Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Pentagon official says fighting in eastern Ukraine could be a ‘knife fight’

Despite major losses, Russia still has a lot of manpower and that could drag on the conflict for a long time, a senior U.S. Defense official said.

“This will be a knife fight,” the official said. “This could be very bloody and very ugly.” 

After failing to capture capital city Kyiv, Moscow is refocusing its efforts on eastern Ukraine, where Russia and Ukraine have fought for eight years.

“The Russians are limiting their geographic aims, but they still have a lot of combat power available. This could go on for a long time,” the official said.

The official also said some of the Russian units that attacked Kyiv were “severely mauled.”

“We’ve seen indications of some units that are literally … eradicated — there’s just nothing left at the BTG except a handful of troops and maybe a small number of vehicles,” the official said.

Military developments in Ukraine remain difficult or impossible to confirm as the situation on the ground changes rapidly.

— Christine Wang

Ukrainians search for bodies in the devastation of Borodyanka

Ukrainian firefighters and volunteer rescue workers search for bodies in the rubble of a collapsed building in the town of Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv.

Volunteers help rescuers to remove rumbles of a damaged building in the town of Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv, on April 7, 2022, during Russia’s military invasion launched on Ukraine.

Aleksey Filippov | AFP | Getty Images

An aerial view taken on April 8, 2022 shows diggers working in the rubble of collapsed buildings in the town of Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv.

Ronaldo Schemidt | AFP | Getty Images

Ukrainian firefighters inspect a collapsed building in the town of Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv, on April 8, 2022.

Ronaldo Schemidt | AFP | Getty Images

Ukrainian firefighters search for bodies in the rubble of destroyed buildings in the town of Borodianka, northwest of Kyiv, on April 8, 2022.

Ronaldo Schemidt | AFP | Getty Images

A group photo of Ukrainians is seen in the wreckage of a damaged residential building by the Russian air raids in Borodyanka, Bucha Raion of Kyiv Oblast, on 7 April 2022.

Ceng Shou Yi | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Cayman Islands says it has frozen $7.3 billion in sanctioned Russians’ assets

Mint Images RF | Getty Images

The government of the Cayman Islands announced that it has frozen approximately $7.3 billion worth of assets belonging to more than 800 sanctioned Russian oligarchs and entities since Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The Caribbean island chain is an overseas British territory, so banks and regulators follow the same sanctions directives they would in the United Kingdom. The Caymans are also one of the world’s most popular tax havens, drawing thousands of wealthy individuals who employ complex corporate structures to avoid taxes back home.

$7.3 billion is a startling amount for a country with fewer than 65,000 residents. By comparison, the global financial powerhouse of Switzerland announced this week that it has frozen only slightly more than the Caymans, approximately $8 billion since the start of the war.

Cayman Premier G. Wayne Panton said the asset freezes highlight that the islands are “responsible and reputable” participants in the global economy.

— Christina Wilkie

E.U. imposes new sanctions on 216 Russians, including Putin’s daughters

Leading researcher at the National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology of the Russian Health Ministry, member of the Presidium of the Russian Association for the Promotion of Science Maria Vorontsova attends “The Study of DNA as a Path to Self-Understanding” expert session at the Eurasian Women’s Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Ekaterina Chesnokova | Sputnik via AP

The European Union on Friday announced a sweeping new slate of individual sanctions targeting 216 Russian nationals and 18 entities. They include two of the adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska and Herman Gref, the CEO of Sberbank, Russia’s largest lending bank.

Katerina Tikhonova and Mariya Putina (above), who are in their 30s, are rarely seen in public and almost never mentioned by their father.

The sanctions are part of a broader package of restrictions announced by the European bloc that includes a ban on imports of Russian coal set to take effect in August. This is the first time the EU has placed an embargo on Russian energy products, a controversial decision in a region that is highly dependent upon Russian oil, coal and gas.

Additionally, the EU imposed full blocking sanctions on four major Russian banks that together represent 23% of the Russian banking sector: VTB Bank, Sovcombank, Novikombank and Otkritie Bank (formerly known as NOMOS Bank).

Finally, the new sanctions bar Russian-flagged maritime vessels from docking in EU member state ports, although it includes a carveout for energy and agricultural shipments.

E.U. officials said the latest round of sanctions came in response to growing evidence of scores of atrocities committed by Russian soldiers against Ukrainian civilians, including rape, torture and execution-style killings.

— Christina Wilkie