March 4, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Jessie Yeung, Julia Hollingsworth, Adam Renton, Joshua Berlinger, Sana Noor Haq, Blathnaid Healy, Adrienne Vogt, Meg Wagner and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 0512 GMT (1312 HKT) March 5, 2022
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1:37 p.m. ET, March 4, 2022

People possibly trapped in rubble of wrecked apartment block in Ukrainian town, emergency service says

From CNN's Tim Lister and Olya Voitovych

Following a missile attack on a large apartment block in Borodyanka on March 2, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service has told CNN that people may still be trapped in the wreckage of the building.

Viktoriya Ruban, spokesperson of the SES in the Kyiv region, told CNN on Friday that "about 100 people may be trapped under the rubble" in Borodyanka but "it is impossible to give a more precise figure at the moment."

"Rescuers do not have access to these people due to the constant shelling. We are ready to evacuate people as soon as there is an agreement on a 'green corridor,'" she said.

The town, which is just northwest of Kyiv, has seen persistent shelling over the past few days, as have small towns around it. 

The area has seen the heaviest fighting in the Kyiv region since the Russian invasion began just over a week ago.

1:33 p.m. ET, March 4, 2022

EU ready to adopt more Russia sanctions if war doesn't stop, EU Commission president says

From CNN’s Arnaud Siad

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks to the press in Brussels on March 4.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks to the press in Brussels on March 4. (Yves Herman/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

The European Union is ready to adopt more sanctions against Russia if President Vladimir Putin does not stop the war in Ukraine, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

“We know that this conflict is far from over, and to be very clear, we are ready to take further severe measures if Putin does not stop and reverse the war he has unleashed,” she said alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels.

“Thanks to this coordination [with the United States], we have together designed, developed and deployed sanctions in record time. Sanctions that demonstrate our determination to make Putin pay a price for his war. We do not take these measures lightly but it is clear we need to act,” she added.

Von der Leyen said over 40 countries were now “partially or completely” aligned with the sanctions, saying it was “testimony to the determination of the global community to reject this invasion.”

Speaking after von der Leyen, Blinken commended the European Union for its response to Russia, saying, “this union is strong, it’s united and it’s acting.”

“If we allow those principles to be violated with impunity, then we're opening a Pandora's Box, in every corner of the world for this to happen again and again and again,” Blinken said.

He also warned that the war in Ukraine “may not be over soon” and that the US and European allies must sustain tough pressure on Russia until it ends.

"Unfortunately, tragically, horrifically this may not be over soon," he said.

"We have to sustain this until it stops, until the war is over," he added.

1:32 p.m. ET, March 4, 2022

Independent Russian newspaper says it is removing articles on Ukraine war due to threats

From CNN's Nathan Hodge in Moscow

Journalists gather outside the Novaya Gazeta office in Moscow in 2021.
Journalists gather outside the Novaya Gazeta office in Moscow in 2021. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images)

Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta said Friday that it was removing articles on the war in Ukraine, saying that new Russian censorship efforts necessitated removing those materials.

"Dear friends!!" a statement on the Novaya Gazeta Twitter account said. "Military censorship in Russia has shifted to [using] the threat of criminal prosecution against both journalists and citizens who disseminate information about hostilities that differs from Defense Ministry press releases. Therefore, we are removing materials on this topic."

Novaya Gazeta is a highly respected investigative paper. Its editor, Dmitry Muratov, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Maria Ressa last year. 

Russian lawmakers have advanced legislation criminalizing the spreading of false information discrediting the Russian military. Russia's communications regulator issued warnings to the country's few remaining independent news outlets telling them to stop spreading what it calls false information, including references to the military operation in Ukraine as an "attack, invasion or declaration of war.”

Independent Russian television station TV Rain and Echo of Moscow, a storied radio station, have both shut down broadcasting amid the crackdown on Russian media.

3:29 p.m. ET, March 4, 2022

White House expected to send Vice President Harris to Poland, source says

From CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Jasmine Wright, Betsy Klein and Maegan Vazquez

US Vice President Kamala Harris boards a plane after her visit to Durham, North Carolina, on March 2.
US Vice President Kamala Harris boards a plane after her visit to Durham, North Carolina, on March 2. (Allison Joyce/AFP/Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to travel to Poland early next week, a White House official told CNN, as the Biden administration continues to show support for Ukraine and its eastern NATO allies while Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters a dangerous new phase.

The Poland visit will take place on the heels of Harris' latest international travel to the Munich Security Conference, where she met with US allies and partners including Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Harris also spoke over the phone with several Eastern European leaders on Tuesday, including Poland's and Romania's prime ministers.

A source familiar with the discussions said the White House is also considering sending Harris to Romania, but no final decision has been made.

When White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked on Friday whether she could confirm any details about the vice president's trip, she said, "Not yet, but certainly the vice president has been deeply engaged."

"She's obviously already made a trip to Europe. I expect there'll be more soon but I don't have anything to report out to you at this particular moment," Psaki added.

US and other Western officials warned this week that Russia's strategy is shifting toward a "slow annihilation" of the Ukrainian military, warning that Russia could focus on violent bombardment of cities and civilian targets as the conflict becomes a grinding war of attrition.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine last week, the US and allies have ramped up their responses to the conflict, establishing a variety of economic sanctions and providing Ukraine aid.

Since the invasion began, Russia's military has launched more than 500 missiles, a senior US defense official said Friday.

A White House statement following Tuesday's calls said that in each of her conversations, "the Vice President underscored the strength and unity of our Alliance and welcomed each of her counterparts' leadership and coordination on robust response measures, including sanctions and other economic measures through the European Union. They also discussed the robust NATO response."

Harris also reiterated the US' support for Ukraine and "reaffirmed US support for the international rules and norms that have brought peace and security in Europe since World War II and that have served as the foundation of the NATO Alliance."

12:56 p.m. ET, March 4, 2022

US ambassador to the UN says world "narrowly averted" nuclear catastrophe last night

From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia

United States United Nations ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the world “narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe last night" following the fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

She called Russia’s reactions “reckless” and “dangerous” saying it put the largest nuclear power plant at grave risk and it threatened the safety of civilians in Russia and across Europe.

She called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the plant to ensure operators have full access to the site and are able to communicate with regulators, ensure shift changes, and the safety stability and security of the plant. 

“Reliable electricity is vital for the nuclear facility, as are back-up diesel generators and fuel. Safe transit corridors must be maintained," she said. "Russia must halt any further use of force that might put at further risk all 15 operable reactors across Ukraine – or interfere with Ukraine’s ability to maintain the safety and security of its 37 nuclear facilities and their surrounding populations.”

Thomas-Greenfield said praised "the ability of the Ukrainian operators to keep all six reactors in safe conditions while under attack and to report as they were able to their nuclear regulator."

“We are gravely concerned that the Ukrainian operators are now doing their jobs under extreme duress," she added.

The US supports the IAEA Director in his efforts to ensure nuclear safety and “prevent nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine”

She called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to not send his troops on a “suicide mission” against a nuclear power plant.

“Nuclear facilities cannot become part of this conflict,” she said

“Mr Putin must stop this madness, and he must stop it now," she added.

What Russia is saying: Meanwhile, Russian UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council that the nuclear plant is fully operational and there is no threat of a release of radioactive material.

Nebenzia insisted there is “artificial hysteria” and “lies about how Russian troops attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.” He claimed the area was taken by the Russian army back on Feb. 28. He said in the area adjacent to Zaporizhzhia, a Russian mobile patrol was attacked by a Ukrainian "sabotage group."

The plant and adjacent territory are being guarded and experts have been brought in to manage the facility, and a similar situation exists in Chernobyl, he said. The security of facility is being ensured by Russian Armed forces and Ukrainian operators, he added. 

“Together with the people of Belarus and Ukraine we lived through the tragedy of Chernobyl, so we are more interested than most in maintaining a normal radiation situation throughout the territory of Ukraine,” he said. 

12:53 p.m. ET, March 4, 2022

Analysis: What you need to know about war crimes — and how Putin could be prosecuted

Analysis from CNN's Zachary B. Wolf

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with members of his security council on March 3.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with members of his security council on March 3. (Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

There is a loud and growing chorus of calls for the International Criminal Court to pursue Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, the court said it would immediately proceed with an active investigation of possible war crimes following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The US Embassy in Kyiv said on Friday that Russia committed a war crime by attacking a nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

"It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant," the embassy said on its official Twitter feed. "Putin's shelling of Europe's largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further."

Russia's suspected use of cluster bombs and so-called vacuum bombs in dense areas with many civilians has also been described as a war crime.

"I want to be very clear about this, that Mr. Putin is a war criminal," former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday. "He has to sit behind the bars in International Criminal Court."

However, if justice in general moves slowly, international justice barely moves at all. Investigations at the ICC take many years. Only a handful of convictions have ever been won.

Here's a very broad look at war crimes and the international justice movement:

Note: Some of what's below comes from CNN's research library, which compiled information about the International Criminal Court.

What is a war crime? The International Criminal Court has specific definitions for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Read about them in this guide published by the ICC.

Specifically, targeting civilian populations, violating the Geneva Conventions, targeting specific groups of people and more could be potential Russian war crimes.

"One thing is certain, that intentionally directing shelling or targeting civilians or civilian objects is a crime within the jurisdiction of the court," the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday.

"And even if there's military necessity, there's a clear obligation upon parties to a conflict to not use disproportionate force, to make sure the ordnance used and the weapons don't have a very wide footprint in heavy civilian areas," said Khan.

What are cluster bombs and vacuum bombs? The feared use of banned weapons meant to kill without discrimination is what people are discussing now as a very specific war crime.

With a cluster bomb, a missile is fired and explodes thousands of feet in the air, releasing smaller bombs that each detonate when they fall to the ground. See an illustration from The Washington Post. Amnesty International said a Russian cluster bomb fell on a Ukrainian preschool.

"Vacuum bombs," or thermobaric weapons, suck in the oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a powerful explosion and a large pressure wave that can have enormous destructive effects. Russia previously used them in Chechnya, and a CNN team spotted a Russian thermobaric multiple rockets launcher near the border with Ukraine late last month.

Read the full analysis here.

12:26 p.m. ET, March 4, 2022

IAEA chief: Normal operations continue at Zaporizhzhia and "no security or safety systems" are compromised

From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi points at a map of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during a press conference in Vienna, Austria, on March 4.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi points at a map of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during a press conference in Vienna, Austria, on March 4. (Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images)

A top International Atomic Energy Agency official said “no security or safety systems have been compromised near the reactors themselves" at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine — the largest in Europe — which Russian troops have occupied.

“We consider from a technical point of view that operation continues normally, although as I have stressed to the board of governors to the IAEA, there is no of course normalcy about this situation when there are military forces of course in charge of the site,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the United Nations Security Council. 

He said he continues to be in contact with Ukraine officials, including the company that operates the facilities and operators at Zaporizhzhia. 

He is ready to travel as soon as practical to Chernobyl to consult with Ukrainian counterparts, he said, but “if necessary, when necessary” will consult with “the forces in charge in order to establish a stable framework so the observance of the basic principles of safety and security starting with the physical integrity of the facilities can be observed.”

He requested UNSC support of the IAEA's efforts.

He delivered the briefing virtually while airborne to Tehran for a separate issue.

12:11 p.m. ET, March 4, 2022

US labor secretary predicts some "short-term inflation" but says US needs to "stand with" Ukraine

From CNN's Betsy Klein

US Labor Sec. Marty Walsh indicated Friday he didn’t think Russia’s war on Ukraine would impact job creation in the United States, but “certainly” had “potential to have impact on inflation in some cases.” 

“At the end of the day, we stand united with the Ukrainian people, and not just the United States, but major ... countries in the world and all countries in the world. We’re rallying around the Ukrainian people. And I think for some short-term inflation, we need to continue to stand with the Ukrainian people. They don't deserve what they're experiencing right now. They don't deserve what they're getting. And we need to ... show the world that we’re united behind them,” Walsh said during an appearance on CNN.

He predicted more American companies will cut ties with Russia. 

“I hope companies and people continue putting pressure on Russia, every, every pressure point we can, so they realize that the world does not support their action in the world stands firmly behind Ukraine,” he said. 

US President Joe Biden imposed new sanctions Thursday on eight members of the Russian elite, along with members of their families.

12:02 p.m. ET, March 4, 2022

US State Department tells embassies not to share Kyiv Embassy tweet calling nuclear plant attack a war crime

From CNN's Kylie Atwood

The US State Department sent an urgent message to all US embassies in Europe telling them not to retweet the US Embassy Kyiv’s tweet calling the attack on the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant attack by Russia a war crime this morning, according to the message reviewed by CNN. 

The message is an indication that the US government may not be endorsing the war crime allegation made by the embassy. 

“All – do not/not retweet Embassy Kyiv’s tweet on shelling of the facility being a possible war crime,” the message said. “If you have retweeted it – un-retweet it ASAP.”

As Russian forces continue their onslaught on key Ukrainian cities, the country's biggest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, came under attack Friday. A blaze there initially sparked fears of a potential accident, but the fire has since extinguished. The International Atomic Energy Agency also said the reactors at the plant are safe and no radioactive material was released.

Thus far, the administration of US President Joe Biden has not said that any of Russia’s aggressions in Ukraine amount to war crimes. President Biden said they are following Russia’s actions closely when asked about the matter on Wednesday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has given brief remarks multiple times today in Brussels, but he has not mentioned the attack on the Ukrainian nuclear power plant.  

The US has no reason to doubt Russian claims that they are in control of the nuclear power plant, a senior defense official said on Friday. But the official also said that it is "deeply concerning" that US doesn't know what Russian control looks like, expertise of people there and their near-term intentions.

NBC was the first to report on the message.

CNN's Jamie Crawford contributed reporting to this post.