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April 5, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Melissa Macaya, Jason Kurtz, Maureen Chowdhury, Aditi Sangal, Helen Regan, Travis Caldwell, Ben Church, Lianne Kolirin and Seán Federico O'Murchú, CNN

Updated 12:01 a.m. ET, April 6, 2022
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6:18 a.m. ET, April 5, 2022

German President expresses regret over previous stance on Russia

From Reuters

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, shakes hands with Russian president Vladimir Putin ahead of a joint press conference following their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on 25 October 2017.
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, shakes hands with Russian president Vladimir Putin ahead of a joint press conference following their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on 25 October 2017. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance/Getty Images)

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, long an advocate of Western rapprochement with Russia, expressed regret for his earlier stance, saying his years of support for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline had been a clear mistake.

Steinmeier, a Social Democrat who served as Foreign Minister under Chancellor Angela Merkel before being elevated to the presidency, said Russia's invasion of Ukraine meant he and others had to reckon honestly with what they had got wrong.

My adherence to Nord Stream 2 was clearly a mistake," he said. "We were sticking to a bridge in which Russia no longer believed and which other partners had warned us against."

Steinmeier was a prominent member of a wing of his Social Democratic Party, led by former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, that argued close economic ties to Russia were a way of anchoring it within a Western-oriented global system.

The now-canceled Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which critics said would have weakened Ukraine by cutting it out of the energy transit business, was a centerpiece of that strategy.

That has triggered a growing backlash, with critics on social media repeatedly tweeting past pictures of him affectionately embracing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, while Ukraine's ambassador Andrij Melnyk has been outspoken in his criticism.

When Steinmeier arranged a "solidarity concert" for Ukraine, Melnyk tweeted sarcastically that the only soloists appeared to be Russian. "An affront," he wrote. "Sorry, I'm not coming."

Germany's president is meant to be a unifying figure who stands above the cut and thrust of daily politics, one who enjoys the moral authority to exhort people to better behavior.

We failed to build a common European house," Steinmeier said. "I did not believe Vladimir Putin would embrace his country's complete economic, political and moral ruin for the sake of his imperial madness," he added. "In this, I, like others, was mistaken."
6:05 a.m. ET, April 5, 2022

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to travel to Kyiv

From CNN’s James Frater in Brussels

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference after a virtual summit with China's President in Brussels, Belgium, on April 1.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference after a virtual summit with China's President in Brussels, Belgium, on April 1. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images)

Top European Union diplomats will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv this week, according to the chief spokesperson of the European Commission.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, will meet Zelensky "prior to the pledging event ‘Stand Up For Ukraine’ on Saturday in Warsaw," spokesman Eric Mamer said.

Last week, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, traveled to meet with Zelensky and addressed a special session of the Ukrainian parliament.

Her visit was welcomed by the Ukrainian leader who, in a speech posted to social media, called it an "important moment" for the country. 

Last month, the Prime Ministers of Poland, Czech Republic and Slovenia journeyed to Kyiv.

5:31 a.m. ET, April 5, 2022

Russian military claims strikes on Ukrainian military training center

From CNN's Nathan Hodge in Lviv

The Russian military has claimed it carried out long-range strikes with sea-launched missiles on what it described as a training center for Ukrainian special operations forces in southern Ukraine.

"On the evening of April 4, sea-based high-precision long-range weapons near the town of Ochakiv destroyed a training center for Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, which was used, among other things, to accommodate foreign mercenaries," Russian Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson, said in a statement.

CNN could not immediately verify that claim. The Russian military describes foreigners who have volunteered to fight for Ukraine as "mercenaries."

Konashenkov added that Russian forces air-launched precision missiles targeting fuel storage facilities in four locations: In Kremenets, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia and Novomoskovsk.

Russian forces have targeted fuel supply and storage facilities around Ukraine since the invasion.

4:46 a.m. ET, April 5, 2022

Ukraine needs "serious players" when it comes to security guarantees, says Zelensky

From CNN’s Niamh Kennedy in London

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his office in
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his office in (President of Ukraine)

Ukraine needs "serious players who are ready to go all the way" when it comes to security guarantees, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking to journalists on Ukrainian state TV Tuesday, Zelensky said Ukraine has not yet received "a specific list of these countries that are prepared to 100% stand up for us."

He said Ukraine is currently discussing security guarantees with countries including France, US, Germany, Turkey, Britain and Poland.

"We need serious players who are ready to go all the way. We need a circle of countries who would within 24 hours provide us with any weapons," said Zelensky.

These countries need to be states "who have real influence over the sanctions policy" and who are prepared to mobilize "as soon as we hear any threats from the Russian Federation," he added.

"These countries would come together. And within 24 hours, two or three days will impose everything, block everything. And simply put this country in a containment," he said.

On the topic of NATO membership, Zelensky said that even if Russia "sets it as a condition" that Ukraine does not join the alliance, the country has "given away too many lives not to be frank."

"If we are offered NATO membership tomorrow without playing with our lives, then we will join," he added.
4:32 a.m. ET, April 5, 2022

South Korea expresses concern over alleged massacre of civilians

From CNN’s Yoonjung Seo in Seoul

Graves with bodies of civilians next to apartments blocks in Bucha, Ukraine, on April 4.
Graves with bodies of civilians next to apartments blocks in Bucha, Ukraine, on April 4. (Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

South Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has expressed concern over the alleged massacre of civilians in Ukraine.

The discovery of civilian bodies strewn across streets as well as a mass grave in Bucha, outside Kyiv, has stirred international outrage.

"A wartime massacre of civilians is a clear violation of international law," the ministry said in a press release Tuesday.

The ministry also said it supports UN Secretary General António Guterres’ earlier statement which called for an independent investigation on the killing of civilians in Bucha.

5:55 a.m. ET, April 5, 2022

ICRC team released after being detained in Russian-held territory

From CNN's Nathan Hodge, Yulia Kesaieva, Niamh Kennedy and Amy Cassidy

Local residents gather outside a damaged apartment building in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 4.
Local residents gather outside a damaged apartment building in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 4. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Aid workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were detained in Russian-held territory while attempting to evacuate desperate residents of Mariupol, a spokesperson told CNN Tuesday.

An evacuation convoy of seven buses accompanied by the ICRC was held up Monday in Manhush, a Russian-held town to the west of Mariupol, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. 

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team that was held by police in Manhush on Monday was released last night," an ICRC spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday, describing it as a "great relief to us and to their families."

Vereshchuk announced the ICRC team's release in a statement posted to Telegram earlier on Tuesday, remarking that "despite the promises of their leadership, the [Russian] occupying forces do not allow anyone to go to Mariupol."

"The occupiers blocked representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Manhush. They were released last night after negotiations and sent to Zaporizhzhia," Vereshchuk added.

The ICRC said it remains "focused" on efforts to evacuate people in the besieged city of Mariupol.

The team is focused now on continuing the humanitarian evacuation operation. This incident yesterday shows how volatile and complex the operation to facilitate safe passage around Mariupol has been for our team, who have been trying to reach the city since Friday,” the ICRC spokesperson continued. 

The ICRC delegation set off on its journey from Zaporizhzhia to Mariupol last Saturday, an ICRC press officer told CNN.

Vereshchuk said a total of seven humanitarian corridors are planned for Tuesday around Ukraine, and that a convoy of seven buses was on its way from Manhush to nearby Berdiansk, accompanied by the ICRC.

Some context: Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said Monday his city was "on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe," with more than 100,000 people still requiring evacuation.

Boichenko said no evacuation buses had yet reached Mariupol, despite agreements between Russia and Ukraine to open humanitarian corridors. Some residents, he said, had managed to reach the nearby Russian-held city of Berdiansk in private cars, but added that the route was "very difficult and intermittent.

3:00 a.m. ET, April 5, 2022

"Difficult" situation in Luhansk region as Russian shelling continues, military governor says

From CNN's Maria Kostenko in Chernivtsi

The situation in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine is "difficult" amidst heavy Russian bombardment, according to Serhii Haidai, chair of the Luhansk regional military administration.

"Neither rescuers nor ambulance doctors can reach some districts of Popasna and Rubizhne in Luhansk region," he said. "The shelling is very heavy, street fighting continues. In Rubizhne, the dead are buried in the yards."

Some context: The Russian military has said it is focusing its efforts on the eastern Donbas region following a withdrawal of forces from around Kyiv and northern Ukraine.

Haidai said last week attempts had been underway to evacuate civilians from small towns in his region, even without such agreements with the Russian side.

2:49 a.m. ET, April 5, 2022

Japan to provide additional aid to Ukraine and neighboring countries

From CNN’s Mayumi Maruyama and Junko Ogura

People take part in a fundraising demonstration to support Ukraine in Tokyo's Shinjuku district on March 26.
People take part in a fundraising demonstration to support Ukraine in Tokyo's Shinjuku district on March 26. (Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images)

The Japanese government will provide an additional $100 million of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and neighboring countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday.

The funds will be used to support medical and food assistance efforts, the ministry said in a statement, as well as for those displaced and in other countries such as Poland, Moldova and Romania.

This will bring the total amount of aid provided to $200 million since the first package was announced on March 11, the ministry said.

“The Government of Japan will continue to provide support for and stand by the people of Ukraine who are facing hardship, in collaboration with the international community, including the G7 members,” according to the statement.

Some of the nine international and Japanese organizations that have received funds include the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), according to the ministry.

2:57 a.m. ET, April 5, 2022

Here are the latest developments in Bucha, the Kyiv suburb ravaged by Russian occupation

Ukrainian servicemen walk down a destroyed street in Bucha, Ukraine, on April 4.
Ukrainian servicemen walk down a destroyed street in Bucha, Ukraine, on April 4. (Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)

As Ukrainian forces reclaimed the areas around Kyiv, the horrors of what life was like for residents while under Russian occupation soon came to light.

The discovery of civilian bodies strewn across streets as well as a mass grave in the northwest suburb of Bucha has stirred international outrage, with many Western leaders calling for war crimes investigations and increasing sanctions on Russia.

Here are the latest developments:

  • Zelensky visits Bucha: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants to "show the world" what happened in Bucha, vowing that the country will "not pause" until it finds those accountable. Speaking on possible future peace talks with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky added, "It's very difficult to negotiate when you see what they have done here.” 
  • CNN team witnesses removal of bodies: Ukrainian officials showed international media the removal of five bodies from a basement in Bucha. A CNN team visited the basement before the removal and saw the bodies which were in an advanced stage of decomposition. Five men had been tortured and executed by Russian soldiers, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, Anton Gerashchenko, told CNN on the ground. CNN cannot independently verify Gerashchenko’s claims.
  • Authorities are combing through Bucha: Civilian and military investigators are working to document alleged crimes committed by Russian troops in liberated towns around Kyiv, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said. Forensic inspectors, explosives technicians, K-9 teams and doctors are involved in site inspections, and there are more than 50 National Police officers and prosecutors involved in Bucha alone, she said. Efforts are underway to search for witnesses and victims and to collect photo and video evidence, officials said.
  • More bodies may be found: A volunteer told CNN during the removal of those in the basement that they have been recovering bodies in large numbers, saying, “It’s in the hundreds, not dozens.” The volunteer and his unit showed CNN the body bags of at least 30 people who had been recovered on Sunday, plus an additional nine on Monday, including the five found in the basement.  In Bucha, Zelensky said there were more than 300 people killed, but that the total number of casualties will likely increase as the whole city is checked. To date, 410 bodies of slain civilians have been removed from Kyiv region and 140 of them have already been examined by prosecutors and other specialists, according to Venediktova, who called the scenes "crucial evidence of brutal war crimes of the Russian Federation."
  • Satellite images undermine Russian denials: The Russian Defense Ministry claimed a video showing bodies of civilians in a Bucha street was “fake” and “staged,” yet new satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies shows the bodies had been present since at least March 18, when Russia was in control of the town. Russia held Bucha until March 31. CNN has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
  • “War crime,” Biden says: US President Joe Biden called the atrocities committed by Russia in Bucha a “war crime” but declined to label it a genocide, adding that he is looking into more sanctions on Russia and would announce them shortly.  White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that “now is not the time for complacency,” stressing the importance of ongoing US support for Ukraine. 
  • Ukrainian deputy PM warns of future Russian atrocities: If Putin and Russian forces are not stopped, more atrocities such as those in Bucha may be in store for Ukrainians, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday. “People are dying, they are dying of hunger, thirst, severe wounds, airstrikes, thousands of them are being killed. It is a genocide, against the Ukrainian civilians. And Putin, he realizes that he cannot stop the Ukrainian army, and that’s why he has another tactic. He is torturing and raping Ukrainian civilians, women, and this is what's his so-called second army is doing. They are fighting against the civilians, and we seem to just be watching powerless against them.”
  • Bucha "could be replicated on a very large scale," HRW chief warns: Kenneth Roth, the head of Human Rights Watch, told CNN on Monday that the images emerging from Bucha are “sickening” and warned that it “could be replicated on a very large scale.” In an interview with CNN's Becky Anderson, Roth said "the message we're trying to send to the Kremlin is that, here's the evidence of these atrocities taking place. If you want to avoid criminal responsibility, rein in your troops.”