By The Related Press
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Saturday invoked “gestures of peace in lately marked by the horror of battle” in an Easter vigil homily in St. Peter’s Basilica attended by the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian metropolis of Melitopol and three Ukrainian parliamentarians.
The pontiff famous that whereas “many writers have evoked the beautify of starlit nights, the nights of battle, nonetheless, are riven by streams of sunshine that portend dying.”
Francis didn't refer on to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however he has referred to as for an Easter truce with the intention to attain a negotiated peace. That decision appeared in useless Saturday, as Russia resumed missile and rocket assaults on Kyiv, western Ukraine and past in a reminder that the entire nation stays underneath menace.
On the finish of his homily, Francis straight addressed straight Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov and Ukrainian lawmakers Maria Mezentseva, Olena Khomenko and Rusem Umerov, who sat within the entrance row.
“On this darkness of battle, within the cruelty, we're all praying for you and with you this night time. We're praying for all of the struggling. We will solely provide you with our firm, our prayer,’ Francis mentioned, then with emotion he added that “the largest factor you'll be able to obtain: Christ is risen,” the final three phrases in Ukrainian.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Mom, grandmother weep over a 15-year-old killed in shelling of Kharkiv
— Aged mom feels “misplaced,” seeks son’s physique in Ukrainian city of Bucha
— Russia renews strikes on Ukraine capital, different cities
— ‘We pray for you’: Ukrainian Jews mark Passover, if they'll
— Ukraine’s port of Mariupol holds out towards all odds
Comply with all AP tales on Russia’s battle on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Invictus Video games for injured and sick service personnel and veterans has opened with a standing ovation and a tribute from Prince Harry for Ukrainian staff members who left their war-torn nation to compete.
With Harry and his spouse Meghan within the entrance row for the opening ceremony Saturday night time, opponents cheered for almost a minute because the Ukrainian staff waved their nation’s blue-and-yellow flag after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte welcomed them. The occasion that was delayed by two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Harry based the Invictus Video games to assist the rehabilitation of injured or sick navy service members and veterans, by giving them the problem of competing in sports activities occasions just like the Paralympics.
Welcoming all opponents, Harry singled out the 19-strong Ukrainian staff and their supporters.
“Your bravery in selecting to return and for being right here tonight can't be overstated,” he mentioned, a day after assembly the Ukrainians at a reception.
“You already know, we stand with you. The world is united with you. And nonetheless you deserve extra. And my hope is that these occasions, this occasion, creates the chance … of how we as a world neighborhood can higher present up for you,” Harry added.
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FORT IRWIN, Calif. __ U.S. Military trainers are utilizing classes realized from the Russian battle towards Ukraine as they put together troopers for future fights towards a serious adversary.
The role-players on this month’s train at a coaching heart in California’s Mojave Desert converse Russian and the enemy power is utilizing a gradual stream of social media to make false accusations towards the American brigade making ready to assault.
Within the coming weeks, the deliberate coaching situation for the following brigade coming in will concentrate on how one can battle an enemy prepared to destroy a metropolis with rocket and missile hearth with the intention to conquer it.
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RIYADH — Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Saturday, their second name because the begin of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Saudi Press Company mentioned the 2 mentioned bilateral relations and “methods of enhancing them in all fields.”
The Saudi readout of the decision mentioned the crown prince affirmed help for efforts that will result in a political resolution to the disaster in Ukraine. The dominion just lately introduced $10 million in humanitarian assist for Ukrainian refugees.
The Kremlin’s assertion added the 2 additionally mentioned the continued battle in Yemen, the place a Saudi-led coalition has been at battle for years, in addition to their joint work on an oil output settlement, often called OPEC+. The oil pact has saved a cautious lid on manufacturing by main producers, supporting oil costs.
Ukraine has urged nations all over the world to chop their dependency on Russian oil imports that it says finance Russia’s navy battle on Ukraine.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces shelled an oil refinery within the Ukrainian metropolis of Lysychansk on Saturday, and a big hearth erupted, a regional governor reported.
Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai mentioned it wasn’t the primary time the refinery was focused and accused the Russians of making an attempt to “exhaust” native emergency providers. He underlined there was no gasoline on the refinery on the time of the assault and “the stays of oil sludge” have been burning.
Ukraine’s presidential workplace reported Saturday that missile strikes and shelling over the previous 24 hours occurred in eight areas: Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv within the east, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Kirovohrad within the central Ukraine and Mykolaiv and Kherson within the south. The strikes underlined that the entire nation remained underneath menace regardless of Russia’s pivot towards mounting a brand new offensive within the east.
In Kharkiv, 9 civilians have been killed and greater than 50 have been wounded on Friday, whereas within the wider area two have been reported lifeless and three wounded, in accordance with the report.
The southern Mykolaiv area was battered Friday and Saturday. In response to the presidential workplace, airstrikes Friday killed 5 and wounded 15. The top of regional legislature, Hanna Zamazeyeva, mentioned Saturday that 39 folks have been wounded up to now 24 hours.
Zamazeyeva mentioned the targets included a number of residential blocks “the place there aren't any navy amenities.”
The besieged Ukrainian port metropolis of Mariupol remains to be holding out, however the scenario there may be crucial.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk mentioned in televised remarks on Saturday that 700 Ukrainian troops and greater than 1,000 civilians — greater than half ladies — are at present being held captive by the Russians.
Vereshchuk mentioned Kyiv intends to swap the captive troopers, since Ukraine holds about the identical variety of Russian troops however calls for to launch the civilians “with none situations.”
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ROME — Italy is barring all Russian ships from its ports beginning Sunday, as a part of expanded EU sanctions introduced earlier this month. Ships already in Italian ports should depart instantly “after finishing their business exercise,″ in accordance with a discover despatched to port authorities all through the nation.
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BERLIN — Peace activists took half Germany’s conventional Easter marches on Saturday, calling for an finish to the battle in Ukraine but in addition in at the least some instances opposing serving to Ukraine defend itself with weaponry.
A Berlin occasion drew 400 folks and one in Hannover 500, the dpa information company reported, citing police. Marches passed off in cities together with Munich, Cologne, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Duisburg. Banners included “Finish the battle in Ukraine” and “He who sends weapons reaps battle.”
The nation’s vice chancellor, Greens politician Robert Habeck, warned demonstrators towards sending the flawed message, saying “there'll solely be peace when Putin stops his battle of aggression.” He mentioned in an interview with the Funke media group that it was “clear who the aggressor is who and who're defending themselves in an emergency and whom we should help, additionally with weapons.”
Ukrainian officers say Germany has despatched anti-tank and antiaircaft weapon in addition to night time imaginative and prescient gear, physique armor and machine weapons.
The domestically organized peace marches date again to the times of the Chilly Warfare and concentrate on points similar to disarmament and abolition of nuclear weapons.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko mentioned that one individual died and several other extra have been wounded within the Saturday morning airstrikes on the Darnytski district of the capital, as Russian forces resumed scattered assaults on the capital in western Ukraine.
“Our air protection forces are doing the whole lot they'll to guard us, however the enemy is insidious and ruthless,” Klitschko mentioned on the Telegram messaging app.
The assaults, which the Russian Protection Ministry mentioned focused an armored automobile plant within the Ukrainian capital, was an explosive reminder to Ukrainians and their Western supporters that the entire nation stays underneath menace regardless of Russian forces pivot to the east, the place a brand new offensive is feared.
Klitschko urged Ukrainians to not return to Kyiv simply but in televised remarks Saturday, warning that strikes on the capital are possible proceed and its suburbs are rigged with explosives. “We’re not ruling out additional strikes on the capital,” Klitschko mentioned. “We will’t prohibit, we will solely suggest. In case you have the chance to remain a bit bit longer within the cities the place it’s safer, do it.”
The mayor of Kyiv added that due to the mines, Kyiv residents are barred from visiting parks and forests within the northeastern areas that border with liberated territories previously occupied by Russians.
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MOSCOW — Russia has barred the UK prime minister and a dozen different prime British officers from coming into the nation in response to British sanctions imposed on Russia over its navy operation in Ukraine.
Russia’s International Ministry introduced the transfer that targets Boris Johnson, a variety of British ministers and former prime minister Theresa Might, on Saturday.
The ministry’s assertion cited “unprecedented hostile actions of the British authorities, expressed, particularly, within the imposition of sanctions towards prime officers” in Russia.
“The Russophobic plan of action of the British authorities, whose fundamental purpose is to fire up unfavourable perspective towards our nation, curbing of bilateral ties in nearly all areas are detrimental to the well-being and pursuits of the residents of Britain. Any sanctions assault will inevitably backfire on their initiators and obtain a decisive rebuff,” the assertion mentioned.
On Friday night, the ministry introduced the expulsion of 18 European Union diplomats from Moscow, in retaliation for the bloc’s declaring 19 diplomats from the Russian mission to the EU and to the European Atomic Vitality Neighborhood persona non-grata.
The European Union mentioned the expulsions have been groundless, and that EU diplomats focused have been working within the framework of the Vienna conference on diplomatic relations.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko mentioned in a web-based posting that Kyiv was struck early Saturday within the Darnytskyi district within the japanese a part of the capital, saying there have been “explosions.”
He mentioned rescuers and paramedics have been on the scene and that victims’ particulars could be launched later.
Klitschko urged residents to heed air raid sirens and warned those that have fled the capital to not return for now for his or her security.
Thick smoke rising from the location on the japanese aspect of Kyiv could possibly be seen from elements of downtown close to the Dnipro River.
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WASHINGTON — Ukraine is sending prime officers to Washington for subsequent week’s spring conferences of the Worldwide Financial Fund and the World Financial institution, the place dialogue will concentrate on the Russian invasion and its affect on the worldwide economic system.
Coming to the gathering are Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and central financial institution governor Kyrylo Shevchenko, in accordance with a World Financial institution official who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of the go to had not been formally introduced.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned Friday that current sanctions on Russia are “painful” however not but sufficient to cease the Russian navy.
Zelenskyy referred to as for “the democratic world” to ban Russian oil. Whereas U.S. lawmakers and U.S. President Joe Biden have enacted such a ban, Europe depends extra closely on Russian vitality provides, and the U.S. has been working to maintain India from stepping up its use of Russian vitality.
“Usually, the democratic world should settle for that Russia’s cash for vitality sources is the truth is cash for the destruction of democracy,” Zelenskyy mentioned in his nightly video tackle to his nation.
He additionally mentioned: “The earlier the democratic world acknowledges that the oil embargo towards Russia and the whole blockade of its banking sector are needed steps in direction of peace, the earlier the battle will finish.”
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TIJUANA, Mexico — A Russian man and Ukrainian lady have been married within the Mexican border metropolis of Tijuana after they have been unable to journey collectively to the U.S.
Daria Sakhniuk was allowed to enter the U.S. as a Ukrainian refugee however her companion, Semen Bobrovski, was unable to journey there following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They left Ukraine because the battle started.
Bobrovski instructed El Sol de Tijuana that he believed the wedding Thursday would bolster his probabilities of coming into the U.S. along with his new spouse. The U.S. permits solely Russian nationals with members of the family within the U.S. to enter the nation.
“With out it, we received’t have the ability to cross as a result of, nonetheless to the official American authorities, we're strangers to one another,” he mentioned.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned he mentioned the destiny of the besieged port metropolis of Mariupol in a gathering Friday with the nation’s navy leaders and the heads of its intelligence companies.
“The small print can't be made public now, however we're doing the whole lot we will to save lots of our folks,” Zelenskyy mentioned in his nightly video tackle to the nation.
Elsewhere in southern Ukraine, he mentioned Russian troops who occupy areas round Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have been terrorizing civilians and searching for anybody who had served within the military or the federal government.
“The occupiers assume it will make it simpler for them to manage this territory. However they're very flawed. They're fooling themselves,” Zelenskyy mentioned.
He added: “The occupiers’ drawback will not be that they aren't accepted by some activists, veterans or journalists. Russia’s drawback is that it's not accepted — and by no means will probably be accepted -– by all the Ukrainian folks. Russia has misplaced Ukraine without end.”