Thank you.
Amna: Russia has admitted for
the first time that last week's
sinking of its flagship cruiser
the moskva left dozens missing
and one dead, although it still
denies Ukraine attacked the
ship.
On the battlefront, Ukrainian
officials claim Russian troops
are redeploying from the
southern port city of mariupol
to reinforce their new onslaught
in the east.
And meantime, Ukraine says it
sent a nighttime helicopter to
deliver arms to the last
Ukrainian forces in mariupol,
who are holed up inside a giant
steel facility.
Willem Marx begins our coverage.
Willem: In the city of msitopul
--mariopul, the only signs of
life, pro Russian rescue workers
locating the dead.
They load remains onto trucks
marked with "Z" -- a symbol of
Vladimir Putin's brutal
invasion.
The dead's destination for now
unknown.
Today, a Ukrainian regional
governor still seemed optimistic
about mariupol's future.
Gov. Kyrylenko: I unequivocally
believe that Russians can be
defeated.
They are not taught to lose, but
they overestimate themselves.
Willem: The last few Ukrainian
fighters are bunkered down in a
steel plant by the sea.
Russian forces say they'll no
longer try to storm that
facility, but instead will
besiege it.
British officials say it's
likely Russia prefers simply to
surround it, freeing up their
forces for operations elsewhere.
On social media channels,
pro-kremlin propagandists
embedded with the Russian army
publish videos they say show
troops moving east, away from
mariupol.
But military analysts say
Russian forces in the city
suffered substantially, and
Moscow may struggle to redeploy
rapidly to other battle fronts.
One Russian commander said today
Moscow may have new territorial
ambitions in the south of
Ukraine, suggesting a new access
route to transnistria, a
pro-Russian enclave in
neighboring Moldova.
It's unclear if these comments
reflect official Kremlin policy.
Back east, meanwhile, Russian
troops continue their assault on
the donbas.
Overnight, a hospital near
donetsk damaged under direct
shellfire.
In the city of rubizhne, broken
boulevards bear the scars of
conflict.
A cultural center crushed by
artillery.
In a basement beneath it, a
dozen of the city's residents
shelter together.
Liudmila said she fled her home
after the shells began to fall.
Liudmila: It was raining, the
roof was leaking.
The plaster and wallpaper fell
off, a constant draft.
It is impossible to live in our
houses.
No gas, no light, no water.
Willem: To the north, in
kharkiv, emergency workers on
scene at a public market smashed
and torched.
The city remains a top target
for Russian rockets.
Leaving residents to deal with
the daily damage.
Yuriy guropaev says two
civilians charred to death
inside this vehicle.
Yuriy: How is it different from
bucha or hostomel?
And we are told it's quiet here.
How is it possible?
Here are people burning.
Here are two people are burning.
Look, bodies.
How is it possible?
Willem: Despite the bombing,
thousands of Ukrainians plan to
return this weekend to celebrate
orthodox Easter.
Like mariia litokh, who arrived
today in Kyiv from Poland to
meet her family.
Mariia: I am now confident that
the world is aware that we are
strong.
It is important because just a
few people knew about Ukraine.
Now almost every person can show
the city of kharkiv on a map.
Willem: Home for the holidays.
But for how long, unclear.
Tonight, amna, despite the
Russian advances across multiple
fronts in the south and east, in
cities like Kyiv, it's nt so
much about clearing up but
continuing to push back against
this miltiary aggression.
The national flag is still
fluttering behind me.
Traffic has returned to the city
center, and with curfew here now
late restaurants and bars remain
, open for customers.
But just an hour or two from
where we're standing, awful
scenes of destruction and
devastation in many directions
throughout surrounding towns and
villages.
Amna?
Amna: "The newshour's" coverage
of the war in Ukraine is
supported in partnership with
the pulitzer center.