Recent News on the War in Russia and Ukraine

Donetsk Governor Pavlo Girilenko has accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs in eastern Ukraine.

“In Maryinka, Krasnohorivka and Novomykhailivka, Donetsk region, the enemy again used phosphorus bombs,” he told the ambassador’s correspondent Telegram.

“After the shelling, 11 wounded civilians from the Marinsky community, including four children, were taken to a hospital in Krakw.

CNBC could not verify these reports independently.

A Russian government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Ukrainian officials have previously accused Russian forces of using phosphorus weapons, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky.

According to Human Rights Watch, the white form of the chemical phosphorus “burns people to the bone, smokes them into the body and re-burns them when bandages are removed”. But the system Says Weapons containing white phosphorus are not included in Protocol III of the Convention on the Convention against Some Conventional Weapons, an international tool for regulating firearms.

– Chloe Taylor

Kharkiv Governor Ole Sinekubov said in a telegram on Thursday that Russian forces were refusing to allow humanitarian corridors despite bombings in the Kharkiv region.

“We work to open every day [humanitarian] Corridors, “he said.” But so far Russia has not given us such an opportunity. “

Last night, Russian troops carried out 47 artillery, mortar and tank missiles in various parts of Kharkiv, and about 380 shells from Gord and Tornado missiles, he said. A gas pipe was damaged, resulting in a fire, he said Synegubov.

CNBC could not verify these reports independently.

– Chloe Taylor

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vareshchuk has confirmed that humanitarian routes will be opened today in the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol, Melitopol and Enerkot.

In a telegram post, he said Russia had “confirmed its readiness” to comply with the corridors, which would allow the evacuation of civilians and the importation of vital goods.

Initial attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol Had to be stopped When Ukrainian officials said they did not respect the ceasefire agreements put in place by Russian troops.

Thousands of civilians are trapped in the city’s conflict zone and are facing shortages of essential commodities, including food, water and medicine.

The capture of Mariupol would be a major victory for Russia, as it could allow Moscow to create a land route to the peninsular Crimea in the south of Ukraine, which was annexed in 2014.

– Chloe Taylor

Russian President Vladimir Putin He has misjudged the situation in Ukraine, but his advisers are afraid The head of Britain’s intelligence agency said he was being told the truth about what was happening on the ground.

“Putin seems to have largely misjudged the situation. It is clear that he has misjudged the opposition of the Ukrainian people,” Jeremy Fleming, director of the UK intelligence agency GCHQ, said in a speech to Australia on Thursday.

Describing the conflict in Ukraine as Putin’s “personal war,” Fleming said the Russian leader had underestimated the economic consequences of the sanctions regime and Russia’s military capabilities.

“We have seen Russian soldiers – armed and mentally ill – refusing to carry out orders, destroying their own equipment and accidentally shooting down their own aircraft,” he said.

“While we believe Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, the magnitude of what is going on and the extent of these misjudgments should be clear to the regime.”

– Chloe Taylor

Ukrainian official David Arakamiya, who took part in the talks with Russia, said in a video message that Russia and Ukraine would resume talks on April 1.

Speaking on Ukrainian television, Arakamiya said there was no relaxation for the Russian negotiating team and that the small details of the talks with the Kremlin should be discussed. However he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat Ukraine’s team, but said that they were more flexible than their Russian counterparts.

– Chloe Taylor

“Significant” Russian shelling and missile strikes continued on the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, and Russian troops are still stationed near Kiev, despite Moscow’s assurances, the United Kingdom said on Thursday.

“Despite the withdrawal of a small number of units, Russian forces continue to maintain positions in eastern and western Kiev,” the UK Defense Ministry said. Said at the intelligence conference.

Chernihiv is about 90 miles (145 km) north of Kiev and 40 miles (64 km) south of the Russian border.

A Russian security official said Wednesday that it was Moscow Will “drastically” reduce military operations Near the capital, Chernivtsi and Kiev, NBC News reported.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blingen has warned against believing in Moscow’s promises. The Russian Defense Ministry’s press office was not immediately available for comment.

The British Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that heavy fighting will take place in the suburbs of Kiev in the coming days. Since last week, Ukrainian forces have begun announcing the recapture of cities near the capital.

The situation around the capital is fluid, and it is difficult or impossible to verify those Ukrainian claims.

“You see the Ukrainians seizing the opportunity and trying to get the Russians back as much as they can,” said Dan de Loose, a NBC News Global Security correspondent.

Fierce fighting continues in Mariupol in the south, but the UK Ministry said Ukrainian guards still hold the city center. Mariupol was largely destroyed by Russian artillery and missiles.

– Ted Kemp