As Thursday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:
The Russian missile cruiser Moskva, operating in the Black Sea, has sunk, according to Russia's Defense Ministry. It said the ship was being towed in stormy weather after the vessel was damaged and its crew evacuated. Russian officials had said a fire broke out on board and caused munitions to explode. The Ukrainian military claimed they attacked the vessel. Neither account has been independently confirmed. Ukrainian officials say the Moskva was the Russian warship in the famous Snake Island incident, in which Ukrainian border guards profanely refused to surrender. Those men initially were believed to have been killed, but were later released in a prisoner swap.
Russia accused Ukrainian forces of striking Russian residential buildings near the Ukrainian border, saying Ukrainian helicopters fired on a town in the Bryansk region. Separately, the governor of the border region of Belgorod said Ukraine had fired on a local village — the second attack on the area that Russia has blamed on Ukraine this month. Previously, Russia's Defense Ministry said that continued cross-border attacks could prompt retaliatory Russian strikes on key command centers in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Ukrainian officials accused Russia of plots to "whip up anti-Ukrainian hysteria."
A senior U.S. official may travel to Kyiv soon to show solidarity with Ukraine. President Biden told reporters his administration was "making that decision now," but did not confirm any further specifics. This potential trip would follow recent visits to Ukraine by the British prime minister and the presidents of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Russian authorities continue crackdowns on anti-war protesters, extending arrests to silent and stealthy demonstrations. An artist in St. Petersburg allegedly replaced price tags at a local supermarket with anti-war notes and now faces up to 10 years in prison on charges of spreading "knowingly false information" about the Russian armed forces. Her lawyer said a shopper reported the woman to the police.
In-depth
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Where do sanctions on Russia go from here? A foreign policy expert weighs in.
There's no diplomatic path to end Russia's assault on Ukraine, a Polish diplomat says. Listen to the conversation with Poland's ambassador to the U.S.
Attacks have destroyed numerous hospitals in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv. NPR's Short Wave podcast features the voices of three people who were there.
Photos
The death toll rises as Ukrainian forces continue to search suburbs of Kyiv.
Earlier developments
You can read more news from Thursday here, and daily recaps here. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find NPR's full coverage here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.
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