Ukraine says it retook a strategically important suburb of Kyiv, as Russian forces squeezed other areas near the capital and pressed their attack on the embattled southern port of Mariupol. Explosions and bursts of gunfire shook Kyiv and black smoke rose from a spot in the north.
Here’s a look at the coverage of the war from our journalists in Ukraine, Washington and beyond. All times Eastern. You can find all our text, photos and video by going to our Russia-Ukraine war hub on AP Newsroom.
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TOP STORIES
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukraine said it retook a strategically important suburb of Kyiv, while its forces battled Russian attempts to occupy the encircled southern port city of Mariupol. Civilians fleeing Mariupol said the city was under relentless bombardment, with block after block of destroyed buildings and corpses in the streets. But the Kremlin’s ground offensive in other parts of the country advanced slowly or not at all, knocked back by lethal Ukrainian hit-and-run attacks. By Nebi Qena and Cara Anna. SENT: 900 words, photos. WITH: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE LATEST and RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THINGS TO KNOW.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-INFORMATION-ACCESS -- The U.S. has been countering disinformation coming from the Kremlin on the violent conflict in Ukraine. Getting accurate news about the war into Russia, though, is a trickier issue. President Vladimir Putin has shut down Russia’s last three independent media outlets, created laws that can send a journalist to prison for defying his propaganda, and scrubbed the words “war” and “invasion” from state media. Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul says the question is no longer “what we do to stop disinformation.” He says the question is now “how do we promote information inside Russia” -- and he doesn’t have an answer. By Colleen Long, Amanda Seitz and Nomaan Merchant. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-WHERE’S THE WHEAT — Farmers worldwide are weighing whether to change their planting patterns and grow more wheat this spring as Russia’s war in Ukraine has choked off or thrown into question grain supplies from a region known as “the breadbasket of the world.” Countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa rely on those supplies to feed millions of people who subsist on subsidized bread and bargain noodles. By Aya Batrawy, Steve Karnowski and Rob Gillies. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.
UKRAINE-WAR-GERMANY-SCHOOL — A group of 40 Ukrainian children have started their first day of school in Berlin only weeks after fleeing the war at home. They were welcomed by two Ukrainian teachers, who also escaped to the German capital, and will instruct them until they can enter the regular school system. The private classes were put together in only two weeks by two Berlin volunteers who managed to raise funds, find the classrooms, and advertise their initiative on a messaging app to the refugees. By Kirsten Grieshaber. SENT: 845 words, photos.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THEATER TO DUMPLINGS — Ukrainian actress Alla Shkondina is taking on a new role, preparing potato dumplings, meat-filled pancakes and borscht to send to soldiers on the front lines. SENT: 640 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-REFUGEES — Dozens of Ukrainian orphans and their caregivers who are headed to refuge in the UK were stuck in Poland due to missing paperwork from Ukraine. The nearly 50 youngsters from orphanages in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro were due to fly to London on Monday before traveling on to Scotland. SENT: 340 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-RUSSIAN-JOURNALIST — A former Paris-based Europe correspondent for Russian state-controlled broadcaster Channel One says she resigned this month due to Russia’s war against Ukraine and has voiced fears she’ll be accused of being “a highly paid spy.” Zhanna Agalakova quit as the war broke out in Ukraine, joining a string of colleagues from Russia’s strictly state-controlled network. SENT: 300 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-CHINA-DRONES — Ukraine is appealing to a Chinese maker of civilian drones to block what the Ukrainian government says is their use by the Russian army to target missile attacks. SENT: 375 words, photos.
REL-RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-ORTHODOX SCHISM — While Russia has sought to justify its assault on Ukraine with complaints about NATO’s eastward expansion, it has also claimed that foreign actors have encroached on its religious turf in Ukraine — even claiming the United States manipulated Eastern Orthodox leaders to instigate a schism in Ukraine. UPCOMING: 1,100 words, photos by 1 p.m.
GERMANY-UKRAINE-CAMP SURVIVOR KILLED — Germany’s parliament has paid tribute to Boris Romanchenko, who survived several Nazi concentration camps during World War II but was killed last week during an attack in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. He was 96. SENT: 265 words, photos.
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BUSINESS
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks were higher on Wall Street and oil prices eased lower as investors remained focused on the outlook for inflation. SENT: 370 words, photo.
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PHOTOS
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BA101 — Displaced Ukrainians on a Poland-bound train bid farewell in Lviv, western Ukraine.
XFD118 — Civilian volunteers attend a training camp of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces in Brovary, near Kyiv, Ukraine.
ALT102 — Refugees from Lviv, Ukraine, sit in a Red Cross headquarters in Rome.
BA103 — Displaced Ukrainians on a Poland-bound train bid farewell in Lviv, western Ukraine.
XDL111 — Russian President Vladimir Putin is shown during a meeting in Moscow.
XB112 — A woman waits in a line to board the train to get back to Ukraine at a railway station in Przemysl, Poland.
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VIDEOS
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Here are links to some of the top consumer-ready VIDEOS:
Ukrainian orphans stranded in Poland.
Kharkiv shelter concert raises funds for war effort.
— The AP
