April 21, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

The situation at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol is “close to a catastrophe,” Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the CEO of Metinvest Holding, the company that owns the plant, told CNN on Thursday. 

Ryzhenkov said originally there had been enough supplies for two to three weeks but they were almost eight weeks into the blockade. He added that those still there “were not giving up.”

The CEO said they had set up a hotline for any employees of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, and so far about 4,500 had been in contact, leaving around 6,000 yet to be accounted for.

“Hopefully they are still alive, hopefully they are ok and hopefully they will get out and we will be able to provide them with all the necessary comfort,” he said. 

According to Ryzhenkov, the company has said the facility will not work under Russian occupation. “Our enterprises will not be working under Russian occupation. We will not be controlling this work we will not be providing this work. Of course Russians can try to restart the plants, but let’s see if they can manage that, I doubt very much," he said.

Russia continues to bolster their forces inside Ukraine as it refocuses on the east, adding three more battalion tactical groups since yesterday, bringing the total number of Russian battalion tactical groups, or BTGs, in Ukraine to 85, a senior US defense official told reporters on Thursday.

This brings the total number of BTGs added over the past week to 20.

Most of the BTGs being added in Ukraine are “going into the Donbas region,” the official said. 

“Most of them we still assess are going into the Donbas region, but I caution this by saying we don’t know, we don’t know exactly what unit is where on any given day specifically, but that’s where we’re assessing that we’re going,” the official added. 

The US Air Force developed the new Phoenix Ghost drone system to meet Ukrainian needs, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

The new US aid package for Ukraine includes more than 121 Phoenix Ghost systems, the Pentagon said.

“This was rapidly developed by the Air Force in response specifically to Ukrainian requirements," said Pentagon press secretary John Kirby in off-camera remarks to reporters.

But Kirby would not say what the differences in capabilities are between the Switchblade and Phoenix Ghost systems.

Kirby also said the new system will require “some minimal training for knowledgeable UAS operators,” and that the US Defense Department is “working through” those requirements with the Ukrainian military.

Additionally, concerning the howitzers in the new aid package that will be used to outfit five additional Ukrainian battalions, Kirby said they are being provided per Ukrainian needs for fighting in the Donbas region that the department expects to continue “over days and weeks ahead.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked US President Joe Biden for his announcements of additional military and economic aid for Ukraine Thursday.

Earlier, Biden announced $500 million in US assistance for the Ukrainian government and $800 million in military aid.

The $800 million package would include heavy artillery and drones, along with ammunition, Biden said.

And the $500 million in funding can be used by Ukraine’s government “to stabilize their economy, to support communities that have been devastated by the Russian onslaught, and pay the brave workers that continue to provide essential services to the people of Ukraine,” Biden said.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, approved the extension of martial law in the country by another 30 days. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law across the country following the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. 

US President Joe Biden said Thursday it was “questionable” whether Russian President Vladimir Putin controls Mariupol, Ukraine.

“It’s questionable whether he does control Mariupol,” Biden said adding, “There is no evidence yet that Mariupol is completely fallen.”

Biden also called on Putin to allow humanitarian aid into Ukraine to allow those trapped inside the steel plant to be able to get out.

CNN reported Thursday that Putin has scrapped plans to storm the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, saying those who choose to surrender should be treated in accordance with international conventions. Putin ordered forces to blockade the plant "so that a fly can't get through."

Ukrainian forces are continuing to resist attacks on the plant and ignoring Russian calls to surrender. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country's forces don’t have enough "serious and heavy" weapons to defeat the Russian army in Mariupol as "thousands" of civilians remain trapped inside.

While US President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin will refocus his invasion of Ukraine on the eastern part of the country.

Biden also reflected on the war so far, and said Putin is still trying to break up Western unity against the war. He said Putin will "never succeed in dominating and occupying all of Ukraine."

"We don't know how long this war will last but as we approach the two-month mark, here's what we do know, Putin has failed to achieve his grand ambitions on the battlefield. After weeks of shelling Kyiv — Kyiv still stands. President Zelensky and his democratic-elected government still remain in power," Biden said.

"And the Ukrainian Armed Forces, joined by many brave Ukrainian civilians, have thwarted Russia's conquest of the country. They've been bolstered from day one by an unstinting supply of weapons, ammunition, armor, intelligence, from the nations of the free world led by us, the United States," the US President said.

"As Russia continues to grind out the military advances ... and the brutality against Ukraine, Putin is banking on us losing interest. That's been my view, you've heard me say this from the beginning, he was counting on NATO, European Union, our allies and Asia, cracking, moving away. He's betting on Western unity will crack. He's still betting on that. Once again, we're going to prove him wrong. We will not lessen our resolve," he continued.

US President Joe Biden announced a separate tranche of $500 million in US assistance for the Ukrainian government in addition to the $800 million in military aid he pledged Thursday.

The new aid brings the total US economic support for Ukraine, the President said, to $1 billion in the past nearly two months since Russia’s invasion.

The $500 million in funding can be used by Ukraine’s government “to stabilize their economy, to support communities that have been devastated by the Russian onslaught, and pay the brave workers that continue to provide essential services to the people of Ukraine,” Biden said.

He also announced “Unite for Ukraine,” a new effort to support Ukrainians seeking to come to the US amid the ongoing, brutal invasion, with approximately two-thirds of Ukrainian children displaced.

“I'm announcing a program, ‘Unite for Ukraine,’ a new program to enable Ukrainians seeking refuge to come directly from Europe to the United States. This new humanitarian parole program will complement the existing legal pathways available to Ukrainians, including immigrant visas and refugees processing,” Biden said.

He described it as “an expedient channel for secure legal migration from Europe to the United States for Ukrainians,” noting that those migrants must have a US sponsor, including a family or non-governmental organization.

“This program will be fast, it’ll be streamlined, and it will ensure the United States honors its commitment to to the people Ukraine and need not go through our southern border,” he said.

Biden said the United States' new actions were intending to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he continues his violent incursion into a third month.

“Our unity with our allies and partners and our unity with the Ukrainian people is sending an unmistakable message to Putin: He will never succeed in dominating and occupying all of Ukraine. He will not,” he said.

US President Joe Biden announced Thursday he will make a formal request next week for Congress to approve a second supplemental funding package to aid Ukraine.

Biden said he expected Congress to “move and act quickly” on the package.

Biden also made a point to thank American taxpayers and military for their contributions Ukraine.

In speaking about the importance of getting aid to Ukraine, Biden took liberties on a famous phrase by former US President Teddy Roosevelt, telling reporters, “Sometimes we will speak softly and carry a large javelin, because we’re sending a lot of those in as well.”