Today’s Russia/Ukraine Update

🇺🇦 Ukrainian forces in the southern port city of Mariupol defied a Russian ultimatum yesterday to lay down their arms; the ~3,000 troops represent the last known pocket of resistance in the city.

• Local officials said at least 21,000 civilians in Mariupol have been killed to date, and as many as 100,000 more are currently trapped there unable to evacuate.
• The flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, called the Moskva, sank on Friday after it was struck by a pair of Ukrainian missiles, the US confirmed over the weekend; Russia claimed the Moskva sank after a fire with unknown origin set off explosions of ammunition that was onboard.
• At least seven people were killed yesterday morning in a series of Russian missile strikes targeting the western city of Lviv, a common destination for Ukrainians fleeing the front lines.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is working to redirect its energy exports currently sent to Europe, where officials last week drafted plans to reduce their reliance on Russian oil and gas.
• German authorities seized the world’s largest superyacht after receiving official confirmation that the boat was linked to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

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