April 27, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Aditi Sangal, Maureen Chowdhury, Jessie Yeung, Seán Federico O'Murchú, Ben Morse, Jeevan Ravindran and Ed Upright, CNN

Updated 0406 GMT (1206 HKT) April 28, 2022
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10:48 p.m. ET, April 27, 2022

Putin vows "lightning-fast" response to any foreign interference in Ukraine 

From CNN’s Anna Chernova and Anastasia Graham-Yooll 

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 26.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 26. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that any country interfering in Ukraine would be met with a “lightning-fast” response from Moscow.

“If someone intends to intervene into the ongoing events (in Ukraine) from the outside and creates unacceptable strategic threats for us, then they should know that our response to those strikes will be swift, lightning fast,” Putin said during an address to lawmakers in St Petersburg. 

“We have all the tools for this — ones that no one can brag about. And we won't brag. We will use them if needed. And I want everyone to know this,” he added.

He did not provide further details on the "tools" he was referring to.  

“All the decisions have been made in this regard,” Putin told lawmakers, vowing to achieve “all the goals” of the Russian “special operation” in Ukraine. 

This post has been updated to reflect the timing of Putin's comment.

10:11 a.m. ET, April 27, 2022

Luhansk bears brunt of heavy artillery and rockets attacks

From CNN's Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych and Julia Kesaieva

A member of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine prepares to disable and remove a missile in Rubizhne in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, on April 27.
A member of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine prepares to disable and remove a missile in Rubizhne in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, on April 27. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine/EYEPRESS/Reuters)

Parts of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine have endured intense attacks over the past 24 hours, according to regional officials.

Serhiy Haidai, head of the regional military administration, said a woman died in shelling that hit the hospital in Severodonetsk, a city that has seen widespread destruction after weeks of attacks.

"They [the Russians] wanted to finish off the wounded," Haidai said. "The Russians knew that the hospital was not empty, there were patients in different conditions with doctors; it did not stop them."

"The destruction of the building is significant. Several floors were damaged at once," he added.

A CNN team in the city Wednesday heard frequent artillery barrages, which local police said were around the hospital.

Ukrainian officials said that almost the entire territory of the Luhansk region suffered from shelling over the past 24 hours, with the worst hitting Rubizhne and Lysychansk. The Russians have been trying to force the towns' surrender for weeks.

The shelling had destroyed gas pipelines to most of the region, Haidai said. "The gas companies repairing damaged areas every single day. Gas is supplied to only six towns and villages."

Mykola Khanatov, head of Popasna city military administration, told Ukrainian television that there were just three words to describe the situation there: horror, sorrow, pain.

"Still around 2,000 people remain in Popasna. We are trying to organize the evacuation every day. We evacuate around 50 people daily. But unfortunately, we only control half of the city, the other half is occupied," Khanatov said, adding that there had been an airstrike on a nine-story building on Tuesday night, and it collapsed. Rescue work was continuing.

"Popasna is Armageddon. Nothing is working there right now: there's no gas, electricity or water. There are no doctors," Khanatov said.

The Luhansk authorities said one person had been killed in nearby Hirske. 

"Russian troops are continuously shelling the settlements of the Hirske Community starting from 5 a.m. They are using GRAD [rockets] and artillery," Haidai said.

11:52 a.m. ET, April 27, 2022

Poland and Bulgaria are receiving gas from EU neighbors, European Commission president says

From CNN’s James Frater in Brussels

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes a statement in Brussels, Belgium, on April 27, following the decision by Russian energy giant Gazprom to halt gas shipments to Poland and Bulgaria.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes a statement in Brussels, Belgium, on April 27, following the decision by Russian energy giant Gazprom to halt gas shipments to Poland and Bulgaria. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images)

Poland and Bulgaria are receiving gas from their EU neighbors, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.

This comes after Russian energy giant Gazprom halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday, after both countries refused to pay the Russian energy giant in rubles, the company said in a statement. 

In a statement, von der Leyen called it “another provocation from the Kremlin" and accused Moscow of using gas to "blackmail" the bloc.

"This is something the European Commission has been preparing for, in close coordination and solidarity with Member States and international partners. Our response will be immediate, united and coordinated," she said in a statement. “First, we will ensure that Gazprom’s decision has the least possible impact on European consumers. Today, Member States met in the Gas Coordination Group. Poland and Bulgaria updated us on the situation. Both Poland and Bulgaria are now receiving gas from their EU neighbours."

The official also stressed the need for reliable energy partners, promising the end of the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe.

Further in her statement, she committed to ensuring a plan for the "medium term" for sufficient gas supply and storage, and also looked forward to investing in a "green transition."

“In the longer term, REPowerEU will also help us move to a more reliable, secure and sustainable energy supply. We will present our plans to speed up the green transition in mid-May. Every euro we invest in renewables and energy efficiency is a down payment on our future energy independence," she said. 

Bulgaria is "in constant communication" with the European Commission as "joint supplies at the EU level are being discussed," Bulgaria's Energy Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. 

Speaking at a briefing in the capital Sofia, Bulgaria's Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said "the consumption of natural gas in Bulgaria is guaranteed for at least a month ahead and at the moment there is no need to limit consumption." 

Nikolov said a warning from Russia's Gazprom was received on Tuesday that said supplies would be interrupted. He said under the current contract, Bulgaria's gas operator Bulgargaz has fulfilled all of its obligations and that Gazprom is not fulfilling the contractual commitments on the part of the supplier. 

"It is obvious that in the current situation of war in Ukraine, natural gas is used by Russia as a political and economic weapon," said Nikolov, adding that Bulgaria won't hold talks under pressure.

Bulgaria's natural gas operating companies have ensured the continuity of "alternative supplies," the ministry said. 

"Our country is a loyal partner in existing contracts and we will not jeopardize supplies to our neighbors," Nikolov said.

CNN's Radina Gigova contributed reporting to this post.

9:56 a.m. ET, April 27, 2022

Trevor Reed's release a result of "months and months" of work, US official says

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood

U.S. ex-Marine Trevor Reed, who was detained in 2019 and accused of assaulting police officers, is escorted before a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on March 11, 2020.
U.S. ex-Marine Trevor Reed, who was detained in 2019 and accused of assaulting police officers, is escorted before a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on March 11, 2020. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters)

A senior US administration official said the release of Trevor Reed was the result of “months and months of hard careful work across the US government” on the matter, noting that “the conversations on this particular issue have accelerated recently to get us to this point.” 

One driving factor was concern of Reed’s health. His family has expressed worry about his likely exposure to tuberculosis as well as lingering effects from having Covid-19.

The official, speaking to reporters on a background call Wednesday, said that “ultimately, those negotiations led the President to have to make a very hard decision with a decision to commute the sentence of Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian smuggler convicted of conspiring to import cocaine.” 

The official did not provide details about how or why Yaroshenko was chosen for the swap, but noted that he had served the majority of his US sentence and is now in Russian custody.

“This is a tough call for a President, President Biden made it to bring home an American whose health was a source of an intense concern, and to deliver on his commitment to resolve these hard cases and reunite Americans with their loved ones,” the official added.

Reed is now on his way back to his family in the United States.

9:51 a.m. ET, April 27, 2022

More than 20,000 Ukrainians have been processed at the US-Mexico border since mid-March

From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez 

Ukrainian refugees fleeing war, camp inside a shelter in a gymnasium at the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juárez as they await processing of their applications along the border with the United States in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, on April 9.
Ukrainian refugees fleeing war, camp inside a shelter in a gymnasium at the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juárez as they await processing of their applications along the border with the United States in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, on April 9. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)

The Department of Homeland Security processed more than 20,000 Ukrainians at the US-Mexico border and granted them humanitarian parole since March 11, when officials began exempting them on a case-by-case basis following Russia’s invasion, according to a newly filed court declaration.

Blas Nuñez-Neto, a top Homeland Security official, outlined the Biden administration’s plans for an influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border when a public health authority, known as Title 42, lifts in a court filing following a federal judge’s intent to temporarily block the wind down. 

DHS, Nunez-Neto said, will be “significantly curtailing” those exception, given the launch of Uniting for Ukraine, a streamlined process for Ukrainians seeking to come to the United States. 

“The Department strongly encourages all potential applicants to apply directly from Europe, where they will have greater support than if they apply from Mexico or elsewhere,” the filing reads. 

9:47 a.m. ET, April 27, 2022

Trevor Reed's release will not impact the US' approach to Russia's war in Ukraine, officials say

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood

The weeks of negotiations that resulted in Trevor Reed’s release from detention in Russia will have no impact on the Biden administration’s approach to the Ukraine war.

“It represents no change – zero – to our approach to the appalling violence in Ukraine,” the first official said. The official said that the negotiations focused on “a discrete issue on which we were able to make an arrangement with the Russians.”

The officials said the negotiations did not involve additional “senior level of travel” to Russia but that the case had been raised at multiple levels, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting in Geneva with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov prior to the start of the war.

A second senior administration official noted this was done by the interagency, but also helped by media interest in Reed’s case.

9:16 a.m. ET, April 27, 2022

3 Norwegian diplomats have been expelled from Russia, Norway says

From Amy Cassidy in London

Russia has expelled three Norwegian diplomats, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs press office told CNN on Wednesday.

It comes after Norway granted the same number of Russian diplomats persona non grata earlier this month in response to the atrocities alleged to have been committed by Russian forces in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. 

It marks the latest retaliatory move from Russia amid a mass expulsion of diplomats across Europe in response to the war in Ukraine.

9:05 a.m. ET, April 27, 2022

American Trevor Reed has been exchanged for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Anna Chernova 

American Trevor Reed has been exchanged for Russian national Konstantin Yaroshenko, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. 

Yaroshenko is a Russian pilot who had been detained in Liberia by undercover US Drug Enforcement Agency agents on May 28, 2010, and brought to the US, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

US Drug Enforcement Agency agents ostensibly obtained evidence Yaroshenko had criminal intent to transport a large batch of cocaine, according to TASS.

The Russian pilot has pled not guilty, describing his arrest as a provocation and all charges against him as fake, according to TASS.

"As a result of a lengthy negotiation process, on April 27, 2022, US citizen Trevor Rowdy Reed, previously convicted in the Russian Federation, was exchanged for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an American court in 2010," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on her official Telegram channel Wednesday. 

9:55 a.m. ET, April 27, 2022

Trevor Reed has been released, but other Americans remain detained in Russia

From CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi and Jennifer Hansler

Brittney Griner #15 of the United States in action during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games on August 4, in Tokyo, Japan
Brittney Griner #15 of the United States in action during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games on August 4, in Tokyo, Japan (Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty Images)

While US citizen Trevor Reed was released from Russian custody, at least two other Americans — basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan —remain detained in Russia.

Griner was arrested in Russia in mid-February on allegations of drug smuggling. A Moscow court recently extended her arrest until May 19, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

While her legal team has had access to her and was able to see her several times a week throughout her detention, a US official from the US embassy in Moscow was finally granted consular access to Griner in late March, and said they found her to be in “good condition.”

Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of spying and arrested in Russia stands inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at a court in Moscow, Russia, on August 23, 2019.
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of spying and arrested in Russia stands inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at a court in Moscow, Russia, on August 23, 2019. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)

Whelan, a US citizen, has been detained in Russia since 2018 after he was arrested on espionage charges, which he has consistently denied. He was convicted and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in prison in a trial US officials denounced as unfair. In a June, he told CNN of the grim conditions of the remote labor camp where he works in a clothing factory he called a “sweatshop” and said obtaining medical care is “very difficult.”

On Wednesday, Whelan's family expressed happiness at the release of Reed, but said it is a day of “varied emotions” and questions for them.

“It's the event that we hope for so much in our own lives. Hopefully, Trevor will now get the medical attention and care he needs deserves,” Whelan’s brother David Whelan said in a statement Wednesday. “He is reunited with his family.”

“Trevor is free. Paul remains a hostage,” David Whelan continued.

Both Whelan and Griner's families have been fighting for their freedom. The Biden administration has said it will continue to work for both of their releases.

“The case of Paul Whelan is one we continue to work day in, day out,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told CNN Wednesday. “Paul Whelan is wrongfully detained in Russia."

“When it comes to Brittney Griner, we are working very closely with her team. Her case is a top priority for us,” Price continued. “We're in regular contact with her team."