Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin visit dubbed ‘special tour of mass murders’
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Vladimir Putin’s visit to partially occupied Kherson in Ukraine has been mocked by a senior Ukrainian presidential aide, who called it a trip to “enjoy the crimes of his minions”.
“Putin’s degradation is impressive. The world waited for his statement a year ago. Now they don’t. There’s no such political actor. There’s only a ‘special tour’ of the mass murders author in the occupied and ruined territories to enjoy the crimes of his minions for the last time,” the adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in a tweet.
Dressed in a heavy blue jacket, Mr Putin was shown on Russian state television descending from a military helicopter in south Kherson and greeting senior commanders. He attended a military command meeting in Kherson.
Kherson is partially occupied by Russian forces after they retreated from the captured city in October last year.
The Russian leader reportedly discussed the war with a general from Moscow’s airborne troops, who has reportedly taken up a powerful new role in the invasion.
Key Points
France and China ‘working on secret plans to end Ukraine war’
Kremlin accuses UK and US diplomats of 'meddling' in the case of the Putin critic jailed
Putin visits Kherson
Reporter Evan Gershkovich will appeal arrest
G7 ministers stress unity amid tensions with China and Russia
Zelensky’s aide mocks Putin’s visit: ‘Special tour of mass murders’
04:28 , Arpan Rai
A senior Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak took to Twitter and mocked Vladimir Putin's trip.
“Putin’s degradation is impressive. The world waited for his statement a year ago. Now they don’t. There’s no such political actor. There’s only a “special tour” of the mass murders author in the occupied and ruined territories to enjoy the crimes of his minions for the last time.
The Russian presidnet had attended a military command meeting in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region and visited a national guard headquarters in eastern Luhansk.
Kherson is partially occupied by Russian forces.
He was briefed by the commanders of the airborne forces and the Dnieper army group as well as other senior officers who briefed him on the situation in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in the south.
Latest images from Ukrainian frontline in Bakhmut
05:00 , Emily Atkinson
Wagner controls 90% of Bakhmut, says Russia-backed leader
04:17 , Arpan Rai
A Russia-backed official has said that the Wagner Group’s mercenary forces have captured almost 90 per cent of Bakhmut.
“The Wagner private military company controls about 90% of Artyomovsk [Russian name for Bakhmut] and its advance is inevitable,” said Yan Gagin, an advisor to the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) leader, reported TASS news agency.
A week back, the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had said that Russian forces controlled more than 80 per cent of Bakhmut, including all administrative buildings.
He added that Ukrainian troops were “booby-trapping and blowing up major infrastructure facilities before leaving the western outskirts of Bakhmut”.
“The Ukrainian armed forces are okay with using scorched earth tactics. This is what they did in Volnovakha and Mariupol, and now, they are blowing up and booby-trapping major infrastructure facilities in Artyomovsk before retreating from the western outskirts of the city. A local community centre was one of the buildings that they blew up recently,” the Russia-installed leader told TASS news agency.
Russian hackers targeting Western critical infrastructure, warns UK
04:10 , Arpan Rai
British cyber defence agency has warned of an emerging threat to Western critical national infrastructure posed by hackers sympathetic to Russia and its war on Ukraine.
Russia-aligned “hacktivists” have carried out largely harmless online campaigns that have defaced prominent public websites or knocked them offline. However, some of those groups have been actively plotting ways to do more real-world damage, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of the GCHQ eavesdropping intelligence agency, said in an alert.
“Some have stated a desire to achieve a more disruptive and destructive impact against Western critical national infrastructure, including in the UK,” the NCSC said.
“We expect these groups to look for opportunities to create such an impact, particularly if systems are poorly protected,” said the alert, which was released to the press at a two-day conference hosted by the NCSC and GCHQ in Belfast.
The alert added that while such groups are ideologically-motivated and align themselves with Russian state interests, they are “not subject to formal state control”.
“This makes them less predictable”, it said.
A successful cyberattack on critical national infrastructure such as an energy grid or water supply could be highly destructive, and do serious real-world damage.
US Navy veteran under investigation in connection to Pentagon documents leak
04:00 , Emily Atkinson
The US government is investigating the role of a multi-platform social media persona known as the “Donbass Devushka,” and the role of a US Navy veteran in operating it, as it pursues the prosecution of a man for allegedly leaking sensitive military documents.
“Donbass Devushka”, which roughly translates to “young Donbass woman,” hosts generally pro-Russia content across a variety of platforms, including a now-private Twitter account, a prolific YouTube platform, and others.
John Bowden has more:
US Navy veteran under investigation in connection to Pentagon documents leak
Russian launches overnight drones on Odesa
03:48 , Arpan Rai
Russian forces have launched drones on southern Ukraine’s Odesa region overnight, sparking a fire at an infrastructure facility, the head of the military command of the Odesa region, Yuri Kruk, said today.
There are no immediate casualties reported from the site of attack and firefighters were working at the scene.
US urges Nato to watch for signs Russia could use nuclear weapon
03:00 , Emily Atkinson
Nato allies must remain alert for signs Vladimir Putin could use a tactical nuclear weapon in a “managed” escalation of his war in Ukraine, the second-highest US diplomat has urged.
Deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman issued the warning during the opening session of an annual Nato arms control conference that was being held in North America for the first time since its inception in 2004.
“We have all watched and worried that Vladimir Putin would use what he considers a non-strategic tactical nuclear weapon or use some demonstration effect to escalate, but in a managed risk escalation,” Sherman said. “It is very critical to remain watchful of this.”
Putin’sannouncement that Russia is preparing to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus “is his effort to use this threat in a managed way,” Sherman said.
Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for battlefield gains or for use against limited military targets.
Putin denies having any intention of employing nuclear weapons in Ukraine, where his forces for months have been bogged down in fierce fighting that has been costly for both sides.
Brazil is wrong to argue US encouraging Ukraine war, White House says
02:00 , Emily Atkinson
Brazil is wrong to argue that the United States is encouraging the Ukraine war and its tone is not one of neutrality, the White House said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre rejected comments from Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has accused the United States and the European Union of prolonging the conflict by supplying arms to the Ukrainians.
She said US officials were “struck by the tone” of Lula’s comments and added, “of course we want this war to end.”
“The tone was not neutral and it is not true and we will continue to speak out about that,” she said.
Russian-installed Donetsk chief meets Belarus president
01:00 , Emily Atkinson
The Russian-installed head of the Moscow-controlled part of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Tuesday and said he had discussed ways of boosting trade.
Denis Pushilin, writing on Telegram, said he was interested in quarry equipment, tractors and buses as well as building products and furniture.
In return, his region was ready to export grain to Belarus in addition to existing shipments of sunflower seeds.
The so-called Donetsk People’s Republic is one of the four regions in Ukraine that Moscow proclaimed as its own last September in an exercise Ukraine and its allies called a “sham,” coercive referendum. (
Watch: Putin visits Russian troops in Ukraine's Kherson and Luhansk regions
Wednesday 19 April 2023 00:00 , Emily Atkinson
Former McDonald’s restaurants in Belarus to be renamed
Tuesday 18 April 2023 22:30 , Emily Atkinson
Restaurants formerly operating under the McDonald’s brand in Belarus will be renamed ‘Mak.by’, the local company has announced, retaining access to recipes and apparently branching out from the new brand in neighbouring Russia.
McDonald’s restaurants in Belarus, all 25 of which had been operated by local licensee KSB Victory Restaurants, were originally set to be rebranded as Vkusno & tochka, the successor to McDonald’s restaurants in Russia.
French spirits group suspends Absolut vodka exports to Russia
Tuesday 18 April 2023 21:30 , Emily Atkinson
French spirits group Pernod Ricard has said it is suspending exports entirely of its premium vodka Absolut to Russia, having previously reduced sales following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Last week, several media outlets reported that Absolut was “supplying products in an amount that can support local employees and give local entities economic sustainability,” citing a Pernod spokesperson.
The reports sparked criticism in Sweden, where the vodka is made.
Pernod said in a statement emailed to Reuters that as a result it has taken the decision to suspend Absolut supplies entirely due to a “duty of care towards our employees and partners.”
“We cannot expose them to massive criticism in all forms. Therefore, The Absolut Company has decided to stop the export of its brand to Russia,” it said.
Russia not planning Wikipedia block for now, minister says
Tuesday 18 April 2023 20:30 , Emily Atkinson
Russia is “not yet” planning to block Wikipedia, its minister of digital affairs said on Tuesday as a Moscow court handed the online encyclopedia another fine for failing to remove content Russia deems illegal.
Wikipedia is one of the few surviving independent sources of information in Russian since a state crackdown on online content intensified after Moscow sent its armed forces into Ukraine.
“We are not blocking Wikipedia yet, there are no such plans for now,” Interfax news agency quoted digital affairs minister Maksut Shadaev as saying.
On Tuesday, a Moscow court fined Wikipedia owner Wikimedia Foundation 800,000 roubles ($9,777) for what Russian agencies said was a failure to remove information considered to be promoting train hopping, where a person rides on the side or top of a train.
Wikimedia has previously said information that Russian authorities complained about was well sourced and in line with Wikipedia standards.
Brazil's Lula condemns invasion of Ukraine
Tuesday 18 April 2023 19:19 , Emily Atkinson
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said his administration condemns the violation of Ukraine‘s territorial integrity and again defended efforts to end the conflict.
Speaking after a lunch with the President of Romania, Klaus Werner Iohannis, Lula insisted that a group of nations needs to come together to help broker a peace deal between Russia and the Ukraine.
Russian court rejects US reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention appeal
Tuesday 18 April 2023 18:30 , Emily Atkinson
A Moscow judge has rejected an appeal from US journalist Evan Gershkovich to be freed from detention before his trial on espionage charges,
Russia’s FSB security service arrested Mr Gershkovich at the end of March on charges that carry a possible 20-year prison sentence. He is the first US journalist detained in Russia on espionage charges since the end of the Cold War.
Mr Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), denies all the charges, which have been widely condemned as politically motivated. He looked calm and smiled as he stood in a glass and metal case before the ruling, wearing a checked shirt, with his arms folded.
Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn report:
Russian court rejects US reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention appeal
Ukraine says Black Sea grain deal under threat
Tuesday 18 April 2023 17:45 , Emily Atkinson
Ukrainian first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Tuesday that the Black Sea grain deal faced the threat of being halted.
“It is under threat of being halted and Russia has again blocked the inspection of ships,” Svyrydenko told a news conference in Warsaw.
“It is extremely important for us to unblock transit, otherwise Ukraine will remain blocked. We cannot together with our partners give Russia the opportunity to take advantage of this situation,” she said.
Poland says has reached agreement on transit of Ukrainian grain
Tuesday 18 April 2023 17:16 , Emily Atkinson
Poland has reached an agreement on restarting transit of Ukrainian grains through its territory as of Friday, Polish agriculture minister Robert Telus has said, adding transits would be monitored and sealed.
Poland’s development minister Waldemar Buda added a ban on imports of Ukrainian food products to Poland would remain in place.
Ukraine‘s first deputy prime minister said on Tuesday she was confident that Ukrainian exporters would respect the terms of a grain transit deal agreed with Poland.
The official, Yulia Svyrydenko, told a joint news conference with her Polish counterparts in Warsaw that the Ukrainian government understood the concerns of Polish and Ukrainian farmers and were committed to resolving the issue.
US leak won’t impact spring offensive, UK insists
Tuesday 18 April 2023 16:37 , Emily Atkinson
An apparent leak of highly classified US military documents should not have any impact on Ukraine‘s planned spring offensive against Russia, a minister has said.
Defence minister James Heappey told the Commons Ukraine will likely continue as planned with its move to repel Vladimir Putin’s forces.
A 21-year-old US guardsman, Jack Teixeira, was arrested and appeared in court last week in connection with the apparent leak.
Top secret documents which have emerged contain assessments of the war in Ukraine, the capabilities and geopolitical interests of other nations and other top US national security issues.
Responding to concerns about the impact of the information on Ukraine‘s planned spring offensive, Mr Heappey said: “I think the Ukrainians will proceed with their plan as it is and I have every confidence that they will be successful.
“The international effort to resource their plan is extraordinary and the plan is coming together very well indeed.”
Russian parliament votes to introduce life sentences for treason
Tuesday 18 April 2023 16:16 , Emily Atkinson
Russian lawmakers have voted to introduce life sentences for those convicted of treason, part of a concerted drive since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine to step up punishment of dissenters and perceived traitors.
The lower house of parliament, the State Duma, also voted to increase maximum sentences for a range of terrorism and sabotage offences and introduced a new law that punishes those who help execute the legal decisions of international organisations that do not include Russia with up to five years in prison.
That move was a direct response to the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin last month in connection with the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
The amendments - which need to be approved by Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, before being signed into law by Putin - come as rights groups say Russian authorities are ramping up a campaign to quash the few voices of opposition that remain in the country. The previous maximum sentence for treason was 20 years.
Zelensky praises troops during visit to eastern Ukraine
Tuesday 18 April 2023 15:52 , Emily Atkinson
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops in the small eastern city of Avdiivka on Tuesday, thanked them for their service and was briefed by commanders on the battlefield situation, his office said.
Avdiivka has been one of the main targets of a Russian winter offensive which was intended to reinvigorate Moscow’s full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022, but has made only small territorial advances in the east.
Video footage released by Zelensky’s office showed him addressing troops in combat gear and handing them awards in what appeared to be a large industrial warehouse with sandbags packed against at least one of the high walls.
“I have the honour to be here today, to thank you for your service, for defending our land, Ukraine, our families,” he said. “I wish you only victory - this is what I wish for every Ukrainian, this is what is very important to all of us.”
Zelensky also visited a hospital where he met wounded soldiers and handed out awards.
Lavrov 'to talk Ukraine grain deal with UN chief next week’
Tuesday 18 April 2023 15:24 , Emily Atkinson
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will discuss the Ukraine Black Sea export deal with UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres when they meet in New York next week, Russia’s envoy said on Tuesday.
“Of course, he will be raising that during his bilateral,” Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters.
France and China ‘working on secret plans to end Ukraine war’
Tuesday 18 April 2023 14:35 , Emily Atkinson
French president Emmanuel Macron is working on a set of “secret” plans with China which could bring an end to Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, reports suggest.
Mr Macron has reportedly deployed his foreign policy advisor Emmanuel Bonne to work in tandem with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi to establish a framework that could bring Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiating table “by this summer”.
Sources familiar with the French initiative told Bloomberg that future talks would depend on several conditions, including a successful Ukrainian spring offensive that would boost Kyiv’s position during negotiations.
Bloomberg claims that official from Mr Macron’s office had confirmed the plan for Mr Bonne to speak with Mr Wang.
The Independent has contacted The Elysée Palace for comment.
Romania could follow countries by banning grain imports
Tuesday 18 April 2023 13:15 , William Mata
Romania looked set on Tuesday to follow three other countries in banning Ukrainian grain imports, a setback for Kyiv as it tries to unblock exports through eastern Europe and salvage a wartime deal on shipping grain from the Black Sea.
Failure to resume exports into eastern European countries or secure an extension of the Black Sea grain deal would trap large amounts of grain in Ukraine, hitting its exports and causing further economic problems for Kyiv as it battles Russian troops.
Talks between Kyiv and Warsaw went into a second day after European Union member states Poland, Hungary and Slovakia imposed import bans to protect their markets from an influx of cheaper supply following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party increased pressure on Kyiv by saying it would ask the coalition government to approve an emergency decree enforcing a temporary ban on Ukrainian grain imports though it wants transit to continue.
Judge upholds detention of US journalist
Tuesday 18 April 2023 12:58 , William Mata
A Russian judge on Tuesday upheld the detention of jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested on spying charges as part of a sweeping Kremlin crackdown on dissent amid the war in Ukraine.
Mr Gershkovich and the US government vehemently deny the allegations.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter is the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying allegations and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and elicited outrage in the West.
Dozens of journalists crowded into the courtroom to catch a glimpse of Mr Gershkovich, who looked calm as he stood inside a glass cage to appeal his detention.
Russia’s federal security service detained the 31-year-old in Yekaterinburg in March and accused him of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory.
Gershkovich, his employer and the US government deny he was involved in spying and have demanded his release.
“Evan is a member of the free press who right up until he was arrested was engaged in newsgathering. Any suggestions otherwise are false,” the WSJ has said in a statement.
Last week, the US officially declared that Mr Gershkovich was “wrongfully detained.”
He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Kremlin accuses UK and US diplomats of 'meddling' in the case of the Putin critic jailed
Tuesday 18 April 2023 12:23 , William Mata
Russia has accused the ambassadors of Britain, the United States and Canada of interfering in its internal affairs after they condemned the treason conviction of a prominent opposition politician and it warned them they risk expulsion in future.
On Monday, a Moscow court jailed Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza - who holds Russia and British passports - for 25 years after convicting him of treason in a trial he and the West said was politically-motivated. It was the harshest sentence of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Kara-Murza, 41, for years successfully lobbied Western governments to impose sanctions on Russia and individual Russians for purported human rights violations.
He also condemned what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
The ambassadors of Britain, the United States and Canada made a joint appearance in front of TV cameras on the steps of the Moscow court after his verdict to condemn the ruling and demand his release.
British ambassador Deborah Bronnert delivered her remarks in Russian so that Russian-language TV channels could potentially broadcast them.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said the diplomats' behaviour was unacceptable.
Ukraine seek to resume grain passage talks with Poland
Tuesday 18 April 2023 12:00 , William Mata
Ukraine will try to unblock exports of food and grain through Poland in a second day of talks in Warsaw on Tuesday after some of its staunchest allies in central Europe imposed bans on its products.
Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have recently banned imports of Ukrainian grains and produce to protect their markets from an influx of cheaper supply.
Ukraine‘s exports via these countries have risen due to Russia’s invasion, which has blocked some of its Black Sea ports.
Bottlenecks caused by slowed rail shipments or a lack of railcars have exacerbated the problem, trapping large quantities of Ukrainian grain in Central Europe which has lowered prices and hurt sales by local farmers, turning up the heat on governments.
Alexander Lukashenko meets with Donetsk leader
Tuesday 18 April 2023 11:30 , William Mata
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting with the Russian-installed head of Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Tuesday, the state-run Belta news agency reported.
It follows a meeting between Mr Lukashenko and Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier in the month (pictured below).
Belarus has been a key backer of Russia as many western nations have turned against the Kremlin after the invasion of Ukraine.
Who is Evan Gershkovich and what does Russia accuse him of?
Tuesday 18 April 2023 11:00 , William Mata
Who is Gershkovich?
Hired by the Wall Street Journal shortly before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year, Gershkovich had been reporting on Russia for more than five years at the time of his arrest. The 31-year-old is a fluent Russian-speaker, the son of emigres who left the Soviet Union for the United States during the Cold War.
What were the circimstances of his arrest?
The FSB security service said on March 30 it had arrested him for trying to gather secrets about Russia’s military-industrial complex during a trip to Yekaterinburg, 1,400 km (880 miles) east of Moscow. His newspaper said it last heard from him the previous day when he arrived at a steakhouse in the city. He was brought back to the capital and charged with espionage, for which he faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He has denied the charge, which is also rejected by his newspaper.
What do the United States and Russia say about the case?
President Joe Biden has called Russia’s treatment of Gershkovich “totally illegal”. The United States last week officially designated him as wrongfully detained, effectively saying that the spy charges were bogus and the case was political. The Kremlin says Gershkovich was “caught red-handed”, but Russia has yet to publish any evidence to support that.
Where is he being held?
Gershkovich is in pre-trial detention at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, where the FSB and its predecessor, the Soviet KGB, have traditionally held those suspected of spying or other grave crimes. U.S. ambassador Lynne Tracy was able to visit him there for the first time on Monday but gave few details, except that he was healthy and bearing up well. In a handwritten letter dated April 5 to his parents, Gershkovich said he was reading, writing, taking exercise and “not losing hope”.
What happens next?
Tuesday’s hearing is essentially procedural - about how Gershkovich should be detained as he awaits trial, not about the substance of the charges. Investigators are still working on the details of the case, which could drag on for months or years if the example of fellow American Paul Whelan is anything to go by. Whelan, a former Marine, was arrested in December 2018, held for 18 months in Lefortovo and jailed for 16 years in June 2020 on spying charges. He too is designated by Washington as wrongfully detained.
Reporter Evan Gershkovich will appeal arrest
Tuesday 18 April 2023 10:30 , William Mata
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will appeal on Tuesday against his arrest and detention in a former KGB prison in Moscow on charges of espionage, according to court documents.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on March 30 it had detained Gershkovich in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and had opened an espionage case against him for collecting what it said were state secrets about the military industrial complex.
Gershkovich, the first U.S. journalist detained in Russia on espionage charges since the end of the Cold War, and the Journal have denied he was involved in espionage, as has Washington.
According to a public Russian judicial document, a Russian court will hear on Tuesday a complaint filed by Gershkovich against the decision to keep him in custody in Lefortovo prison while the case is being investigated.
G7 ministers stress unity amid tensions with China and Russia
Tuesday 18 April 2023 10:00 , William Mata
The G7 drew together on Tuesday to criticise China’s coercion of Taiwan and Russia’s threat to station nuclear weapons in Belarus, promising to intensify sanctions on Moscow for its war on neighbouring Ukraine.
“The strength of the solidarity between the G7 foreign ministers is at a level not seen before,” Japan’s foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference after hosting a meeting of the group in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa.
The show of unity comes after French president Emmanuel Macron this month said the European Union should reduce its dependency on the United States and cautioned against being drawn into a Taiwan crisis.
Beijing views Taiwan as Chinese territory and has not renounced the use of force to take the democratically governed island.
Russia increases shelling, air strikes in Bakhmut - Ukrainian general
Tuesday 18 April 2023 09:30 , William Mata
Russian forces are stepping up their use of heavy artillery and air strikes in the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukraine‘s ground forces said on Tuesday.
Fighting in and around Bakhmut has for months been the epicentre of the war in Ukraine.
“Currently, the enemy is increasing the activity of heavy artillery and the number of air strikes, turning the city into ruins,” General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement.
He said Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, remained committed to taking Bakhmut “at any cost” but was suffering significant losses in the battle for the city.
Reuters could not confirm the battlefield situation. Russia says Ukrainian forces have also suffered heavy losses in Bakhmut.
Poland and Ukraine to resume grain transit talks
Tuesday 18 April 2023 09:00 , William Mata
Poland and Ukraine will resume negotiations early on Tuesday to try to reopen the transit of food and grains, the Polish agriculture minister told public radio station PR1.
Reuters reported two countries held talks on Monday over bans by central eastern European countries seeking to shelter their farmers from the impact of an influx of cheaper Ukrainian grain.
Some Black Sea ports were blocked after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and large quantities of Ukrainian grain has been trapped in Central Europe because of logistical bottlenecks.
“We are talking with the EU as well as with Ukraine to find solutions. We want these products to go to Europe, but go deep into Europe,” agriculture minister Robert Telus said.
“We talked yesterday, there were long talks. Today we are also sitting down for talks...These are typically technical talks to find a solution and let this transit go to Europe,” he added.
Putin visits occupied Ukraine
Tuesday 18 April 2023 08:12 , Katy Clifton
Vladimir Putin has visited military headquarters in Russian-controlled Ukraine, the Kremlin said this morning, where he discussed the war with a general from Russia’s airborne troops who has reportedly taken up a powerful new role in the invasion.
Moscow claims to have annexed four Ukrainian regions but its forces are locked in a grinding artillery battle in the eastern Donbas with heavy losses on both sides, while they have been forced to pull back in southern Kherson, which Mr Putin visited.
Dressed in a heavy blue jacket, Mr Putin, 70, was shown on Russian state television descending from a military helicopter in Russian-held Ukraine and greeting senior military commanders.
The Kremlin said Mr Putin attended a military command meeting in Kherson region. He heard reports from commanders of the airborne forces and the "Dnieper" army group and other senior officers on the situation in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
“It is important for me to hear your opinion on how the situation is developing, to listen to you, to exchange information,” Putin told the commanders, including colonel-general Mikhail Teplinsky, commander of Russia’s airborne troops.
British military intelligence said on Sunday that Teplinsky had been given a major role in the war.
“Teplinsky, commander of Russia’s corps of airborne troops, the VDV, has highly likely returned to a major role in Ukraine,” British military intelligence said. “Teplinsky is likely one of the few senior Russian generals widely respected by the rank-and-file.”
Russian strategic bombers 'carry out patrol flights’
Tuesday 18 April 2023 07:30 , Katy Clifton
Russia’s defence ministry has said this morning that two Russian strategic bombers - those capable of carrying nuclear warheads - carried out routine patrol flights over the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, off Russia’s Far East.
The statement was reported by the TASS news agency.
Egypt made a U-turn on rockets for Russia, offered shells to Ukraine instead – US leak
Tuesday 18 April 2023 07:17 , Arpan Rai
A new Pentagon leak has found that Egypt revoked its plans to share thousands of rockets with Russia after talks with senior US officials and instead offered to provide artillery shells for Ukraine.
The idea to give rockets to Vladimir Putin was ditched in early March by Egyptian president Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, reported the Washington Post.
The US ally then decided to sell 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine via Washington despite the ammunition stockpiles running low in the US.
Egypt’s president had reportedly ordered 40,000 rockets to be discreetly shipped to Russia, according to some of the classified US intelligence documents that were recently leaked on social media.
Discussions between high-level Egyptian officials about the sale of weapons to Russia were found in the series of classified files, reported The Washington Post.
The leaked documents made their way to gaming social media platform Discord in February and March.
EU investigates after 3 countries ban Ukraine grain imports
Tuesday 18 April 2023 07:04 , AP
Slovakia became the third European Union country to ban food imports from Ukraine on Monday, deepening the challenge for the bloc as it works to help Ukraine transport its grain to world markets, reports Vanessa Gera.
Slovakia followed Poland and Hungary, both of which announced bans Saturday on Ukrainian food imports until 30 June. They did so in response to rising anger from farmers who say that a glut of grain in their countries is causing them economic hardship.
The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, manages trade on behalf of the 27 member countries and objects to them taking unilateral or uncoordinated measures.
EU investigates after 3 countries ban Ukraine grain imports
Russia diverting resources towards Bakhmut, speeds up offensive – MoD
Tuesday 18 April 2023 06:58 , Arpan Rai
Russia is likely reorganising its forces and diverting its troops and ammunition in the direction of Bakhmut, the British defence ministry said today as it noted heavy fighting along the Donbas front line.
“However, there is a realistic possibility that Russia has reduced troop numbers and is decreasing offensive action around Donetsk city, most likely to divert resources towards the Bakhmut sector,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.
It added that Bakhmut has witnessed creeping advances by Russian MoD and Wagner Group forces.
The frontline in the town centre largely follows the main railway line, the MoD said.
“Ukraine is generally holding Russia’s envelopment from the south along the line of Korsunskovo Street, the old main road west out of town. For both sides, the exact sequencing of any major drawdown of their units around Bakhmut has become a critical question, with Ukraine wanting to free-up an offensive force while Russia likely aspires to regenerate an operational reserve,” the ministry said.
More than 80,500 Russian war crimes recorded in Ukraine – official
Tuesday 18 April 2023 06:40 , Arpan Rai
More than 80,500 Russian war crimes, crimes of aggression by Moscow’s forces have been recorded in Ukraine, the war-hit country’s prosecutor general’s office said.
The Russian forces have committed 80,840 war crimes and crimes of aggression in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February last year, the prosecutor general’s office said yesterday.
G7 warns of ‘severe consequences’ against nuclear weapons use in Ukraine
Tuesday 18 April 2023 06:35 , Arpan Rai
The Group of Seven industrial powers have warned of “severe consequences” if nuclear weapons are used in Ukraine as their foreign ministers met in Tokyo today.
The group, which comprises the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada, called Russia’s threat to put nuclear weapons in Belarus “unacceptable”.
Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in Ukraine “would be met with severe consequences”, the G7 said.
The alliance said that they are more united than ever as they also slammed China’s added pressure on Taiwan in addition to Russia’s threat to station nuclear weapons in Belarus.
The G7 communique highlights how the dual issues of Russian military intervention and fears of similar action by China against Taiwan have been a focus of the three-day meeting.
What we know about the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia
Tuesday 18 April 2023 06:11 , Andy Gregory
American journalist Evan Gershkovich, a 31-year-old reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has been arrested and detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
My colleague Joe Sommerlad has this explainer on his arrest:
What we know about arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia
US ambassador to Russia makes first visit to jailed WSJ reporter
Tuesday 18 April 2023 05:14 , Andy Gregory
Washington’s ambassador to Russia has made her first visit in jail to Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter accused by Moscow of spying.
"This is the first time we've had consular access to Evan since his wrongful detention over two weeks ago,” said Lynne Tracy in a short statement in Russian on Telegram.
“He feels well and is holding up. We reiterate our call for Evan's immediate release.”
Putin 'turning back to Wagner' amid Russian military failures in Ukraine
Tuesday 18 April 2023 04:51 , Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin is again helping the Wagner Group of mercenaries by providing arms and ammunition along with political recognition after the conventional Russian military forces failed to meet a 1 April deadline to capture Luhansk and Donetsk, experts monitoring the war said.
“Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin is seemingly regaining some favour with Russian president Vladimir Putin, likely as a result of the Russian conventional military’s inability to accomplish the tasks Putin had set for it during the winter offensive in Donbas,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
It added that the Wagner forces are likely “receiving reinforcements, ammunition, and political recognition – which is a stark deviation from the Kremlin’s previous efforts to expend Wagner forces and Prigozhin in Bakhmut since at least January 2023”.
On the battle field, Wagner has been asked to train mobilised personnel to reinforce Wagner’s positions in Bakhmut.
“Prigozhin also confirmed that Russian airborne forces (VDV) are operating alongside Wagner and indicated that Wagner is actively receiving artillery shells. Prigozhin advocated for Wagner to receive more artillery shells, which indicates that Prigozhin has reestablished his supply of ammunition from the Russian ministry of defence,” the US-based think-tank said.
“The extent of Putin’s trust and favour for Prigozhin is unclear at this time, but it is likely that Putin halted the Russian MoD’s efforts to avenge Wagner by denying Wagner reinforcements and ammunition,” the ISW said.
Ukraine gearing up for next Ramstein meeting, says Zelensky
Tuesday 18 April 2023 04:20 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine is readying for a second Ramstein meeting of what he referred to as an “anti-war coalition”.
The first round of Ramstein discussions happened in January this year, which saw defence leaders from across the world gathering at Ramstein Air Base in Germany as they hammered out future military aid to Ukraine.
“By the way, we are already preparing for another Ramstein meeting. I held preparatory meetings. And we expect solidly grounded decisions that will meet the prospects on the battlefield. Quite ambitious prospects, which we are approaching with all our might.
“Moreover, we are approaching them not only for ourselves, not only for Ukraine but also for our entire anti-war coalition,” Mr Zelensky said.
He added: “The aggressor must lose. And this is our joint responsibility with our partners – to gain more time for peace, that is, to be as active as possible now in providing weapons and ammunition to speed up our joint victory.”
RAF Typhoons intercept Russian fighter jets and spy plane near Nato airspace
Tuesday 18 April 2023 04:13 , Andy Gregory
Russia blocking 50 ships of Ukrainian grain in Black Sea, says EU chief
Tuesday 18 April 2023 04:01 , Arpan Rai
Russia is “once again” holding up Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea and blocking the grains onboard at least 50 ships, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
The European Union will “continue facilitating exports through the EU solidarity lanes” on Ukraine-EU land borders, the top official said, adding that the route has “brought 25 billion tons of grain to the world”.
This is the second time Russia has been accused of blocking grain shipment from Ukraine after invading the country in February last year.
In May last year, satellite images showed two Russian carrier ships loading up mounds of grain in Ukraine even as the global food supplies remained threatened by Moscow’s invasion.
Moldova warns Russia not to meddle in its internal affairs ahead of election
Tuesday 18 April 2023 03:02 , Reuters
Moldova has warned Russian politicians not to meddle in its internal affairs, after barring a Russian delegation from entering the country ahead of a regional election.
The delegation led by Rustam Minnikhanov, governor of Russia’s Tatarstan region, had been due to attend a forum in semi-autonomous Gagauzia region, which holds elections on 30 April to name the head of its government.
Moldova, which applied to join the European Union last year alongside its neighbour Ukraine, has repeatedly accused Russia of trying to destabilise the country, something Moscow denies.
Mr Minnikhanov arrived in an official Tatarstan government plane but was not allowed off the aircraft. Police said in a statement his trip aimed to bolster support for a pro-Russian candidate standing at the elections.
“Supporting a candidate at local elections in Moldova is not a valid reason and the authorities ask Russian bureaucrats to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of our country,” the border guard service said.
Russia has ‘interest’ in Ukraine war ending as soon as possible, says Lavrov
Tuesday 18 April 2023 01:53 , Andy Gregory
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed during a visit to Brazil that Moscow wants its war in Ukraine to end as soon as possible.
At a news conference with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira, Mr Lavrov thanked Brazil for its “understanding of the genesis of the situation in Ukraine” and said Russia had “an interest” in the conflict ending as soon as possible.
Russia has repeatedly said that any settlement of the conflict must acknowledge the “realities” of its unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions, which its armed forces partly control.
British nationals not safe in Russia, warns senior MP
Tuesday 18 April 2023 00:41 , PA
British nationals are not safe in Russia, a senior MP has warned, after a British-Russian opposition leader was jailed for 25 years by a Moscow court.
Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, who chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, urged the government to call any British nationals living in Russia home.
She described the sentencing of outspoken Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza as “a farce” and said ministers should be “working to get him out”.
Video report: Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin critic found guilty of treason
Monday 17 April 2023 23:33 , Andy Gregory
New Zealand PM to attend Nato summit as Albanese mulls joining him
Monday 17 April 2023 22:42 , Andy Gregory
New Zealand premier Chris Hipkins has announced he will attend the upcoming Nato summit in July, while Australia’s leader said he was still considering whether to travel.
Both countries have a decades-long relationship with the military alliance which has taken on greater importance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with both attending last year’s summit in Madrid as non-member participants.
Mr Hipkins said he would seek to advance a trade agreement with the European Union while at the July summit in Vilnius.
Local media previously reported that Australia’s Anthony Albanese would not travel to the summit, but he told ABC on Monday that no decision had been made, adding: “I haven’t had a chance yet to talk to the Nato secretary general ... I will give it consideration.
“I attended last year in Madrid and subject to logistical arrangements, then I would be very pleased to accept the invitation.”
Russia’s Lavrov thanks Brazil’s Lula for his words on Ukraine war
Monday 17 April 2023 21:51 , Andy Gregory
Russia’s foreign minster has thanked Brazil for its efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine ahead of a visit with president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose remarks on Vladimir Putin’s war have unnerved Washington.
Sergei Lavrov and Brazil’s foreign relations minister Mauro Vieira addressed journalists after a meeting in Brasilia, discussing plans to boost meat exports to Russia and secure fertiliser imports for Brazilian farmers.
Mr Lavrov will meet later on Monday with Lula, who has proposed forming a group of nations not involved in the Russia-Ukraine war to broker peace and discussed the matter in China with counterpart Xi Jinping last weekend.
“The United States needs to stop encouraging war and start talking about peace,” Lula said upon his return. “We are trying to build a group of countries without any involvement in the war, that don’t want the war and defend world peace to have a discussion with both Russia and Ukraine,” he said in separate remarks to journalists.
“But we also have to talk to the United States and European Union. That is, we have to convince people that peace is the way.”
US cannot take dollar’s dominance for granted, warns ECB president
Monday 17 April 2023 21:04 , Andy Gregory
Though it remains unchallenged for now, the United States cannot take the US dollar’s continued role as the go-to currency for world trade for granted, the president of the European Central Bank has warned.
Speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Christine Lagarde warned that a more splintered and less efficient world economy will make it harder for central banks to contain inflation.
Her speech comes as China, Russia and other countries seek to wean themselves off dependence on the US, which has sought to use its dominance to impose sanctions, most notably on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine last year.
Lagarde: US-China split may weaken growth and fuel inflation
Jailed British-Russian dissident’s wife ‘baffled’ by lack of UK sanctions against jailers
Monday 17 April 2023 20:14 , Andy Gregory
The wife of a British-Russian opposition leader jailed for 25 years has said she is “baffled” that those involved in his trial have not yet been sanctioned by the UK.
Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to prison by a court in Moscow after he was convicted of treason and denigrating the Russian military in proceedings the Kremlin critic called a show trial.
The dissident’s wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, said that while she was “grateful” for the support of the Foreign Office, which has condemned the decision, she feels the UK should do more.
“I would very much like to see the British Government actually doing something in Vladimir’s case,” Ms Kara-Murza said. “I would like to see the British Government introduce sanctions against the violators of my husband’s rights. Canada has already introduced sanctions even though he is not a Canadian citizen”, as have the US and Latvia.
She added: “I know that the UK authorities have had a list of the violators for months, so I am honestly baffled that these sanctions have not been introduced.”
Ukraine infrastructure minister to visit Turkey to discuss deal
Monday 17 April 2023 19:33 , Andy Gregory
Ukrainian infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov will visit Turkey on Tuesday to discuss the status of a deal that allows the safe wartime export of grain from several Ukrainian Black Sea ports, the Turkish defence ministry said on Monday.
Kubrakov will meet Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar in the central Turkish city of Kayseri, a ministry statement said.
The UN-brokered Black Sea grain export deal was renewed for 60 days last month, but Russia has been signalling it may not agree to extend it further unless the West removes obstacles to the export of Russian grain and fertiliser.
Ukraine said on Monday the grain accord was in danger of “shutdown” after Russia blocked inspections of participating ships in Turkish waters.
Ukrainian Black Sea ports were blockaded after Russia’s invasion last year, but access to three of them was cleared last July under a deal engineered by the United Nations and Turkey.
Kubrakov will visit at the invitation of Akar, the ministry statement said, adding that ministers will discuss several bilateral issues including the Black Sea grain initiative.
Russia claims two new districts in Bakhmut after Kyiv warns of ‘unprecedented’ battles
Monday 17 April 2023 18:47 , Andy Gregory
The Wagner mercenary group has captured two districts in the centre and northwest of Bakhmut, Russia's Defence Ministry claimed today.
“Bloody battles unprecedented in recent decades are taking place in the middle of the city’s urban area,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern military command said on Saturday.
“Our soldiers are doing everything in bloody and fierce battles to grind down [the enemy’s] combat capability and break its morale. Every day, in every corner of this city, they are successfully doing so,” he told the 1+1 television channel.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces have clung on in the frontline city in a seemingly successful bid to inflict heavy losses on Vladimir Putin’s armies, but Britain’s Ministry of Defence warned on Friday that Ukraine had been forced to concede some ground after being bombarded with “particularly intense” artillery fire last week.
Russia’s attack on the Donetsk city has been “re-energised”, amid greater cooperation between troops with Moscow’s defence ministry and the Wagner mercenary group, the ministry said, citing UK intelligence.
Ukrainian forces “face significant resupply issues but have made orderly withdrawals from the positions they have been forced to concede”, it added.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to appeal against arrest
Monday 17 April 2023 18:00 , William Mata
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will appeal on Tuesday against his arrest and detention in Moscow’s most notorious former KGB prison on charges of espionage, according to court documents - Reuters has said.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on March 30 it had detained Gershkovich in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and had opened an espionage case against him for collecting what it said were state secrets about the military industrial complex.
Gershkovich, the first American journalist detained in Russia on espionage charges since the end of the Cold War, and the Journal have denied he was involved in espionage, as has the United States.
According to a public Russian judicial document, Lefortovo District Court will hear on Tuesday a complaint filed by Gershkovich against the decision to keep him in custody in Lefortovo prison while the case is being investigated.
Kyiv aims for ‘first step’ of Poland transit for grain
Monday 17 April 2023 17:30 , William Mata
Kyiv aims to re-open food and grain transit via Poland as “a first step” to ending import bans at talks in Warsaw on Monday as countries halted grain from Ukraine to protect their local agriculture markets from an influx of supply.
Poland and Hungary announced bans on some imports from Ukraine on Saturday. Slovakia said on Monday it would do the same and other countries in central and eastern Europe said they were also considering action.
Some Black Sea ports were blocked after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February last year and logistical bottlenecks trapped large quantities of Ukrainian grain - cheaper than that produced in the European Union - in Central European countries.
Reuters reports.
Wife of jailed Putin critic says 25-year sentence is 'recognition' of his work
Monday 17 April 2023 16:58 , William Mata
The wife of Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza said on Monday that the 25-year prison sentence a Russian court handed him was recognition of the effectiveness of his work and showed that authorities fear him.
Evgenia Kara-Murza spoke at a Washington Post event about the sentence on charges of treason and other offences Kara-Murza denies committing.
State prosecutors also accused him of discrediting the Russian military after spreading "knowingly false information" about its conduct in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
"I understand that this sentence is the high recognition of the effectiveness of Vladimir’s work," she said at the event that was streamed online, alongside an attorney for her husband.
"He has proven time and again that he would not back down, that he would not abandon his fight, that he would not betray his country and betray his ideals, that he would keep on fighting."
Foreign office minister says further sanctions could follow after Vladimir Kara-Murza news
Monday 17 April 2023 16:52 , William Mata
Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell said officials are investigating the possibility of sanctioning everyone involved in the trial of British-Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza.
He said “the Government agrees with pretty much everything that (Tory MP Alician Kearns) has said, reiterating the Russian ambassador has been summoned “and is expected to arrive shortly”.
He said the UK is seeking to ensure consular access, and said: “Her Majesty’s Government condemn the politically motivated sentencing of Mr Kara-Murza and of all those who speak out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
He called for his release, and said “politically the UK has been at the forefront of efforts to pressure Russian to release Mr Kara-Murza”.
Czech Agriculture Ministry will not ban Ukrainian grain imports
Monday 17 April 2023 16:30 , William Mata
The market impact of Ukrainian grain imports to neighbouring countries needs a European Union-wide solution and not individual bans on imports like those taken in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, the Czech Agriculture Ministry said on Monday.
“The Czech Republic is for now not planning to ban imports of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural commodities from Ukraine,” the ministry said in a statement.
Reporting by Reuters.
Pictures from Ukraine: Monday, April 17
Monday 17 April 2023 16:00 , William Mata
Slovakia approves ban on select Ukraine farm products
Monday 17 April 2023 15:30 , William Mata
Slovakia’s government approved placing a ban on importing selected farm-related products from Ukraine, Agriculture minister Samuel Vlcan said on Monday, adding that it would maintain transit of Ukrainian grains and other produce.
Vlcan told a televised news conference the decision to protect Slovak markets came after Poland first took restrictive measures to ban grain imports over the weekend.
