Saturday, April 16. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine

Dispatches from Ukraine, provided by Forbes Ukraine’s editorial team.

As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes Ukraine’s reporters will continue to gather information and provide updates on the situation. We will be sharing them here as they come. Live coverage from Forbes Ukraine’s site can be found here.

Saturday, April 16. Day 52. By Daryna Antoniuk

Russia claims that all urban areas of the besieged port city of Mariupol have been cleared of Ukrainian forces, Reuters reports. The Russian defense ministry said that Ukrainian forces in Mariupol had lost more than 4,000 soldiers, and another 1,464 had surrendered. Kyiv hasn’t yet reacted to this statement.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the destruction of Mariupol would effectively put an end to negotiations with Russia.

Russians are preparing to close Mariupol and prohibit movements there from April 18. Russia plans to check all men in the city and then recruit some for the Russian army, according to Petro Andryushchenko, advisor to the mayor of Mariupol. Those considered “unreliable” will be isolated, the official added.

Ukraine’s richest man, oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, has promised to help rebuild Mariupol after Ukraine’s victory. Two of his plants are located there.

Russia has banned British government officials from entering its borders—including U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The move was a response to sanctions against senior Russian officials imposed by the U.K. earlier this week. The U.K. government, in turn, said that it remains “resolute in its support for Ukraine.”

Russia targeted a Ukrainian missile factory in Kyiv. The factory produced Neptune cruise missiles, the type allegedly used to sink the Moskva—the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. During the missile strike on the factory, one person was killed and several were injured.

Kyiv’s mayor has warned residents who have left that it is not safe to return. He also appealed to Kyivans not to ignore the air raids warning them about possible attack. Russia had previously threatened Ukraine with an attack on the capital.

Russia’s war has caused more than $5 billion in damages for Ukrainian educational institutions – at least 91 institutions have been completely destroyed and 923 others have been damaged.

European weapons have been taking too long to arrive in Ukraine, says Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to Zelensky. According to him, Ukraine hasn’t received the weapons it asked for, but the country needs them now to win the war.

Russian troops shelled an oil refinery in Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast. A fire broke out in an area of 5,000 square meters.

Ukrainian authorities urged civilians remaining in the Luhansk region to leave, as fighting in the area has escalated. More than 70,000 residents of the Luhansk region have yet to leave the city.

Russia launched rocket attacks on Poltava, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv oblasts overnight. Russian missiles also hit an abandoned poultry farm in Dnipro Oblast and shelled Kharkiv, killing one person.

Severodonetsk is also under heavy fire by Russian forces. Nearly 70% of Severodonetsk has been destroyed.