May 1, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's unannounced trip to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky comes as the United States and its allies are stepping up long-term support to Ukraine as Russia's invasion stretches into its third month.

Last week, responding to pleas from Zelensky, a group of 40 nations gathered by the US in Germany agreed to streamline and expedite the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. "We've got to move at the speed of war," said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who met with Ukraine's president in Kyiv with Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week.

The House on Thursday passed legislation that would allow Biden to use a World War II-era law, known as the Lend-Lease Act of 1941, to swiftly supply weapons to Ukraine on loan. That law was originally created to help forces fighting Hitler, and reflects the urgency in Congress to support the Ukrainian armed forces.

President Joe Biden on Thursday asked Congress for an additional $33 billion aimed at supporting Ukraine over the next several months as Russia's brutal and unrelenting war enters a new phase. Biden also outlined a proposal that would further pressure Russian oligarchs over the war in Ukraine, including using money from their seized assets to fund Ukraine's defense.

The package is significantly larger than the other packages that have been put forward, and is more than twice as much as the $13.6 billion infusion of military and humanitarian aid that Congress approved last month.

Zelensky stressed the importance of the financial assistance in his meeting with Pelosi.

The visit 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.

Read more about America's financial assistance to Ukraine here:

RELATED

Biden to ask Congress for $33 billion in aid to Ukraine as war enters new phase

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.

RELATED

'They never expected Mariupol to resist.' Locals horrified by Russia's relentless attack on the vast steel plant shielding Ukrainians

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.

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.

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.

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.

Read the full story here:

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

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.     

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.