April 8, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Sophie Tanno, Adrienne Vogt, Tori B. Powell and Matt Meyer, CNN

Updated 6:02 p.m. ET, April 8, 2023
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9:49 a.m. ET, April 8, 2023

20,000 kids have been forcibly removed by Russia, Ukrainian official says in talk with lawyer Amal Clooney

From CNN’s Duarte Mendonca

Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s head of the Office of the President, held an online conversation with human rights lawyer Amal Clooney to discuss protecting Ukrainian children and holding Russia accountable for its alleged crimes against them, according to a statement released by the presidency Saturday.

“According to official data alone, at least 20,000 children have been forcibly removed by the Russian military from the temporarily occupied territories (of Ukraine), separated from their parents and forcibly transferred to Russian families,” Yermak said in a Telegram post, adding “their own parents have no idea where their children are or what happened to them.”

Yermak said he emphasized the “importance of getting all the deported Ukrainian children back to their homeland and punishing the Russian criminals." Going forward, he said Kyiv would develop new methods for protecting children's rights and preventing future attempts to harm them.

Remember: As CNN has reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin's government is accused of deporting thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia and operating a network of camps where the kids underwent "political reeducation." The alleged scheme is the subject of International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Putin and another Moscow official.

More on the call: Clooney also reaffirmed her support for Ukraine, according to the presidency's statement. The Clooney Foundation for Justice — which the human rights lawyer co-founded with her husband, American actor George Clooney — said it would "work to promote accountability and deliver justice for victims of international crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian official thanked Clooney for the support, referencing a speech she gave at the United Nations Security Council shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

"People in Ukraine know about your support and appreciate it a lot. Many people heard your speech and everything you said about the war and Ukrainians. This is extremely important indeed," Yermak was quoted as saying.
8:34 a.m. ET, April 8, 2023

Ukrainian missile intercepted over southern Crimea, Russian-backed local leader says

From CNN's Andrew Carey and Maria Kostenko in Kyiv

Russian air defenses have shot down a missile fired from Ukraine over the Crimean port of Feodosia on the peninsula’s southern coast, according to Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed head of the Russian-occupied region.

An adviser to Aksyonov said fragments from the explosion had fallen in a residential area but there were no casualties, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

Pictures posted on social media show a large plume of white smoke rising from behind a hill, but the photos appear to have been taken from a location that did not allow sight of any point, or points, of impact on the ground.

Ukrainian authorities have not commented about a possible missile launch, and it is not possible for CNN to verify Russian claims of an interception.

Feodosia is at least 250 kilometers (about 155 miles) from the closest Ukrainian military positions, putting it well out of range of missiles known to be in service by Ukrainian forces, be they locally sourced or part of military aid transfers from the United States and others.

8:25 a.m. ET, April 8, 2023

Analysis: Ukraine is preparing to strike back against Russia. Timing will be key

Analysis by CNN's Tim Lister

Weather the storm, exhaust the enemy and then strike back.

That has been the mantra of Ukraine’s military for months, one echoed by senior US and NATO officials since the winter.

But can it be executed? And if so, where, when and with what? Even the Ukrainian military leaders themselves may not yet know, as they study the 1,000-kilometer (about 620-mile) front line for Russian vulnerabilities, just as they did when suddenly launching the surprise September offensive in the northeast region of Kharkiv.

But they are aware it will be a crucial chapter in the conflict. Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, said in an interview last month that Russia and Ukraine will fight “a decisive battle this spring, and this battle will be the final one before this war ends.”

That suggests Ukraine may take its time to maximize capabilities. Predictions are a fool’s errand; there will be plenty of bluff and disinformation about intentions in the coming weeks.

But preparations are well underway.

Read the full analysis here.

8:21 a.m. ET, April 8, 2023

4 children left in battered Ukrainian frontline town, local official says

From CNN's Andrew Carey and Maria Kostenko

Local residents walk past a destroyed building in Avdiivka, Ukraine, on April 4.
Local residents walk past a destroyed building in Avdiivka, Ukraine, on April 4. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)

Just four children are known to be still living in Avdiivka, one of the frontline towns most heavily under fire in eastern Ukraine, a local official has said.

Vitali Barabash said authorities know the location of two of the four children – a nine-year-old girl and her two-year-old brother – and said they planned a forced evacuation of them next week.

Barabash, head of Avdiivka’s military administration, alluded to the difficulties convincing some families to leave their homes, even those in places seeing the heaviest fighting.

“We cannot forcibly evacuate adults, so we just have to rely on their responsibility and their instinct for survival,” he told Ukrainian television Saturday morning.

A police officer helps residents evacuate Avdiivka, Ukraine, on March 5.
A police officer helps residents evacuate Avdiivka, Ukraine, on March 5. (Laurent Van der Stockt/Le Monde/Getty Images)

Thirty-five people have been transferred to safety over the past week, making a total of more than three hundred in the last month, he said. About 1,800 people remain out of a pre-war population of 26,000.

“We are waiting for the opportunity to take the children out because there is a lot of shelling in the city, rocket attacks. We won’t put the children in danger,” Barabash said.

Some context: Avdiivka is near the besieged city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and has also come under sustained attack by Russian forces.

A Ukrainian soldier last month said that the situation in Avdiivka was "difficult," as Russian forces have increased the number of airstrikes and have been able to cut off supply routes.

8:27 a.m. ET, April 8, 2023

Russian campaign to destroy Ukraine's energy infrastructure has likely failed, UK defense officials say

From CNN's Sophie Tanno

Russia's campaign to destroy Ukraine's energy infrastructure has "likely" failed, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence said in an update Saturday.

Russia has been launching long-range strikes on Ukraine's power grid since October 2022.

The relentless assault on the power grid deprived millions across the country of electricity, heat, water and other essential services as temperatures dropped, but as CNN has previously reported, Ukrainians have persevered.

Russia’s attacks violate international humanitarian law, which prohibits the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, according to the United Nations.

"Russia's campaign to severely degrade Ukraine's unified energy system (UES) within the 2022-23 winter has likely failed," the MoD statement read.

According to the statement, the "large-scale attacks" on Ukraine's energy infrastructure have become rare since early March this year.

"Smaller scale strikes continue, but are highly likely having much less impact on the UES," the statement continued.

Ukrainian companies are continuing to source replacement transformers and other critical components, however transporting and installing these components is a "major logistical challenge."

According to the MoD, Ukraine's energy situation will likely improve with the warmer weather, and "planning and preparations for next winter have likely already begun."

8:27 a.m. ET, April 8, 2023

Zelensky shares Iftar with Muslim soldiers in "new tradition of respect"

From CNN's Mariya Knight and Heather Chen

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw, Poland, on April 5.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw, Poland, on April 5. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared Iftar with Ukrainian Muslim soldiers observing Ramadan on Friday, in what he said would become an annual “new tradition of respect.”

Iftar is the meal breaking the daily fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Addressing participants at the dinner which included leaders of the Mejlis, the single highest executive-representative body of the Crimean Tatars, and representatives of the Muslim clergy, Zelensky thanked the Muslim community.

He said the month of Ramadan was “respected everywhere in Ukraine – even at the front line, even in combat conditions.”

Read the full story here.

8:29 a.m. ET, April 8, 2023

Analysis: As the Ukraine war grinds on, the EU finds it needs China more than ever

Analysis by CNN's Luke McGee

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a number of unintended consequences.

One of the less-expected impacts was that over a year into the conflict, Chinese President Xi Jinping would receive a courting from European leaders. Given the European Union’s hard stance on Russia, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d take a similarly firm approach with the Kremlin’s most important ally.

Yet this week in Beijing, French President Emmanuel Macron stood next Xi – who has not condemned Vladimir Putin’s war and doubled down on China and Russia’s “no-limits partnership” – and said, “I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses, and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.”

Relations between China and the EU have been on a strange journey over the past decade. While an investment deal was struck in 2020 after years of negotiations, it is currently on ice, in part because of political differences – the EU has called China a “system rival” – but also because the Chinese government sanctioned European Parliament members after they criticized China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims.” 

Things have been frosty ever since and the lack of personal contact during the pandemic didn’t help.

This caused great upset to some EU members, who see good economic relations with China as essential to the bloc’s ambition to become a major geopolitical player.

Read the full analysis here.

4:10 a.m. ET, April 8, 2023

Battles for Bakhmut continue as Russian forces try to take control of whole city, Ukrainian military says

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Yulia Kesaieva 

Battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces for Bakhmut continue, as Russian forces try to take "full control" of the key eastern city, the Ukrainian military's General Staff said Friday in an update.

The main focus of Russian attacks remains in the areas of Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinka and Lyman, where Russian forces have launched more than 40 attacks over the last 24 hours, the General Staff said.

"In the Bakhmut sector, the enemy continues to conduct offensive actions, trying to take full control of the city of Bakhmut, and combat operations continue," the General Staff said.

Ukrainian defense forces repelled about 14 Russian attacks over the last 24 hours in the Bakhmut area, the General Staff said. 

CNN is unable to independently verify battlefield reports.

Some context: Russia has been trying to capture the city for months, but progress has been slow in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance. Much of the city has been destroyed and its strategic value is limited.

8:31 a.m. ET, April 8, 2023

Ukrainian children return home after being taken illegally to Russia, Kyiv organization says

From CNN's Andrew Carey, Svitlana Vlasova and Mariya Knight

In this still from a video by humanitarian organization Save Ukraine, children return to Ukraine months after they were taken illegally to Russia.
In this still from a video by humanitarian organization Save Ukraine, children return to Ukraine months after they were taken illegally to Russia. (Save Ukraine)

Thirty-one children are back in Ukraine after they were taken illegally to Russia, according to Save Ukraine, a Kyiv-based humanitarian organization.

The children — pulling suitcases and bags of belongings, with some clutching stuffed animals — accompanied by family members, were embraced by volunteers after crossing the border into Ukraine by foot. They then boarded a coach to continue their journey.

“Children abducted by Russians from Kherson and Kharkiv regions have finally crossed the border with their families and are now safe,” Mykola Kuleba, the founder of Save Ukraine, said in a Telegram post.

“Both the children and their parents have psychological and physical recovery ahead of them. And we will continue to take care of them until the families are back in their homes,” Kuleba said.  

Save Ukraine’s Olha Yerokhina told CNN this was the fifth rescue mission arranged by the organization.

A group of 13 mothers had left Ukraine a little over a week ago, many of them granted power of attorney which allowed them to collect other parents’ children in addition to their own, she said. 

The party crossed into Poland before traveling through Belarus, Russia and finally entering Russian-occupied Crimea, where they were reunited with 24 of the children. The other seven children were collected in Voronezh, Rostov and Belgorod, all inside Russia, she said.

Yerokhina said facilitating the rescue missions was difficult because Save Ukraine has no official contact with anybody in Russia. Instead, the organization received crucial help from volunteers in different locations.

Remember: Allegations of widespread forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia form the basis of war crimes charges brought against Russian President Vladimir Putin and a senior official, Maria Lvova-Belova, by the International Criminal Court last month.

Ukraine has said there are more than 16,000 such cases under investigation.

Russia has denied it is doing anything illegal, saying it is bringing Ukrainian children to safety.