May 1, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Maureen Chowdhury, Joe Ruiz, Mike Hayes, Nectar Gan, Andrew Raine, Eliza Mackintosh, Jack Bantock and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 12:05 AM ET, Mon May 2, 2022
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7:30 a.m. ET, May 1, 2022

Russia says 46 civilians evacuated from area around besieged Mariupol steel plant

From CNN's Tim Lister

Civilians that left the area near Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol walk to a temporary accommodation center in Bezimenne, Ukraine on May 1.
Civilians that left the area near Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol walk to a temporary accommodation center in Bezimenne, Ukraine on May 1. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Two groups of civilians were evacuated from the vicinity of the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol on Saturday, Russian state news agencies have said.

A total of 46 people had left "residential buildings adjacent to Azovstal" and "were provided with accommodation and food," TASS and RAI Novosti said, quoting the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Russian agencies did not disclose where the evacuees were being taken.

Earlier Sunday, a Ukrainian commander inside the plant said some civilians have been evacuated from the steel works following the introduction of a ceasefire.

Capt. Svyatoslav Palamar, the deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, said the ceasefire, which was supposed to begin at 6 a.m. local time, ended up starting at 11 a.m. local time.

Palamar said 20 women and children had been taken to the "agreed meeting point," in the hope that they would be evacuated to the "agreed destination" of Zaporizhzhia, a Ukrainian-controlled city in the country's southeast.

Some context: With the plant subjected to heavy Russian bombardment over the past several weeks, there are thought to be hundreds of people -- dozens of whom are injured -- inside the steel complex.

Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Holding that owns the plant, told CNN Friday that at least 150 of the plant's 11,000 employees have been killed and thousands remain unaccounted for.

Harrowing footage shared by Ukrainian soldiers last week, said to be filmed in the vast network of tunnels under the plant, showed women and children living underground in a dark, damp basement.

In the videos, one mother said they've not seen the sun in weeks and will soon run out of food. An old woman, her head bandaged and bloodied, shivers on a cot. A baby wears a plastic bag fastened with duct tape around its small waist -- there are no diapers left.

5:20 a.m. ET, May 1, 2022

The show must go on: The opera house putting on shows as war rages in Ukraine

From CNN's Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Isa Soares, Madalena Araujo, and Oleksandra Ochman

Artists performing the ballet "Giselle." During the war, a full-scale performance will be shown at the opera for the first time.
Artists performing the ballet "Giselle." During the war, a full-scale performance will be shown at the opera for the first time. (Serhii Korovayny for CNN)

With the audience waiting eagerly in its seats, a familiar message echoes through the hall, reminding patrons to turn off phones and immerse themselves in the experience.

It's immediately followed by a more abnormal announcement. "Dear guest, our event will be suspended in case of air raid alert. Dancers and spectators must go to the bomb shelter situated in the theater," it tells the crowd -- a poignant reminder that this is not a regular night at the theater.

Then the lights dim, the orchestra begins to play, and a dancer appears on stage from the wings.

On Friday, Lviv National Opera staged its first full production since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

"One way or another, the war affects us all ... We understand that light must defeat darkness, that life must defeat death, and the mission of the theater is to assert this," the opera's artistic director, Vasyl Vovkun, told CNN.

The Western Ukrainian city of Lviv has emerged almost entirely unscathed, despite devastating conflict elsewhere in the country.

With Lviv residents slowly learning to live with the war, Vovkun said providing a place of solace amid the raging conflict is the driving force behind resuming shows.

Vovkun opened with "Giselle," a well-performed ballet classic that tells the story of a beautiful peasant girl who dies prematurely after being betrayed by the man she loves.

"Giselle also has all shades of joy and sadness, there is also death and there is also the victory of love. And in fact, this topic is consistent today. Even when we hear a lot about death, we still hope, both in this work and in life, that love will win, life will win," Vovkun explained.

Despite the show's sell-out popularity, many seats remain empty as the theater's bomb shelter can only hold 300 people.

Daryna Kirik, the 21-year-old who plays the lead role of "Giselle," has seen her life upended by the war and the horrors of Bucha, where mass graves were recently found.

"Dancing helps to distract from what's happening ... Most of my relatives are in Kyiv and Kyiv region now. My mom and my grandmother and her sister survived occupation in Bucha. My mother managed to evacuate herself and the pets. Now she is in safety in Poland restoring her nerves," Kirik said.

The crowd is captivated with every leap, lift and arabesque. It is only a two-hour show, yet for a time the audience is transported away from the chaos of reality.

"After you visit this place, you understand that life can't be defeated. Our life can't be bombed, or destroyed by missiles or chemical or nuclear weapons," says Victoria Palamarchuk, a 50-year-old journalist, currently staying with extended family in Lviv after leaving her home in the central Zhytomyr region.

With a warm smile, she adds: "Life can't be defeated while such places exist -- theaters, opera, and ballet theaters -- while people are coming here and feel joy with these sounds."

Read the full story here:

As war rages in Ukraine, ballet dancers return to the stage
RELATED

As war rages in Ukraine, ballet dancers return to the stage

Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Isa Soares, Madalena Araujo, Oleksandra Ochman, CNN; Photographs by: Serhii Korovayny for CNN

5:25 a.m. ET, May 1, 2022

Pelosi leads first official US delegation to Ukraine since war began

From CNN’s Michelle Watson 

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sunday.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sunday. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made an unannounced trip to the Ukrainian capital on Saturday, becoming the most senior United States official to meet with President Volodymr Zelensky since the war broke out more than two months ago.

Pelosi's office confirmed the trip in a statement on Sunday, saying that the Speaker had led an official congressional delegation to Ukraine -- the first since Russia's invasion.

Zelensky shared a video on Sunday of their meeting in Kyiv, and thanked the US for its powerful support of Ukraine against Russian aggression. 

"We are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom, that we're on a frontier of freedom and that your fight is a fight for everyone," Pelosi said to Zelensky in the clip. "And so our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done."

The trip to Kyiv by Pelosi, who is second in line to succeed the president, signals a significant measure of commitment to supporting Ukraine from the most senior level of US leadership.

"Our Congressional Delegation had the solemn opportunity and extraordinary honor of meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials in Kyiv,” according to the news release.

“Our delegation conveyed our respect and gratitude to President Zelenskyy for his leadership and our admiration of the Ukrainian people for their courage in the fight against Russia’s oppression.”  

Pelosi was joined by several other senior members of Congress, including Gregory Meeks of New York, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Adam Schiff of California, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

"When we return to the United States, we will do so further informed, deeply inspired and ready to do what is needed to help the Ukrainian people as they defend democracy for their nation and for the world," the release ends. 

CNN’s Daniella Diaz contributed to this report.     

4:57 a.m. ET, May 1, 2022

Russia reinforcing operations in the east amid heavy artillery assaults, Ukrainian military says

From CNN's Tim Lister in Lviv

Russia is reinforcing its offensive operations in eastern Ukraine with weapons and military equipment amid heavy artillery assaults, according to the Ukrainian military.  

Airstrikes and artillery fire by Russian forces continue in many areas, from Kharkiv in the north to Zaporizhzhia in the south, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its latest operational update.

One of the main targets of Russian forces is the industrial town of Sloviansk in Donetsk.

A Ukrainian soldier sits on a Armoured personnel carrier (APC) driving on a road near Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine, on April 26.
A Ukrainian soldier sits on a Armoured personnel carrier (APC) driving on a road near Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine, on April 26. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)
The “enemy's strike group continues to strengthen. Up to 300 weapons and military equipment were transferred,” along with air defenses, the General Staff said.
Further east and south, “enemy troops are conducting active operations along the entire section of the demarcation line,” it said. 
“In order to prevent the ability of our forces and vehicles to manoeuvre, the enemy is blocking them in specified areas.” 

The General Staff said Russian forces were trying to break through Ukrainian defensive lines around Olenivka. Altogether in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, nine enemy attacks had been repulsed.

There appears to be intense pressure on front-line Ukrainian defenses in the Luhansk region. The Luhansk regional administration said that the village of Zolote-3 had been 70% destroyed by Russian fire. And the region’s military administrator, Serhiy Hayday, said that nearby – in Orikhovo – there were “intense gunfights – street after street.” 

He said the towns of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk had withstood “six massive artillery shellings each” on Saturday. 

In southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said that Russian troops were trying to establish control over all of the Kherson region and preparing for offensive action towards the cities of Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Rih. 

The Air Command "South" of the Ukrainian Air Force said that in “the Mykolaiv-Kherson direction active hostilities continue." But it said its forces had attacked Russian positions on Snake Island off the coast of Kherson, destroying equipment. 

4:05 a.m. ET, May 1, 2022

Zelensky meets Nancy Pelosi in Kyiv

From CNN’s Sarita Harilela in Hong Kong

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sunday.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sunday. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said he had held a meeting with a congressional delegation from the United States, including House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Zelensky also shared a video of their visit on his official Twitter account.

2:57 a.m. ET, May 1, 2022

Russia has killed twice as many in Mariupol as Nazi Germany did, city council claims

From Josh Pennington and CNN’s Sophie Jeong in Hong Kong

A view of a heavily damaged building in Ukrainian city of Mariupol under the control of Russian military and pro-Russian separatists, on April 29, 2022. 
A view of a heavily damaged building in Ukrainian city of Mariupol under the control of Russian military and pro-Russian separatists, on April 29, 2022.  (Leon Klein/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The Russian army has killed twice as many people in Mariupol in two months as German Nazis did in two years during World War II, Mariupol City Council claimed in a statement on its Telegram channel. 

In two years, the Nazis killed 10,000 civilians in Mariupol. And the Russian occupiers killed over 20,000 Mariupol residents in two months. Over 40,000 people were forcefully removed,” Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said, according to the city council.

CNN is not able to independently verify these claims. 

Russia has also illegally deported as many Mariupol residents as Hitler’s troops did during the years of occupation, the city council claimed in its statement on Saturday.

“This is one of the most terrible genocides of peaceful population in modern history. The Russian army is targeting and mercilessly decimating our city and its residents,” Boychenko added.
11:58 p.m. ET, April 30, 2022

It's 7 a.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

A memorial to those who have lost their lives in the Russian war on Ukraine in downtown Lviv on April 30.
A memorial to those who have lost their lives in the Russian war on Ukraine in downtown Lviv on April 30. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)

Some evacuations have taken place at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where hundreds of people, including dozens injured during an intense Russian bombardment over the past several weeks, are thought to be trapped.

Here are the latest developments:

The Azovstal steel plant: Nearly every building at the sprawling steel plant, the last Ukrainian holdout in Mariupol, has been destroyed, new satellite images from Maxar Technologies show. Some civilians have been evacuated from the plant after a ceasefire was introduced, according to a Ukrainian commander inside.

Russian submarine: Russia has released video showing it is using a submarine in the Black Sea to launch cruise missile attacks on Ukraine, confirming earlier Ukrainian military claims.

Explosions in Odesa: Multiple explosions in the southern city of Odesa were reported soon after 6 p.m. local time by Ukrainian media and witnesses. One witness told CNN she saw at least one combat plane over the city. The runway at Odesa's airport had been damaged, according to the Ukrainian military.

Russian tanks destroyed: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian army has already destroyed more than 1,000 Russian tanks, nearly 200 Russian aircraft, and almost 2,500 armored fighting vehicles.

Rebuilding and recovery: 69% of de-occupied settlements in Ukraine now have “full-fledged local self-government” again, Zelensky said in his Saturday night address, adding the work of humanitarian offices has already begun in 93% of liberated settlements.

11:52 p.m. ET, April 30, 2022

Ukrainian army has destroyed more than 1,000 Russian tanks, Zelensky says

From CNN’s Hira Humayun and Masha Angelova

A destroyed Russian tank on a road in the Kyiv region on April 16.
A destroyed Russian tank on a road in the Kyiv region on April 16. Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian army has already destroyed more than 1,000 Russian tanks, nearly 200 Russian aircraft, and almost 2,500 armored fighting vehicles.

Despite these losses, Russian troops still have equipment to launch additional attacks, Zelensky said.

Of course, the occupiers still have equipment in stock. Yes, they still have missiles to strike at our territory," he added. "But this war has already weakened Russia so much that they have to plan (to have) even fewer military equipment for the parade in Moscow."

On May 9, Russia plans to hold its traditional Victory Day parade in Red Square, commemorating the German surrender to the Soviet Union in the Second World War.

The Ukrainian President also said Russia has already lost more than 23,000 soldiers since the invasion began. CNN cannot independently verify this claim. 

Russia has sporadically released casualty figures that are low and which observers deem to be a massive underestimate. Two days prior to Russia’s update, two senior NATO military officials estimated the number of Russian soldiers killed in action in Ukraine to be between 7,000 and 15,000. Around the same time, other US officials had put Russian losses in a similar range -- between 7,000 and 14,000 Russian soldiers killed -- but they expressed “low confidence” in those estimates.

Earlier in the month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov briefly admitted Russia had suffered “significant” losses of its troops in Ukraine, calling the losses “a huge tragedy” for the country in an interview with Sky News. 

11:52 p.m. ET, April 30, 2022

Angelina Jolie speaks with refugees at boarding school and medical institution in Lviv

From CNN's Hande Atay Alam and Radina Gigova

Angelina Jolie with kids in Lviv, Ukraine, on April 30.
Angelina Jolie with kids in Lviv, Ukraine, on April 30.

Actress Angelina Jolie, who is also a United Nations special envoy for refugees, visited a boarding school and medical institution in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, according to Maksym Kozytskyy, the head of Lviv's regional military administration.

"In one of the medical institutions, she has visited children who suffered from a missile strike by the Russian military on the Kramatorsk train station. She was very moved by their stories. One girl was even able to tell Ms. Jolie about her dream privately," according to Kozytskyy.

When visiting a boarding school in the region, "she promised to come again," he said.

"She also took the time to talk to our volunteers who provide medical and psychological assistance at the Main Railway Station in Lviv. She thanked them for their work," he said. "She talked to people who managed to leave the zones of active hostilities."

"This visit was a surprise for all of us," Kozytskyy added.

UNHCR's Head of Global Communications Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams told CNN Saturday that "Angelina Jolie is traveling to the region in her personal capacity and UNHCR has no involvement in this visit." 

Earlier on Saturday, Jolie was photographed visiting a coffee shop in Lviv. CNN has reached out to Jolie's representatives for comment.