Russia-Ukraine updates: US sanctions Russian military shipbuilder, diamond miner

Russia's largest military shipbuilding and diamond mining firms were targeted.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Nadine El-Bawab, Ivan Pereira, Julia Jacobo, Meredith Deliso, Bill Hutchinson, Kevin Shalvey, Celia Darrough, Mary Kekatos, and Samara Lynn
Last Updated: April 5, 2022, 10:09 AM EDT

Russian President Vladimir Putin's "special military operation” into Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with troops crossing the border from Belarus and Russia. Moscow's forces have since been met with “stiff resistance” from Ukrainians, according to U.S. officials.

Russian forces retreated last week from the Kyiv suburbs, leaving behind a trail of destruction. After graphic images emerged of civilians lying dead in the streets of Bucha, U.S. and European officials accused Russian troops of committing war crimes.

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Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Apr 05, 2022, 10:09 AM EDT

European leaders join allies in expelling Russian diplomats

Italy, Spain, Denmark and Sweden announced Tuesday they are joining other European counties in expelling Russian diplomats as horrific images emerge of the bodies of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, allegedly killed by Russian forces.

The moves come a day after Germany and France said they are expelling Russian diplomats, citing security risks and the alleged atrocities in Bucha.

A neighbor comforts Natalya, whose husband and nephew were killed by Russian forces, as she cries in her garden in Bucha, Ukraine, April 4, 2022.
Vadim Ghirda/AP

"This is another example of brutality, cruelty and war crimes, which apparently have taken place in Bucha," Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said his country is expelling about 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff "who represent a threat to the interests and security of our country."

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said three Russian diplomats will be expelled from Sweden for spying and Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio issued a statement confirming his country is expelling 30 Russian envoys for national security.

"The measure is in agreement with other European and Atlantic partners and is necessary for reasons linked to our national security and in the context of the current crisis caused by the unjustified aggression against Ukraine on the part of the Russian Federation," Di Maio said.

The decisions by Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Spain to expel a total of 73 Russian diplomats prompted condemnation from the Kremlin.

"The narrowing of the window for diplomatic communication, diplomatic work under such unprecedentedly difficult crisis conditions is a shortsighted move," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news conference.

Peskov added that the expulsions "will inevitably lead to retaliatory steps."

Apr 05, 2022, 9:04 AM EDT

Video shows Russian tank firing on cyclist in Bucha

Video has emerged purportedly showing a Russian tank firing on a cyclist in the besieged Ukrainian city of Bucha.

PHOTO: Video shows a cyclist in Bucha, killed by tank fire as he turns a corner just out of view of the camera.
Video shows a cyclist in Bucha, killed by tank fire as he turns a corner just out of view of the camera. The Ukraine military said the footage was shot March 3, 2022, AP video from the week of April 4, shows the body of the cyclist still in the same place where he died.
Ukraine Military

The footage, provided to Ukrainian public broadcasting company Suspilne Media by the Ukrainian military, was reportedly taken on March 3.

The blast from the tank firing is seen just above the roof of the blue house at left, as it fires on the cyclist in Bucha, as he turns a corner just out of view of the video camera.
Ukraine Military

The video captures the moment a tank fires at a person riding a bike in the streets of Bucha when the town, northwest of Kyiv, was occupied by Russian forces.

PHOTO: Smoke rises on the far side of the white house at right, after a cyclist in Bucha was shot by tank fire after he turned a corner just out of view of the camera.
Smoke rises on the far side of the white house at right, after a cyclist in Bucha was shot by tank fire after he turned a corner just out of view of the camera, in an image from video. The Ukraine military said the footage was shot March 3, 2022, AP video from the week of April 4, shows the body of the cyclist still lying in the same place where he died. fires
Ukraine Military

Although the video does not show the moment of death, footage taken by an Associated Press journalist in Bucha earlier this week appears to show a deceased cyclist still lying in the same spot.

-ABC News' Monica Camacho

Apr 05, 2022, 7:54 AM EDT

ICRC team released after being detained near Mariupol

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday its team has been released from detention after failing to reach the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

An ICRC team tasked with escorting evacuation buses to and from Mariupol "was stopped" and "held by police" on Monday in the town of Manhush, about 12 miles west of Mariupol. The team was released Monday night, according to an ICRC spokesperson.

In this photo taken in Irpin, Ukraine, on April 1, 2022, a vehicle belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is seen on a damaged street as the organization delivers food and first aid to residents.
ICRC via Reuters

"This is of great relief to us and to their families," the spokesperson told ABC News in a statement Tuesday. "The team is focused now on continuing the humanitarian evacuation operation. This incident yesterday shows how volatile and complex the operation to facilitate safe passage around Mariupol has been for our team, who have been trying to reach the city since Friday."

The ICRC didn't specify which police force had detained its team. However, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a statement via Telegram on Tuesday that the ICRC team was being held by "the occupation authorities" in Manhush.

Apr 05, 2022, 7:20 AM EDT

Ukraine says 7 humanitarian corridors have opened to evacuate Mariupol residents

Seven humanitarian corridors from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol were opened Tuesday to evacuate some of the 130,000 remaining residents, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Vereshchuk said in a statement via Telegram that the seven evacuation routes will allow Mariupol residents -- many of whom have been living without electricity, food, water or shelter -- to be transported to the city of Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles northwest of Mariupol.

The facade of the Mariupol theater stands damaged folling shelling during Russia's invasion of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 4, 2022.
Alexei Alexandrov/AP

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko confirmed on Monday that a convoy of seven buses escorted by the International Committee of the Red Cross could not make it into his southeastern port city to evacuate trapped residents. However, more than 1,500 residents were still able to flee Mariupol using a single humanitarian corridor meant for private cars, according to the mayor.

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