At least 1 killed and dozens in hospital after strike hits Zaporizhzhia residential building, mayor says
From Svitlana Vlasova
CCTV footage of the moment of a missile strikes a residential building in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 22, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. (Reuters)
A missile strike on a residential building in Zaporizhzhia has killed at least one and left 25 people in the hospital, Anatolii Kurtiev, acting mayor of the city of Zaporizhzhia, said.
"Unfortunately, one injured person, who was in serious condition, died," Kurtiev said on Telegram. "According to updated information, 25 people are currently in hospitals. 3 people are in serious condition, 19 are in moderate condition."
Earlier, the region's military administration said two Russian missiles hit a residential high-rise building in city Zaporizhzhia. Footage posted to social media Wednesday shows extensive damage and a fire at a residential block in Zaporizhzhia, apparently from a missile strike.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted about the attack on the social media app Telegram, saying Russia was "shelling the city with bestial savagery."
8:12 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's the latest on the war in Ukraine
From CNN staff
Chinese leader Xi Jinping departed Moscow after a three-day visit, attacks on one Donetsk town areintensifying and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting troops on the front lines.
Here's what happening:
Tokyo and Beijing stake out positions: While Xi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was in Kyiv meeting with Zelensky. Both East Asian leaders struck agreements with their hosts, but none of the accords are expected to impact the war in any meaningful way. However, a Ukrainian official told CNN discussions are underway with China to organize a call between Xi and Zelensky to discuss Beijing's peace proposal.
More strikes across Ukraine: Overnight drone attacks in the region of Kyiv left four people dead. Russian missiles later struck a residential block in Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian authorities said.
Avdiivka under assault: The town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region is being heavily bombarded by Russian forces, a local Ukrainian leader told CNN. Heavy fighting is raging on the town's outskirts, and evacuations have become exceedingly difficult for the estimated 2,000 residents left there. There are concerns the town could become the next Bakhmut.
Zelensky's trip east: Also in Donetsk, the Ukrainian president surprised troops on the front lines, according to video released by his office. Exactly where is unclear. Standing in a large warehouse at an undisclosed location, Zelensky handed out awards to servicemen who had fought in Bakhmut.
Financial assistance may be coming: The International Monetary Fund agreed to provide Ukraine a $15.6 billion loan to help stave off financial woes due to the war with Russia, though the package must still be approved by the IMF's executive board.
8:07 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
Zelensky pays surprise visit to troops on front lines in eastern Donetsk region
From Victoria Butenko
During a working trip to the Donetsk region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky visited the frontline positions of the Ukrainian military in the Bakhmut area. (President of Ukraine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid a surprise visit to wounded troops at a hospital in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine near the front lines.
"Thank you for defending Ukraine, I wish you a speedy recovery," Zelensky said as he presented awards to members of the military.
According to video released by the President's office, Zelensky said from a warehouse at an undisclosed location that he was "honored to be here today, in the east of our country, in Donbas, and to award our heroes, to thank you, to shake hands. Thank you for protecting the state, sovereignty, the east of Ukraine."
10:09 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
Residential block in Zaporizhzhia apparently struck by missile
From CNN's Tim Lister and Svitlana Vlasova
Paramedics and rescuers work at a site of a residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 22. (Sergiy Chalyi/Reuters)
Two Russian missiles hit a residential high-rise building in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, the region's military administration said.
It's unclear if there were any casualties.
Footage posted to social media Wednesday shows extensive damage and a fire at a residential block in Zaporizhzhia, apparently from a missile strike.
One video showed the moment of impact, several floors up.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted about the attack on the social media app Telegram, saying Russia was "shelling the city with bestial savagery."
"Residential areas where ordinary people and children live are being fired at," Zelensky said.
7:23 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
Heavy Russian attacks targeting town of Avdiivka in Donetsk, local official tells CNN
From Svitlana Vlasova in Kyiv, Ukraine
A residential building damaged by a Russian military strike in the frontline city of Avdiivka, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on March 20. (Alex Babenko/Reuters)
The town of Avdiivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk is coming under heavy attacks by Russian artillery and rocket systems, according to the head of the local military administration.
Avdiivka, a town with a large smelting plant just north of Donetsk, has been shelled persistently since the Russian invasion began. However, in recent weeks Russian ground attacks in the area have intensified.
Some Ukrainian officials have said that the town could become a second Bakhmut, the mostly abandoned city where Ukrainian and Russian forces have fought for weeks to what is, at this moment, a bloody stalemate.
Local official Vitalii Barabash told CNN that "the situation is really changing."
"There is more shelling, more massive shelling, more rocket attacks on the town. The number of assault operations around the town is also increasing many times over. There is more shelling of positions, more rocket attacks, more air and missile attacks, both in the city and on positions," Barabash said.
Fighting along the city's outskirts: Barabash said there had been massive shelling of the central part of the town late Tuesday. The rest of the night, he said, was "relatively calm."
However, the defense line around the city was "shelled all night."
"There was heavy shelling, and small arms fighting was going on in all directions, from the south and the north."
Geolocated social media videos over the past week indicate that Russian forces have moved closer to access routes from Avdiivka to the north and west.
Barabash said that on Wednesday morning there were more shelling and artillery attacks, killing one woman.
Evacuation difficulties: Civilian evacuations are continuing but the way out of town is a "road of death," with the stretch of road monitored by Russian troops who "immediately open fire" Barabash said.
He added that 180 people left the town in the last three weeks and Ukrainian officials estimate that there are some 2,000 people left in Avdiivka. Among them, according to Barabash, are six children. One child evacuated Tuesday, and authorities plan to evacuate another one on Wednesday.
6:57 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
Kremlin says the West's "hostile" reaction to Xi’s visit is not surprising
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and China's President Xi Jinping make a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 21. (Pavel Byrkin/SPUTNIK/AFP/Getty Images)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he is not surprised by what he called a "hostile" reaction from Western nations to the visit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week.
"As for the reaction of the countries of the collective West, the fact that on almost all issues this reaction is of an unfriendly, deeply hostile nature is no secret to anyone. The coverage of this important visit is no exception," Peskov said.
"Of course, the most important thing is not the reaction of the West, but it's the results of the negotiations that took place. The main thing is the results of the state visit itself."
Peskov's comments came after John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesman, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Beijing and Moscow are deepening their relationship in large part due to their mutual interest in challenging the US' global influence.
Xi and Putin didn't discuss Ukraine's proposed peace plan during their meetings, Kremlin says
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Simone McCarthy
Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands after jointly signing a Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era and a Joint Statement of the President of the People's Republic of China and the President of the Russian Federation on Pre-2030 Development Plan on Priorities in China-Russia Economic Cooperation in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2023. Xi on Tuesday held talks with Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow. (Photo by (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, did not discuss a Kyiv-proposed peace plan to end the war in Ukraine during their visit this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
Peskov said that Kyiv’s proposal was a matter of Sino-Ukraine relations.
The 10-point peace plan was first presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video at a meeting of the Group of 20 nations in November.
The steps include a path to nuclear safety, food security, a special tribunal for alleged Russian war crimes, and a final peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine.
Xi spent three days Moscow this week. His visit ended with Beijing and Moscow concluding more than dozen agreements bolstering cooperation in areas from trade and technology to state propaganda, according to a Kremlin list. The leaders’ central statement focused on how the two countries would "deepen" their relationship.
However, the two sides failed to move the needle on bringing a resolution to the war.
6:02 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
IMF agree on $15.6 billion loan package to Ukraine
From CNN's Duarte Mendonca in London
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to supply Ukraine with a $15.6 billion loan to help stave off financial woes due to the war with Russia, it said in a statement Tuesday.
The package — which is subject to approval by the IMF's executive board — aims to support Ukraine’s recovery as the invasion perpetrated by Russia "continues to have a devastating impact on the economy," said Gavin Gray, the IMF's mission chief for Ukraine.
"The overarching goals of the authorities’ program are to sustain economic and financial stability in circumstances of exceptionally high uncertainty, restore debt sustainability, and support Ukraine’s recovery on the path toward EU accession in the post-war period," Gray said.
The funds are being delivered as part of a four-year agreement reached between the IMF and Ukraine.
5:39 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
Fourth person killed in overnight drone strikes in Kyiv
Rescuers work at a site of damaged building in the town of Rzhyshchiv, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, on March 22. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters)
A fourth victim of a nighttime drone attack in the region of Kyiv has been found in the rubble of a dormitory in the town of Rzhyshchiv, police said.
The deceased has been identified as a 40-year old man.
Andrii Niebytov, the Kyiv region's police chief, said earlier that three people had been killed and seven others injured in the attack. More than 200 people were evacuated from the building and more than 20 were hospitalized. At the time when Niebytov spoke, five were missing, he said.
A total of 21 drones were launched against Ukraine from the north shortly before midnight local time on Tuesday, 16 of which were shot down, according to the Ukrainian air force.
