- Ukraine is a “crime scene”, the ICC’s chief prosecutor said during a visit to Boucha.
- Satellite imagery showed Russian troops moving towards the Ukrainian border, while Kyiv was preparing for an eastern offensive.
- US President Joe Biden has accused Moscow of “genocide”.
- Russia claims 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered in the besieged southeastern port city of Mariupol.
- The leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Who controls Ukraine?
Satellite imagery showed Russian troops moving towards the Ukrainian border, while Kyiv was preparing for an eastern offensive. Ukraine’s president says Russia is using phosphorus bombs. Leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv (Al Jazeera)
Here’s an update on the 49th day of the war:
Who is Putin’s main figure in Ukraine, Viktor Medvechuk?
Medvechuk, who was recently captured by Ukrainian troops, escaped house arrest shortly after the war began.
ICC chief prosecutor calls Ukraine a ‘crime scene’ during visit to Boucha
The ICC’s chief prosecutor called Ukraine a “crime scene” during a visit to the town of Butcha, near Kyiv, where it claims Russian troops killed hundreds of civilians.
“We are here because we have reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court are taking place,” Karim Khan told reporters, adding that the ICC needed to “pierce through the fog of war to find out the truth”.
“We have to keep an open mind and we have to follow the evidence,” he said. “The law needs to be mobilized and put into battle to protect civilians”.
Moscow has repeatedly denied that its troops killed civilians in Butcha and dismissed the Kyiv allegations as “propaganda”.
OSCE report documents Russian army ‘violating humanitarian law’
A preliminary report by a panel of experts set up by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents a “clear pattern of violations of international humanitarian law” by Russian forces in Ukraine.
The 110-page report, presented at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, said “civilian casualties would be much lower” if Moscow complied with its international obligations.
The three experts who wrote the report, which included information from local NGOs, said it was impossible to determine whether the Russian military acted as a war crime, given the timeline and scope of their mission.
The panel was established at the request of Ukraine on 3 March. The mission time spanned the period from the start of the invasion on February 24 to the April 1 before images of civilian killings emerged as Russian troops withdrew from northern Ukraine.
UNESCO: Nearly 100 sites damaged by war
Nearly 100 cultural and religious sites in Ukraine have been damaged since the Russian invasion began on February 24, a representative of the United Nations cultural agency said.
“The damaged or completely destroyed sites will reach 100 on Thursday or Friday. This morning, we have listed 98 sites and monuments in eight regions of the country.”
The number includes a range of sites, including some from the early Middle Ages to others considered early Soviet architectural landmarks, Assomo said.
“Some of these sites and monuments will take time to rebuild, while others may not be rebuildable at all,” he added.
As war rages in Ukraine, Russia warns of instability in Bosnia
The Russian embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina has criticized the suspension of the Bosnian Serb property law and warned the country could face instability unless the decision of the top U.N. representative is reversed.
Russia’s comments underscore a feud with the West over policy in the volatile Balkans, where Moscow seeks to increase its historical influence. As the war in Ukraine intensifies, there are fears of escalating tensions in the region.
UK sanctions Russia-backed separatists in breakaway zone
In response to the Russian incursion, Britain imposed new sanctions on 206 people, including 178 who were allegedly involved in supporting two Russian-backed breakaway areas in eastern Ukraine.
The UK Foreign Office said the new measures targeted self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic Prime Minister Alexander Ananchenko and Luhansk People’s Republic Prime Minister Sergei Kozlov.
“We today sanctioned those who supported the illegal separation of areas and participated in atrocities against the Ukrainian people,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said. “We will continue to target all those who aided and abetted Putin’s war.”
Dnipro officials say the remains of 1,500 Russian soldiers are being kept in the city morgue
The remains of more than 1,500 Russian soldiers killed in the Moscow offensive are being held in morgues, a local official in the central-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro claims.
Deputy Mayor Mikhailo Lysenko told reporters that no one seemed to want to “recover” the body. He added that he hoped Russian mothers “will be able to come and pick up their sons”.
Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify Lysenko’s claims.
Report: Pentagon to meet largest U.S. arms maker over Ukraine incident
The Pentagon will hold a meeting with eight of the largest U.S. defense contractors in order to increase military aid to Ukraine, according to multiple reports.
Finland to make decision on NATO bid in coming weeks
Finland’s prime minister said the country would decide in the coming weeks whether to apply to join the 30-member NATO transatlantic military alliance.
“We have to analyse these very carefully about the different views on whether to apply or not to join NATO,” Sanna Marin told reporters at a joint news conference with Sweden’s prime minister in Stockholm on Wednesday.
“But I think our process is going to be very fast, it’s going to happen in a few weeks,” she added.
Putin says Russia can divert energy exports away from the West
Putin said Russia could easily redirect the export of its vast energy resources from the West to countries that really need them, while increasing domestic consumption of oil, gas and coal.
In a meeting with officials to discuss developments in Russia’s Arctic, he said Moscow’s lack of cooperation amid sweeping Western sanctions on the Kremlin, but he claimed the situation also created new possibilities.
US warns it ‘will not remain indifferent’ to those who undermine Russia sanctions
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said countries that profited by not condemning Russia’s “heinous war” against Ukraine were shortsighted and faced consequences if they undermined Western sanctions.
In remarks prepared for an event hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank, she warned that the United States and its partners “will not remain indifferent” to actions that undermine the sweeping measures they have imposed on Moscow.
Yellen said the war has redrawn the world‘s economic outlook, and given Russia’s “horrific behavior” and alleged violations of international law, the Biden administration is firmly committed to “pushing Russia further into economic, financial and strategic isolation.”
Which countries have sanctioned Russia?
At least 45 countries have imposed sanctions on Russia or committed to a combination of US and EU sanctions. Since February 22, Russia has been subject to 5,398 sanctions, the most sanctioned country in the world (Al Jazeera)
What do we know about Russia’s chemical weapons?
While chemical weapons were banned in 1972, Russia has been accused of using them on several different occasions in recent years.
Now, there are fears that Moscow could deploy such weapons in Ukraine after a regional official in Donetsk appeared to call for such weapons.
Ukrainian President Says Russian Army Used Phosphorus Bombs
Zelensky accused Russian troops of using phosphorus bombs in Ukraine.
In a speech to the Estonian parliament, Ukraine’s president said Moscow was using “terrorist tactics” against civilians. He did not provide evidence to support his claims about the use of phosphorus munitions.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Russia of using such bombs, a charge Moscow has denied. International law prohibits their use in areas that could endanger civilians.
Zelensky also accused Russia of forcibly expelling Ukrainians and called for further sanctions on Moscow, arguing that such measures were the only way to force Putin to agree to a peace deal.
Al Jazeera reporter: Northwest Kyiv area ‘completely destroyed’
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Kyiv, said areas northwest of the capital that until recently had been occupied by Russian troops, such as Butcha, Irpin and Khostomer, had been “completely destroyed”.
Imran Khan said local authorities had warned it would take “years” to rebuild the areas as residents began to cautiously return.
“People are going back, and many of them find their houses completely destroyed,” he added.
Ukraine’s State Border Service said on Tuesday that more than 870,000 people who fled abroad after the Russian invasion had returned to the country.
Presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland head to Ukraine
The presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland will travel to Kyiv to meet Zelensky.
The four join a growing number of European politicians who have visited the Ukrainian capital since Russian troops were driven out of the country’s north earlier this month.
Government official: Seven killed in shelling in Kharkov city
At least seven people have been killed and 22 others injured in Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, said Shinegupov, a government official in the Kharkiv region.
In an online post, Sinegubov said a two-year-old boy was killed in 53 shelling or rocket attacks by Russian troops over the past day.
Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the figures provided by Sinegupov.
Ukraine says ‘no information on surrender of Mariupol marines’
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said there was no information on the surrender of Ukrainian marines in Mariupol that Moscow had reported earlier.
“I don’t have any information,” Alexander Motoshanok told Reuters in response to a request for comment.
Russia says 1,026 Ukrainian marines surrendered in Mariupol
Russia’s Defense Ministry said 1,026 soldiers of Ukraine’s 36th Marine Corps, including 162 officers, had surrendered in the besieged southeastern port city of Mariupol.
“Near the Mariupol Ilyich Steel Plant, 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers of the 36th Marine Corps voluntarily surrendered due to the successful offensive of the Russian Armed Forces and the Donetsk People’s Republic militia,” the ministry said in a statement statement.
The statement added that 15 wounded Ukrainian soldiers were treated at the scene before being taken to Mariupol city hospital.
Kyiv did not immediately respond to the claim.
Ukraine: Russia-backed separatists fuel fears of chemical weapons
Eduard Basourin, the spokesman for the pro-Russian separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, appeared on Russian TV channels on Monday, raising concerns about the possible use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
“I think (the Russian army) should resort to chemical warfare units and they will find a way to suck the mole out of the hole,” he said in a televised address, referring to Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister says it’s impossible to open humanitarian corridor
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshuk has said no humanitarian corridors can be opened, accusing the occupying Russian army of violating the ceasefire by preventing buses from evacuating civilians.
In a statement posted on the messaging app Telegram, Vereshuk added that the authorities will work to reopen the humanitarian corridor as soon as possible.
German politicians call on EU to ban Russian oil after visit to Ukraine
The EU should impose an embargo on Russian oil as soon as possible, the heads of three German parliamentary committees said after their visit to Ukraine.
Michael Roth, chairman of Germany’s foreign affairs committee, said cutting Russian oil would be a very important signal because it would affect Russia’s main source of revenue.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, is under pressure to wean itself off Russian gas and oil as a result of the Russian invasion and the mounting death toll of Ukrainian civilians; the revenues, critics say, provide Moscow with vital funds to wage war.
The European Union is drafting proposals to impose an oil embargo on Russia, although there is no agreement among member states to ban Russian crude. EU diplomats said Germany did not actively support an immediate embargo on Russian oil.
Ukraine says risk of Russian use of chemical weapons remains high
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hannah Maliar said the risk of Russia using chemical weapons against Ukraine was high, echoing President Zelensky’s warning earlier this week.
On Tuesday, Mariar said authorities were checking unsubstantiated reports that Russia may have used chemical weapons during the siege of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, and there is one theory that phosphorus bombs were used in the operation.
Russia has previously called U.S. talk of Russia’s use of chemical weapons a tactic to distract from embarrassing issues in Washington and accused Ukraine of preparing to use chemical weapons.
Mayor of Mariupol, Ukraine says more than 100,000 people are waiting to be evacuated
The mayor of the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, Vadim Boychenko, said in a televised speech that more than 100,000 people remained in the city awaiting evacuation.
Ukraine’s military says it repelled six attacks in Donbass
Ukraine’s armed forces have defended against six Russian attacks in the eastern region of Donetsk and Luhansk, collectively known as the Donbass, the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff said.
It said in a Facebook post that Russian forces were also targeting partially blocked Kharkiv as well as Mariupol.
In Mariupol, where Russian troops are closing in on the Azov steel plant, hundreds of Ukrainian troops have been fending off attacks for weeks.
Their resistance thwarted Moscow’s attempts to build a land bridge between the separatist-held Donbas region and annexed Crimea.
Mansour Mirovalov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ombudsman: 191 children killed in Ukraine
Ukrainian human rights monitor Lyudmila Denisova said at least 191 children had been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24, including five in the past 24 hours.
Another 349 children were injured, Denisova said on Telegram.
Ukrainian prosecutors said earlier that most of the deaths occurred in the southeastern Donetsk region, which is partly controlled by pro-Russian separatists, as well as in areas around Kyiv and Kharkov.
Mansour Mirovalov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Satellite imagery shows Russian convoy moving
Newly released Maxar Technologies satellite imagery shows a convoy of military vehicles in southeastern Ukraine in recent days as ground forces move toward Russia’s border with Ukraine, possibly in preparation for an offensive.
On the Ukrainian side, Maxar said it had noticed a convoy of military equipment moving in and around the Donbas region, adding that there were about 200 vehicles in total, including tanks, artillery and armored personnel carriers.
On Monday, the U.S. company’s satellite photos captured newly deployed troops, tents and vehicles in the rural Russian region of Soloty.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia will continue military operations in Ukraine until its goals are achieved.
The operation is proceeding as planned, he said.
BBC finds evidence of cluster bombs used in Kramatorsk attack
A BBC investigation has found “clear evidence” that cluster bombs were used in the April 9 attack on Ukraine’s Kramatorsk railway station. Evidence includes ground patterns consistent with post-use cluster munition warheads.
Cluster bombs are loaded with smaller submunitions or bomblets that are scattered randomly over a wide area when they explode. More than 120 countries have signed treaties banning the use of these weapons, but Russia has not.
Some 57 people were killed when the missile hit the train station, which was crowded with people trying to leave the east of the country.
1 dead, 2 injured in Babai in Harviv region
Russian troops opened fire on the village of Babai in the Kharkiv region, killing a 37-year-old man, according to a news report from the Kharkiv District Prosecutor’s Office.
Two more people were injured and some houses were damaged and destroyed,” the statement said.
UK Ministry of Defense: Russia’s new commander tries to regain control
In its latest intelligence briefing, the MoD said Russia’s ability to coordinate its forces in Ukraine has so far been hampered, with the appointment of General Alexander Dvornikov “representing an attempt to centralize command and control”.
“The choice of Dvornikov further demonstrates that Ukraine’s determined resistance and ineffective prewar planning have forced Russia to reassess its operations,” the briefing said, referring to Russia’s renewed focus on eastern Ukraine.
Russia fires on central Ukraine railway, no casualties, reports say
Russian troops opened fire on a busy station in central Ukraine during the night, but there were no casualties, Alexander Kamishin, head of Ukraine’s railway company, wrote on his Telegram channel.
“For safety reasons, we have changed the routes and schedules of 17 passenger trains,” he wrote, adding that the longest delay was seven hours and 23 minutes.
