Russia-Ukraine war: What happened today (April 1)

Caption

Damage is seen after what Russia says was a Ukrainian Army attack on an oil refinery in Belgorod, Russia, on Friday. / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

As Friday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:

Russian officials said that Ukrainian helicopters struck an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, about 20 miles from the border with Ukraine. Ukraine refused to confirm or deny the report. It is the first time Russia has reported a Ukrainian airstrike on Russian soil.

Russian troops leaving Chernobyl likely suffered radiation exposure, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said. The ministry said Russian forces have fully withdrawn from the area of the former nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it has not yet been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation.

A humanitarian relief team that was planning to evacuate civilians Friday from Mariupol was unable to reach the besieged Ukrainian city. They will try again Saturday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

Officials from Russia and Ukraine met for another day of talks about a potential cease-fire, as fighting continued in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president's office said 86 of the country's service members were freed in the Zaporizhzhia region as part of a prisoner swap with Russia, although the number of Russians released was not disclosed, The Associated Press reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stripped two generals of their military rank, calling them "traitors" and "antiheroes." Both were intelligence officers in the Security Service of Ukraine. One was the former chief of the agency's main department of internal security. The other was the former head of the agency's office in the Kherson region — Kherson being one of the few big Ukrainian cities that has fallen to Russian forces.

In-depth

The Ukrainian mayor who was kidnapped says the Russian soldiers who snatched him knew nothing about his country.

Volunteers in Ukraine are making body armor from old cars.

Russia threatened to fine Wikipedia if it doesn't remove some details about the war.

Ukrainians are navigating a perilous route to safety out of besieged Mariupol.

This toy maker wanted to help Ukrainian refugees. The response stunned him.

Earlier developments

You can read more news from Thursday here, as well as more in-depth reporting and daily recaps here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.

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