Latest news about Russia and the war in Ukraine

Ukrainian media reported that the Russian naval ship Admiral Makarov caught fire in the Black Sea.

Oleksiy Honcharenko, a member of the Verkhovna Rada, indicated via Telegram that the frigate was in distress and may be heading for the same fate as the flagship Russian missile cruiser Moskva – which sank on April 14 after being hit by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles.

CNBC has not been able to independently verify these claims.

– Sam Meredith

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Friday that Germany will deliver seven self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, in addition to five artillery systems already pledged by the Dutch government.

Germany reversed its longstanding policy of not sending heavy weapons into war zones last week after pressure at home and abroad to help Ukraine fend off Russian attacks.

Lambrecht and its chief of defense, General Eberhard Zorn, told reporters in the Slovakian town of Slyak that the heavy weapons would be taken out of the German armed forces’ stockpiles and delivered as soon as they were out of maintenance in the coming weeks.

– Reuters

The head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine said that a new attempt to evacuate people from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol is underway.

“The next stage of saving our people from Azovstal is currently underway,” Andrei Yermak said via Telegram, according to a translation. “Information about the results will be provided at a later time.”

– Sam Meredith

Russian forces in the besieged port city of Mariupol continued their ground assault on the Azovstal steel plant for a second day, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defense, despite Russian statements claiming they would only seek to shut it down.

The United Kingdom said renewed efforts to secure Azovstal and complete the capture of Mariupol are likely linked to Russia’s annual “Victory Day” on May 9, and President Vladimir Putin’s desire for a “symbolic success” in Ukraine.

In its latest intelligence update, the UK Ministry said these ongoing efforts “have cost Russia the cost of personnel, equipment and munitions”.

– Sam Meredith

Former US President George W. Bush and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met via an online video conference, where Zelensky invited Bush to visit Ukraine.

Bush, in turn, conveyed his support to the president and people of Ukraine.

“Your courage is very important for further success. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you will always have our support if you keep fighting like you do now,” the Ukrainian president’s office stated.

Bush called Zelensky “the Winston Churchill of our time,” according to a statement issued by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

Zelensky appreciated the support from the United States and the Americans.

“Americans are loyal and open people, and I feel like that,” Zelensky said, according to the president’s office. “I feel it’s from the heart.”

– Chelsea Ong

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he told Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Kremlin’s invasion must end for the sake of the whole world.

“Throughout my travels, I haven’t uttered words,” Guterres told the United Nations Security Council after making separate trips to the capitals of Russia and Ukraine.

“I said the same thing in Moscow as I did in Kyiv and it is exactly what I have repeatedly expressed in New York. That is, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and the Charter of the United Nations. It must end. For the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia and the whole world.”

Guterres said one of the goals of his trip was to broker safe passage for trapped Ukrainians at a steel mill in Mariupol. So far, he said, nearly 500 civilians have been evacuated after living under relentless bombardment and scarcity of food and water.

Guterres said a third evacuation was underway, but declined to go into details in order to “avoid undermining any potential success.”

– Amanda Macias

The intelligence shared between the United States helped Ukraine The sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva, US officials told NBC News, underscored a US role as perhaps the most embarrassing blow to Vladimir Putin’s turbulent invasion of Ukraine.

Guided missile cruiser carrying a crew of 510, Moskva was the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. It sank on April 14 after being hit by two Ukrainian Neptunes anti-ship missilesUS officials said. Moscow said the ship sank after a fire broke out.

The attack occurred after Ukrainian forces asked the Americans about a ship sailing in the Black Sea south of Odessa, US officials told NBC News. The US identified it as Moskva, officials said, and helped confirm its location, after which the Ukrainians targeted the ship.

Officials said the United States did not know in advance that Ukraine would target Moskva, and was not involved in the decision to strike. Officials added that naval intelligence is being shared with Ukraine to help it defend against attack by Russian ships.

Read the The full story is here.

– Ken Dylanian, Courtney Cope and Carol E. Lee, NBC News