April 11, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Matias Grez, Amy Woodyatt, Travis Caldwell, Jessie Yeung, Ivana Kottasová, Mike Hayes, Maureen Chowdhury and Jason Kurtz, CNN

Updated 8:06 a.m. ET, April 12, 2022
29 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
10:30 a.m. ET, April 11, 2022

Meeting between Putin and Austria's chancellor is underway

From CNN's Nadine Schmidt

A meeting between Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Russian President Vladimir Putin is underway in Moscow, Nehammer’s spokesperson, Etienne Berchtold, told CNN.

It is the first visit by an EU leader since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in late February.

A top Austrian official said Nehammer intends to tell Putin “the truth” about the war during their face to face meeting.

Some background: Nehammer's trip to Moscow is significant given his country's neutral status, which is enshrined in its constitution.

Austria is not part of NATO and does not supply weapons to Ukraine. It has, however, provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid and helmets and protection vests for civilian use, according to a statement from the Austrian Chancellery.

Nehammer said Saturday that while his country is militarily neutral, "we understand we have to help where injustice and war crimes take place."

9:26 a.m. ET, April 11, 2022

Here's what you need to know about how war crimes prosecutions work

From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf

Shocking atrocities in Ukraine, allegedly at the hands of Russian forces, have amplified calls to pursue war crimes charges against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Images of at least 20 bodies strewn across the street in Bucha, Ukraine, emerged in early April following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the area, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to call for an end to Russian “war crimes.” And at least 50 deaths from a Russian missile strike on a railway station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk – where civilians were waiting for evacuation trains to safer regions of the country – led Zelensky to say, “We expect a firm, global response to this war crime.”

Already, there was a loud and growing chorus of calls for the International Criminal Court to pursue Putin for the unprovoked invasion, and the US government in March formally declared that members of the Russian armed forces have committed war crimes.

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

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.

What is the International Criminal Court?

  • Located in The Hague, Netherlands, and created by a treaty called the Rome Statute first brought before the United Nations, the International Criminal Court operates independently.

Who can be tried by the court?

  • Anyone accused of a crime in the jurisdiction of the court, which includes countries that are members of the ICC, can be tried. The court tries people, not countries, and focuses on those who hold the most responsibility: leaders and officials. While Ukraine is not a member of the court, it has previously accepted its jurisdiction. Putin could, therefore, theoretically be indicted by the court for previously ordering war crimes in Crimea. However, the ICC does not conduct trials in absentia, so he would either have to be handed over by Russia or arrested outside of Russia. That seems unlikely.

What crimes does the court handle?

  • The ICC is meant to be a court of “last resort” and is not meant to replace a country’s justice system. The court, which has 18 judges serving nine-year terms, tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes.

How does the ICC bring proceedings?

  • Court proceedings can be brought in one of two ways: Either a national government or the UN Security Council can refer cases for investigation.

What will the ICC investigate in relation to Ukraine?

  • In its new investigation into Russia’s possible war crimes, the ICC has said it will look at all actions in Ukraine from 2013 to the present.

How long do these investigations take?

  • 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.

Read more about how war crimes prosecutions work here.

9:27 a.m. ET, April 11, 2022

Kramatorsk evacuations move to neighboring station, mayor says

From CNN's Maria Kostenko in Chernivtsi

On April 9, a man lays flowers for the victims of the missile attack at the Kramatorsk railway station.
On April 9, a man lays flowers for the victims of the missile attack at the Kramatorsk railway station. (Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Kramatorsk's railway terminal remained closed and civilian evacuations were continuing from nearby Slovyansk as cleanup and repairs continue following a Russian missile strike Friday, according to the city's mayor, Oleksandr Honcharenko.

"Compared to Friday, the city is quite calm today," Honcharenko said in remarks at a news conference Monday. "Yesterday we were allowed to go to the train station to start cleaning up after the terrible tragedy. Unfortunately, the evacuation from the Kramatorsk railway station is not happening today. There is no agreement on whether the railway station will be opened, as Ukrzaliznytsia [the Ukrainian state railway company] has to carry out some repair work."

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, said Sunday the death toll from a Russian missile strike on the train station in Kramatorsk had risen to 57. 

Authorities had begun evacuating civilians fleeing an expected Russian offensive from the neighboring town of Slovyansk, the mayor said.

"Slovyansk will now become a railway hub for the evacuation of the northern Donetsk region," he said. "In the south of Donetsk region, the hub for evacuation will be Pokrovsk."

9:07 a.m. ET, April 11, 2022

9 volunteer drivers on rescue mission to Mariupol detained by Russian forces, aid group says

From CNN's Jake Tapper

Nine drivers working for "Help People," a Ukrainian volunteer group that provides food and medicine for those in need and assists in evacuations, were detained by the Russian military and remain missing, a group official told CNN.

A total of 10 minibus drivers had driven into the Donbas region to help evacuate civilians from the besieged city of Mariupol, operating private vehicles in a low-profile rescue mission. Russian soldiers stopped them and tried to get them to drive the buses into Russia. When the drivers refused, they were taken prisoner, said Alex Voronin, the head of the non-government organization.

Voronin told CNN he had lost contact with all the drivers but one.

"All of them carried out the evacuation of people in the direction of Mariupol-Zaporizhzhia, they were sent on their trips on different dates — March 26, 27 and 31," Voronin told CNN. "Communication with them broke off the next day after departure. According to the people they managed to evacuate, the Russian military took the vehicles with people in Mariupol from the drivers, the evacuees were taken to the village of Nikolske, the drivers themselves were taken away for identification. Some of them are being held in pre-trial detention centers in Donetsk."

One of the 10 drivers was released, Voronin told CNN, and from him "we know that three of the missing are in Donetsk. They were interrogated with brute force, fed poorly and kept in appalling conditions. All the rest were told they have the right to keep [in detention] up to 30 days."

CNN cannot independently verify the whereabouts of the drivers or the conditions under which they are being held. Voronin said drivers left the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia and did not drive in a single convoy.

Read more here.

10:21 a.m. ET, April 11, 2022

It's 3:45 p.m. in Kyiv. Here's the latest on Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities are preparing for a major Russian offensive in the country's east, saying the latest push by Russian forces in eastern Donbas region has already begun. Meanwhile, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer travels to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, just days after visiting Kyiv.

Here's the latest:

  • Ukraine "ready": Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia would launch full-scale combat actions in the east, but said: "we are ready." Speaking during a TV address, he also accused the Russian leadership of "lying" in an attempt to shift responsibility for the war.
  • Austrian chancellor meets Putin: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is traveling to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin -- the first visit by an EU leader since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in late February. A top Austrian official said Nehammer intends to tell Putin “the truth” about the war during their face to face meeting.
  • New general: Putin has appointed a new general to direct the war after Russian troops failed to take over Kyiv, according to US and European officials. The officials told CNN that Army General Alexander Dvornikov, the commander of Russia’s Southern Military District, has been named as theater commander of the campaign in Ukraine. He was the first commander of Russia's military operations in Syria. Under his command, Russian aircraft laid siege to rebel-held eastern Aleppo, causing major civilian casualties.
  • "Tens of thousands of dead" in Mariupol: Weeks of relentless Russian bombardment have left "tens of thousands of dead" in the port city of Mariupol.
  • Ukraine’s economy shattered: The World Bank has warned Ukraine’s economy will shrink by half this year because of the Russian invasion. In an economic update of the region, the World Bank said Sunday that Ukraine’s economy is expected to shrink by an estimated 45.1% this year.
7:50 a.m. ET, April 11, 2022

Kremlin warns again against further NATO expansion

From CNN's James Frater and Anna Chernova.

As Finland and Sweden consider joining NATO, the Kremlin has warned Monday that expanding the alliance won't bring any more stability to Europe.

"We have repeatedly said that the alliance itself is more of a tool for confrontation. This is not an alliance that provides peace and stability, and further expansion of the alliance, of course, will not lead to more stability on the European continent," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Some background: Finland and Sweden could soon join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The move would likely infuriate Moscow and -- officials say -- would further underscore Russia's strategic error in invading Ukraine.

NATO officials told CNN that discussions about Sweden and Finland joining the bloc have gotten extremely serious since Russia's invasion. Senior US State Department officials said the matter came up at this week's NATO ministerial meeting, which was attended by the foreign ministers from Stockholm and Helsinki.

The Finnish government will present a security paper including a possible NATO membership for parliamentary discussion on Wednesday, the country's Foreign Minister announced on Monday.

“This gives [the] Parliament now a possibility to discuss all the aspects of possible NATO membership and/or other security solutions. And then based on that debate, of course, government will make the conclusions together with the President of the Republic," Pekka Haavisto told reporters ahead of the EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxembourg.

Haavisto said it was “important” that neighboring Sweden is following a "similar process" which he expects to take time. “But of course we exchange information all the time and, hopefully, if we make similar kinds of decisions, we could do them around the same time", he said.

Read more:

8:19 a.m. ET, April 11, 2022

Leaders must make "any kind of effort" to ease situation in Ukraine, says Czech minister

From CNN's Nadine Schmidt in Berlin, Sara Maz and Mia Alberti

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, on April 11.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, on April 11. (Olivier Matthys/AP)

The Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavsky said leaders must make “any kind of effort which would lead to at least some easing of the situation" in Ukraine.

Speaking ahead of the EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxembourg, Lipavsky said "some humanitarian corridors" will help Ukrainians, but added: “On the other side, don't be naive. Putin is a perpetrator of this horrendous war crime and those atrocities, and he should be punished for that."

Nine humanitarian corridors were agreed for Sunday -- covering the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia -- allowing civilians to leave for safer parts of Ukraine.

The ministers are gathering just as the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow -- the first visit of an EU leader to Russia since the start of the invasion in late February.

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis remained cautious about the visit, saying: “I've seen a lot of efforts by many leaders -- by Emmanuel Macron -- to try and see whether they can talk to the guy [Putin]. I personally have no reason to believe that he's talkable [to].”

Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock emphasized that everything must be done to clarify Russian war crimes in Ukraine, including supporting the International Criminal Court in investigating war crimes.

"What is clear is that Ukraine needs further military material, above all heavy weapons, and now is not the time for excuses -- now is the time for creativity and pragmatism," she added.

7:25 a.m. ET, April 11, 2022

German forces prepare first evacuation flight for injured Ukrainians

From CNN's Nadine Schmidt

In this file photo from December 31, 2021, an Airbus A310 MedEvac aircraft of the German Air Force takes off from Dresden International Airport as part of a COVID-19 patient transport.
In this file photo from December 31, 2021, an Airbus A310 MedEvac aircraft of the German Air Force takes off from Dresden International Airport as part of a COVID-19 patient transport. (Robert Michael/picture alliance/Getty Images)

German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, are preparing the first evacuation flight carrying injured Ukrainian civilians since the beginning of the Russian invasion, a spokesperson told CNN Monday.

A special Air Force Airbus A310 MedEvac left Monday from Cologne-Wahn military air-field to the city of Rzeszow in south-eastern Poland, about 90 km from the Ukrainian border.

The plane will bring children and adults to Germany for treatment, the Bundeswehr confirmed.

Wounded Ukrainian soldiers had been brought to Germany in the past by other means.

Some background: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 4,232 civilian casualties in Ukraine since Russia's invasion of the country began, with 1,793 killed and 2,439 injured as of 9 April, according to a briefing released Sunday.

7:26 a.m. ET, April 11, 2022

Tens of thousands of dead in Mariupol, Zelensky says

From CNN's Maria Kostenko in Chernivtsi and Yulia Kesaieva in Lviv

Residents carry their belongings near destroyed buildings in Mariupol, on April 10.
Residents carry their belongings near destroyed buildings in Mariupol, on April 10. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Weeks of relentless Russian bombardment have left "tens of thousands of dead" in the port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.

In a video address to the South Korean parliament, Zelensky described the ordeal of the southern city.

"[Mariupol] has been blocked by Russian troops since March 1. It was a city of half a million. Half a million people. The occupiers blocked it and did not even allow food and water to be brought there," he said, adding:

They tried to capture it in the most brutal way -- just to destroy everything in the city. Mariupol is destroyed. There are tens of thousands of dead. But even so, the Russians are not stopping the offensive. They want to make Mariupol a showcase of a ruined city.

Independent estimates of the full death toll in Mariupol are not available.

A Ukrainian military commander currently in Mariupol told CNN Wednesday night that Russian military forces are trying to wipe the besieged city “off the face of the Earth.”

“It is a humanitarian catastrophe. The military that were involved in active hostilities here are completely surrounded. There are supply problems with water, food, medication and general supply. It’s a very difficult situation,” said Serhiy Volyna, deputy commander of the Marine Battalion in Mariupol.