Russia-Ukraine live updates: Slaughter in Chernihiv and devastation in Mariupol, as U.S. vows Russia will be held accountable

Netflix announced Wednesday that Ukrainian political comedy “Servant of the People,” which launched former actor Volodymyr Zelensky to presidential stardom, is back on the streaming platform in the United States — the same day the Ukrainian leader made an emotional plea for U.S. military aid during an address to congressional lawmakers.

“You asked and it’s back!” Netflix tweeted from its official account, reflecting a surge in public interest in Zelensky as he has become a potent and effective advocate of his beleaguered nation on the global stage.

When “Servant of the People” aired in Ukraine seven years ago, Zelensky’s performance portraying a history teacher named Vasyl Holoborodko electrified the country, especially after a clip of his character’s impassioned speech about corruption in Ukrainian politics went viral. In 2019, he was elected as president in a landslide victory.

His approval rating in Ukraine, which slipped under 25 percent last October, skyrocketed to nearly 90 percent in recent weeks as the Ukrainian people have come to view him as a fierce defender of the country.

With bombs falling on the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol, civilians sought shelter in the city’s stately theater, local leaders said.

But on Wednesday, a Russian airstrike hit and largely destroyed the building while hundreds were taking refuge inside, according to the city council, in what appears to be the latest high-profile attack on Mariupol, where residents have been cut off from the outside world for two weeks and have been subjected to continued shelling.

Officials said it was not immediately clear how many people were killed or injured in the strike, with the extent of the damage and the near-constant bombardment making inspection difficult. Videos verified by The Washington Post show extensive damage to the theater. In them, flames and plumes of smoke rise up from a pile of rubble in the middle of the building.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked President Biden and the United States in a video address posted to Telegram early Thursday local time, saying he is “grateful for the leadership that has united the democratic world.”

“Ukraine has received strong support from our American friends,” Zelensky said in the video, which came after Biden promised $800 million worth of additional security assistance to Ukraine, such as drones and antiaircraft technology. But the Ukrainian president also reiterated his calls for fighter planes and a no-fly zone over the country, echoing his Wednesday speech to U.S. lawmakers.

Zelensky said Russian shelling continues to make civilian evacuations perilous and accused Russian forces of firing on residents of the besieged city of Mariupol as they escaped. By “a miracle,” he said, there were no deaths — but he said several Ukrainians were wounded, including two children.

He also mourned civilians whom he said were attacked while standing in line for bread. “Ten dead people,” he said.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said Russian forces fatally shot 10 people waiting for bread in the northern city of Chernihiv on Wednesday. “We are considering all available options to ensure accountability for any atrocity crimes in Ukraine,” the embassy tweeted.

In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Zelensky rejected the idea that Russia might cross a “red line” triggering more American action if it were to use chemical weapons in Ukraine.

“I believe that Russians have already crossed all the red lines when they started shelling civilians,” Zelensky said through a translator, noting the deaths of children.

“I don’t understand the meaning of ‘red lines’,” he said. “What else should we wait for?”

Ukrainian Railways Chairman Oleksandr Kamyshin called the visit of three European leaders to his country earlier this week a “strong step” in demonstrating their support for Kyiv, “even if it was naive.”

In a recent interview with CNN, Kamyshin said the trip taken by the prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic — three NATO nations — was naive because some of the leaders publicized their journey while they were still en route. This could have put them in physical danger, because Russian forces have bombed train stations in recent weeks, he explained.

Kamyshin said the three prime ministers, along with diplomatic representatives from their countries, traveled to Kyiv via the state-owned railway company’s newest sleeper trains. But the route they took was “the same track that normal passengers take as well,” he added.

In addition to the danger associated with entering an active war zone, a security expert told The Washington Post that the visit could be viewed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a provocation and possibly trigger reprisal attacks.

The mayor of Melitopol, reportedly abducted by Russian troops on Friday, was freed after Ukrainian authorities released nine Russian conscripted armed service members in a swap, according to a statement from Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communication.

The center, which is affiliated with the country’s culture and information policy ministry, said Mayor Ivan Fedorov had been taken against his will from his southeastern city to Luhansk, one of the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin officially recognized as republics last month. He was held there for five days, the center added.

Ukrainian authorities said the nine Russian conscripts involved in the exchange were all born between 2002 and 2003, making them 19- and 20-year-olds. Moscow has said it was deploying conscripts to Ukraine, a claim it had denied in the early days of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video posted early Thursday that he spoke with Fedorov after the mayor’s release. During his captivity, Fedorov declined Russia’s request to “collaborate,” Zelensky said, commending Fedorov’s loyalty.

Fedorov “did not give up, just as we all endure. You all,” Zelensky said. “Just as we all do not give up, because we are Ukrainians and we always protect our own.”

Zelensky described Russia’s capture of Fedorov as “a crime against democracy” when footage of the mayor being taken away by Russian soldiers with a hood over his head spread on social media last week. The incident quickly triggered public anger in Melitopol as residents gathered in support of their leader.

Russian troops destroyed a theater in the city of Mariupol where hundreds of people were sheltering, local Ukrainian officials said. The Kremlin’s forces also continued to shell civilian areas in Kharkiv, but have been unsuccessful in encircling the city.

Russian warships shelled some areas in Odessa oblast, while several attacks northwest of Kyiv were unsuccessful.

In his address to Congress on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States for supporting his country as it defends itself against Russia. But Ukraine needs more help, he said.

He had four big asks. But what Zelensky wants most, the United States is most hesitant to give.

Here’s what help Zelensky asked for, in order of what he’s least likely to get to what he’s most likely to get.