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Russia's war in Ukraine

By Jessie Yeung, Hannah Ryan, Luke McGee, Adrienne Vogt
and Joe Ruiz, CNN

Updated 10:21 AM ET, Sat May 21, 2022

'He's my husband': Russian attack kills residents o…

What we're covering

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Russia claims the last Ukrainian fighters have

surrendered at the besieged Azovstal steel
plant in Mariupol — the final holdout of
Ukraine's defenses in the otherwise Russian-
occupied city. Ukraine is yet to confirm
Russia's claims, which, if true, would mark a
symbolic military victory for Moscow.

US President Joe Biden has signed a $40

billion emergency aid package to Ukraine.
The bill was flown to Seoul, South Korea,
where Biden is on his first Asia trip as
President this weekend.

Russia halted natural gas exports to Finland

on Saturday, according to Finnish state-
owned energy firm Gasum.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held

phone calls Saturday with Sweden's prime
minister, Finland's president and NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
regarding the NATO membership application
of the Nordic nations.

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4:00 p.m. ET, May 21, 2022

It's 11 p.m. in Ukraine. Catch up

here

Local residents collect salvageable items from their

home in a frontline neighborhood on May 21, in
Kharkiv, Ukraine. (John Moore/Getty Images)

As the war in Ukraine nears its three-month

mark, these are the latest developments from
Saturday:

Russia bans more than 900 Americans: In a

largely symbolic gesture, Russia banned
hundreds more Americans from entering the
country — including most members of
Congress, actor Morgan Freeman and the late
Sen. John McCain, who died in 2018. US
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala
Harris, along with other administration o`cials,
had already been included on the list.

Russia turns off tap: Russia halted natural gas

exports to Finland on Saturday, according to a
statement from Finnish state-owned energy
firm Gasum. Russia cited "non-payment" as its
reasoning, as Russian President Vladimir Putin
said in March that “unfriendly” foreign nations
would have to pay in rubles. Finland o`cially
submitted its NATO application this week.

Turkey's president calls Nordic, NATO

leaders: Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan held separate phone conversations
Saturday with Swedish Prime Minister
Magdalena Andersson, Finnish President Sauli
Niinistö and NATO Secretary General Jens
Stoltenberg regarding the NATO membership
application of the Nordic nations. The moves to
join NATO were triggered by Russia's invasion
of Ukraine.

Erdoğan has stated numerous times in recent

days that Turkey would not support Finland and
Sweden to join NATO. The Finnish president
said he had an "open and direct"
conversation with Erdoğan. The legislatures of
all 30 current members of the alliance must
approve new applicants.

What we know about Mariupol: For weeks,

the Azovstal steel plant has been the last
holdout of Ukrainian resistance in the otherwise
Russian-occupied city of Mariupol. On Friday,
Russia claimed the last Ukrainian fighters had
surrendered — which, if true, marks a symbolic
military victory for Moscow. Ukraine has not yet
confirmed this, and CNN is unable to
independently verify the claim. It comes after a
Ukrainian commander at Azovstal ordered
soldiers to preserve their lives and stop their
defense of the city. Meanwhile, Ukrainian
families anxiously wait to hear from loved ones
leaving Azovstal.

Zelensky marks third year in office: Ukrainian

President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the people
of Ukraine as the "people of the year" in an
anniversary interview marking his three years
as leader of the country. He predicted the
Russian invasion will end with diplomacy.

"We did not start this war. But we have to finish

it," Zelensky said.

Russia attacks military supplies: Russia’s

military said Saturday that it had destroyed a
"large" batch of weapons and military
equipment from the US and Europe in Ukraine’s
Zhytomyr region west of Kyiv, Russian state
media TASS reported.

Head of the Rivne Regional Military

Administration Vitaliy Koval said that there was
a missile strike on a military infrastructure
facility in his city as well.

Sanctions stymie trade: Russia's

transportation minister said on Saturday that
Western sanctions against Russia have
“practically broken all” logistics corridors used
by the country for trade, according to TASS.

3:15 p.m. ET, May 21, 2022

Russia attacks military

infrastructure facility in
Rivne, regional official says
From CNN`s Mariya Knight, Taras
Zadorozhnyy and Roman Tymotsko

Head of the Rivne Regional Military

Administration Vitaliy Koval said in a Telegram
post that there was a missile strike on a military
infrastructure facility in his city Saturday.

“No one was killed, 6 people were injured,”

Koval said in a video statement on Telegram.

The injured are in stable condition, he said, and

he visited them in the local hospital. He
has issued a stay-at-home warning for the next
24 hours for residents of Rivne in case of
further missile strikes.

Rivne is about 210 kilometers (130 miles) to the

northeast of Lviv.

3:46 p.m. ET, May 21, 2022

Turkey's president holds calls

with leaders of Sweden and
Finland over NATO bids
From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, Isil
Sariyuce, and Hande Atay Alam

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news

conference during the NATO summit at the Alliance's
headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2021.
Yves Herman/Pool/Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held

separate phone conversations Saturday with
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson,
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg regarding
the NATO membership application of the Nordic
nations.

Erdoğan has stated numerous times in recent

days that Turkey would not support Finland and
Sweden to join NATO and accused them of
being "like guesthouses for terror
organizations." Erdoğan claimed the two
countries are harboring members of the
separatist militant Kurdistan's Workers Party,
also known as PKK.

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join

NATO last Wednesday. The decision represents
a setback for Moscow, with the war in Ukraine
triggering the kind of enlargement of the
alliance that it invaded Ukraine to prevent. The
entry of Finland would mean adding hundreds
of miles of direct NATO borders with Russia.

During the phone call with Andersson,

Erdoğan stated that "Turkey has for a long
time emphasized that it is uncomfortable
with Sweden's contacts with individuals and
so-called organizations under the control of
the terrorist organization PKK/YPG/PYD and
Sweden's political, financial and weapon
support to terrorist organizations must end,"
according to a statement from the Turkish
presidency.

The YPG is a Syrian Kurdish group in northern

Syria supported by various Western countries.
The YPG is an ally in the fight against ISIS, but
Turkey considers it an extension of the PKK,
which is designated a terrorist organization by
Turkey, the US and the European Union.

Andersson said she appreciated speaking with

the Turkish president today.

"We look forward to strengthening our bilateral

relations, including on peace, security, and the
fight against terrorism," according to the prime
minister's Twitter account.

Erdoğan told Niinistö on the phone that "an

understanding that ignores terrorist
organizations that pose a threat to an ally
within NATO is incompatible with the spirit of
friendship and alliance," according to the
Turkish presidency.

Niinistö also wrote on his Twitter account about

his "open and direct" conversation with
Erdogan, saying:

"I stated that as NATO Allies, Finland and

Turkey will commit to each other’s security
and our relationship will thus grow stronger.
Finland condemns terrorism in all its forms
and manifestations. The close dialogue
continues."

Erdoğan also told Stoltenberg on the phone

that "unless Sweden and Finland clearly show
that they will stand in solidarity with Turkey on
fundamental issues, especially in the fight
against terrorism, Turkey will not approach their
NATO membership positively," according to the
presidency.

Stoltenberg said on his Twitter account that

"we agree that the security concerns of all
Allies must be taken into account and talks
need to continue to find a solution."

The legislatures of all 30 current members of

the alliance must approve new applicants.

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1:28 p.m. ET, May 21, 2022

Russian transportation minister

says sanctions have “practically
broken all” logistics corridors
for trade
From CNN’s Mariya Knight in Atlanta

Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev attends a

session of the St. Petersburg International Economic
Forum in 2021. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

Russian Transportation Minister Vitaly Savelyev

said on Saturday that Western sanctions
against Russia have “practically broken all”
logistics corridors used by the country for trade,
state news agency TASS reported.

Speaking during a visit to Russia’s Astrakhan

region, Savelyev said: "The sanctions that have
been imposed on the Russian Federation today
have practically broken all logistics [corridors]
in our country. And we are forced to look for
new logistics corridors together.”

He said Moscow is looking into capitalizing

from alternative trade routes such as the
International North–South Transport (INSTC)
corridor – a transit route linking India with
Central Asian countries, Russia and Europe
through Iran, according to TASS.

2:58 p.m. ET, May 21, 2022

Kharkiv's mayor says thousands

of buildings have been damaged
in the city
From CNN's Mariya Knight and Roman
Tymotsko

A man walks in a destroyed market in Kharkiv, Ukraine

on May 21. (Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty Images)

Nearly 170 schools and kindergartens, as well

as 30 percent of high-rise buildings in Kharkiv,
have been destroyed, Ukraine's Center for
Strategic Communications and Information
Security wrote in a Telegram post.

According to Mayor Ihor Terekhov, multiple

points of infrastructure, including hospitals,
substations, transport and roads were among
other buildings destroyed.

"We have eight thousand residential high-rises,

30% of them are to some extent
destroyed," according to Terekhov.

He said that while the city was planning to

restore damaged buildings using new
technology, "many of them will have to be
rebuilt from scratch."

Correction: A earlier version of this post cited

the mayor of Kharkiv's Telegram account. The
information was posted to the Telegram
account of Ukraine's Center for Strategic
Communications and Information Security.

1:16 p.m. ET, May 21, 2022

Russia bans more than 960

Americans from entering
country, including members of
Congress and Morgan Freeman
From CNN's Gabby Gretener in London

Russia published its updated “stop list” on

Saturday, banning a total of 963 American
o`cials and figures from entering the country.

The updated list included the majority of US

senators and members of the House of
Representatives, former and current
government o`cials, journalists, military
personal, advocates, citizens, CEOs — and even
a few deceased individuals.

Longtime Arizona. Sen. John McCain and

Defense Intelligence Agency Deputy Director
Melissa Drisko, who both died in 2018, were
included on the list.

Russia also targeted Hollywood, with actor

Morgan Freeman and actor/filmmaker Rob
Reiner making the list. In 2017, Reiner was
involved in promoting the group The Committee
to Investigate Russia, and Freeman was
featured in a video on the site.

Mike Pompeo, former secretary of state under

President Trump, was also listed. He previously
spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about
its election interference in US elections.

In a statement, the ministry said the people

“incite Russophobia” and added that the
Russian “counter sanctions are of necessity
and directed to make the ruling US regime,
which tries to impose a neo-colonial 'rules-
based world order' to the rest of the world, to
change its behavior by realizing a new
geopolitical reality.”

In March, in addition to President Joe Biden,

the Russian government added the following
individuals to the “stop list:” US Secretary of
State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary
Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Stat Gen. Mark Milley, Biden national
security adviser Jake Sullivan, CIA Director
William Burns, former White House press
secretary Jen Psaki and others. The list also
included the President’s son, Hunter Biden,
and former US presidential candidate and
former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In April, Russia banned others, including Vice

President Kamala Harris, Second Gentleman
Doug Emhot, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and
Bank of America head Brian Moynihan.

In a separate announcement on Saturday, the

Russia's foreign ministry also announced the
names of 26 Canadians barred from entering
the country, in addition to the previous banning
of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in March.

12:18 p.m. ET, May 21, 2022

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine

approaches its 3-month mark,
here's what's happened in key
areas
From CNN's Joshua Berlinger

It is nearly three months since Russia invaded

Ukraine – a 12-week period in which Russian
forces have wrought devastation on the country
and its people, resulting in death on a vast
scale and causing millions to flee.

But the invasion has not been the

military success Moscow hoped, and is now
deep into its second phase.

The bulk of fighting has moved to the east after

failed Russian advances in central Ukraine. The
Ukrainians are focusing on retaking some key
areas closer to the Russian border, while
Moscow is seeing its troops beaten back in a
few key battles.

Western aid is also flowing into Ukraine, NATO

is set to be strengthened as Nordic countries
seek to join, and the first Russian soldier
accused of war crimes has stood trial.

Here’s what has happened in several key areas

since the war began.

Donbas

After weeks of intense fighting, Ukraine’s

eastern Donbas region is “completely
destroyed,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky said Thursday.

He accused Russia of a “deliberate and criminal

attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible”
after a village in Chernihiv was hit with missiles,
leaving many dead.

O`cials in the region say the front line is being

shelled “day and night,” with Russian forces
attempting to break through Ukrainian lines.

A NATO military o`cial told CNN

Wednesday that the alliance expects something
of a stalemate over the next few weeks. But the
o`cial said NATO believes momentum has
shifted significantly in favor of Ukraine and the
debate within NATO circles is now over whether
it is possible for Kyiv to retake Crimea and the
Donbas territories seized by Russia and
Russian-backed separatists, respectively, in
2014.

Kharkiv

Ukrainian forces have beaten back Russia’s

assaults in Ukraine’s second largest city of
Kharkiv, and advanced toward the border in
several places north and east of the city.

Ukrainian o`cials said last week they were

liberating villages on the outskirts of the city.
Their advances led to the symbolic and
embarrassing expulsion of the Kremlin’s forces
back to their own border while posing the
strategic threat of cutting Russia’s supply lines
into Ukraine and its forces further south in
Donbas.

Anastasia Paraskevova recently returned to her

home in Kharkiv for the first time since fleeing
the city two months ago. It had been under
constant bombardment since then until Russian
forces were repelled.

Paraskevova said overall the experience was

good.

“The city was much more alive. People were

walking the streets. And some shops were
working. It felt like some life was back, much
better than it was when I was here in March.”

Kherson

Every day, hundreds, or even thousands, of