NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Nearly a month after Russia’s invasion began, the battle for Ukraine’s cities thundered across its suburbs Tuesday, with the Ukrainian military retaking a key neighborhood near Kyiv and the invading Russian forces increasing air raids that have caused uncounted deaths and sent more than 3.5 million people fleeing. President Biden, who is heading to Europe later this week, suggested Monday the worst may be yet to come. “Putin’s back is against the wall,” the president said. “And the more his back is against the wall, the greater the severity of the tactics he may employ.” Biden warned Russia may be planning a cyberattack against the U.S., a claim the Kremlin denied.
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
10:00 p.m. - Biden to announce plan to expedite vulnerable Ukrainian refugee resettlement in U.S.
The Biden administration is planning to unveil a plan as early as this week to make it easier and faster for Ukrainian refugees to resettle in the United States, NBC News reported.
Sources told NBC News that the plan is targeted toward vulnerable Ukrainians such as activists, journalists and those who are a part of the LGBTQ community, allowing them to safely enter the U.S., if only temporarily. Under the new plan, reunification between Ukrainians and U.S.-based family members would be expedited, according to NBC.
It's unclear what authority President Joe Biden would utilize to speed up the passage of Ukrainians. According to NBC sources, two authorities are being considered by the White House: humanitarian parole, a presidential authority which doesn’t guarantee permanent legal status and the Priority-2 designation program, which was used for Afghans and others fleeing war zones.
7:55 p.m. - Biden to announce new Russia sanctions while in Brussels
President Joe Biden plans to announce new sanctions against Russia on Thursday while in Brussels for meetings with NATO and European allies, according to a top national security aide.
Biden, who will take part in a special meeting of NATO and address the European Council summit, is also expected to underscore efforts to enforce the avalanche of existing sanctions already announced by the U.S. and allies.
“He will join our partners in imposing further sanctions on Russia and tightening the existing sanctions to crack down on evasion and to ensure robust enforcement,” said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who declined to further preview new sanctions the president will announce.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the sanctions on Russian lawmakers will affect hundreds of members of the lower house of the Parliament, the State Duma, according to the official who spoke anonymously in order to discuss diplomatic deliberations that have yet to be publicly acknowledged.
The news comes after the United States announced financial sanctions on 12 members of the Duma earlier this month. According to one senior official, Thursday's announcement will go far beyond those 12 sanctions in a "very sweeping" move.
5:20 p.m. - China has not aided Russian military yet: WH adviser
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that it appears China has not aided Russia's military amid its invasion of Ukraine and days after President Joe Biden warned of "consequences" in a meeting with China's President Xi.
"What I can tell you is we have not seen … the provision of military equipment by China to Russia," Sullivan said. "The president made clear to President Xi the implications and consequences of any such provision of equipment, and they very well understand one another."
Sullivan said Biden will address with NATO allies and the EU if China eventually provides assistance.
“On April 1, the European Union is having a summit with China. And so this will be an opportunity, Thursday, for the United States and our European partners, to coordinate closely on what our message is. We believe we're very much on the same page with our European partners, and we will be speaking with one voice on this issue," Sullivan added.
4:50 p.m. - Russia opens criminal case over reporter's criticism of Mariupol maternity
Russia's Investigative Committee said Tuesday it opened a criminal case against popular journalist Alexander Nevzorov on YouTube and Instagram for his coverage of the March 9 shelling of the Mariupol maternity hospital, which drew worldwide condemnation.
The committee said Nevzorov, a popular television anchor and former Russian parliament member, "published deliberately false information about the deliberate shelling by Russia's armed forces of a maternity hospital in the city of Mariupol.
According to Al Jazeera, he said he couldn't "be silent any more."
"What’s happening in Mariupol is terrorism," he continued.
4:20 p.m. - France's Macron speaks with Putin, Zelenskyy; no cease-fire deal met
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday talked with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the terms of a potential cease-fire, according to the French presidency.
They reached “no agreement,” the statement said, but Macron “remains convinced of the need to continue his efforts” and he “stands alongside Ukraine.”
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin and Macron had a call in which they exchanged views about the situation in Ukraine, including the talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators. It didn’t give further details.
3:45 p.m. - Russia will use nuclear weapons if there's 'existential threat' to country: Putin's chief spokesperson
Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's chief spokesperson, repeatedly refused in the interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour to rule out that Russia would consider Russia's use of nuclear weapons if the Kremlin saw an "existential threat" to its existence.
"If it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be," he said.
He also acknowledged that Russia has not achieved all of its military goals, though it was "going on strictly in accordance with the plans and the purposes that were established before hand."
3:15 p.m. - 4 pediatric oncology patients transported from Ukraine to St. Jude's
The Department of State said Tuesday that four pediatric oncology patients in Ukraine have been transferred to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital amid Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, which poses a threat to their treatment.
"The patients, 9 months to 9 years old, will receive medical care at St. Jude. In addition to cancer treatment, they'll receive therapy to address psychological, social, emotional, cultural needs. Our educators are also developing school curriculum," the hospital added Tuesday.
2:30 p.m. - Biden to announce new sanctions on Russia in Brussels
President Joe Biden plans to announce new sanctions against Russia on Thursday while in Brussels for meetings with NATO and European allies, according to a top national security aide.
Biden, who will take part in a special meeting of NATO and address the European Council summit, is also expected to underscore efforts to enforce the avalanche of existing list of sanctions already announced by the U.S. and allies.
“He will join our partners in imposing further sanctions on Russia and tightening the existing sanctions to crack down on evasion and to ensure robust enforcement,” said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who declined to further preview the new sanctions the president will announce.
Biden is travelling to Brussels and Poland — which has received more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees who have fled since the Feb. 24 invasion — looking to press for continued unity among western allies as Russia presses on with its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
1:20 p.m. - Germany refuses to boycott Russian energy
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has again dismissed calls to boycott Russian energy supplies in the wake of the attack on Ukraine.
Scholz said Tuesday that the sanctions already imposed on Russia were already hitting its economy “and this will only get more dramatic every day.”
At the same time, the sanctions were designed to be “tolerable” for those imposing them, including in the long term, he said.
“That is why Germany’s position on this question (of an energy boycott) remains unchanged,” said Scholz.
He added that other countries in Europe are even more dependent on Russian oil, coal and gas than Germany “and nobody must be left standing out in the rain in this regard.”
Scholz said Germany is working to diversify its energy supply and that, while this will take time, it will eventually have the same effect as a boycott.
European countries pay Russia hundreds of millions of dollars each day for fossil fuels. Ukrainian officials say this trade effectively finances Russia’s war against their country.
12:30 p.m. - UN chief says war 'unwinnable,' urges ceasefire 'now'
The United Nations chief said his discussions with officials indicate “there is enough on the table to cease hostilities now” and seriously negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters Tuesday that the war is “unwinnable,” and the only question is how many more lives will be lost and how many more cities like Mariupol will be destroyed before the war moves from the battlefield to the peace table.
“From my outreach with various actors, elements of diplomatic progress are coming into view on several key issues,” he said, enough to end hostilities now.
Guterres did not state what those elements are or answer any questions.
He said the war is intensifying and “getting more destructive and more unpredictable by the hour.” Ten million Ukrainians have already been forced to flee their homes.
“Even if Mariupol falls, Ukraine cannot be conquered city by city, street by street, house by house,” the secretary-general said.
Guterres said “the Ukrainian people are enduring a living hell,” and the war’s reverberations “are being felt worldwide with skyrocketing food, energy and fertilizer prices threatening to spiral into a global hunger crisis.”
10:15 a.m. - Polish president compares Russian forces to SS troops
Poland’s president has compared the conduct of Russian forces in Ukraine to that of Adolf Hitler’s infamous SS troops during World War II.
“Today, the Russian army is behaving in exactly the same way ... as the German SS,” President Andrzej Duda said during a visit to Bulgaria on Tuesday.
Duda, whose country suffered a brutal Nazi occupation during World War II, noted that Russia had already violated international law when it attacked Georgia in 2008 and first invaded Ukraine in 2014.
He said he hoped that those responsible for attacks on civilians in Ukraine would be brought before international courts.
9 a.m. - Kremlin won’t comment on report that nearly 10,000 Russian soldiers killed in action
The Kremlin has refused to comment on a top tabloid newspaper’s reporting of Russian military casualties in Ukraine.
The daily Komsomolskaya Pravda reported Monday that 9,861 soldiers have been killed in action in Ukraine and another 16,153 have been wounded. It cited the Russian defense ministry.
The newspaper quickly removed the article from its website, describing it as the work of hackers.
Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on it at Tuesday’s conference call with reporters, referring questions about the military casualties to the defense ministry.
On March 2, the defense ministry reported 498 soldiers had been killed and hasn’t released any casualty numbers since then.
8:45 a.m. - Ukraine retakes key Kyiv suburb; battle for Mariupol rages
Explosions and bursts of gunfire shook Kyiv, and black smoke rose from a spot in the north. Intensified artillery fire could be heard from the northwest, where Russia has sought to encircle and capture several suburban areas of the capital, a crucial target.
Residents sheltered at home or underground under a 35-hour curfew imposed by city authorities that runs to Wednesday morning.
Russian forces also pressed their siege of Mariupol after the southern port city's defenders refused demands to surrender, with fleeing civilians describing relentless bombardments and corpses lying in the streets.
But the Kremlin’s ground offensive in other parts of the country advanced slowly or not at all, knocked back by lethal hit-and-run attacks by the Ukrainians.
Early Tuesday, Ukrainian troops forced Russian forces out of the Kyiv suburb of Makariv after a fierce battle, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said. The regained territory allowed Ukrainian forces to retake control of a key highway and block Russian troops from surrounding Kyiv from the northwest.
Still, the Defense Ministry said Russian forces were able to partially take other northwest suburbs, Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, some of which had been under attack almost since Russia's military invaded almost a month ago.
Facing unexpectedly stiff resistance, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces are increasingly concentrating their air power and artillery on Ukraine’s cities and the civilians living there.
U.S. and British officials say Kyiv remains Russia's primary objective. The bulk of Moscow’s forces remain miles from the center, but missiles and artillery have destroyed apartment buildings and a large shopping mall, which was left a smoking ruin after being hit late Sunday by strikes that killed eight people, according to emergency officials.
8:30 a.m. - Wildfires extinguished near Chernobyl nuclear site
Ukraine’s natural resources minister says wildfires have been extinguished in the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is under the control of Russian forces.
The fires have raised concern about the possible release of radiation from the plant, where a 1986 explosion and fire sent radioactive emissions across large parts of Europe.
But Natural Resources Minister Ruslan Strelets said Tuesday that radiation levels in the area are within the norms.
Ukrainian officials had earlier accused Russian forces of deliberately setting the fires or causing them with artillery shelling.
8:15 a.m. - Kremlin rejects Biden warning Russia planning cyberattack against US
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has rejected U.S. President Joe Biden’s warning that Russia may be planning a cyberattack against the United States.
Asked about Biden’s comments, Peskov said Tuesday that “the Russian Federation, unlike many Western countries including the United States, does not engage in banditry on the state level.”
Biden told a meeting of corporate CEOs on Monday that “evolving intelligence” indicated a cyberattack may be planned. He urged private companies to invest in their own security to counter cyberattacks.
Biden has suggested a cyberattack could be Russia’s response to economic sanctions imposed by the U.S.
8 a.m. - Zelenskyy speaks to Italian parliament, Pope Francis
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging Italy to beef up sanctions against Russia and seize more assets from President Vladimir Putin and his allies as a way of pressuring Moscow into negotiating an end to the war.
Zelenskyy spoke to the Italian parliament Tuesday via video from Kyiv, as he has done with other foreign parliaments. Wearing a collared shirt and speaking through an Italian translator, Zelenskyy told Italian lawmakers that he had just spoken by phone to Pope Francis and that the pontiff had endorsed Ukraine’s right to defend itself.
He said that 117 children have been killed in the war with Russia and that the city of Mariupol has been flattened by the Russian onslaught.
He warned that Europe’s security is at risk if Russia advances and that grain deliveries to the developing world are being jeopardized because Ukraine’s farmers can’t plant crops.
Italian Premier Mario Draghi praised the “heroic” resistance of the Ukrainian people.
Zelenskyy is set to virtually deliver his address to the Japanese parliament on Wednesday to rally international support for his country’s fight against Russian invasion.
7:30 a.m. - Refugee Ukrainian girl from viral video performs at Poland concert
A young Ukrainian girl who went viral for singing in a bomb shelter in Kyiv is now in Poland, where she sang her country’s national anthem at a benefit concert.
Amellia Anisovych, 7, drew worldwide attention when cellphone video captured her singing “Let It Go” from the film “Frozen” to people in a shelter.
Amellia performed her country’s national anthem live onstage at a charity concert Sunday evening. She wore a traditional Ukrainian embroidered dress as she sang for thousands of people.
Amellia is with her grandmother and brother in Poland, but her parents remain in Kyiv.
7 a.m. - 3.5 million have fled Ukraine, nearly 6.5 million internally displaced
The U.N. refugee agency says more than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, passing another milestone in an exodus that has led to Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II.
UNHCR reported Tuesday that 3.56 million people have left Ukraine, with Poland taking in the lion’s share — more than 2.1 million — followed by Romania with more than 540,000 and Moldova with more than 367,000.
Shortly after the invasion on Feb. 24, UNHCR predicted that some 4 million refugees might leave Ukraine, though it has been re-assessing that prediction. The outflows have been slowing in recent days after peaking at more than 200,000 each on two straight days in early March.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that nearly 6.5 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine, suggesting that some if not most of them might to flee abroad if the war continues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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