The Ukrainian military says that its forces have retaken some towns in the Chernihiv region and that humanitarian aid is being delivered.
Pope Francis decried the “sacrilegious war” in Ukraine on Sunday as he wrapped up a two-day trip to Malta that bore a pointed pro-migrant message and drew his sharpest rebuke yet of Russia’s invasion.
White House chief of staff Ron Klain says the US remains fully committed to providing a full range of economic and military support to Ukraine in its war against Russia, which he describes as “far from over.”
A leading rights group said on Sunday it had documented what it described as “apparent war crimes” committed by Russian military forces against civilians in Ukraine.
The conflict began escalating on February 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and deployed troops in a peacekeeping role.
Read | Yes, a Ukraine peace plan is possible
Here are the latest updates
Ukraine
Ukraine’s leader asks help in Grammys video
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appeared in a video at the Grammy Awards asking for support in telling the story of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia.
During the pre-recorded message that aired on the show Sunday night, he spoke in English, likening the attack to a deadly silence threatening to extinguish the dreams and lives of the Ukrainian people, including children.
In his words: “Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway.” -AP
Russia
Russia seeks Monday UN Security Council meet on Bucha, Ukraine
Moscow has called for a special UN Security Council meeting Monday to address claims that Russian forces committed atrocities against Ukrainian civilians in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv.
“In the light of heinous provocation of Ukrainian radicals in #Bucha Russia requested a meeting of the UN #SecurityCouncil on Monday, April 4,” Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said Sunday on Twitter. -AFP
Ukraine
Ukraine: 410 civilian bodies found near Kyiv
Ukraine’s prosecutor-general says the bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian troops.
Iryna Venediktova says on Facebook that the bodies were recovered Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. She says 140 of them have undergone examination by prosecutors and other specialists. -AP
International
NATO leader condemns “brutality” in Ukraine
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the graphic images coming out of Bucha, Ukraine after Russian troops withdrew show “a brutality against civilians we haven’t seen in Europe for decades.”
He tells CNN’s “State of the Union” that “it’s absolutely unacceptable that civilians are targeted and killed” and that it’s Russian President Vladimir Putin’s responsibility to stop the war. -AP