment in the face of the possibility of Russia ordering an attack with chemical or biological weapons, revealed this Friday the spokeswoman of the White House, Jen Psaki.

NATO, the United States and other countries have been warning for days about the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering an attack with unconventional weapons in Ukraine.

“The US Government is providing the Government of Ukraine with life-saving equipment and supplies that could be deployed should Russia use chemical and biological weapons against Ukraine,” Psaki said at the White House daily news conference.

00:24: The US Army has canceled a test of its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile which initially only intended to delay in an attempt to lower nuclear tensions with Russia during the Ukrainian war, as reported Friday by the Air Force to Reuters.

The Pentagon first announced the delay of the test on March 2 after Russia said it was putting its nuclear forces on high alert. Washington then said it was important that both the United States and Russia “take into account the risk of miscalculation and take steps to reduce those risks.”

00:14: The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, met this Friday with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, and delivered a speech to the Ukrainian Parliament in which she acknowledged that the European institution will “help” Kiev to join the European Union.

Metsola has posted a photograph on her social networks in which she appears shaking hands with Zelenski and has added a text that reads: “Courage, Strength and Determination. With Zelenski in Kiev. Long live Ukraine.”

Friday, April 1:

23:48: Several buses with inhabitants the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, besieged and bombed by Russian troops, arrived on Friday night in Zaporiyia, a Ukrainian city controlled by the Kiev army, according to journalists from the AFP agency on the spot.

The buses carried inhabitants of Mariupol who managed to reach the city of Berdyansk, occupied by the Russian forces, where they were received by the humanitarian convoy, according to both residents and officials.

23:36: A senior official of the US Treasury Department said on Friday that Russia is economically “cornered” by Western sanctions and that the current strong rally of the ruble has little significance.

“Russia is cornered and on its way to becoming a closed economy, but it is one of the least equipped countries in the world to function as a closed economy” because it depends too much on its commodity exports, explained this senior official, who wanted to keep his name.

Russia, he said, is suffering “serious” consequences from Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine: “high inflation that will only increase further, and a deep recession that will only worsen.”

23:25: The ballet of the Bolshoi theater in Moscow will present on Saturday a “heroic” choreography in support of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, announced this Friday the famous dance company.

“The ballet 'Spartacus', by Aram Jachaturian, will be performed on April 2, 2022 on the historical stage of Bolshoi,” the theater said in a statement.

“The proceeds of this legendary show, choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich, will be donated to the families of soldiers killed during the Russian military operation in Ukraine,” he added.

23:16: China carried out a major cyber attack against Ukrainian military and nuclear installations in the days prior to the invasion of Russia, according to Ukrainian intelligence reports.

According to these reports, which were obtained and published by the British newspaper The Times, more than 600 websites belonging to the Ministry of Defense in Kiev and other institutions suffered thousands of piracy attempts that were coordinated by the Chinese government, according to the Ukrainian security service, SBU.

22:49: The Armed Forces of Ukraine have accused Russia this Friday of having mined civilian buildings and infrastructure, as well as other spaces of the city of Bucha, in the Kiev region, before being expelled by Ukrainian troops.

“Upon leaving the city of Bucha, the Russian occupation forces mined civilian buildings, infrastructure and other areas,” the Armed Forces reported in a final part, warning that Russian troops have retreated to intensify attacks in other regions, such as Donetsk.

22:19: Ukraine gave part this Friday of the liberation of 86 of its military men captured by Russia, in an exchange for Russian military whose number was not specified.

“The exchange has just taken place. 86 servicemen, including 15 women, are already safe,” said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, chief of staff of the presidency, in a message on Telegram.

22:12: The Ukrainian authorities have warned that, despite the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kiev and Chernigov, Moscow plans a new offensive through which to conquer Ukraine before May 9, Victory Day in Russia.

Russia, along with Belarus and other former Soviet republics, commemorates on this day the surrender of Nazi Germany in World War II in 1945. From then until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Red Square in Moscow was the scene of a large military parade, which, later, in 1995, was resumed.

21:58: European governments and companies worked on Friday on a common approach to Russia's demand that they pay for their gas in rubles, while mitigating the threat of an imminent supply interruption.

European capitals have been on alert for a halt in gas imports, as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks retaliation for Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

21:34: Russia has ordered its universities to move all its content from Youtube to the Russian social platform VK Video and RuTube, the Russian video platform.

21:10: The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was not damaged during its occupation by Russian soldiers, but it is likely that the military have been exposed to radiation for the past four weeks, Ukrainian authorities assured on Friday.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he “could not confirm” these reports. The United Nations agency “will seek additional information to provide an independent assessment of the situation,” a statement said.

“The level of radiation around the plant is currently normal,” Grossi said to the press in Vienna.

However, the withdrawal of Russian troops could have led to a “localized” increase in radiation due to the movement of vehicles, he said. The same happened when the Russian army took the place on the first day of the offensive on February 24.

19:55: Amazon enabled in Poland a humanitarian aid center that has 4,500 square meters of storage space, to cover the needs of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.

More than 4 million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their country after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the need to help them is growing every day, as the e-commerce company points out.

Therefore, a week after the opening of Amazon's first humanitarian aid center in Slovakia, they set up a second center in Poland near Sosnowiec, a city in southern Poland, with which it has doubled the space allocated to provide critical supplies to those affected.

19:41: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed this Friday that it has been “unable” to access the city of Mariupol, where the evacuation of thousands of civilians would attend, but assured that it will try again this Saturday.

The ICRC had already warned hours before that there were “major obstacles” to evacuating civilians from the Ukrainian city, which continues to be under siege by Russian troops. Three NGO vehicles were scheduled to leave Mariupol this Friday to escort a convoy with twelve buses and private vehicles with residents on board.

However, the ICRC, whose team consists of nine people, has detailed in a statement that the staff had to return to Zaporiyia, after “conditions” on the ground have made the task “impossible”.

19:30: The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, this Friday asked his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to intercede with Moscow to achieve a ceasefire in Mariupol “long enough” to achieve an evacuation of the city and relevant humanitarian operations.

Zelenski indicated on Twitter that “the French initiative on humanitarian corridors in Mariupol must be implemented.”

According to a source from the Elysee, the two leaders had a telephone conversation essentially about the “humanitarian emergency” that is being experienced in that city in southeastern Ukraine, which has been besieged for days by the Russian army.

19:26: The head of the UN humanitarian services, Martin Griffiths, will travel to Moscow on Sunday to try to promote a truce in Ukraine, as announced this Friday by the secretary general of the organization, António Guterres.

Griffiths plans to visit Kiev later to discuss with the Ukrainian authorities that initiative for a humanitarian ceasefire that Guterres himself first raised this week.

Speaking to journalists, the head of the UN confirmed that both Russia and Ukraine have agreed to receive Griffiths to address his proposal.

19:23: Russia assured this Friday to have new evidence, which it will transfer to the UN, of the existence of alleged biological weapons programs developed in Ukraine with the support of the United States, an accusation that so far has not been confirmed by independent sources.

Moscow, which has been raising this issue with the United Nations for weeks, said that today it plans to send another letter to the Security Council with additional information.

19:20: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to meet personally with the head of state of Ukraine, Volodymir Zelensky, to “crown” the recent progress made in delegate-level negotiations.

In a telephone conversation with the Russian president, Erdogan described the negotiations between representatives of Moscow and Kiev held last Tuesday in Istanbul as constructive and encouraging as a hope for peace last Tuesday, the Turkish presidency said in a statement posted on Twitter.

19:11: The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denis Shmigal, accused Russia of wanting to provoke “a food crisis” at the global level, after provoking another energy and within the framework of the invasion of his neighboring country.

“Russia's intentions are obvious. After the energy crisis caused by Russia at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year in Europe and the world at large, their task now is to provoke a major food crisis in the world,” he said.

19:09: Ukrainian authorities reported that 86 Ukrainians have been liberated by the Russian Army on the basis of a new

of prisoners.

The freed are now in a safe place and their lives are not in danger, as explained by the Deputy Director of the Office of the Presidency of Ukraine, Kirilo Tymoshenko, on his Telegram channel.

18:28: US President Joe Biden stated that more than 30 nations have joined the North American country to take advantage of reserves oil nationals in an attempt to resolve world energy markets frightened by the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

18:00: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimated at 53 the number of Ukrainian cultural heritage sites damaged as a result of the Russian invasion of the territory.

Among the damaged buildings are 29 churches, 16 historic buildings, four museums and four monuments, as explained by UNESCO's Director-General for Culture, Ernesto Ottone, in a press conference.

17:20: Germany approved the delivery of 56 combat tanks to Ukraine, according to a spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense to CNN.

The tanks, which are of the type Pbv 501, come from the East German army of the Cold War era and had been sold to Sweden, and then resold to the Czech Republic, which will deliver them to Ukraine, according to the ministry.

17:10: T he European Union (EU) urged China to “not look the other way” and “help stop” the war in Ukraine, on the occasion of the summit that the two sides held by videoconference.

” We call on China to help stop the war in Ukraine. China cannot look the other way at this violation of international law,” said European Council President Charles Michel at a press conference following the virtual meeting with China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang and its president, Xi Jinping.

17:00: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requested that its specialists be authorized to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, Interfax news agency reported, according to information from Reuters.

16:30: The Ukrainian Government reported the opening of nine humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from the cities of Mariupol, Energodar, Berdyansk, Melitopol, Rubizhne, Nizhnee, Severodonetsk, Popasna and Lysychansk.

16:00: Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, declined to comment on Russian accusations about the attack by Ukrainian helicopters on a fuel base in the southern Russian city of Belgorod.

“I would like to emphasize that Ukraine is conducting a defensive operation against Russian aggression on the territory of Ukraine,” he said in a televised statement. “That does not mean that Ukraine has to be responsible for every miscalculation or event or catastrophe that occurs on the territory of the Russian Federation. This is not the first time we have witnessed such accusations. Therefore, I will not confirm or deny this information,” he said.

15:30: Russia said it will not begin to cut off gas supply to the “non-friendly countries” immediately under a new decree requiring payment to be made in rubles from April 1.

15:20: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is not well informed” of the evolution of the military conflict in Ukraine.

Scholz said in a German politics podcast that Russian security services may be “hiding many truths” from Russia, such as how many military personnel have lost their lives since the start of the invasion on February 24.

15:10: The NGO Amnesty International (AI) denounced that the “cruel siege war tactics” used by Russian troops in Ukraine and characterized by “indiscriminate attacks against densely populated areas” are provoking “unlawful killings of civilians” in the territory.

In a statement, the organization noted that these attacks include “disruption of basic services, communication cuts and destruction of civilian infrastructure,” as well as “restrictions on access to medicines and medical care.”

“In recent weeks, Russian forces have been using weapons with inherently indiscriminate effects, such as cluster munitions and low-precision weapons with effects over large areas, (...) in attacks on densely populated areas,” AI said.

15:00: The mayor of Chernihiv denounced that Russian bombings destroyed the oncology ward of a city hospital, just a few days after Russia said it would “drastically reduce” its military assault.

“Some shells hit the regional hospital directly, and one of the hospital buildings, the oncology unit, was completely destroyed. Three people were seriously injured,” Mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko told CNN.

14:30: The number of refugees departing from Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion is already about 4.1 million, according to UN data, which also estimates at 6.5 million people who have left their homes but are still on Ukrainian territory.

In total, more than 10 million people have been displaced as a result of the conflict, and almost 2.4 million of them have crossed the border into Poland, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

14:20: Two Ukrainian helicopters shelled a petrol tank on Russian territory in the town of Belgorod, in western Russia, to about 40 km from the Ukrainian border, the local governor reported.

If confirmed, the Belgorod raid would be Kiev's second helicopter operation, following an attempt to penetrate Russian air defenses around the besieged city of Mariupol on the Ukrainian coast of the Azov Sea.

13:50: Russia and Ukraine resumed peace talks by videoconference, confirmed negotiators from both sides.

13:48: The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, announced, after meeting with Ukrainian and Russian authorities, that he will visit the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the scene of fighting after the start of Russia's offensive on Ukraine more than a month ago.

Grossi explained on Twitter that he will lead a “mission of assistance and support” to these facilities, the scene in 1986 of the greatest atomic disaster in history.

13:30: About 2,000 civilians are on evacuation buses heading from the coastal city of Berdyansk to Zaporizhzhia, controlled by the Ukrainian government, transporting evacuees from the besieged city of Mariupol.

“The evacuation convoy left Berdyansk for Zaporizhzhia,” Mariupol City Council said in a statement on Telegram. “Many private vehicles have joined the 42 buses escorted by vehicles of the Red Cross and the SES (State Emergency Service). Today we expect the arrival of a record number of residents of Mariupol.”

13:03: The Ukrainian Army estimated at “about 17,700″ the Russian soldiers killed in combat since the beginning of the war triggered on February 24 by the invasion order given by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

12:54: Russian troops are leaving Chernihiv (Chernihiv), north of Kiev, as stated by the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Chaus, who assured on Telegram that he does not know the reasons for this withdrawal, which had been announced this week by the Russian authorities.

12:30: The International Red Cross said that it is not yet confirmed that the evacuation of the besieged city of Mariupol, in southern Ukraine, could be carried out this Friday, said a spokesman for the organization in Geneva.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) indicated that its field team has three vehicles and nine troops in Zaporiyia to head to Mariupol.

“Our hope is that we can still begin the evacuation operation today. It's a very long road” between Zaporiyia and Mariupol, he said.

12:10: The death toll in Tuesday's attack on the headquarters of the regional administration of the Ukrainian city of Mikolaiv, in the south of the country, amounted to 28, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES).

Speaking to the Ukrainian agency Ukrinform, Ilyana Patsyuk, spokesman for the SES, specified that at 10.50 a.m. on April 1, the provisional balance of the Russian rocket attack that hit and destroyed the headquarters of the regional administration is 28 dead.

11:10: Russian forces did not allow aid supplies to reach the besieged city of Mariupol, said on Friday an adviser to the mayor of the city, and it remains difficult for the trapped residents to leave the city.

“The city is still closed at the entrance and it is very dangerous to leave with your own vehicle. Moreover, since yesterday, the (Russian) occupiers have categorically not allowed any humanitarian aid, even the smallest, to enter the city,” Petro Andriushchenko said in a statement on Telegram.

11:00: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that his country will send Bushmaster armored vehicles to Ukraine, in response to the request made on Thursday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to defend its territory against Russian invasion.

“We will send them on our C-17 (aircraft) to make sure they can be there to support,” Morrison announced, without specifying the number of these vehicles or the date of shipment.

8:30: The Ukrainian authorities raised this Friday to more than 150 the number of children who have died in the country since the beginning of the Russian invasion, triggered on February 24 by order of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office indicated in a message on its Telegram account that to date the deaths of 153 children have been confirmed and added that more than 245 have been injured.

“Work is underway to determine the numbers of child casualties in areas of active hostilities and in areas temporarily occupied by the enemy, in particular in Mariupol and some areas of the Kiev, Chernigov and Luhansk regions,” he said.

8:00: A military unit of the Syrian Army with around 300 soldiers arrived in Russia this Thursday from Syria to receive military training before being sent to Ukraine, as explained on condition of anonymity a recruiter, as reported by the newspaper 'The New York Times'.

According to this source, the Russians want to recruit 16,000 Syrians for war in Ukraine with specific age and weight conditions — men between 20 and 45 years old weighing 50 to 90 kilos — giving preference to those who have combat experience.

In addition, they would receive a salary of between $1,000 and $2,000 a month and, if they died at the front, they would have been promised that their families would receive $2,800, plus $600 a month for a year.

7:30: Japan will not pay its gas purchases from Russia in rubles, said this Friday the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, after winning the country's ultimatum so that its “unfriendly” buyers pay it in local currency or face the suspension of contracts.

“As agreed at the extraordinary meeting of the G7 Energy Ministers, we refuse,” Kishida said Friday when asked about the ruble payment demanded by Moscow in a parliamentary session.

The Japanese Chief Executive, who did not provide any information on the status of its energy contracts with the Russian Federation, pointed out that negotiations on the matter were still open and said that he would take “appropriate measures”, without giving further details.

7:00: The death toll from the attack carried out on Tuesday by Russian forces against the main administrative building of the Ukrainian city of Mikolaiv amounted to about 25, as confirmed this Friday by the State Emergency Service.

“At 7 a.m. (local time) on 1 April, as a result of the impact of an enemy rocket on the Mikolaiv regional administration building, 24 lives were lost,” the agency said in a message on its Facebook account.

Thus, he explained that search and rescue workers have so far recovered 23 bodies from the rubble, while one of the injured later died in a hospital. “The work continues tirelessly,” he said.

6:30: The Armed Forces of Ukraine assured that Russian troops are trying to form “occupation administrations” within the provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and in the city of Kherson, where Ukrainian forces would have “taken control” of up to eleven settlements.

“The Russian enemy continues to block the city of Kharkiv, launching artillery shelling to destroy the city's infrastructure and residential areas. In the area south of the city of Izium, the Russian enemy is trying to break the resistance of Ukrainian defenders,” they also emphasized in the same report.

They also reported that “the assault continues” on the city of Mariupol and that in the direction of the Alexandrovka settlement in the Mikolaiv area “the Russian Army is trying to carry out offensive actions”.

5:45: Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili asserted that Georgia will join all the financial sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, following the announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky to cease its ambassador to the country.

According to Zurabishvili, Georgia will participate in all international financial sanctions against Russia, which will affect the country's economy, as recorded by Ukrinform news agency and CNN confirmed. In addition, he also assured that Tbilisi currently supports all international resolutions created in support of Ukraine.

5:00: At least 1,458 people were evacuated from Mariupol and several cities of the Zaporizhzhia region along three humanitarian corridors agreed on Thursday, reported Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereschuk.

“On March 31, 1,458 people arrived in Zaporizhzhia in three humanitarian corridors agreed on their own transport. Of these, 631 residents of Mariupol and 827 from the cities of the Zaporizhzhia region,” Vereschuk explained on his Facebook account.

Vereschuk also reported that “50 private cars and a bus with children” have left the city of Energodar. They have passed all the roadblocks and reached Zaporizhzhia,” he added.

4:15: Ukraine assured that Russian troops diverted their attention from Kiev to focus on Mariupol.

Russian troops have so far abandoned the occupation of Kiev and are now concentrating on the assault on the port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, according to a report issued this morning by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“The enemy, who has suffered significant losses in personnel and equipment, failed to block and capture the city of Kiev. The occupiers were forced to temporarily abandon this task,” says the part of the Ukrainian army, published at the end of the thirty-sixth day of Russian invasion of Ukraine.

03:36: The UK Ministry of Defense assured that Russia is redistributing troops from Georgia to Ukraine and detailed that between 1,200 and 2,000 of its forces have been reorganized into three tactical battalion groups.

This has been confirmed by British Intelligence in its official Twitter profile, where it has specified that this action by Moscow, which seeks to “reinforce its invasion in the country”, is an “indication of the unexpected losses” it has suffered since the beginning of the invasion.

03:17: The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, demoted two generals for “violating the military oath of loyalty to the Ukrainian people”, based on the disciplinary statute of the Armed Forces.

Zelensky announced in his usual evening speech released by the Ukrainian presidency that he made such a decision regarding “anti-heroes. Now I don't have time to deal with all the traitors. But little by little everyone will be punished.”

02:24: A Russian opera announced on Thursday the cancellation of a concert by lyric star Anna Netrebko for his comments on the military intervention launched by Moscow in neighboring Ukraine.

The 50-year-old soprano, who lives in the Austrian capital, Vienna, “condemned” the operation on Wednesday after being pressured, like other Russian artists in Europe and the United States, to take a stand. The Novosibirsk Opera House in Siberia canceled a concert that was scheduled there on June 2.

01:34: The Russian authorities have confirmed that this Friday a humanitarian corridor will be set up from the port city of Mariupol to that of Zaporizhzhia, thus complying with the requests of the governments of France and Germany.

“At the personal request of the President of France (Emmanuel Macron) and the Foreign Minister of Germany (Olaf Scholz) to the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, from 10 a.m. local time on 1 April, the Russian Armed Forces will reopen a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia,” explained the head of the the Russian National Defense, Colonel Mikhail Mizintsev.

01:15: White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said on Thursday that the US has evidence that Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been “a strategic disaster” for Russia. He also added that Moscow will face more sanctions.

“Putin himself has said that these sanctions have imposed unprecedented costs on the Russian economy, and our role is to continue strengthening Ukraine on the battlefield,” the US official said in the White House newsroom.

00:58: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appealed to the countries forming the G20 to reconsider Russia's participation in the upcoming summit after the United States and several of its allies have put on the table the possibility of expelling Moscow within the framework of the invasion of Ukraine.

00:45: Vladimir Putin's troops killed 148 children during bombardments and air strikes, fired 1,370 missiles and destroyed 15 airports Ukrainians since the beginning of the invasion on February 24, as reported on Thursday by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

In a statement, that portfolio added that more than 10 million Ukrainians fled their homes.

News in Development...

KEEP READING: