April 9, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

We’ve wrapped up our live coverage for the day. You can read more on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine here, or scroll through the updates below.

Highly classified Pentagon documents leaked online in recent weeks?have provided a rare window into how the US spies on allies and foes alike, deeply rattling US officials, who fear the revelations could jeopardize sensitive sources and compromise important foreign relationships.

Some of the documents, which US officials say are authentic, expose the extent of US eavesdropping on key allies, including South Korea, Israel and Ukraine.

Others reveal the degree to which the US has penetrated the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian mercenary organization?Wagner Group, largely through intercepted communications and human sources, which could now be cut off or put in danger.

Still others divulge key weaknesses in Ukrainian weaponry, air defense, and battalion sizes and readiness at a?critical point in the war, as Ukrainian forces gear up to launch a counteroffensive against the Russians – and just as the US and Ukraine have begun to develop a more mutually trusting relationship over intelligence-sharing.

Ukraine has already altered some of its military plans because of the leak, a source close to Ukrainian President?Volodymyr Zelensky?told CNN.

The leak has also led the Pentagon to take steps to tighten the flow of such highly sensitive documents, officials said, which are normally available on any given day to hundreds of people across the government.

Read more here.

A volunteer inspects remains of a residential house damaged by a Russian missile strike in?Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 9.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Russia during his nightly speech Sunday for the deadly attack reported by Ukraine’s emergency service in Zaporizhzhia overnight.

At least two people were killed when Russian strikes hit the southern city overnight, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

A 50-year-old man and his 11-year-old daughter were killed after the strikes partially destroyed a residential building, officials said on Telegram. Rescuers pulled a 46-year-old woman out of the rubble, it added.?

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00:55 - Source: CNN

Ukrainians marked one year Saturday since the devastating attack on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk that killed dozens of people in the opening weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Residents gathered to place flowers and children’s toys at a small plaque outside the station Saturday.

Tetiana Sychchenko, who was sitting on a train at the time of the bombing but escaped with her life, told CNN she was paying respects to loved ones she lost in the attack.

The strikes killed fleeing civilians: The April 8, 2022, assault killed at least 50 people, including five children, according to Ukrainian officials.

Local police said in a statement that the rockets struck a temporary waiting room, where “hundreds of people” were waiting for trains to evacuate the besieged city.

The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement shortly after the strike calling it a Ukrainian “provocation” — a statement that mirrored the Kremlin’s dismissal of allegations of war crimes in Bucha and other bombings that killed civilians during its war in Ukraine.

Oksana Markarova speaks during a rally in Washington, DC, on February 25.

Seven-year-old Karolina plays the piano at the Ukraine House cultural center in the United States capital, poking at keys, swinging her sneakers underneath. She could be any child playing the piano — except the legs swinging below the bench are prosthetic.

Karolina lost her legs last fall?in a Russian attack?on the Ukrainian city of Nikopol and came to the United States to receive treatment.

Sitting with Karolina is Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States,?Oksana Markarova, who helped arrange the young girl’s care.

Visits like these are now typical for the wartime ambassador.

This month marks two years since Markarova became ambassador. She was less than a year into her post when Russian leader Vladimir Putin?invaded Ukraine?on February 24, 2022.

“We were preparing for it,” she recalled. “We knew that the intent to attack us was there, but you never completely believe until, unfortunately, something horrific like war happens.”

Markarova said that for the first couple of months of the war she would wake up and wonder if it was a bad dream.

“Everyone in Ukraine, of course, it’s more difficult for them,” she acknowledged. “As I say always, the bombs are not falling on us here – but we work literally 24/7 since February 24, and we will continue working like that until we win.”

All around Washington: These days, much of Markarova’s time is spent outside the embassy, shuttling between various government agencies around Washington.

On a recent car ride from the Capitol to the Commerce Department for one of those meetings, Markarova noted the cars she uses have become “a second office.”

“This is where I prepare between the meetings, drive around everywhere,” she told CNN from the back seat.

The former private equity associate said she is not only working on securing?military aid from Congress?but also seeking support from American companies and entities as Ukraine begins rebuilding.

While House Republicans?are divided over helping Ukraine, Markarova said she doesn’t see a difference with the chamber’s?new GOP majority. She conceded, however, that there are members she has to “talk to more.”

Markarova hopes the?burgeoning political debate?will not weaken support overall.

Read CNN’s full profile on Markarova here.

Ukrainian servicemen stand in a trench near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on April 8.

The battles inside the eastern town of Bakhmut, Ukraine, are “the most difficult ones since you are very close to the enemy,” Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said on national television Sunday.

“But the supply route is still open and Ukrainian forces are holding their positions,” he said.

Wagner mercenary fighters have been “the most aggressive in the Bakhmut direction” but Russian paratroopers and infantry soldiers are also fighting in Bakhmut and in the area, he said.?“Russians still hold a significant advantage in artillery in the areas of their main attack,” he said.?

“We are supplying Bakhmut with ammunition, food and supplies, as well as taking our wounded out,”?Cherevaty, said.

Moscow’s recent push: Russian forces continue their push to take “full control” of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian military said in its latest operational update Sunday morning.

Unofficial reports suggest Russian forces are maintaining their slow advance through the center of Bakhmut and into the western parts of the city, with the railway station as a potential next key target.

Yuriy Syrotyuk, a grenade launcher in Ukraine’s military, said in an interview on national television Sunday that the situation in Bakhmut is “really hard” for Kyiv’s forces, as they are outnumbered by Russian troops and Wagner fighters.?

“Bakhmut stands; there is a supply” but “Russians outnumber us and hold more ammunition,”?Syrotyuk said.?

“It is really hard now because Russian artillery and tanks have pulled up very close, they are trying to shoot everything. (Enemy) paratroopers with weapons have arrived. Unfortunately, the enemy is fine with weapons. In Bakhmut they have no shortage of personnel or ammunition,” he added.?

The Russian offensive on the southern flank of the city has weakened, “which is why they are trying to attack head-on through the city,” Syrotyuk said. Russia has moved its artillery and rocket launchers within the city’s boundaries.

“The enemy is destroying everything and proceeding through the ruins,” but the supply road to Bakhmut is open,?Syrotyuk said.?

“I was on the southern outskirts of Bakhmut this morning. We left OK. Yes, the enemy is shelling the road, yes it is dangerous. However, there are supplies, the defense is properly organized and there is even a rotation. Look, we were able to leave, to wash up, and will come back,” he added, noting he had taken a brief break from the fighting to rest and participate in the interview.

Romanian farmers protest in their tractors Friday, April 7.

Farmers in central and eastern Europe protested this week against the impact of cheap?Ukrainian grain?imports, which have undercut domestic prices and hit the sales of local producers.

Protesters blocked traffic and border checkpoints with tractors along the border between Romania and Bulgaria in an effort to prevent Ukrainian trucks from entering their country, according to local news outlets.

Local producers say they cannot compete with the price of Ukrainian grain and have demanded compensation from the European Commission.

What led to the tensions:?Ukraine, often called the “breadbasket of Europe” due to the vast quantities of grain it produces, had its Black Sea ports?blockaded by Russia?following the launch of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Protesters carry signs in Bucharest, Romania, on Friday.

Fearing the situation was “threatening global food security,” the European Commission?set up?what it called “solidarity lanes” in May to facilitate exports.

The Commission also temporarily eliminated all duties and quotas on Ukraine’s exports, allowing a glut of cheap Ukrainian grain to flow into Europe.

This has caused “huge market distortions” in neighboring countries, according to European farmers’ association?Copa-Cogeca.

Plans for an extension:?Anger grew this week after the European Commission announced a?draft decision?to extend duty-free and quota-free imports of Ukrainian grain until June 2024, prompting Polish agriculture minister Henryk Kowalcyzk to?resign from his post?Wednesday.

In Kowalczyk’s resignation statement, he said that the Polish government – along with those of Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria – had submitted a request to the European Commission to “activate the protection clause in the field of duty-free and quota-free imports of grain from Ukraine.”

Read more here.

Tamara

Few days pass in eastern Ukraine’s Kostiantynivka without the sound of missiles.

As the fighting in Bakhmut rages on — the battle has been going on for more than seven months — Russian shells and missiles often land in towns well away from the front lines.

Kostiantynivka is one of those towns. What passes for normal life is a thing of the past here. Many of the windows in its houses and apartment buildings have been blown out. Remaining residents nail plastic sheeting to the window frames to keep out the cold.

The towns and villages close to the fighting are largely abandoned. But in Kostiantynivka, some residents have remained.

As she waits for the bus, Tamara crosses herself. “God protects me,” she says.

She is 73 years old, and has lived in the same flat in Kostiantynivka for the past 40 years. Her husband died long ago. Now, it’s just her and her cat.

For those who have stayed in Kostiantynivka, their pets are helping to keep them sane.

In the courtyard of a crumbling Soviet-era block, Nina, 72, surveys the wreckage around her.

One source of relief is her flat mates — five dogs and two cats.

Read the full story here.

Pope Francis speaks from St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, on Sunday, April 9.

Pope Francis prayed for the people of Ukraine, Russia and other countries in conflict during his Easter blessing on Sunday from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Help the beloved Ukrainian people on their journey towards peace, and shed the light of Easter upon the people of Russia,” Francis said during the traditional Urbi et Orbi Blessing (“To the City and the World”).

Francis also referenced the recent clashes in Jerusalem and prayed for a “resumption of dialogue” between Israelis and Palestinians.

Nearly 100,000 people were present in St. Peter’s Square and surrounding streets for the Easter blessing, according to the Vatican Press Office.

Local residents stand near a crater left by a Russian missile in Zaporizhzhia, on Sunday. An 11-year old girl and her father were killed in the rocket attack.

Russian strikes killed at least two people in the southern city of?Zaporizhzhia early Sunday, according to?Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

A 50-year-old man and his 11-year-old daughter were killed after the strikes partially destroyed a residential building, officials said on Telegram. Rescuers pulled a 46-year-old woman out of the rubble, it added.?

According to Ukraine’s National Police, two S-300 rockets hit a Zaporizhzhia residential area early on Sunday.

Zaporizhzhia, Orikhiv, Huliaipole and 15 other settlements were targeted by Russian shells, said?Yurii Malashko, the head of Zaporizhzhia’s regional military administration.

Malashko said?dozens of properties have been destroyed or damaged over the last day, including apartments, houses and outbuildings.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference on April 5, in Warsaw, Poland.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an Easter message Sunday.

“I sincerely congratulate Ukrainians and all Christians who are celebrating Easter today. They are celebrating on the front line and across our various towns and villages,” he wrote on Telegram.

In the speech, Zelensky praised Ukraine’s multi-faith society. Zelensky shared Iftar with Ukrainian Muslim soldiers observing Ramadan on Friday, in what he said would become an annual “new tradition of respect.”

“Soon, I will congratulate the Jews of Ukraine at the end of Passover. In just one week, I will greet all those who celebrate Easter on April 16 this year,” Zelensky added, referring to the eastern Orthodox holiday.

“Although we may profess different religions, we share the same belief in freedom. We may have different traditions, but we all have one thing in common: (the desire to) defend our homeland,” the Ukrainian leader said.

And, Zelensky continued, there is a common date that all Ukrainians and the “entire free world” will celebrate in unison:

Iryna embraces her son Bogdan after being reunited in Kyiv on April 8.

One day after crossing back into Ukraine, 31 children have finally been reunited with their families, months after they were taken from their homes and moved to Russian-occupied territories.

A CNN team in Kyiv on Saturday watched as the last of the children climbed off a bus to embrace waiting family members, many unable to hold back the tears as months of separation came to an end.

Bogdan’s mother, Iryna, 51, said she had received very little information about her son in the six months they were apart.?

“There was no phone connection. I was very worried. I didn’t know anything, whether he was being abused, what was happening to him. … My hands are still shaking,” she said.

Anastasiia holds her daughter Valeriia and son Maksym after being reunited in Kyiv on April 8.

The reunions took place in the Ukrainian capital and were coordinated by the humanitarian organization Save Ukraine. According to the group, it has now completed five missions bringing home Ukrainian children it says were forcibly deported by Russia.

At the same press conference, Kuleba said tragedy had struck during the latest rescue mission: One of the women traveling with the party – a grandmother – passed away during the journey. The woman had been due to pick up two children on the mission, but because of her death, the pair was not permitted to travel back to Ukraine.???

Remember:?Allegations of widespread forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia form the basis of?war crimes charges?brought against Russian President Vladimir Putin and a senior official, Maria Lvova-Belova, by the International Criminal Court last month.

A report released in February detailed allegations of an expansive network of dozens of camps where kids underwent “political reeducation,” including Russia-centric academic, cultural and, in some cases, military education.

Ukraine’s head of the Office of the President recently estimated the total number of children forcibly removed from their homes is at least 20,000. Kyiv has said thousands of cases are already under investigation.

Russia has denied it is doing anything illegal, claiming it is bringing Ukrainian children to safety.?

Smoke billows during shelling on the outskirts of Chasiv Yar on April 7.

The blasts in the eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar echo between buildings every minute or two, a CNN team reports.

Artillery, grad rockets and mortar fire were all audible in the town at different points Saturday?—?most of it believed to be outgoing from Ukrainian positions, but also some incoming from Russian forces.

The CNN team, which last visited Chasiv Yar eight days ago, said the amount of indirect fire appeared to have increased from the previous visit. It seems to indicate Ukrainian forces are working hard to keep open their key supply route into nearby Bakhmut, despite mounting Russian pressure.

Russian forces continue “to conduct offensive actions (in their attempt) to take full control of the city of Bakhmut,” the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its latest situation update Saturday.

Unofficial reports suggest Russia’s troops have maintained their slow advance through the center of the long-embattled city, located just east of Chasiv Yar. The long fight for Bakhmut has seen Moscow’s fighters begin to enter western parts of the city, according to the reports, with the railway station as a possible next key target.

Life under constant fire: Back in Chasiv Yar,?Ivan, a university student majoring in psychology, appeared unfazed by the constant sound of fire.

Ivan and his mother Ira are among the few civilians left in the town.?

“As long as I can, I will stay here,” he said, before going back to sawing the trunk of a small tree. The logs will make a fire where his mother can cook.

Ira, a woman in her fifties with short hair and a gold pendant of the Virgin Mary around her neck, focused on the day’s chores — not the danger.

“We wake up every morning, light a fire and start preparing food,” she told CNN. “Every day Ivan fetches water and collects firewood.”

She’s already planning ahead for Orthodox Easter, next weekend. No church services have been conducted in a while, but she and Ivan will observe Easter with the few people left in their aging apartment complex.

While most residents have left, the town is far from empty, teeming with soldiers, tanks, armored personnel carriers and army trucks, which have left a thick layer of drying mud on the town’s streets.

The United States and its allies will work to shore up any weaknesses in their unprecedented sanctions against Russia when leaders of the global financial system meet in Washington, DC, next week, senior US Treasury officials told CNN.

The Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will provide the latest venue for the US to trade best practices on preventing Moscow from funding its war machine in Ukraine, according to the officials.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the US and its partners have?imposed thousands of sanctions on the Kremlin. But observers note concerns over Russia’s ability to reorient trade routes and acquire what it needs through neighboring countries or more permissive jurisdictions, such as the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

The US has made major efforts to share information with allied countries and businesses on how the Kremlin is trying to evade sanctions, and it has seen encouraging results of late, Treasury officials said.

Lashing out in Moscow: While the US seeks to bolster the impact of Western sanctions, former Russian President Dmitry?Medvedev —?who is now vice chair of the country’s National Security Council — slammed Washington and European governments for their support of Ukraine.

In a lengthy post Saturday on the Russian social media network VKontakte, Medvedev claimed support for Kyiv has caused “real financial and political hell” for Europe, blaming inflation and high utility costs on the governments’ support for Ukraine at “the detriment of their own citizens.”

Some context: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 only exacerbated existing issues for a global economy that was still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. It pushed inflation to?record highs?and triggered an?energy crisis in Europe.

Several rounds of Western sanctions have roiled markets further, driving up the cost of commodities like fuel. Meanwhile, efforts to address the global hunger crisis by boosting Ukrainian grain imports have angered some farmers in central and eastern European countries who say they can’t compete.

Western governments, however, place the blame for economic turmoil squarely on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion. And there are signs that more than a year of?the unprecedented, US-led sanctions have left Russia weakened,?if not incapacitated.

CNN’s Anna Cooban and Mariya Knight contributed to this report.