Russia's war in Ukraine: Live updates - CNN

Ukraine launched a rocket onslaught connected the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) aboriginal Sunday morning, according to Russian authorities quality bureau RIA Novosti.

Ukraine launched 20 Grad missiles astir 5:54 a.m. section clip Sunday, said Alexei Kulemzin, caput of the Russian-backed metropolis administration. The strikes were made successful the absorption of the Voroshilovsky and Kalininsky districts. 

Shells deed respective flat buildings and landed adjacent the opera, ballet theatre and the Kalinin Hospital, RIA reported, adding that 1 onslaught near an flat gathering ablaze.

Kulemzin said Ukraine besides shelled the city's Kyivskyi district precocious Saturday night, astir 11 p.m. section time. 

The Ukrainian subject has not yet confirmed oregon commented connected the attack, and CNN cannot independently verify the reports.

Some background: Donetsk is simply a portion successful eastbound Ukraine that has been held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

During that time, the portion has been operated nether the sanction Donetsk People's Republic. Russia recognizes the DPR arsenic a sovereign state, and Donetsk was among the 4 Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia successful usurpation of planetary law.

Russia is the lone state that considers the DPR independent. The planetary assemblage does not admit the region and its institutions, and considers the territory to beryllium portion of Ukraine. Independent watchdog groups person agelong accused the separatists of a dismal quality rights way grounds and sick attraction of prisoners.

Ukraine launched a rocket onslaught connected the Russian-occupied metropolis of Melitopol Saturday, according to officials connected some sides.

Melitopol’s Moscow-installed administrators said 4 missiles struck the city, sidesplitting 2 radical and wounding 10.

Yevgeny Balitsky, Russia’s acting politician of Zaporizhzhia, said 2 much missiles were changeable down.

A “recreation center, wherever people, civilians, and (military) basal unit were having meal connected Saturday night, was wholly destroyed,” Balitsky said.

The strikes were besides acknowledged by Ivan Fedorov, Ukraine’s erstwhile head of Melitopol city, who said Russian subject bases were hit.

Fedorov said the explosions deed the gathering of the Melitopol Christian Church, "which the occupiers seized respective months agone and turned into their hideout."

Last month, the Ukrainian authoritative said the Russian subject has turned Melitopol into “one elephantine subject base.”

“The Russian subject is settling successful section houses they seized, schools and kindergartens. Military instrumentality is stationed successful residential areas,” helium said astatine the time.

Fedorov, who is not successful Melitopol, besides reported dormant and wounded among the Russian forces successful the city. He did not supply a circumstantial number.

Melitopol, successful Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, has been nether Russian concern since aboriginal March.

(Apichart Weerawong/AP/FILE)

Recently freed Russian arms trader Viktor Bout said Saturday helium "wholeheartedly" supports Russia's warfare successful Ukraine and that he'd unpaid to combat for Russia.

He said if helium had the accidental and the indispensable skills, helium would "certainly spell arsenic a volunteer" successful what Russia calls its "special subject operation" successful Ukraine.  

Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death” by his accusers, was released connected Thursday from US detention successful a captive swap for US hoops prima Brittney Griner.  

Bout made these remarks successful a video interrogation with Kremlin-controlled TV web RT. He was interviewed by Maria Butina, a Russian weapon rights enthusiast-turned TV property who present works for the network. Butina, who was convicted of conspiring to enactment arsenic an cause for a overseas authorities successful the United States, was deported to Russia in October 2019 aft serving much than 15 months down bars successful Florida.

When asked if helium had a representation of President Vladimir Putin successful his situation cell, Bout said: "Yes, always. Why not? I’m arrogant that I’m Russian and that our president is Putin."

Some inheritance connected Bout: The erstwhile Soviet subject serviceman was serving a 25-year situation condemnation successful the United States connected charges of conspiring to termination Americans, get and export anti-aircraft missiles, and supply worldly enactment to a violent organization. Bout has maintained helium is innocent. 

Natalia Pinchuk — connected behalf of her hubby Nobel Peace Prize 2022 victor and jailed Belarusian activistic Ales Bialiatski — delivers a code during the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize grant ceremonial successful Oslo, Norway, connected Friday. (Rodrigo Freitas/NTB/AFP/Getty Images)

Human rights groups from Russia and Ukraine – Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties – person officially been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022, on with the jailed Belarusian advocator Ales Bialiatski, astatine a ceremonial successful Oslo connected Saturday.  

Bialiatski's woman received his grant connected his behalf. The 3 winners volition stock the prize wealth of 10,000,000 Swedish krona ($900,000). 

“They person for galore years promoted the close to knock powerfulness and support the cardinal rights of citizens,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said successful a connection successful October erstwhile the winners were announced.  

Russian laureate blasts Moscow's war: Russian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yan Rachinsky blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “insane and criminal” warfare connected Ukraine successful his acceptance speech.

Rachinsky, from Russia's quality rights enactment Memorial, claimed absorption to Russia is known arsenic “fascism” nether Putin, adding this has go “the ideological justification for the insane and transgression warfare of aggression against Ukraine.”

Memorial, 1 of Russia’s astir well-known and respected quality rights groups, worked to exposure the abuses and atrocities of the Stalinist epoch for much than 3 decades earlier it was ordered to adjacent by the country’s Supreme Court precocious past year. 

Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk connected Saturday called for an planetary tribunal to bring Putin and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko to justness implicit “war crimes.”

The Center for Civil Liberties successful Ukraine's Matviichuk said this would beryllium a mode to “ensure justness for those affected by the war.” 

In her acceptance speech, Matviichuk warned warfare criminals should not lone beryllium convicted aft the autumn of authoritarian regimes, adding that “justice cannot wait.” 

Most of the confederate Ukrainian metropolis of Odesa and parts of the Odesa portion are without power Saturday pursuing Russian shelling of vigor infrastructure facilities, according to 1 of Ukraine's large energy providers, DTEK. 

“Emergency shutdowns besides hap successful populated areas of the region,” the supplier continued. “Currently, the concern successful the portion remains difficult.” 

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, lawman caput of Ukraine’s President’s Office, took to telegram Saturday to remark connected the concern successful Odesa. He besides confirmed the metropolis is presently without power, and that energy has lone been restored astatine immoderate captious facilities specified arsenic hospitals.

More background: What Russia cannot win on the battlefield, it is seeking to triumph by casting Ukrainian cities into the dark and acold arsenic a agelong wintertime sets in.

The effect is a grinding conflict of attrition: Barrages of Russian missiles alert crossed Ukraine, and Ukrainian powerfulness engineers enactment for days successful freezing temperatures to reconstruct power.

Monday saw the largest question of rocket attacks since Nov. 23. Officials study smaller rounds of shelling near-daily successful regions crossed the country.

CNN's Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych and Victoria Butenko contributed to this report.