Today at 12:20 a.m. EDT|Updated today at 5:22 p.m. EDT
Today at 12:20 a.m. EDT|Updated today at 5:22 p.m. EDT
Officials in Kyiv and the western city of Lviv reported explosions Saturday, after Russia warned it would step up strikes on Ukraine’s capital in retaliation for purported Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. Russian officials claimed to have hit a military hardware facility in Kyiv.
The attack comes after Ukrainian forces sank the Moskva, the premier warship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, with Ukrainian-made anti-ship missiles, a senior U.S. defense official told The Washington Post on Friday. Moscow disputes Kyiv’s account, maintaining that the ship was lost in a fire that detonated munitions onboard.
Meanwhile, Russia appears to be on the verge of capturing the devastated port city of Mariupol, which is is strategically important to the Kremlin because it would connect Russian-annexed Crimea with Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr said Saturday the situation is “difficult” and warned that if Mariupol is found to have suffered atrocities on the scale of those uncovered in Bucha and other cities, it could be the end of any negotiations with Russia.
Amid that battle for control, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and other senior officials plan to visit Washington next week for economic meetings, a World Bank official told The Post on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the visit had yet to be officially announced.
Here’s what to know
- Another Russian general, Maj. Gen. Vladimir Frolov of the 8th Army, died in battle in Ukraine, the governor of St. Petersburg said — the latest in a string of deaths involving high-ranking Russian commanders.
- Aiming to exert greater pressure on Moscow, Zelensky asked President Biden to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, one of the most powerful and far-reaching sanctions in the U.S. arsenal.
- The director of the U.N. World Food Program warned that the disruption of grain exports from Ukraine could cause a global grain shortage and, consequently, a hunger crisis.
- The Washington Post has lifted its paywall for readers in Russia and Ukraine. Telegram users can subscribe to our channel for updates.
War in Ukraine generates interest in nuclear energy, despite danger
The war in Ukraine has intensified interest across Europe in building new nuclear energy plants or extending the lives of old ones to liberate the continent from its heavy reliance on Russian oil and natural gas.
Belgium made an about-face, deciding to keep open a pair of reactors slated for closure. The Czech Republic invited Western companies to deliver nuclear fuel to replace Russian supplies. Poland is negotiating to build new reactors in a quiet seaside town. The war has reversed the tenor of the nuclear debate, just when its prospects had seemed to dim.
The heightened interest comes as the war in Ukraine shows the dangers of building nuclear reactors on NATO’s front line. Fighting around Ukraine’s nuclear sites raised alarms about damage that enemy troops, drones and missiles might inflict on installations — damage that could lead to radiation releases, which have been linked to a range of cancers years later.
Analysis: Zelensky, Biden use moral outrage as weapons in the conflict with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky became a symbol of resistance and resilience in the early days of the war after the Russians invaded his country without provocation. He has also become a voice of moral clarity in the ways in which he has challenged the leaders of the West, upon whose nations he is dependent for support in the war effort.
President Biden also has used his bully pulpit to project — sometimes in undiplomatic ways — his own sense of moral outrage toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and the atrocities Russian military forces have inflicted on Ukrainian citizens during two months of war.
Both probably know the limits of their rhetoric versus the realities of what they are facing. There are obvious risks for both, though different for each leader. But in leveraging their positions, they have added something beyond realpolitik to the broader discussion about the implications of the war for the world at large and for what will happen when the conflict subsides.
Biden has power that Zelensky doesn’t have, but he is constrained by the possible consequences of his actions. Zelensky has less power but has found that morally charged rhetoric is one weapon he can employ and he has chosen to do constantly and consistently.
Another Russian general is killed in Ukraine, governor says
Russian Maj. Gen. Vladimir Frolov of the 8th Army died in battle in Ukraine and was buried in Russia on Saturday, according to a statement from the governor of St. Petersburg.
The statement from Alexander Beglov offered no details of when or where Frolov was killed. As deputy commander of the 8th Army, Frolov commanded forces deployed to an area near Mariupol, the devastated port city that Russia appears on the verge of capturing.
Russian state media outlet Fontanka reported that Beglov claimed Frolov, whom he described as “a true patriot,” “fell the death of the brave.”
“The people will not forget their heroes,” Beglov said in a statement. “Eternal memory to him.”
Pictures on Russian state media show Frolov’s gravesite at the Serafimovsky cemetery in St. Petersburg covered in red flowers.
Frolov is one of several Russian generals who have been killed in Ukraine since the invasion began more than seven weeks ago.
Thousands evacuated Saturday despite persistent shelling, Ukraine says
More than 1,400 people were evacuated through humanitarian corridors on Saturday despite persistent Russian shelling that made it difficult to carry out efforts in various parts of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
The city of Zaporizhzhia received 1,381 people from hard-hit areas of the southeast who traveled in their own vehicles, with residents from Polohy, Vasylivka, Berdyansk and Melitopol making up the majority of those who arrived, Vereshchuk said through Telegram.
Nearly 70 people were evacuated from the eastern region of Luhansk in the face of Russian shelling.
Vereshchuk said the density of shelling prevented the evacuation of people from the eastern city of Lysychansk.
Zelensky: All negotiations could end if Mariupol defenders are killed
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia could end if Russian forces killed all the Ukrainians defending the port city of Mariupol.
In an interview with Ukrainian media, Zelensky was asked about cease-fire and peace negotiations that came to a halt after destruction in cities such as Bucha and Borodyanka, an area northwest of Kyiv that had been pounded by airstrikes earlier this month. The devastation in Borodyanka gouged huge chunks out of residential buildings.
Zelensky warned that if Mariupol is found to have suffered atrocities on the scale of those uncovered in Bucha and other cities, it could be the end of the negotiations.
“There could be 10 Borodyankas there,” he said of Mariupol.
Zelensky added that “the destruction of all our boys in Mariupol” could “[put an end] to any format of negotiations.” He told the journalists that they know what part of Mariupol Ukrainian forces control “and how small it is.”
“I believe this is a big mistake if they definitely want to end the war as they say,” Zelensky said of Russian aggression in the port city. “This is a dead end because … we aren’t bartering using our territories and people. And we understand that the talks are needed to defend our country and end the war.”
Cease-fire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have essentially collapsed in recent weeks, with both sides unwilling to engage in serious talks, according to an analysis released Friday by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.
Zelensky noted to Ukrainian media that the situation in Mariupol is “very difficult,” acknowledging that “many people have disappeared” from the city. He reiterated that the wounded who remained blocked from leaving Mariupol needed to get out.
“A cease-fire is needed to pick up the wounded,” he said, according to the news outlet Ukrainian Pravda. “But it depends on Russia’s desire. They offer our people to surrender.”
Zach Nelson contributed to this report.
Moskva crew will continue to serve, Russian military official says
A top Russian military official and other navy leaders told the crew of the Moskva warship that they would continue to serve after the ship was destroyed Thursday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, commander in chief of the Russian navy, and the command of Russia’s Black Sea fleet met with the crew members in Sevastopol, the largest city in the Russian-annexed Crimea region. They told the crew that the Moskva’s traditions “will be carefully preserved and continued,” the defense ministry said Saturday.
Video of the event showed several dozen servicemen standing in two lines. It remains unclear whether any of the 500-person crew was killed or injured.
Ukrainian troops used anti-ship missiles Wednesday to hit the Moskva, the crown jewel of the Black Sea fleet, a senior U.S. defense official told The Washington Post on Friday. The ship sank the next day. Moscow continues to deny that version of events and claim the ship was demolished in a fire that detonated ammunition onboard.
Kyiv wants Washington to name Moscow a state sponsor of terrorism. What would that mean?
As Russia renews and refocuses its attacks on eastern and southern Ukraine, and as more evidence of apparent Russian atrocities emerges, Kyiv has asked Washington to deploy one of the most potent tools in its arsenal: adding Moscow to the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a direct appeal to President Biden during a recent phone call, The Washington Post reported. (Polish President Andrzej Duda also accused Russia of terrorism this week while on a visit to Kyiv.) But Biden — who has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” — did not commit to specific actions on the call, according to people familiar with the conversation.
The United States has led a financial war against the Kremlin since the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, while also providing significant military assistance to Kyiv. Here’s what to know about Zelensky’s latest request and what Washington might make of it.
The latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine
Mariupol: Russian forces appear poised to capture this strategic southern port city, although Ukrainian forces maintain their hold on the Azovstal steel plant, one of the largest metallurgical factories in Europe. Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told CNN on Friday that Mariupol “is no more,” while Zelensky pledged to do “everything to save our people.”
Odessa: Ukrainian troops off the coast of this southern city struck the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, with two missiles on Thursday and caused it to sink, a senior U.S. defense official said Friday. Russia’s Defense Ministry disputes that account, claiming the Moskva was damaged after a “heavy storm” and a fire.
Kharkiv: One person was killed and 18 were injured when a rocket hit the city on Saturday, regional Gov. Oleh Synyehubov said. Additionally, the regional prosecutor’s office said Friday that 10 people, including a 7-month-old child, had been killed that day by shelling in Kharkiv’s industrial area.
Luhansk region: Shelling by Russian forces in Lysychansk, a city in the eastern part of the region, is making it difficult for civilians to evacuate, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said Saturday. The city of Severodonetsk is “70% destroyed,” he wrote, while other towns have been destroyed “beyond recognition.”
Kyiv region: Russian officials claimed Saturday to have struck a military hardware facility in the city of Kyiv as officials there reported explosions and one death. Moscow had warned it would increase its strikes on Ukraine’s capital in retaliation for alleged attacks by Ukraine. Regional Police Chief Andriy Nyebytov alleged Friday that officials also had found “more than 900” dead civilians as a result of Russian attacks. He did not specify when the bodies were discovered.
Kherson: Although this port city on the Dnieper River was seized by Russian forces during the first week of the war, Moscow appears to have lost control of part of it after Ukrainian resistance and civilian protests, the U.S. Defense Department has said. New satellite imagery shows hundreds of graves being dug there.
Photos: Aftermath of Russian attack in Kharkiv
Associated Press photojournalist Felipe Dana was on the scene after a Russian attack in Kharkiv on Saturday.
He made these images as fighting continues in Ukraine and people in the eastern part of the country try to evacuate.
Dana documented the devastation from the attack, as well as firefighters trying to extinguish multiple fires in Kharkiv.
The story of one man’s body found in an abandoned Russian military camp
BUCHA, Ukraine — Police found the body in an abandoned Russian military camp where occupying soldiers had sat around drinking wine, their laughter so loud that neighbors seethed as it echoed down Yablunska Street.
They had known for weeks that there was a body in the camp, yet another among so many corpses the Russians left behind. Overwhelmed crews picking them up simply hadn’t gotten to it yet. So no one knew it was Ivan Monastyrskyi.
His neighbor was the first to identify him, recognizing the unshaven face of a man who had watched his beloved street become a killing field. When his wife, Yulia, approached the body, her blue eyes froze.
There were bullet holes in his calves and his arms were stretched out at strange angles between slats of wood with nails through them. His wife looked at the thin sweater he was wearing and couldn’t help thinking how he must have been so cold in his final minutes.
Yulia’s neighbors heard her that night, inconsolable.
“What happened?” they heard her crying. “What did they do to him?”
Ukraine’s richest man pledges to help rebuild battered Mariupol
Ukraine’s richest man vowed Saturday to help rebuild Mariupol, a strategic southeastern port city that is close to being captured by Russian forces following seven weeks of constant bombardment.
Rinat Akhmetov, who owns Metinvest, Ukraine’s biggest steelmaker, told Reuters that his business has been shattered during the invasion, with Metinvest announcing it was unable to deliver on its supply contracts. He praised fighters in Mariupol who have slowed down Russia’s efforts to claim the city and who have remained defiant throughout the invasion.
“Mariupol is a global tragedy and a global example of heroism,” he said. “For me, Mariupol has been and will always be a Ukrainian city.”
Akhmetov added, “I believe that our brave soldiers will defend the city, though I understand how difficult and hard it is for them.”
Analysts are predicting that Mariupol will be the first major Ukrainian city to fall in the coming days. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, said Friday that Mariupol “has been wiped off the face of the earth” by Russian forces.
But Akhmetov emphasized to Reuters that his hope is to rebuild the city into “a Ukrainian Mariupol” and ramp up Mariupol-produced steel through his SCM Group, a private financial and industrial company, so the port city can one again compete in global markets.
“I am confident that, as the country’s biggest private business, SCM will play a key role in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine,” he said.
Among the facilities owned by Akhmetov is the Azovstal steel plant, one of the largest metallurgical factories in Europe. The Azov Battalion, one of Ukraine’s most skilled — and controversial — military units, has defended the sprawling steel plant in the city’s east against repeated assaults from Russian forces this week, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.
Akhmetov, whose net worth is listed by Forbes at $3.9 billion, called for an “unprecedented international reconstruction program, a Marshall Plan for Ukraine,” referencing the U.S. aid project that assisted in rebuilding Western Europe after World War II.
“I trust that we all will rebuild a free, European, democratic and successful Ukraine after our victory in this war,” he said to Reuters.
Ukraine’s prime minister to travel to D.C. for financial meetings
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and other senior officials will visit Washington in coming days to attend financial meetings, a World Bank official told The Washington Post on Saturday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the visit has yet to be officially announced.
Ukraine’s prime minister, along with the country’s finance minister, Serhiy Marchenko, and the head of its central bank, Kyrylo Shevchenko, will attend the spring meetings hosted by the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, according to the official, although Ukraine has not yet confirmed their travel. The trip was first reported by Reuters. Representatives from the Group of Seven countries will also attend the meetings.
The event focused on Ukraine will take place on Thursday, along with bilateral meetings, according to the World Bank official.
Although a number of Western leaders and officials have visited Kyiv since the Russian invasion, this appears to be the first time that a high-level Ukrainian delegation will travel to the United States. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this past week that President Biden will not visit Ukraine, amid growing speculation that a top U.S. official could soon make the trip.
On Tuesday, the World Bank announced it was preparing a nearly $1.5 billion support package for Ukraine, to aid the “continuation of essential government services during the war.”
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva also warned in recent days that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was weakening the economic prospects for most of the world’s countries and disrupting global trade, as well as negatively impacting energy and food prices.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his nation late Friday in an address that he had chaired a cabinet meeting to discuss “urgent economic issues,” as swaths of industry have been hurt by the war. He said four-fifths of all Ukrainian enterprises in safe areas have resumed operations and that transport networks were being rebuilt. He praised businesses for adapting during the conflict and retaining employees.
“No matter what, in all cities and communities where there are no occupiers and hostilities, it is necessary to restore the economy to the maximum,” Zelensky said.
Benjamin Soloway contributed to this report.
1 dead and 18 hospitalized after rocket strikes Kharkiv, governor says
One person was killed and 18 were injured after a rocket struck the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Saturday, according to the provincial governor.
Oleh Synyehubov said on his Telegram account that a rocket fired by Russian forces “hit one of the central districts of Kharkiv again” early Saturday.
“18 people were injured and hospitalized,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, 1 person died on the spot.”
The governor noted that rescuers were “working hard” to limit the number of fatalities and consequences from the strike.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said Russian forces had attempted to break through the lines from the direction of the Kharkiv region in the north overnight, but that effort was defeated.
Synyehubov pleaded with residents to be “extremely careful” at a time when Russian forces “continue to terrorize the civilian population of Kharkiv and the region.”
“As we can see, the enemy has increased the intensity of attacks on residential areas,” the Kharkiv governor said. “Do not ignore the alarms!”
Boris Johnson banned from entering Russia
LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior British politicians have been banned from entering Russia in response to what the Russian government said was the United Kingdom’s “unprecedented hostile actions” over the war in Ukraine.
“This step was taken as a response to London’s unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for restricting our country and strangling the domestic economy,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday.
Moscow has placed similar bans in recent weeks on U.S., Canadian and European leaders.
A local resident walks with a bicycle in Mariupol on Friday. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)Today at 12:20 a.m. EDT|Updated today at 5:22 p.m. EDTToday at 12:20 a.m. EDT|Updated today at 5:22 p.m. EDTPlaceholder while article actions loadOfficials in Kyiv and the western city of Lviv reported explosions Saturday, after Russia warned it would step up strikes on Ukraine’s capital in retaliation for purported Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. Russian officials claimed to have hit a military hardware facility in Kyiv.The attack comes after Ukrainian forces sank the Moskva, the premier warship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, with Ukrainian-made anti-ship missiles, a senior U.S. defense official told The Washington Post on Friday. Moscow disputes Kyiv’s account, maintaining that the ship was lost in a fire that detonated munitions onboard.Meanwhile, Russia appears to be on the verge of capturing the devastated port city of Mariupol, which is is strategically important to the Kremlin because it would connect Russian-annexed Crimea with Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr said Saturday the situation is “difficult” and warned that if Mariupol is found to have suffered atrocities on the scale of those uncovered in Bucha and other cities, it could be the end of any negotiations with Russia.Amid that battle for control, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and other senior officials plan to visit Washington next week for economic meetings, a World Bank official told The Post on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the visit had yet to be officially announced.Here’s what to knowAnother Russian general, Maj. Gen. Vladimir Frolov of the 8th Army, died in battle in Ukraine, the governor of St. Petersburg said — the latest in a string of deaths involving high-ranking Russian commanders.Aiming to exert greater pressure on Moscow, Zelensky asked President Biden to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, one of the most powerful and far-reaching sanctions in the U.S. arsenal.The director of the U.N. World Food Program warned that the disruption of grain exports from Ukraine could cause a global grain shortage and, consequently, a hunger crisis.The Washington Post has lifted its paywall for readers in Russia and Ukraine. Telegram users can subscribe to our channel for updates.War in Ukraine generates interest in nuclear energy, despite dangerReturn to menuThe war in Ukraine has intensified interest across Europe in building new nuclear energy plants or extending the lives of old ones to liberate the continent from its heavy reliance on Russian oil and natural gas.Belgium made an about-face, deciding to keep open a pair of reactors slated for closure. The Czech Republic invited Western companies to deliver nuclear fuel to replace Russian supplies. Poland is negotiating to build new reactors in a quiet seaside town. The war has reversed the tenor of the nuclear debate, just when its prospects had seemed to dim.The heightened interest comes as the war in Ukraine shows the dangers of building nuclear reactors on NATO’s front line. Fighting around Ukraine’s nuclear sites raised alarms about damage that enemy troops, drones and missiles might inflict on installations — damage that could lead to radiation releases, which have been linked to a range of cancers years later.Analysis: Zelensky, Biden use moral outrage as weapons in the conflict with RussiaReturn to menuUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky became a symbol of resistance and resilience in the early days of the war after the Russians invaded his country without provocation. He has also become a voice of moral clarity in the ways in which he has challenged the leaders of the West, upon whose nations he is dependent for support in the war effort.President Biden also has used his bully pulpit to project — sometimes in undiplomatic ways — his own sense of moral outrage toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and the atrocities Russian military forces have inflicted on Ukrainian citizens during two months of war.Both probably know the limits of their rhetoric versus the realities of what they are facing. There are obvious risks for both, though different for each leader. But in leveraging their positions, they have added something beyond realpolitik to the broader discussion about the implications of the war for the world at large and for what will happen when the conflict subsides.Biden has power that Zelensky doesn’t have, but he is constrained by the possible consequences of his actions. Zelensky has less power but has found that morally charged rhetoric is one weapon he can employ and he has chosen to do constantly and consistently.Another Russian general is killed in Ukraine, governor saysReturn to menuRussian Maj. Gen. Vladimir Frolov of the 8th Army died in battle in Ukraine and was buried in Russia on Saturday, according to a statement from the governor of St. Petersburg.The statement from Alexander Beglov offered no details of when or where Frolov was killed. As deputy commander of the 8th Army, Frolov commanded forces deployed to an area near Mariupol, the devastated port city that Russia appears on the verge of capturing.Russian state media outlet Fontanka reported that Beglov claimed Frolov, whom he described as “a true patriot,” “fell the death of the brave.”“The people will not forget their heroes,” Beglov said in a statement. “Eternal memory to him.”Pictures on Russian state media show Frolov’s gravesite at the Serafimovsky cemetery in St. Petersburg covered in red flowers.Frolov is one of several Russian generals who have been killed in Ukraine since the invasion began more than seven weeks ago.Thousands evacuated Saturday despite persistent shelling, Ukraine saysReturn to menuMore than 1,400 people were evacuated through humanitarian corridors on Saturday despite persistent Russian shelling that made it difficult to carry out efforts in various parts of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.The city of Zaporizhzhia received 1,381 people from hard-hit areas of the southeast who traveled in their own vehicles, with residents from Polohy, Vasylivka, Berdyansk and Melitopol making up the majority of those who arrived, Vereshchuk said through Telegram.Nearly 70 people were evacuated from the eastern region of Luhansk in the face of Russian shelling.Vereshchuk said the density of shelling prevented the evacuation of people from the eastern city of Lysychansk.Zelensky: All negotiations could end if Mariupol defenders are killedReturn to menuUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia could end if Russian forces killed all the Ukrainians defending the port city of Mariupol.In an interview with Ukrainian media, Zelensky was asked about cease-fire and peace negotiations that came to a halt after destruction in cities such as Bucha and Borodyanka, an area northwest of Kyiv that had been pounded by airstrikes earlier this month. The devastation in Borodyanka gouged huge chunks out of residential buildings.Zelensky warned that if Mariupol is found to have suffered atrocities on the scale of those uncovered in Bucha and other cities, it could be the end of the negotiations.“There could be 10 Borodyankas there,” he said of Mariupol.Zelensky added that “the destruction of all our boys in Mariupol” could “[put an end] to any format of negotiations.” He told the journalists that they know what part of Mariupol Ukrainian forces control “and how small it is.”“I believe this is a big mistake if they definitely want to end the war as they say,” Zelensky said of Russian aggression in the port city. “This is a dead end because … we aren’t bartering using our territories and people. And we understand that the talks are needed to defend our country and end the war.”Cease-fire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have essentially collapsed in recent weeks, with both sides unwilling to engage in serious talks, according to an analysis released Friday by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.Zelensky noted to Ukrainian media that the situation in Mariupol is “very difficult,” acknowledging that “many people have disappeared” from the city. He reiterated that the wounded who remained blocked from leaving Mariupol needed to get out.“A cease-fire is needed to pick up the wounded,” he said, according to the news outlet Ukrainian Pravda. “But it depends on Russia’s desire. They offer our people to surrender.”Zach Nelson contributed to this report.Moskva crew will continue to serve, Russian military official saysReturn to menuA top Russian military official and other navy leaders told the crew of the Moskva warship that they would continue to serve after the ship was destroyed Thursday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, commander in chief of the Russian navy, and the command of Russia’s Black Sea fleet met with the crew members in Sevastopol, the largest city in the Russian-annexed Crimea region. They told the crew that the Moskva’s traditions “will be carefully preserved and continued,” the defense ministry said Saturday.Video of the event showed several dozen servicemen standing in two lines. It remains unclear whether any of the 500-person crew was killed or injured.Ukrainian troops used anti-ship missiles Wednesday to hit the Moskva, the crown jewel of the Black Sea fleet, a senior U.S. defense official told The Washington Post on Friday. The ship sank the next day. Moscow continues to deny that version of events and claim the ship was demolished in a fire that detonated ammunition onboard.Kyiv wants Washington to name Moscow a state sponsor of terrorism. What would that mean? Return to menuAs Russia renews and refocuses its attacks on eastern and southern Ukraine, and as more evidence of apparent Russian atrocities emerges, Kyiv has asked Washington to deploy one of the most potent tools in its arsenal: adding Moscow to the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a direct appeal to President Biden during a recent phone call, The Washington Post reported. (Polish President Andrzej Duda also accused Russia of terrorism this week while on a visit to Kyiv.) But Biden — who has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” — did not commit to specific actions on the call, according to people familiar with the conversation.The United States has led a financial war against the Kremlin since the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, while also providing significant military assistance to Kyiv. Here’s what to know about Zelensky’s latest request and what Washington might make of it.The latest on key battlegrounds in UkraineReturn to menuMariupol: Russian forces appear poised to capture this strategic southern port city, although Ukrainian forces maintain their hold on the Azovstal steel plant, one of the largest metallurgical factories in Europe. Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told CNN on Friday that Mariupol “is no more,” while Zelensky pledged to do “everything to save our people.”Odessa: Ukrainian troops off the coast of this southern city struck the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, with two missiles on Thursday and caused it to sink, a senior U.S. defense official said Friday. Russia’s Defense Ministry disputes that account, claiming the Moskva was damaged after a “heavy storm” and a fire.Kharkiv: One person was killed and 18 were injured when a rocket hit the city on Saturday, regional Gov. Oleh Synyehubov said. Additionally, the regional prosecutor’s office said Friday that 10 people, including a 7-month-old child, had been killed that day by shelling in Kharkiv’s industrial area.Luhansk region: Shelling by Russian forces in Lysychansk, a city in the eastern part of the region, is making it difficult for civilians to evacuate, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said Saturday. The city of Severodonetsk is “70% destroyed,” he wrote, while other towns have been destroyed “beyond recognition.”Kyiv region: Russian officials claimed Saturday to have struck a military hardware facility in the city of Kyiv as officials there reported explosions and one death. Moscow had warned it would increase its strikes on Ukraine’s capital in retaliation for alleged attacks by Ukraine. Regional Police Chief Andriy Nyebytov alleged Friday that officials also had found “more than 900” dead civilians as a result of Russian attacks. He did not specify when the bodies were discovered.Kherson: Although this port city on the Dnieper River was seized by Russian forces during the first week of the war, Moscow appears to have lost control of part of it after Ukrainian resistance and civilian protests, the U.S. Defense Department has said. New satellite imagery shows hundreds of graves being dug there.Photos: Aftermath of Russian attack in KharkivReturn to menuAssociated Press photojournalist Felipe Dana was on the scene after a Russian attack in Kharkiv on Saturday.He made these images as fighting continues in Ukraine and people in the eastern part of the country try to evacuate.Dana documented the devastation from the attack, as well as firefighters trying to extinguish multiple fires in Kharkiv.The story of one man’s body found in an abandoned Russian military campReturn to menuBUCHA, Ukraine — Police found the body in an abandoned Russian military camp where occupying soldiers had sat around drinking wine, their laughter so loud that neighbors seethed as it echoed down Yablunska Street.They had known for weeks that there was a body in the camp, yet another among so many corpses the Russians left behind. Overwhelmed crews picking them up simply hadn’t gotten to it yet. So no one knew it was Ivan Monastyrskyi.His neighbor was the first to identify him, recognizing the unshaven face of a man who had watched his beloved street become a killing field. When his wife, Yulia, approached the body, her blue eyes froze.There were bullet holes in his calves and his arms were stretched out at strange angles between slats of wood with nails through them. His wife looked at the thin sweater he was wearing and couldn’t help thinking how he must have been so cold in his final minutes.Yulia’s neighbors heard her that night, inconsolable.“What happened?” they heard her crying. “What did they do to him?”Ukraine’s richest man pledges to help rebuild battered MariupolReturn to menuUkraine’s richest man vowed Saturday to help rebuild Mariupol, a strategic southeastern port city that is close to being captured by Russian forces following seven weeks of constant bombardment.Rinat Akhmetov, who owns Metinvest, Ukraine’s biggest steelmaker, told Reuters that his business has been shattered during the invasion, with Metinvest announcing it was unable to deliver on its supply contracts. He praised fighters in Mariupol who have slowed down Russia’s efforts to claim the city and who have remained defiant throughout the invasion.“Mariupol is a global tragedy and a global example of heroism,” he said. “For me, Mariupol has been and will always be a Ukrainian city.”Akhmetov added, “I believe that our brave soldiers will defend the city, though I understand how difficult and hard it is for them.”Analysts are predicting that Mariupol will be the first major Ukrainian city to fall in the coming days. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, said Friday that Mariupol “has been wiped off the face of the earth” by Russian forces.But Akhmetov emphasized to Reuters that his hope is to rebuild the city into “a Ukrainian Mariupol” and ramp up Mariupol-produced steel through his SCM Group, a private financial and industrial company, so the port city can one again compete in global markets.“I am confident that, as the country’s biggest private business, SCM will play a key role in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine,” he said.Among the facilities owned by Akhmetov is the Azovstal steel plant, one of the largest metallurgical factories in Europe. The Azov Battalion, one of Ukraine’s most skilled — and controversial — military units, has defended the sprawling steel plant in the city’s east against repeated assaults from Russian forces this week, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.Akhmetov, whose net worth is listed by Forbes at $3.9 billion, called for an “unprecedented international reconstruction program, a Marshall Plan for Ukraine,” referencing the U.S. aid project that assisted in rebuilding Western Europe after World War II.“I trust that we all will rebuild a free, European, democratic and successful Ukraine after our victory in this war,” he said to Reuters.Ukraine’s prime minister to travel to D.C. for financial meetingsReturn to menuUkrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and other senior officials will visit Washington in coming days to attend financial meetings, a World Bank official told The Washington Post on Saturday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the visit has yet to be officially announced.Ukraine’s prime minister, along with the country’s finance minister, Serhiy Marchenko, and the head of its central bank, Kyrylo Shevchenko, will attend the spring meetings hosted by the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, according to the official, although Ukraine has not yet confirmed their travel. The trip was first reported by Reuters. Representatives from the Group of Seven countries will also attend the meetings.The event focused on Ukraine will take place on Thursday, along with bilateral meetings, according to the World Bank official.Although a number of Western leaders and officials have visited Kyiv since the Russian invasion, this appears to be the first time that a high-level Ukrainian delegation will travel to the United States. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this past week that President Biden will not visit Ukraine, amid growing speculation that a top U.S. official could soon make the trip.On Tuesday, the World Bank announced it was preparing a nearly $1.5 billion support package for Ukraine, to aid the “continuation of essential government services during the war.”IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva also warned in recent days that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was weakening the economic prospects for most of the world’s countries and disrupting global trade, as well as negatively impacting energy and food prices.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his nation late Friday in an address that he had chaired a cabinet meeting to discuss “urgent economic issues,” as swaths of industry have been hurt by the war. He said four-fifths of all Ukrainian enterprises in safe areas have resumed operations and that transport networks were being rebuilt. He praised businesses for adapting during the conflict and retaining employees.“No matter what, in all cities and communities where there are no occupiers and hostilities, it is necessary to restore the economy to the maximum,” Zelensky said.Benjamin Soloway contributed to this report.1 dead and 18 hospitalized after rocket strikes Kharkiv, governor saysReturn to menuOne person was killed and 18 were injured after a rocket struck the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Saturday, according to the provincial governor.Oleh Synyehubov said on his Telegram account that a rocket fired by Russian forces “hit one of the central districts of Kharkiv again” early Saturday.“18 people were injured and hospitalized,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, 1 person died on the spot.”The governor noted that rescuers were “working hard” to limit the number of fatalities and consequences from the strike.Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said Russian forces had attempted to break through the lines from the direction of the Kharkiv region in the north overnight, but that effort was defeated.Synyehubov pleaded with residents to be “extremely careful” at a time when Russian forces “continue to terrorize the civilian population of Kharkiv and the region.”“As we can see, the enemy has increased the intensity of attacks on residential areas,” the Kharkiv governor said. “Do not ignore the alarms!”Boris Johnson banned from entering Russia Return to menuLONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior British politicians have been banned from entering Russia in response to what the Russian government said was the United Kingdom’s “unprecedented hostile actions” over the war in Ukraine.“This step was taken as a response to London’s unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for restricting our country and strangling the domestic economy,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday.Moscow has placed similar bans in recent weeks on U.S., Canadian and European leaders.