2 injured, railway infrastructure destroyed as missiles hit Dnipro, governor says
From CNN's Nathan Hodge and Yulia Kesaieva in Lviv
Two missiles hit the city of Dnipro in east-central Ukraine on Monday, the region's military governor said.
Valentyn Reznichenko, head of Dnipro's regional military administration, said on Telegram that the districts of Synelnykiv and Pavlograd had both been hit by what he termed "morning arrivals."
"Two people were injured in Synelnykiv district. The missile hit an infrastructure facility. Rescuers put out the fire," he said.
No casualties were reported in Pavlograd, Reznichenko said, but railway infrastructure had been destroyed.
Some context: Dnipro was hit by Russian missile strikes earlier in the war, when its airport was damaged. A missile strike in March put the runway out of use and damaged a terminal building, according to Reznichenko, and another strike on April 10 wiped out more of the airport.
Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP, said the April 10 strike had destroyed "everything around the airport."
8:11 a.m. ET, April 18, 2022
"No safe places left": Governor urges evacuation in Luhansk
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Nathan Hodge in Lviv
People walk in front of a building after it was hit by shelling in Lysychansk in the Luhansk region, Ukraine, on Saturday, April 16. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)
The head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration on Monday urged civilians to evacuate, saying there were "no safe places left" in the eastern Ukrainian region.
Evacuate now, we can still save you," Serhii Haidai said on Telegram.
Evacuations would be carried out Monday from Popasna, Rubizhne, Hirske, Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, Haidai said, even if no official evacuation routes were agreed with Russian forces.
"We will proceed with evacuation no matter what," he said. "We will take people with us from places we can get to. It is already very difficult to leave Rubizhne, Popasna, Hirske. To date, there are no safe places left in the region."
Haidai's comments come after attempts to agree safe evacuation routes for civilians trapped in fighting in southern and eastern Ukraine on Sunday failed, but local officials urged people to leave the area nevertheless.
While some Luhansk residents had previously felt relatively safe in some districts of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, the situation had "grown worse," he said.
"Russian shelling is everywhere. Evacuate now, we can still save you. Do not [wait until] there is no safe way out of the area. Buses are waiting for you on April 18. Gather your things and come. Ukraine needs you alive!"
Some context: Extensive damage to civilian infrastructure was noted over the weekend following Russian strikes in the region. Haidai said in one day the Russians had damaged 10 infrastructure facilities and partially or completely destroyed another 26 buildings.
On Sunday, Russian shelling hit a church in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, according to Haidai.
2:32 a.m. ET, April 18, 2022
Lviv residents urged to take shelter after missile strikes
From CNN's Nathan Hodge and Yulia Kesaieva in Lviv
Residents in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv have been urged to take shelter after a series of missile strikes on Monday.
The region's military governor Maksym Kozytskyy said there had been four missile strikes, though the city's mayor had previously said there were five and a CNN team heard five explosions.
Authorities are still clarifying the details, Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said.
8:23 a.m. ET, April 18, 2022
Five missiles hit western Ukrainian city of Lviv, mayor says
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Nathan Hodge in Lviv
Five missiles have hit the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, its mayor said on Monday.
Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said on Facebook that "relevant services" had been sent to the site of the blasts.
"We are clarifying the details," he added.
Some context: On Saturday, the head of the Lviv regional military administration said Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems had downed Russian cruise missiles that were fired toward the region. On that occasion Ukraine claimed the Russian aircraft that fired the missiles had taken off from the Baranovichi airfield in neighboring Belarus.
8:29 a.m. ET, April 18, 2022
It's 7 a.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an incoming offensive by Russia in the eastern part of the country, as more civilians were killed by heavy shelling in the northeast on Sunday.
Here are the latest developments on the war in Ukraine:
Ukrainians fighting for Mariupol: Ukrainianforces are still defending the southeastern port city, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sunday, rejecting a Russian order to surrender. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the worsening conditions in Mariupol “may be a red line” in negotiations with Russia as it makes talks more difficult.
Remaining men in Mariupol face "filtration": Mariupol will be closed for entry and exit starting on Monday and Russian forces have begun issuing passes for movement within the besieged city, according to an adviser to Mariupol’s mayor. He added, “it will be impossible not only to move between the districts of the city, but also to go out on the streets.” Adviser Petro Andriushchenko also said Ukrainian men would be subject to "filtration" — relocated for screening by Russian forces. CNN cannot independently verify the claims.
Russia accused of further atrocities: Zelensky said in an address on Sunday that Russia wants to “literally finish off and destroy Donbas” in eastern Ukraine and accused Russian forces of committing humanitarian violations — including the use of "torture chambers," "blackmail" and "starvation" — in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. CNN cannot independently verify the claims.
Shelling continues in northeast: The city of Kharkiv endured another day of heavy shelling of residential areas, according to regional officials, with at least five civilians killed and more wounded. Despite the attacks, Ukrainian forces were pushing the Russians back to the east of the city, according to the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, and claimed several villages had been liberated to the city’s southeast.
Zelensky won't give up the east: The Ukrainian President told CNN the country is not willing to give up territory in the eastern part of the country to end the war with Russia, and Ukraine's military is prepared to fight Moscow's military in the Donbas region in a battle he says could influence the course of the entire war.
Russian forces “gradually withdrawing” from Borivs'kyi: While Russian forces are still in complete control of the Borivs'kyi district in the Kharkiv region, Moscow's troops are "gradually withdrawing" from the area in the direction of Donetsk region, the Borova village council said. “There is no mobile connection and no Internet, which are impossible to restore as the territory is occupied by the Russians,” it said, adding that “some places are left without electricity and gas.”
11:45 p.m. ET, April 17, 2022
Russian forces will close off Mariupol from Monday, official says. Here's the situation in the besieged city
Local residents stand in a courtyard near a destroyed residential building in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 17. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
After enduring a brutal assault for more than a month, Ukrainian fighters in the besieged southeastern port city of Mariupol rejected a Russian deadline to surrender on Sunday and vowed to fight on.
Here's what you need to know:
The situation on the ground: Mariupol has been surrounded by Russian troops since March 1, with much of the city and its immediate surroundings reported to be largely under Russian control. However, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Mariupol has not yet fallen. Ukrainian troops trapped in the city are holding out despite overwhelming odds — but they are confined to pockets of resistance, and their numbers are unclear.
Russian forces to close entry: Mariupol will be closed for entry and exit starting on Monday and men remaining in the city would be "filtered out," Russian forces said, according to an adviser for the mayor. The Russians had begun issuing passes for movement within the city, the adviser Petro Andriushchenko said, adding that citizens will not be able to go out onto the streets or move between districts without one. CNN cannot independently verify the claims.
Russia's demand: Russia's Ministry of Defense called on the Ukrainian soldiers still in Mariupol to lay down arms surrender by 1 p.m. local time on Sunday, warning anyone still resisting after the deadline "will be eliminated." It also said trapped "foreign mercenaries who joined the Ukrainian forces," including Europeans and Canadians, "will be eliminated" if there is further resistance.
The Ukrainian response: "There are still our military forces, our soldiers, so they will fight until the end and as for now they are still in Mariupol," Shmyhal said on Sunday. An adviser to Mariupol's mayor also rejected the Russian ultimatum, saying, "as of today, our defenders continue to hold the defense." The Russian defense ministry confirmed their ultimatum had been ignored.
Red line in negotiations: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sunday the situation in Mariupol "may be a red line" in negotiations with Russia. “The city doesn’t exist anymore. The remaining of the Ukrainian army and a large group of civilians are basically encircled by the Russian forces," he said on CBS' “Face the Nation."
Civilians and casualties: Though many residents have fled, an estimated 100,000 people still remain in Mariupol and its immediate surroundings. The military governor of Donetsk region, where Mariupol is located, said on Tuesday up to 22,000 people may have died in the city. CNN cannot verify the figures, as there are no independent casualty numbers from the fighting in the city available.
11:30 p.m. ET, April 17, 2022
Zelensky warns of incoming Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an incoming offensive by Russian forces in the eastern part of the country, during a video address on Sunday.
“Russian troops are preparing for an offensive operation in the east of our country. It will begin in the near future,” Zelensky said. “They want to literally finish off and destroy Donbas. Destroy everything that once gave glory to this industrial region. Just as the Russian troops are destroying Mariupol, they want to wipe out other cities and communities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions."
In the city of Kharkiv: Zelensky said Russian shelling had killed five residents and wounded 15 others on Sunday. He added that in the last four days, 18 people in total have been killed and 106 have been wounded by Russian shelling of Kharkiv.
“This is nothing but deliberate terror. Mortars, artillery against ordinary residential neighborhoods, against ordinary civilians,” he said.
Zelensky accused Russian forces of committing humanitarian violations in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in southern Ukraine.
“Torture chambers are built there. They abduct representatives of local authorities and anyone deemed visible to local communities. They blackmail teachers. They steal money provided for paying pensions. Humanitarian aid is blocked and stolen. They create starvation,” he said.
CNN cannot independently verify the claims made by Zelensky.
Zelensky also reiterated his plea for allies to cut off Russian oil supplies in his address.
“The need for an embargo on oil supplies from Russia is growing every day. Everyone in Europe and America already sees Russia openly using energy to destabilize Western societies. Russia's bet on chaos in fuel markets should not succeed,” he said.
11:30 p.m. ET, April 17, 2022
Heavy shelling of Kharkiv but Ukrainians claim advances east of city
From Tim Lister, Kostan Nechyporenko and Olga Voitovych
Firefighters work to extinguish fire at an apartments building after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 17. (Andrew Marienko/AP)
Oleg Synegubov, head of the Kharkiv regional administration, said on Telegram: "Today, in broad daylight, there were shellings of the central part of the city, the residential area of Saltivka from MLRS [multiple rocket systems] and artillery. Unfortunately, 20 people were injured, 5 people were killed. Apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure were damaged."
Ihor Terekhov, the city's mayor, said residential areas came under attack in the morning, and missiles were fired at the city center in the afternoon. He said dozens of buildings had been damaged, and the casualties included dead and wounded.
Terekhov said the Russians had not given up on "attempts to destroy the civilian population of Kharkiv, sow panic in the city and break our spirit. Still, the will of Kharkiv, the will of us Ukrainians, cannot be harmed by the enemy. Today, I was convinced of this when I saw how a medic covered a wounded woman during the shelling."
Writing on his Telegram channel, Terekhov said Russian forces "continue to bombard the city furiously. Therefore, I urge you again, if possible, to stay in the shelter and metro stations."
The State Emergency Services said on Sunday afternoon, "18 addresses in Kharkiv were hit as a result of enemy shelling in the central part of the city. Apartments on the fourth and fifth floors were on fire in a five-story building." It said 160 firefighters and 33 units of equipment were involved in extinguishing the fires.
Synegubov said despite the attacks, Ukrainian forces were pushing the Russians back to the east of the city. He claimed several villages had been liberated some 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the southeast of Kharkiv.
If true and if the Ukrainian gains east of Kharkiv are sustained, Russian efforts to resupply forces being gathered in eastern Ukraine for an offensive in Donbas might be hampered. Last week Ukrainian special forces destroyed a bridge on one resupply route south of Kharkiv.
11:30 p.m. ET, April 17, 2022
8-hour delay at Polish-Belarus border following EU sanctions deadline
From Cece Armstrong in London
The Polish government recorded an eight-hour waiting period on Sunday at the Poland-Belarus border for trucks leaving the EU following a sanctions deadline on Saturday.
Drone footage from Saturday showed freight trucks backed up for miles on the road from Poland into Belarus hours before the sanctions went into effect.
