Ukraine Update: Mariupol Defenders Hold Out Against Onslaught

Defenders of Mariupol were encircled by Russian forces but have not surrendered the crucial port city, Ukrainian officials said, hours after Kyiv warned of a possible naval landing operation and additional air strikes.

Many of the remaining Ukrainian troops in the besieged city are thought to be within the giant Azovstal steelworks. Air raid sirens were heard in Kyiv for a second day, with a missile strike reported nearby. At least 18 deaths were reported from four days of shelling in Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said, as Russia shifts its forces for renewed attacks in eastern and southern parts of its neighbor.

Pope Francis called for peace in an Easter sermon, and warned the conflict could lead to nuclear war. Ukrainian officials will be in Washington for this week’s meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to seek financial support.
Mariupol
A collapsed building in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, on March 26, 2022.
Photographer: Getty Images Agency/Anadolu

Oil climbed as supplies from Libya were interrupted and Russia warned of the potential for record prices if more nations ban its energy. West Texas Intermediate neared $108 a barrel after rallying last week by the most in two months.

Oil has surged this year as the war disrupted an already tight market, with some traders shunning Russian crude. The rally spurred the U.S. and allies to announce the release of millions of barrels from strategic reserves to quell inflationary pressures.

Oil Jumps as Week Opens on Libyan Disruption, Russian Warning
Brent's prompt spread climbs back above $1 a barrel as futures gain
 

 
Zelenskiy Says At Least 18 Dead in Kharkiv Shelling (1:47 a.m.)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video posted to social media that Russian shelling in Kharkiv over the past four days has left at least 18 people dead and 106 injured.
 
Ukraine Says EU Questionnaire Completed (8:30 p.m.)

Ukraine’s government has completed a European Union questionnaire required to begin a membership application, Interfax Ukraine cited presidential aide Ihor Zhvokva as saying Sunday.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ceremonially gave the paperwork to President Zelenskiy during her visit to Kyiv on April 8.  
Kuleba Says Russia Wants to ‘Finish With Mariupol’ (5:30 p.m.)

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Mariupol’s military defenders and a “large group of civilians” in the southern port city are resisting while “basically encircled by Russian forces.”

“The city doesn’t exist anymore,” Kuleba said on CBS. “It seems from the way the Russian army behaves in Mariupol, they decided to raze the city to the ground at any cost.” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on ABC that Mariupol hasn’t fallen but a “huge humanitarian catastrophe” has taken place during the monthlong siege.  

Mariupol’s mayor has estimated that more than 10,000 civilians, and potentially many more, have died. The city has been cut off from humanitarian aid amid dwindling supplies of food, water and medicines.   
Ukraine to Seek Financial Support in Washington (4 p.m.)

Ukraine is running a budget deficit of about $5 billion a month, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said ahead of a visit by Ukrainian finance officials to Washington for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

“We need more money for executing our humanitarian and social obligations,” he said on ABC. “Now only half of our economy is working. So we ask for financial support.”
Continuous Shelling of Mykolaiv, Governor Tells BBC (3:48 a.m.)

The Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv and surrounding areas have come under continuous rocket attacks since Sunday morning, the region’s governor, Vitaliy Kim, told the BBC.

The region’s military spokesman said targets have included power grids, houses and playgrounds. Earlier, on Telegram, Kim said Kalibr missiles had disrupted water and power supplies.
Zelenskiy Seeks Biden Visit (3:30 p.m.)

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he hopes U.S. President Joe Biden will visit to survey the devastation from Russia’s invasion.

“I think he will,” Zelenskiy said in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” broadcast Sunday. “It’s his decision, of course, and the safety situation depends. But I think he’s the leader of the United States and that’s why he should come here to see.”

White House aides said after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Zelenskiy met in Kyiv on April 9 that they hope to send a senior U.S. official to Ukraine in the coming weeks. While Biden has said he wants to visit, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said neither the president nor Vice President Kamala Harris would make the trip.
UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT
Ukrainian serviceman stands next to a destroyed Russian vehicle near Gusarovka village, in Kharkiv oblast, eastern Ukraine, on April 16, 2022. (Photo by Anatolii STEPANOV / AFP) (Photo by ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP
Pope Francis Pleas for Peace, Warns of Nuclear Risk (3:16 p.m.)

Pope Francis made a plea on Easter Sunday to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and warned of the threat of nuclear warfare.

“May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of this cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged,” the pontiff said from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

Francis quoted from a 1955 manifesto on nuclear proliferation by physicist Albert Einstein and philosopher Bertrand Russell: “‘Shall we put an end to the human race, or shall mankind renounce war?’”