April 19, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

The South Korean government sent about 20 tons of additional humanitarian aid to Ukraine on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The shipment is part of a $30 million humanitarian aid package announced by the government and is in addition to a $10 million package sent in March, the ministry said in a press release on Wednesday. 

Items in the shipment include automatic defibrillators, ventilators and first aid kits, which were sent following a request from Ukraine. South Korea is also considering additional support, the ministry said.

Part of Mariupol's Azov shipyard has been heavily damaged by fighting in the city, a new video released by the Mariupol City Council shows.

CNN has geolocated the video and verified its authenticity. 

In the video, the shipyard's entrance sign and gate can be seen. Debris is scattered outside the gate, where a car and a forklift appear to have been strategically placed to block access.

The small building next to the gate has been destroyed by an explosion.

Toward a fence, two Czech hedgehogs — three metal beams welded together to act as an anti-tank barrier — can be seen.

Some context: Ukrainian forces are continuing to resist Russian attacks in the southeastern port city of Mariupol, with a Ukrainian commander telling CNN the situation at the nearby Azovstal steel plant — one of the city’s last bastions still under Ukrainian control — is "critical" as a large number of troops are wounded and time is limited. 

The United States believes Russia will target routes used for weapons shipments, according to a defense official, in an attempt to slow the supply of US and partner weapons flowing into Ukraine.

Russian forces have not frequently struck moving targets such as convoys or rail deliveries, but they could try to destroy the bridges, roads and rails used to transport the weapons and supplies into the country, the official said.

Even if the Russians were successful in striking those routes, the official said, they would be unable to stop the shipments in their entirety. There are simply too many shipments going in. 

Weapons into Ukraine: The US and partner nations have shipped nearly 70,000 anti-tank and anti-armor weapons into Ukraine, including Javelins, NLAWs, RPGs and more, the official said. The shipments have also included nearly 30,000 anti-aircraft missiles, such as Stingers, and some 7,000 launchers for these weapons.

Earlier this month, Joints Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee that some 60,000 anti-tank weapons and 25,000 anti-aircraft weapons had been sent into the country. Since then, the US has authorized hundreds of millions more dollars in military assistance.

Slowing down Russian invasion: The US and NATO have assessed that Ukrainian forces have used these systems very effectively to slow down and in some places stymie the Russian invasion. Part of that success has come from Ukraine’s adaptation of a decentralized command and control which allows junior commanders to make important battlefield decisions without higher authorization, the official said

Russia retains some advantage: The official also noted that Ukraine has had years to prepare for Russia’s offensive in southeast Ukraine, since the Donbas region has seen regular fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed proxies.

Ukraine has prepared trenches, anti-armor ambushes and more ahead of this imminent fight, the official said, but warned that Russia still retains the advantage in military technology and overall military power. Instead of spreading that power out over much of Ukraine, it is now concentrated in the south and east for what may be a massive assault.

Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense called on Russia to agree to an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and asked the UN Security Council to find a way to stop the war. 

Simon Coveney told Tuesday's UN briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine that he had just visited the country and seen the devastation in Bucha.

Coveney said that, instead of seeking an end to the war, he’s seen a renewed and upscaled offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Long reach of the war: In his address, Coveney said the conflict within Ukraine’s borders was causing economic consequences felt thousands of miles away by people living in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

Direct communications between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was restored late Tuesday, according to a press statement from IAEA's Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

Russian forces held Chernobyl for five weeks before withdrawing on March 31. IAEA lost contact with the nuclear power site on March 10.

The statement added that a "mission of IAEA experts" plans to visit the site later this month to "conduct nuclear safety, security and radiological assessments, deliver vital equipment and repair the Agency’s remote safeguards monitoring systems."

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Tuesday called on the organization to step up in response to the massive refugee crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Every day I'm asked … is the Security Council irrelevant to this crisis?” Thomas-Greenfield said at a UN Security Council meeting.

Thomas-Greenfield called on her fellow nations on the council to “show the world what we have learned from decades of addressing refugee crises and humanitarian situations” and support not only Ukrainians, but also third-country nationals fleeing the war. She also said they must make sure to take steps to mitigate the risk of women and children facing trafficking or gender based violence.

“Let's show the world that when Russia provoked the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, the rest of the Security Council and the United Nations stepped up and helped those most in need,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield praised the work of humanitarian aid workers, noting “they are impartial, and they should be protected, not shelled indiscriminately.”

Russia will be marked as a “source of evil” for targeting civilians, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Tuesday. 

The intensity of Russian fire towards the regions of Kharkiv and Donbas has “significantly increased,” Zelensky said. 

In Mariupol, the situation remains “brutal and unchanged,” Zelensky said. He claimed that Russian forces are blocking corridors and evacuations from Mariupol. Zelensky added that he had signed a decree to honor Ukrainian armed forces defending Mariupol. 

Zelensky met with members of parliament to recommend the extension of martial law in Ukraine, he said. 

“It’s very important to ensure stable activities at all of the borders,” he said.

Rep. Victoria Spartz, a Republican from Indiana who is the first Ukrainian-born member of US Congress, described her recent visit to her war-torn homeland in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper.

"I grew up in Chernihiv originally ... big part of my life," Spartz said. "And I have to tell you, you know, the city is heroic to hold the ground for over a month and really helped to save Kyiv. But the destruction was just unbelievable. Most villages almost burned to the ground," she said.

The Ukrainian-American lawmaker said that 70% of the city of Chernihiv was "left in destruction" and many people survived without basic necessities.

"I really can't believe things like that are happening in the 21st century. You know you read things like that in the books about World War II. Well, my grandma, who is is 95, said this destruction, this area hasn't seen even during Stalin times and World War II. But this is the tragedy of women and children. You look at the kids playing in the rubble. Really cleaning the rubbles and women are trying to get their life together," she said.

The Republican lawmaker called for continued pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin "to get to the table."

"I think the West, if we do not want to destabilize the world and have this crisis and war continue even further, we have to get serious and put pressure on Putin to get to the table. And unfortunately, the only pressure he will understand now is military pressure," she said.

"If we supply proper weapons in western Europe, in eastern Europe, to help Ukrainian people to fight this war, and stop him, then we will have a resolution and discussion," Spartz continued.

Watch the full interview here:

The US is preparing another $800 million security assistance package for Ukraine, according to three senior administration officials and two sources familiar with the planning.

Details of the latest package were still being discussed and could change, but earlier Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said the US plans to send more artillery to Ukraine. 

Upon arrival in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Biden was asked by reporters on the tarmac if he plans to send more artillery to Ukraine.

Per the pool, Biden told reporters, “Yes,” before boarding his motorcade.

One senior administration official said the newest package could be approved within the next 36 hours, though another administration official said the timing isn’t locked down and it could be within the coming days. 

The size of the package could also change at the last minute, the second official said.

The latest package comes just a week after the Biden administration authorized another $800 million security package, which included artillery and anti-artillery radars for the first time since the Russian invasion began.

The Biden administration is working to get the security assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible because they believe the war is in a critical stage and the continued US assistance could make a difference when Russia’s more aggressive assault begins in Eastern Ukraine, the third administration officials said. 

The more open terrain in that region favors the use of artillery and long-range systems, which is why the administration has placed a premium on getting those types of systems in quickly as the fighting moves away from Kyiv and into the Donbas region.

The region also borders Russia, allowing the Russian forces to maintain shorter supply lines needed to sustain an assault. Ukraine and Russia, through its own forces and proxies, have fought in the Donbas region for the last eight years, making it familiar territory for both forces.

More background: This week US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will meet with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, in Washington, DC, to discuss aid for Ukraine and holding Russia accountable. A Ukrainian delegation will be in the capital this week as part of the 2022 IMF-World Bank Spring meetings.

If approved, the latest package of $800 million would mean the US has committed approximately $3.4 billion dollars in assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24th.

This would be the last presidential drawdown until Congress approves more money for weapons to Ukraine. In a presidential drawdown, the Defense Department pulls weapons and equipment from US inventories to send to Ukraine instead of purchasing new weapons from manufacturers.