Ukraine-Russia war – live: Hundreds attend funeral for pro-Putin blogger killed in cafe blast
Hundreds of people, including the leader of Russia’s Wagner private militia group, attended the funeral of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky on Saturday.
The 40-year-old blogger, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was accorded military honours including a gun salute and an army band at the funeral at Moscow’s Troyekurovskoye cemetery.
Tatarsky died after an explosion at a cafe on the bank of the Neva River in the heart of St Petersburg. Russian reports claimed the bomb was concealed in a statuette of the blogger given to him as a gift just before the explosion.
While Russia has blamed Ukraine for Tatarsky’s death, Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the blast and instead blamed “domestic terrorism” in Russia.
Tatarsky was known for his blustery pronouncements and ardent pro-war rhetoric. He was among hundreds of attendees at a lavish Kremlin ceremony last September to proclaim Russia’s annexation of four partly occupied regions of Ukraine, a move that most countries have condemned as illegal.
Meanwhile, Russia’s campaign to break Ukraine’s energy system has “likely failed”, according to British intelligence.
Key Points
Putin ‘has likely failed’ in campaign to break down Kyiv’s energy system
Russia digging trenches in Crimea and redeploying weapons as it fears Ukraine counteroffensive
Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine
Russia loses election to three UN bodies over Ukraine
Hundreds attend Moscow funeral of pro-war blogger
05:30 , Peony Hirwani
Hundreds of mourners, including the leader of Russia’s Wagner private militia group, attended the funeral on Saturday of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed on 2 April in a cafe bomb blast that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.
The 40-year-old blogger, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was accorded military honours including a gun salute and an army band at the funeral at Moscow’s Troyekurovskoye cemetery due to his past participation in military operations in eastern Ukraine alongside Moscow-backed separatists battling Kyiv’s forces.
Crucified Filipino carpenter prays for end to war in Ukraine
05:00 , Liam James
Eight Filipinos were nailed to crosses to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a bloody Good Friday tradition, including a carpenter, who was crucified for the 34th time with a prayer for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to end because it has made poor people like him more desperate.The real-life crucifixions in the farming village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga province north of Manila resumed after a three-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. About a dozen villagers registered but only eight people showed up, including 62-year-old carpenter and sign painter Ruben Enaje, who screamed as he was nailed to a wooden cross with a large crowd watching in the scorching summer heat.In a news conference shortly after his crucifixion, Enaje said he prayed for the eradication of the COVID-19 virus and the end of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has contributed to gas and food prices soaring worldwide.
Ukraine can export electricity again, says minister
03:53 , Liam James
Ukraine can now resume exporting electricity after a six-month gap, given the success of repairs carried out after repeated Russian attacks, energy minister Herman Halushchenko said.
Last October, Ukraine halted exports of electricity to the European Union – its main export market for energy since the war began – following Russia strikes on energy infrastructure.
“The most difficult winter has passed,” Halushchenko said in a statement on the ministry’s website, noting that the system had been working normally for almost two months.
On Saturday, the British Ministry of Defence said Russia’s intense campaign of bombing Ukrainian power stations and generators had “likely failed” and attacks had subsided in the past few weeks.
Pope condemns ‘icy winds of war’ on eve of Easter
02:40 , Liam James
Pope Francis led the world’s Roman Catholics into Easter at a Saturday night vigil Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, decrying the “icy winds of war” and other injustices.
Francis has called for an end to all wars, and since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, 2022, he has repeatedly referred to Ukraine and its people as being “martyred”.
Belarus jails opposition leader
01:40 , Liam James
A Belarusian opposition leader and former ally of President Alexander Lukashenko received a 17-year prison sentence in absentia Friday on charges that included forming an extremist group and discrediting Belarus.
Valery Tsepkalo, 58, was also fined around $14,000 (£11,000) and barred from holding public office for five years following a closed-door trial that resulted in his conviction. Other charges included issuing calls to seize power, slander and insulting the country’s president.
Mr Tsepkalo fled to Russia in 2020 after the Central Election Commission barred him and eight other candidates from challenging Lukashenko in a presidential election that year. He later moved to Ukraine, Latvia and Greece.
Full story: Russia likely behind classified Pentagon documents leak, US officials say
Sunday 9 April 2023 00:30 , Sam Rkaina
The secret Pentagon documents that were discovered on 4chan, Twitter, Telegram and other websites were related to Ukraine, the Middle East and China.
They also appeared to detail US and NATO aid to Ukraine, but may have been altered or used as part of a misinformation campaign.
Three US officials told Reuters that they believed Russia was behind the leak.
Click here for more on this story.
Ukraine's coal miners dig deep to power a nation at war
Saturday 8 April 2023 23:30 , Sam Rkaina
Deep underground in southeastern Ukraine, miners work around the clock extracting coal to power the country’s war effort and to provide civilians with light and heat.
Coal is central to meeting Ukraine’s energy needs following the Russia‘s military’s 6-month campaign to destroy power stations and other infrastructure, the chief engineer of a mining company in Dnipropetrovsk province said.
Elevators carry the company’s workers underground to the depths of the mine. From there, they operate heavy machinery that digs out the coal and moves the precious resource above ground. It is hard work, the miners said, but essential to keep the country going.
“Today, the country’s energy independence is more than a priority,” said Oleksandr, the chief engineer, who, like all the coal miners interviewed, spoke on the condition of giving only his first name for security reasons.
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear, thermal and other power stations continue to disrupt electricity service as the war grinds on for a second year.
Click here for the full story.
Wagner leader attends funeral of pro-war Russian blogger killed in cafe blast
Saturday 8 April 2023 22:30 , Sam Rkaina
Hundreds of mourners, including the leader of Russia’s Wagner private militia group, attended the funeral on Saturday of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed on April 2 in a cafe bomb blast that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.
Russia charged Darya Trepova, 26, on Tuesday with terrorist offences over the killing of Tatarsky in the St Petersburg cafe where he had been due to talk. She was remanded in custody and could face up to 20 years in jail.
The 40-year-old Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was accorded military honours including a gun salute and an army band at the funeral at Moscow’s Troyekurovskoye cemetery due to his past participation in military operations in eastern Ukraine alongside Moscow-backed separatists battling Kyiv’s forces.
Tatarsky was among the best-known members of an influential group of bloggers who have provided a running commentary on the fighting in Ukraine. He was often scathing about Russia’s defence establishment but strongly backed Moscow’s actions in Ukraine and said they should be pursued more aggressively.
“Vladlen has proven that today the front line passes everywhere: in the zone of military action, in the rear, and in cities, hearts and minds,” said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the Telegram messaging app, noting he had died “in the centre of peaceful St Petersburg at terrorists’ hands”.
Tatarsky made extensive reporting trips to the front lines in Ukraine and had ties to Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who on Saturday thanked the blogger on behalf of his fighters.
“Vladlen Tatarsky did a lot so that we could move towards victory and destroy the enemy,” Prigozhin’s press service quoted him as saying. “He is a soldier who will stay with us, whose voice will live on forever ...”
Prigozhin is also known for his sharp criticism of Russia’s top brass over their performance in Ukraine. The Wagner group has been spearheading efforts in recent months to capture the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the cafe bomb blast and instead blamed “domestic terrorism” in Russia.
Russian complaints persist over Ukraine grain deal
Saturday 8 April 2023 21:45 , Sam Rkaina
Russia threatened to bypass a UN-brokered grain deal unless obstacles to its agricultural exports were removed, while talks in Turkey agreed removing barriers was needed to extend the agreement beyond next month.
The deal, passed with the support of the UN and Turkey in July, unblocked shipments stuck in Ukraine’s blockaded and mined ports, alleviating rising food prices and the threat of hunger in some countries.
A separate agreement aimed to facilitate the export of Russian fertilisers and grain. Moscow has repeatedly complained that the deal failed to work for Russian agricultural exports, which have had trouble reaching world markets due to western sanctions.
The deal was extended by 60 days last month but instead of agreeing to another extension later this year, Russia may decide to co-operate directly with Turkey and Qatar to ensure grain gets to the countries that need it.
“We were treated like animals"
Saturday 8 April 2023 21:00 , Sam Rkaina
Three children - two boys and a girl - were present at the media briefing in Kyiv. Save Ukraine said they were returned to Ukraine on a previous rescue mission last month that returned 18 children in total.
The three children said they had been separated from their parents who were pressured by Russian authorities to send their children to Russian summer camps for what was billed as two weeks, from occupied parts of Kherson and Kharkiv regions.
The children at the briefing said they were forced to remain at the summer camps for four to six months and were moved from one place to another during their stay.
“We were treated like animals. We were closed in a separate building,” said Vitaly, a child from Kherson region whose age was not clear. He added that they were told their parents no longer wanted them.
Children ‘living with rats and cockroaches'
Saturday 8 April 2023 20:30 , Sam Rkaina
A grandmother who had been due to reunite with two of her grandchildren died suddenly on the trip and the children had to remain in Russia, Kuleba, Ukraine’s former commissioner for children’s rights, told a media briefing in Kyiv.
Kuleba said that all the children who have been brought back to Ukraine by Save Ukraine had said that no one in Russia was trying to find their parents in Ukraine.
“There were kids who changed their locations five times in five months, some children say that they were living with rats and cockroaches,” he said.
The children were taken to what Russians called stays in summer camps from occupied parts of Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Kherson regions, Kuleba said.
Child rescue mission reunites families after ‘forced deportations'
Saturday 8 April 2023 20:00 , Liam James
More than 30 children were reunited with their families in Ukraine this week after a long operation to bring them back from Russia, where they had been taken from occupied areas during the war, a humanitarian group said on Saturday.
Kyiv estimates as many as 20,000 children have been forcibly removed from Ukraine by Russian forces, in what it condemns as illegal deportations.
Moscow, which controls chunks of Ukraine’s east and south, denies abducting children and says they have been transported away for their own safety.
“Now the fifth rescue mission is nearing its completion. It was special regarding the number of children we managed to return and also because of its complexity,” said Mykola Kuleba, the founder of the Save Ukraine humanitarian organisation.
Russia digging trenches in Crimea, while sending arms to frontlines
Saturday 8 April 2023 18:48 , Liam James
There are signs Russia is taking key equipment from occupied Crimea and redeploying it in Ukraine’s south while also fortifying the contested peninsula ahead of an expected Ukrainian spring counteroffensive.
This comes as Ukraine has said talks with Russia on Crimea will take place if the planned counteroffensive succeeds.
“Russian forces may have withdrawn equipment from occupied Crimea for redeployment elsewhere in southern Ukraine out of fear of a Ukrainian counteroffensive,” the US-based Institute for the Study of War has said.
Russia digging trenches in Crimea as it fears Ukraine counteroffensive
Russian blogger’s funeral held in Moscow
Saturday 8 April 2023 16:46 , Liam James
Hundreds of mourners, including the leader of Russia’s Wagner private militia group, attended the funeral on Saturday of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed on 2 April in a cafe bomb blast that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.
Russia charged Darya Trepova, 26, on Tuesday with terrorist offences over the killing of Tatarsky in the St Petersburg cafe where he had been due to talk. She was remanded in custody and could face up to 20 years in jail.
Russia forcibly removes 20,000 kids from Ukrainian territories, a Ukrainian official says
Saturday 8 April 2023 15:40 , Jonathan Kanengoni
A Ukrainian official has said 20,000 kids have been forcibly removed from Ukrainian territories by Russian forces.
In an online conveesation with human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, Ukraine’s head of office of the President, Andriy Yermak, discussed protecting Ukrainian children and holding Russia accountable for its alleged crimes, a statement released by the president’s office on Saturday said.
Yeleman said in a Telegram post: “According to official data alone, at least 20,000 children have been forcibly removed by the Russian military from the temporarily occupied territories (of Ukraine), separated from their parents and forcibly transferred to Russian families,” adding that “their own parents have no idea where their children are or what happened to them.”
Yermak stated the “importance of getting all the deported Ukrainian children back to their homeland and punishing the Russian criminals,” and emphasised Kyiv would develop new methods of protecting children and preventing future harm.
Ukraine to bolster defence lines along Belarus border
Saturday 8 April 2023 15:08 , Jonathan Kanengoni
Ukrainian forces have been working to bolster defence lines along the border with Belarus, the defence ministry has said.
In a Facebook post, the ministry cited Lt General Serhiy Nayev, commander of the joint forces of Ukraine’s armed forces, who said:
“The expansion of the system of engineering barriers in the areas bordering Belarus and Russia is ongoing. Anti-tank minefields are being created in tank accessible areas and probable paths of pushing the enemy deep into our territory which are roads, forest lanes, bridges, power lines, etc.”
The news comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his close ally and Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday. Lukashenko had previously given permission for Russia to use Belarus as a launch pad for the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Putin last month announced that Russia would deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Two people injured by explosives in Kharkiv
Saturday 8 April 2023 14:37 , Jonathan Kanengoni
Two people have been injured by explosives in Kharkiv, The Kyiv Independent has reported.
In a tweet, the online newspaper wrote: “Explosives injure two people in Kharkiv Oblast.
“In the city of Izium, a 53-year-old woman stepped on an anti-personnel mine in a graveyard, while in the village of Slobozhanske, a man was seriously injured while trying to take apart an unidentified object.”
Ukraine's coal miners dig deep to power a nation at war
Saturday 8 April 2023 14:07 , Jonathan Kanengoni
Deep underground in southeastern Ukraine, miners work around the clock extracting coal to power the country’s war effort and to provide civilians with light and heat.
Coal is central to meeting Ukraine’s energy needs following the Russia’s military’s 6-month campaign to destroy power stations and other infrastructure, the chief engineer of a mining company in Dnipropetrovsk province said.
Elevators carry the company’s workers underground to the depths of the mine. From there, they operate heavy machinery that digs out the coal and moves the precious resource above ground. It is hard work, the miners said, but essential to keep the country going.
“Today, the country’s energy independence is more than a priority,” said Oleksandr, the chief engineer, who, like all the coal miners interviewed, spoke on the condition of giving only his first name for security reasons.
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear, thermal and other power stations continue to disrupt electricity service as the war grinds on for a second year.
Negotiations to demilitarize the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which the Kremlin’s forces captured last year at the start of the full-scale invasion, are at an impasse. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposes any proposal that would legitimize Russian control of the plant, which is Europe’s largest nuclear energy facility.
At full capacity, the plant can produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity. The Ukrainian operators of the plant shut down the last reactor in September, saying it was too risky to run while Russia bombarded nearby areas.
Missile fired from Ukraine shot down over Crimean town, local governor claims
Saturday 8 April 2023 11:43 , Joe Middleton
A missile fired from Ukraine was shot down over the Black Sea town of Feodosia in Russian-controlled Crimea, the Russian head of Crimea’s administration said on Saturday.
“A missile launched from Ukraine was shot down over Feodosia,” Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram.
Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports.
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Kyiv has demanded that Moscow hand it back.
Russia’s TASS news agency quoted an adviser to Aksyonov, Oleg Kryuchkov, as saying that debris had fallen in a Crimean town, but no damage or casualties had been reported.
ICYMI: Defecting Russian protection officer labels Vladimir Putin 'war criminal'
Saturday 8 April 2023 11:17 , Joe Middleton
Russia hits illegally annexed Ukraine areas from ground, air
Saturday 8 April 2023 10:35 , Joe Middleton
Russian forces used ground- and air-fired missiles, rocket launchers and weaponized drones to bombard the provinces of Ukraine it has illegally annexed but doesn’t fully control, causing casualties, building damage and power outages Friday.
The Ukrainian military said Russian forces launched 18 airstrikes, five missile strikes and 53 attacks from multiple rocket launchers between Thursday and Friday mornings.
According to the General Staff statement, Russia was concentrating the bulk of its offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east, focusing on the cities and towns of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka in Donetsk province.
Russia likely behind classified Pentagon documents leak, US officials say
Russia likely behind classified Pentagon documents leak, US officials say
Saturday 8 April 2023 09:58 , Joe Middleton
The US claims Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind the leak of classified military documents on social media.
The secret Pentagon documents that were discovered on 4chan, Twitter, Telegram and other websites were related to Ukraine, the Middle East and China. They also appeared to detail US and NATO aid to Ukraine, but may have been altered or used as part of a misinformation campaign.
Three US officials told Reuters that they believed Russia was behind the leak.
The Justice Department said it was investigating the leak that was first reported by the New York Times on Friday.
Peony Hirwani reports.
Russia likely behind classified Pentagon documents leak, US officials say
Putin ‘has likely failed’ in campaign to break down Kyiv’s energy system
Saturday 8 April 2023 09:17 , Joe Middleton
Russia’s campaign to break Ukraine’s unified energy system (UES) during winter has ‘likely failed’, the Ministry of Defence’s latest intelligence update has said.
Large -scale attacks have become rare since early March 2023, the update said.
The report adds: “Ukraine’s energy situation will likely improve with the arrival of warmer weather. Planning and preparations for next winter have likely already begun.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 8 April 2023.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/tAWpOI90dc
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/HuTX7k2Vrm— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 8, 2023
Russia loses election to three UN bodies over Ukraine
Saturday 8 April 2023 09:10 , Joe Middleton
Russia lost elections to three United Nations bodies this week, a sign that opposition to its invasion of Ukraine over a year ago remains strong.
The votes in the 54-member U.N. Economic and Social Council follow approval of six non-binding resolutions against Russia by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly.
The latest — on Feb. 23, the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion — called for Moscow to end hostilities and withdraw its forces and was adopted by a vote of 141-7 with 32 abstentions.
Russia loses election to three UN bodies over Ukraine
Russia digging trenches in Crimea and redeploying weapons as it fears Ukraine counteroffensive
Saturday 8 April 2023 08:27 , Peony Hirwani
There are signs Russia is taking key equipment from occupied Crimea and redeploying it in Ukraine’s southern sector while also fortifying the contested peninsula ahead of an expected Ukrainian spring counteroffensive.
This comes as Ukraine has said talks with Russia on Crimea will take place if the planned counteroffensive succeeds.
“Russian forces may have withdrawn equipment from occupied Crimea for redeployment elsewhere in southern Ukraine out of fear of a Ukrainian counteroffensive,” the US-based Institute for the Study of War has said.
Arpan Rai has more:
Russia digging trenches in Crimea as it fears Ukraine counteroffensive
Russia or pro-Russian elements behind leak of classified documents, say US officials
Saturday 8 April 2023 08:17 , Joe Middleton
Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind the leak of several classified US military documents posted on social media that offer a partial, month-old snapshot of the war in Ukraine, three US officials told Reuters.
The documents appear to have been altered to lower the number of casualties suffered by Russian forces, the US officials said, adding their assessments were informal and separate from the investigation into the leak itself.
The Kremlin and Russia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
An initial batch of documents circulated on sites including Twitter and Telegram, dated March 1 and bearing markings showing them classified as “Secret” and “Top Secret.”
Later on Friday, an additional batch appearing to detail US national security secrets pertaining to areas including Ukraine, the Middle East and China surfaced on social media, the New York Times reported.
The US Justice Department said late on Friday it was in touch with the Defense Department and began a probe into the leak. It declined further comment.
One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine.
The United States believes the actual figure is much higher, at around 200,000 Russians killed and wounded, officials have said.
Russia charges Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich with espionage
Saturday 8 April 2023 07:27 , Peony Hirwani
ICYMI: Russian investigators have charged Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with espionage, the Interfax news agency reported, citing an unidentified source.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said on 30 March that it had detained Gershkovich in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and had opened an espionage case against the 31-year-old for collecting what it said were state secrets about the military-industrial complex.
Russia arrests Wall Street Journal reporter on ‘espionage’ charges
Pentagon reviewing whether Ukraine war documents were leaked
Saturday 8 April 2023 06:27 , Peony Hirwani
The Defense Department is reviewing a handful of documents that were released on several social media sites and appear to detail US and NATO aid to Ukraine, but may have been altered or used as part of a misinformation campaign.
The documents, which were posted on sites such as Twitter, are labeled secret and resemble routine updates that the US military’s Joint Staff would produce daily but not distribute publicly.
They are dated ranging from 23 February to 1 March, and provide what appears to detail the progress of weapons and equipment going into Ukraine with more precise timelines and amounts than the US generally provides publicly.
Read more:
Pentagon reviewing whether Ukraine war documents were leaked
US sanction officials plan missions to clamp down on Russia
Saturday 8 April 2023 05:27 , Peony Hirwani
Top sanctions officials from the US Treasury Department have planned special international trips this month to pressure firms and countries still doing business with Russia to cut off financial ties because of the war on Ukraine.
The message is that those working with Russia’s government must decide to continue to provide Moscow with material support or keep doing business with countries that represent 50 percent of the global economy.
Those are the choices to be laid out, senior Treasury officials told reporters on a call on Friday. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the travel plans.
Read more:
US sanction officials plan missions to clamp down on Russia
Russia loses election to three UN bodies over Ukraine
Saturday 8 April 2023 04:30 , Peony Hirwani
Russia lost elections to three United Nations bodies this week, a sign that opposition to its invasion of Ukraine over a year ago remains strong.
In the ECOSOC votes, Russia was overwhelmingly defeated by Romania for a seat on the Commission on the Status of Women. It lost to Estonia to be a member of the executive board of the UN children’s agency UNICEF. And it was defeated by Armenia and the Czech Republic in secret ballot votes for membership in the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the votes: “This is a clear signal from ECOSOC members that no country should hold positions on critical U.N. bodies when they are in flagrant violation of the UN Charter.”
In pictures: Ukrainian servicemen with the 95th Brigade take cover from incoming artillery shells in Lyman
Saturday 8 April 2023 03:00 , Emily Atkinson
Watch: Smoke rises from fire inside Russian defence ministry in Moscow
Saturday 8 April 2023 02:00 , Emily Atkinson
Putin’s forces ‘reach centre’ of key Ukrainian city Bakhmut in bloody battle
Saturday 8 April 2023 01:00 , Emily Atkinson
Russian forces are likely to have reached the centre of Bakhmut in their push to take over the city, according to UK intelligence.
Moscow’s troops have also seized the west bank of the river in the devastated area – endangering a key supply route to Ukraine.
Kyiv said Russia was concentrating all its efforts on capturing the eastern city, describing the situation as “difficult”, but said Ukrainian forces were holding out despite Russia’s numerical advantage during heavy fighting.
My colleague Jane Dalton has more:
Putin’s forces ‘reach centre’ of key Ukrainian city Bakhmut in bloody battle
Latest images from Ukraine’s Donetsk region
Friday 7 April 2023 23:00 , Emily Atkinson
Russia hits illegally annexed Ukraine areas from ground, air
Friday 7 April 2023 22:00 , Emily Atkinson
Russian forces used ground- and air-fired missiles, rocket launchers and weaponized drones to bombard the provinces of Ukraine it has illegally annexed but doesn’t fully control, causing casualties, building damage and power outages Friday.
The Ukrainian military said Russian forces launched 18 airstrikes, five missile strikes and 53 attacks from multiple rocket launchers between Thursday and Friday mornings.
According to the General Staff statement, Russia was concentrating the bulk of its offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east, focusing on the cities and towns of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka in Donetsk province.
More on this story from The Associated Press here:
Russia hits illegally annexed Ukraine areas from ground, air
Russia digging trenches in Crimea and redeploying weapons as it fears Ukraine counteroffensive
Friday 7 April 2023 21:00 , Emily Atkinson
There are signs Russia is taking key equipment from occupied Crimea and redeploying it in Ukraine’s southern sector while also fortifying the contested peninsula ahead of an expected Ukrainian spring counteroffensive.
This comes as Ukraine has said talks with Russia on Crimea will take place if the planned counteroffensive succeeds.
“Russian forces may have withdrawn equipment from occupied Crimea for redeployment elsewhere in southern Ukraine out of fear of a Ukrainian counteroffensive,” the US-based Institute for the Study of War has said.
Arpan Rai has more:
Russia digging trenches in Crimea as it fears Ukraine counteroffensive
US 'weighs action against Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab’
Friday 7 April 2023 20:00 , Emily Atkinson
The US department of commerce is weighing an enforcement action against Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday citing people familiar with the matter.
President Joe Biden’s administration is looking at an enforcement action against the company under its online security rules, the report said.
The administration ramped up its national security probe into Kaspersky Lab’s antivirus software last year as fears grew about Russian cyberattacks after Moscow invaded Ukraine.
US regulators have already banned federal government use of Kaspersky software.
The commerce department’s bureau of industry and security, when asked for a comment on the report, said it does not comment on any potential company specific actions.
The department “is committed to fully exercising its authorities to protect Americans’ sensitive data, and to working with Congress in a bipartisan way to adapt to evolving risks”, it said.
Russia likely behind US military document leak, officials say
Friday 7 April 2023 19:00 , Emily Atkinson
Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind the leak of several classified US military documents posted on social media that offer a partial, month-old snapshot of the war in Ukraine, three US officials have told Reuters
The documents appear to have been altered to lower the number of casualties suffered by Russian forces, the US officials said, adding their assessments were informal and separate from an investigation into the leak itself.
The Pentagon has declined to comment on the authenticity of the documents circulating on sites including Twitter and Telegram, which are dated 1 March and bear markings showing them classified as “Secret” and “Top Secret.”
A leak of such sensitive documents is highly unusual and would automatically trigger an investigation.
“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department (of defence) is reviewing the matter,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The United States believes that actual figure is much higher, at around 200,000 Russians killed and wounded, officials say.
Poland to halt Ukraine grain imports temporarily
Friday 7 April 2023 18:30 , Emily Atkinson
Imports of Ukrainian grain to Poland will be temporarily halted to mitigate impact on prices, but transit will still be allowed, Polish agriculture minister Robert Telus has said.
Telus took office on Thursday after his predecessor resigned amid farmers’ protests over falling prices of produce.
“We agreed to limit and for now halt exports to Poland,” Telus told reporters after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart. “Transit will be allowed but will be closely monitored in both countries, so that Ukraine grain doesn’t stay in Poland.”
Large quantities of Ukrainian grains, which are cheaper than those produced in the European Union, have ended up staying in Central European states amid logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers.
WSJ reporter arrested in Russia formally charged with espionage
Friday 7 April 2023 18:00 , Emily Atkinson
An American journalist detained in Russia while working for the Wall Street Journal has formally denied espionage charges levied against him by the Russian government.
Evan Gerskovich, 31, was arrested and detained in Russia on spying charges last week, and has now been formally charged. An espionage conviction carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, the successor to the old KGB, claims it caught Gershkovich collecting intelligence on the national’s military infrastructure.
More on this story from Graig Graziosi:
WSJ reporter arrested in Russia formally charged with espionage
Xi says political settlement only ‘correct’ way out for Ukraine crisis
Friday 7 April 2023 17:30 , Emily Atkinson
China’s president Xi Jinping has declared that a political settlement is the only “correct” way out of the Ukraine crisis, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
All parties should meet each other halfway to create conditions for a political settlement, Xi told French president Emmanuel Macron during a dinner in the Chinese city of Guangzhou on Friday, the statement said.
Russia charges Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich with espionage
Friday 7 April 2023 17:00 , Emily Atkinson
Russian investigators have charged Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with espionage, the Interfax news agency reported, citing an unidentified source.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said on 30 March that it had detained Gershkovich in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and had opened an espionage case against the 31-year-old for collecting what it said were state secrets about the military industrial complex.
“Gershkovich has been charged,” Interfax quoted a source as saying. He was charged with espionage.
The Journal has denied that Gershkovich was spying and demanded the immediate release of its “trusted and dedicated reporter”.
Ukraine PM to visit Canada in coming weeks
Friday 7 April 2023 16:30 , Emily Atkinson
Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal is planning to visit Canada to seek supplies of ammunition and armoured vehicles for a counteroffensive against invading Russian forces, the Globe and Mail reported on Friday.
Shmyhal said in an interview with the Canadian newspaper that he was not concerned about the lack of new military aid allocated for Ukraine in Canada’s federal budget, and hoped the country would provide more aid among other forms of assistance.
“Now, we need heavy armoured vehicles. And we need more artillery shells: ammunition for howitzers and ammunition for tanks,” Shmyhal said. “It’s crucially important for the organization of our counteroffensive.”
Shmyhal will visit Canada in coming weeks, the Globe and Mail said, adding that for security reasons the Kyiv government was not divulging the date of the trip.
The Ukrainian premier was quoted by the Globe as saying Ukraine would also like Canada to offer war risk insurance to Canadian companies investing in Ukraine to support reconstruction and foreign investment.
“So if a Canadian company will decide to invest money into Ukraine, we will ask the Canadian government to create some mechanism to support Canadian investments,” he said.
Ukraine debates ways to prevent military leaks after report of breach
Friday 7 April 2023 15:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukraine‘s president and top security brass discussed ways to prevent leaks of military information at a meeting on Friday, Kyiv said, after secret documents detailing Western help for Ukraine reportedly ended up online.
A statement about the meeting issued by the president’s office did not say a leak had occurred. It also did not refer to a New York Times report that said documents about U.S. and NATO plans to build up the Ukrainian military had been leaked online.
“The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine,” a presidency statement said, detailing other topics that participants also discussed.
The Times reported on Thursday that the Pentagon was investigating how documents about plans to build up Ukrainian forces before their planned counter-offensive against invading Russian forces were posted on social media channels this week.
Reuters was not immediately able to review the leaked documents.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters earlier that the document leak looked like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts about the counter-offensive.
He said the leaked data contained a “very large amount of fictitious information” and that Russia appeared to be trying to seize back the initiative in its invasion, now in its 14th month.
“These are just standard elements of operational games by Russian intelligence. And nothing more,” Podolyak said in a written statement.
Ukrainian troops have for months faced a Russian onslaught in its east that has focused on the city of Bakhmut. Kyiv hopes its forces can launch a counter-offensive in the coming weeks or months to wrest back occupied territory.
“Russia is looking for any ways to seize back the initiative,” Podolyak said. “To try to influence the scenarios for Ukraine‘s counteroffensive plans. To introduce doubts, to compromise the ... ideas, and finally to intimidate (us) with how ‘informed’ they are.”
The Times report said the documents appeared to have been modified in certain parts. One part offered an estimate for Ukrainian military losses that was far higher than Western estimates made available so far.
Ukraine does not disclose the scale of its losses and is very sensitive about the subject.
Putin’s forces ‘reach centre’ of key Ukrainian city Bakhmut in bloody battle
Friday 7 April 2023 15:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian forces are likely to have reached the centre of Bakhmut in their push to take over the city, according to UK intelligence.
Moscow’s troops have also seized the west bank of the river in the devastated area – endangering a key supply route to Ukraine.
Kyiv said Russia was concentrating all its efforts on capturing the eastern city, describing the situation as “difficult”, but said Ukrainian forces were holding out despite Russia’s numerical advantage during heavy fighting.
Putin’s forces ‘reach centre’ of key Ukrainian city Bakhmut in bloody battle
Russia says peace talks must focus on ‘creating new world order’
Friday 7 April 2023 14:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said any peace talks with Ukraine must focus on “creating a new world order”.
Agence France-Presse quoted him as saying: “Any negotiation needs to be based on taking into account Russian interests, Russian concerns. It should be about the principles on which the new world order will be based.”
What is the latest from the fronline?
Friday 7 April 2023 13:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Here is the latest from the battlefield:
* Asked to comment on the report, a Ukrainian military command spokesman told Reuters the situation was difficult in Bakhmut and that Russian forces were concentrating all efforts to take the city but were not having “strategic success”.
* If confirmed, the British report suggests Ukrainian forces are under severe pressure, two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said they would withdraw if at risk of encirclement.
* On Monday, the head of Russia‘s private Wagner militia had said Ukrainian forces were not abandoning Bakhmut but that, even if they did, he would need more support from the regular Russian military before trying to advance further.
* Donetsk is one of four provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia is seeking to fully occupy. It declared them annexed last year after failing to seize the capital Kyiv in an attempt to overrun Ukraine early in the war.
* Fighting also rages further south around Avdiivka, a town near the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk.
* Authorities in Russian-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine said a total of seven civilians were killed in two separate Ukrainian artillery strikes, Russian news agencies reported.
The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary
Friday 7 April 2023 13:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
It was a month into Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces had withdrawn from around Kyiv and in their wake Bel Trew and her team stumbled on a body by an abandoned Russian camp.
His hands were tied. He had been burned and shot in the back. Soldiers said he was a teenager.
As Bel tried to find out who he was and what had happened, she uncovered a nightmare world: a nation struggling to find thousands of its missing and to identify its dead.
The Body in the Woods by Bel Trew is streaming now on Independent TV and on your smart TV.
The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary
Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine
Friday 7 April 2023 12:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Biden administration is investigating the leak of classified war documents about secret American and Nato plans for bolstering the Ukrainian military ahead of an anticipated spring salvo against Russian forces, senior officials said.
“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary at the Pentagon, reported The New York Times.
The five-weeks-old documents reportedly reveal details of Ukraine’s requirements ahead of a planned counteroffensive to reclaim territory taken by Russia since the full-scale invasion last year, as well as how the US and Nato might meet them.
They appeared on both Twitter and Telegram, a messaging platform that is widely used in Ukraine and Russia.
Arpan Rai reports:
Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine
What’s the latest in politics on the Ukraine war?
Friday 7 April 2023 12:26 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
* Turkey is concerned about the potential intensification of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the spring, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
* China’s Xi Jinping expressed willingness on Thursday to speak to Ukrainian President Zelenskiy, the head of the European Union said, after French President Macron urged Beijing to talk sense to Russia over the war in Ukraine.
* The Kremlin said it had followed what it called “important talks” between Xi, Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, but added that China would not change its position on the Ukraine conflict under external influence.
* A top Ukrainian official ruled out talks with Moscow about territory until it withdraws all troops, pushing back on a colleague who had touted the idea of negotiations to resolve the Russian occupation of the Crimean peninsula.
* Russia and Turkey agreed during talks in Ankara that obstacles must be lifted to ensure freer Russian fertiliser and grain exports, and enable a UN-brokered deal ensuring Black Sea shipments of Ukrainian grain to be extended beyond next month.
Ukraine says data leak is Russian effort to sow doubt about counter-offensive
Friday 7 April 2023 11:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A leak of classified documents detailing secret U.S. and NATO plans to help Kyiv looked like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts about Ukraine‘s planned counter-offensive, a Ukrainian presidential official said on Friday.
Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters that the leaked data reported by the New York Times on Thursday contained a “very large amount of fictitious information” and that Russia was trying to seize back the initiative in its invasion.
Russia's Lavrov says US blocking Middle East Quartet meetings
Friday 7 April 2023 11:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday accused the United States of blocking meetings of the Quartet on the Middle East - comprised of Russia, the United States, European Union and United Nations.
Speaking at a news conference in Turkey where he was on a visit to discuss the Black Sea grain deal, Ukraine crisis and energy cooperation with Ankara, Lavrov also said he did not rule out a possible face-to-face meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at UN headquarters if there was a “serious proposal” for dialogue.
Turkey says concerned Ukraine war will intensify in spring
Friday 7 April 2023 10:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Turkey is concerned about the potential intensification of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the spring, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.
In a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Ankara, Cavusoglu said Turkey would continue with its efforts to bring an end to the war with negotiations.
Father of Russian girl who drew anti-war pictures held in Belarus
Friday 7 April 2023 09:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alexei Moskalyov, a Russian man who was charged with discrediting the country’s army after his daughter Masha drew an anti-war picture, is being held in Belarus, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported, citing the Russian embassy in the country.
Russian forces likely threaten Ukrainian supply line to eastern city, Britain says
Friday 7 April 2023 09:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian forces have very likely seized the centre of the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and are threatening a key supply route for Ukrainian forces to the west, British intelligence said on Friday.
Asked to comment on the report, a Ukrainian military command spokesman told Reuters the situation was difficult in Bakhmut and that Russian forces were concentrating all efforts to take the city but were not having “strategic success”.
The months-long battle for Bakhmut, one of the last urban centres in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk province yet to fall to Russian forces, has proven one of the bloodiest of the war.
The British report, if confirmed, indicates that Ukrainian forces are under severe pressure, two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said they would withdraw if at risk of encirclement.
Donetsk is one of four provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia is seeking to fully occupy. It declared them annexed last year after failing to seize the capital Kyiv in an attempt to overrun Ukraine early in the war.
Ukraine holds out in Bakhmut despite 'difficult' situation -military
Friday 7 April 2023 08:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukraine said on Friday that Russia was concentrating all its efforts on capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut where it described the situation as “difficult” but said it was holding out despite Russia‘s numerical superiority.
Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters that Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut, understood Russian intentions and that Moscow had tactical success in some places, but was paying a high price for it.
Macron seeks China’s help on Ukraine as Xi ‘willing to call Zelensky’
Friday 7 April 2023 08:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Xi Jinping is willing to speak to Ukraine, the head of the EU said on Thursday, after Emmanuel Macron said he was “counting on China” to reason with Russia over the year-long war.
China’s president expressed willingness to speak to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen said, if the “conditions and time are right”.
The French president and Ms Von der Leyen arrived in Beijing on Wednesday and met Mr Xi on Thursday in what is seen as part of a broader effort from the European leaders to engage with China, even as Beijing continued to engage with Moscow and maintain its “neutral” stance.
Macron seeks China’s help on Ukraine as Xi ‘willing to call Zelensky’
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Russia seizes Bakhmutka River's west bank, says UK defence ministry
Friday 7 April 2023 07:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River, endangering a key Ukraine supply route, in its push to regain control of the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, the British defence ministry said on Friday.
“Russia has made further gains and has now highly likely advanced into the town centre ... Ukraine‘s key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened,” the ministry said on Twitter in a regular bulletin.
Russia 'has regained momentum' in Bakhmut, says MoD
Friday 7 April 2023 07:05 , Arpan Rai
Russian forces have regained some momentum in the battle for Bakhmut in recent days after their advance was largely stalled since late last month, the British defence ministry has said today.
“Russia has made further gains and has now highly likely advanced into the town centre, and has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River. Ukraine’s key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.
“Russian regular forces, likely including airborne troops, have probably reinforced the area, and Russia is again using artillery more effectively in the sector,” the MoD said.
It added that there was a realistic possibility that Wagner and Russian military commanders had paused their ongoing feud and improved cooperation.
In pictures: Ukrainian forces fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions in Donetsk
Friday 7 April 2023 07:00 , Emily Atkinson
Street battles in Bakhmut as Wagner says fighting continues in western pocket
Friday 7 April 2023 06:54 , Arpan Rai
The months-long battle for Bakhmut has continued to flare up in the salt-mining city this week.
“(Battles) are underway in the streets, enemy attempts to encircle the city are failing. Our command fully control the situation,” said Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The leader of Russia’s private Wagner militia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said fighting was continuing in the west of the city.
“It must be said clearly that the enemy is not going anywhere,” he said on his Telegram channel.
The Wagner chief has often complained of a lack of ammunition for his fighters in Bakhmut but there are signs of revival of ammunition supply to the mercenary group.
But Ukrainian border guard Levko Stek, speaking in a video clip amid explosions, said Ukrainian forces did not sense any “ammunition hunger” on the Russian side.
Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine
Friday 7 April 2023 06:20 , Arpan Rai
The Biden administration is investigating the leak of classified war documents about secret American and Nato plans for bolstering the Ukrainian military ahead of an anticipated spring salvo against Russian forces, senior officials said.
“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary at the Pentagon, reported The New York Times.
The five-weeks-old documents reportedly reveal details of Ukraine’s requirements ahead of a planned counteroffensive to reclaim territory taken by Russia since the full-scale invasion last year, as well as how the US and Nato might meet them.
Pentagon investigating leak of secret US and Nato war plans for Ukraine
Russian media mocks Trump over arrest days after he defended Putin: ‘We’re getting lots of popcorn!’
Friday 7 April 2023 06:00 , Emily Atkinson
Donald Trump’s indictment in New York City has been met with ridicule by state TV in Russia, where hosts have enjoyed themselves by showcasing artwork depicting the former president wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and speculating about future jail time.
Mr Trump appeared at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to plead not guilty to 34 felony charges relating to the falsification of business records to conceal a series of hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, Playboy model Karen McDougal and a former Trump Tower doorman on his behalf in exchange for their silence about his alleged extramarital affairs.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
Russian media mocks Trump over arrest: ‘We’re getting lots of popcorn!’
Watch: Defecting Russian protection officer labels Vladimir Putin 'war criminal'
Friday 7 April 2023 05:00 , Emily Atkinson
Bakhmut grinds on as Ukrainian forces wait for mud to clear
Friday 7 April 2023 04:41 , Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian forces are using their counteroffensive abilities in Bakhmut to bleed Russian forces and inflict maximum losses possible in a dogged defence as they wait for the sludgy terrain to clear and make way for an expected spring assault.
“Bakhmut is performing the key task of inflicting as many losses on Russia as possible and, most importantly, to prepare for a counter-attack to take place in late April-May,” Pavlo Narozhniy, a Ukrainian military analyst, told NV Radio.
Even as Western analysts play down the strategic significance of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian side has persisted with protecting the town despite its own heavy casualties.
A 21-year-old commander outside Bakhmut said: “We are ready, we have to do it, the sooner the better. The enemy must be chased away. At the moment we are waiting for the weather to change, the mud is an obstacle.”
Speaking from close to the frontline, the commander of Ukraine‘s 5th separate assault brigade, who gave his name as Ivan, said: “Those service members that are not on the frontline are training.”
Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov said Ukraine would be able to defend positions in the more heavily built-up west of Bakhmut as long as their route to the west, the “road of life” for getting supplies in and wounded out, remained open.
Russia has defended its “special military operation” in Ukraine by claiming it was necessary to protect its security against what it sees as a hostile and aggressive West.
ICYMI: Putin ‘sacks one of Russia’s most senior commanders in Ukraine’
Friday 7 April 2023 04:00 , Emily Atkinson
The Russian ministry of defence has reportedly fired Colonel-General Rustam Muradov as commander of the Eastern Group of Forces (EGF) after Moscow’s heavy losses in eastern Ukraine.
The British defence ministry had cited claims on Russian social media in its latest intelligence update on Thursday and pointed out that it is the most high-profile dismissal in the Russian military so far this year.
The ministry said more dismissals are likely to follow as Russia continues to fail to achieve its objectives in the Donbas.
My colleague Arpan Rai has the details:
Putin ‘sacks one of Russia’s most senior commanders in Ukraine’
Russia’s refusal to give consular access to WSJ reporter is ‘inexcusable’, says US
Friday 7 April 2023 03:55 , Arpan Rai
The White House has called Russia’s refusal to give consular access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich “inexcusable”.
“We need to get consular access to Evan,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a White House briefing last night.
On being asked why Russia is refusing the journalist consular access, Mr Kirby said: “We still haven’t been able to get consular access. And that’s a — that’s an issue that we continually bring up through our — our embassy in Moscow with the Russians”.
On being asked about a potential prisoner swap with Russia, Mr Kirby said that the situation is at a “very early stage” right now.
“I won’t get ahead of where we are. And I think you can understand why we would certainly not want to talk about potential negotiations here from the podium. We’re at a very early stage here,” he said.
He added: “Main goal is to get consular access to him so we can have that contact and that connectivity — we’re — and doing what we can to keep him his employer and the family informed. Our focus is squarely on that right now.”
Key images from Lukashenko’s trip to Moscow
Friday 7 April 2023 03:00 , Emily Atkinson
Russia continues information crackdown with new Wikimedia fine
Friday 7 April 2023 02:00 , Emily Atkinson
The Wikimedia Foundation, owner of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, was fined by a Russian court on Thursday for failing to delete content considered extremist as Moscow pursues a drive to crack down on independent sources of information.
Wikipedia, which says it offers “the second draft of history”, is one of the few surviving fact-checked sources of information in Russian since the crackdown intensified after Moscow sent its armed forces into Ukraine in February 2022.
The Tagansky district court said it had fined Wikimedia 800,000 roubles ($9,900). Russian news agencies in the courtroom said Wikimedia had been charged with failing to remove materials related to a song by the alternative rock band Psychea, or Psyshit, which has been officially designated “extremist”.
Russia has now fined Wikimedia around 9 million roubles ($110,000) in the past year, the agencies said.
Wikimedia said the information that Russian authorities had complained about was well-sourced and in line with Wikipedia standards.
Watch: Smoke rises from fire inside Russian defence ministry in Moscow
Friday 7 April 2023 01:00 , Emily Atkinson
Russian lawmakers propose tougher sentences for terrorism, agencies report
Friday 7 April 2023 20:07 , Emily Atkinson
Russian legislators have proposed tougher sentences for those convicted of terrorism and sabotage, reports say in a move officials have been cited as saying was prompted by the war in Ukraine.
The maximum sentence for carrying out “a terrorist act” – defined as a deed which endangered lives and was aimed at destabilizing Russia - would be raised to 20 years, from 15 years at present.
Those found guilty of sabotage could also go to jail for 20 years, up from 15, while people convicted of “international terrorism” could be sentenced to life, up from 12 years.
The proposed changes were outlined by Vasily Piskaryov, head of the committee on security and anti-corruption in the State Duma or lower chamber of parliament.
Earlier this week, Tass news agency cited him as saying the tougher measures were needed for protection against what he called the unprecedented threats Russia faced from Ukraine and its Western sponsors.
President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials regularly accuse Ukraine and the West of wanting to undermine and dismember Russia. Authorities have cracked down on dissent since the war started in February 2022.
Greece to send more arms to Ukraine, but sets limits
Friday 7 April 2023 00:00 , Emily Atkinson
Greece has pledged military assistance to Ukraine for “as long as it takes” but officials cautioned that the country needs to keep much of its Russian-made weaponry for its own defensive needs.
Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov visited Athens on Thursday as part of regular meetings with officials from Nato countries. He was promised more artillery and small arms ammunition shipments, access to Greek hospitals for wounded military personnel and additional Soviet-era BMP infantry fighting vehicles.
Greece “will provide every support to Ukraine at this very important, crucial stage of the war,” Greek defence minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said during a joint appearance with Reznikov. “We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes — that’s a very clear position that we have taken from the outset.”
Greece to send more arms to Ukraine, but sets limits
Latest images from Ukraine’s Donetsk region
Thursday 6 April 2023 23:00 , Emily Atkinson
World Bank: Improved outlooks for Russia and Ukraine despite ongoing war
Thursday 6 April 2023 22:00 , Emily Atkinson
The World Bank on Thursday lifted its 2023 economic growth forecast for eastern Europe and central Asia to 1.4 per cent from an earlier 0.1 per cent prediction, citing improved outlooks for both Russia and Ukraine despite their ongoing war.
The regional forecast, released just days before the World Bank and International Monetary Fund hold their annual spring meetings, has Ukraine‘s economy growing by 0.5 per cent this year following a staggering contraction of 29.2 per cent in 2022, the year Russia launched its invasion.
“While the economic toll suffered by Ukraine as a result of the invasion is enormous, the reopening of Ukraine‘s Black Sea ports and resumption of grain trade, as well as substantial donor support, are helping support economic activity this year,” the World Bank said in a statement.
Russia’s economy shrank 2.1 per cent last year, considerably less than the 3.5 per cent contraction the World Bank forecast in January.
For 2023, the World Bank forecast Russia’s economy to contract by 0.2 per cent, compared to its previous forecast of a 3.3 per cent contraction.
The World Bank’s regional grouping includes Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Russian refusal to give consular access to detained reporter is ‘inexcusable’
Thursday 6 April 2023 21:17 , Emily Atkinson
Russia’s refusal to give consular access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is “inexcusable,” the White House said on Thursday.
“We need to get consular access to Evan,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Watch: Putin stands 60ft away from crowd during speech
Thursday 6 April 2023 20:00 , Emily Atkinson
