Day 415 since the beginning of the war: According to Ukrainian sources, nine civilians have been killed in a rocket attack. Putin has signed a controversial new law. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Rocket hit Ukrainian home: number of victims continues to rise
12:01 p.m.: After a Russian missile hit a residential area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, the death toll has risen to nine, officials said. During the night, rescue workers rescued a lifeless woman from the badly damaged high-rise, Mayor Wadym Lyach said on Facebook on Saturday. Five residents are still missing under the rubble. A two-year-old child is said to be among the dead. More than 20 people were injured.
According to Ukrainian information, the rocket hit the city in the heavily contested Donetsk region on Friday afternoon. At first there was talk of at least eight dead. Photos show a multi-story building with a large hole in the upper floors.
Defense expert: “Russia failed in the winter offensive”
10:25 a.m.: Russia has so far not been able to achieve any of its military goals in the war against Ukraine, says defense expert Nico Lange in an interview with the “Tagesschau”. “Russia didn’t succeed in the winter offensive either,” he emphasizes. In the past few months of the offensive, Russia was only able to conquer an additional 0.02 percent of Ukrainian territory with high losses, according to the senior fellow of the Munich Security Conference’s “Zeitwende” initiative. Taking even smaller cities like Bakhmut and Avdiivka is currently difficult for Russia and the country is “far from achieving any kind of strategic progress”.
Lange believes it is possible that Ukraine will defend itself militarily against the Russian attack. He does not have the impression that Russia has large resources in reserve. “What we see is the current performance of the Russian armed forces,” Lange told the “Tagesschau”. And it’s not nearly as high as many thought.
The night: Rocket in apartment building – Ukraine reports several deaths
5 o’clock: According to regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, at least nine people were killed and 21 injured in rocket attacks in Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine. Kyrylenko said on state television that seven Russian S-300 missiles had been fired. According to the rescue services, several dozen multi-storey buildings and individual houses were damaged. Here you can read the entire overview of the most important events of the night.
Zelenskyy: No peace on Orthodox Easter from “diabolical state”
3:39 a.m.: In his nightly video address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that in the run-up to the Orthodox Easter services this weekend, not a single hour “went without Russian murders and terror.” “This is the devilish state and it will be the loser. Victory is our duty in the face of this kind of humanity.”
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Ukraine: Got pledges for $5 billion in Washington.
10:39 p.m.: After a week of talks in Washington, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced further aid commitments worth five billion dollars. He spoke on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank with representatives from those two institutions, as well as the European Investment Bank and senior US officials. “The international partners have assured us of their long-term support,” says Schmyhal.
