Ukraine Briefly

April 04, 2022

Ukraine, Briefly

RussiaUkraine

Listen to Today's Edition

• Lithuania cut itself off entirely from gas imports from Russia, apparently becoming the first of the European Union’s 27 nations using Russian gas to break its energy dependence on Moscow, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, the Biden administration issued a fresh wave of export restrictions on Russia and Belarus, adding 120 entities, mainly enterprises with military ties, to a list of those essentially barred from accessing crucial technologies, Reuters added.

• Ukrainian soldiers reclaimed control of Kyiv and the surrounding territory on Saturday, according to Ukrainian officials, as Russian troops withdrew from the city, the Washington Times noted. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy said that Russian soldiers continued to retreat from northern Ukraine while they bolstered their presence in the east and south, describing the withdrawal as “slow but noticeable,” Bloomberg wrote. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops have buried hundreds of people in a mass grave in the town of Bucha outside the capital, Al Jazeera added.

• New efforts to rescue citizens caught in an increasingly catastrophic humanitarian situation in the besieged port city of Mariupol were thwarted Friday when a convoy of humanitarian workers was unable to enter, according to NBC News. Local officials blamed a Russian blockade for impeding humanitarian aid delivery while the International Committee of the Red Cross said it was prevented from helping civilians flee.

• According to polls and interviews, many Russians increasingly believe the Kremlin’s claim that their nation is under Western assault, Axios reported. President Vladimir Putin’s popularity rating is now at 83 percent, up from 69 percent in January, according to polls issued this week by Russia’s most recognized independent pollster, Levada.

This story originally appeared in the April 04, 2022 newsletter, Push, Pull.