UPDATE 15:40 Moscow: we killed seven British mercenaries
An assault team of Russia’s Central Military District captured a stronghold of the Ukrainian armed forces in an unspecified forest and killed seven British mercenaries, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced, according to the Interfax agency in the Kremlin. “The troops killed a group of seven British mercenaries with numerous F-1 grenades and small arms and captured a stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” the ministry said.
UPDATE 15:30 Slovakia banned the import of Ukrainian wheat
Slovakia has “temporarily” banned imports of grain and other products from Ukraine, the Government Office announced. A similar step was taken in the last days by Poland and Hungary. Last Thursday, Slovakia banned the processing of stored Ukrainian wheat and the flour produced from it due to the presence of pesticides.
UPDATE 15:10 London summons the Russian ambassador, after the conviction of Kara Murza
The British government summoned the Russian ambassador to clarify its condemnation of what it described as the “politically motivated” sentencing of Russian-British dual citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza. “Russia’s lack of commitment to protecting fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression, is alarming,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement. “We continue to urge Russia to adhere to its international obligations, including Vladimir Kara-Murza’s right to adequate medical care.”
UPDATE 15:00 The Chinese Minister of Defense welcomes the ties between China and Russia
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu welcomed ties with Moscow during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Sunday.
“We have very strong ties. They go beyond the political-military alliances of the Cold War… They are very stable,” he declared. He added that the ties between Russia and China “have already entered a new era”.
“This is my first visit abroad since I took over as China’s defense minister. I specifically chose Russia to emphasize the special nature and strategic importance of our bilateral ties,” Li said.
Putin welcomed the military cooperation between the two countries and said: “We also work actively through the military departments, regularly exchange useful information, cooperate in the field of military-technical cooperation, conduct joint exercises.”
“This is undoubtedly another important area that reinforces the exclusively trusting and strategic nature of our relationship,” he added.
UPDATE 14:30 The UN condemns the sentence on a critic of the Kremlin
The UN human rights chief has called on Moscow to release Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges including treason.
“No one should be deprived of their freedom for exercising their human rights and I call on the Russian authorities to release them without delay,” said Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement.
He added that the sentence represents “another blow given to the rule of law and the civic space in the Russian Federation”.
UPDATE 14:00 Slovakia temporarily suspends grain imports from Ukraine
The decision was taken after Poland and Hungary banned imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine.
“A working group will meet today to discuss this topic. The outcome of the meeting will be communicated later,” the spokesman added.
Poland and Hungary have decided to ban imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine, in order to protect their agriculture, the governments of the two countries announced on Saturday, according to Reuters.
UPDATE 12:30 Slovakia has delivered all promised MiG-29 planes to Ukraine
All 13 MiG-29 fighter jets promised by Slovakia have been transferred to Ukraine, the Slovak Ministry of Defense announced.
“The transfer was carried out by land to ensure the highest security. We express our immense gratitude to all parties involved, as such operations require significant effort and attention to logistical details,” said Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad.
Nad added that the Soviet-era fighter jets were “unusable” for his country and therefore it was “the right thing” to give them to Ukraine, given their use on the battlefield.
On March 17, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger confirmed that his government had approved the supply of 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. This decision made Slovakia the second NATO member state, after Poland, to pledge these aircraft to Ukraine.
UPDATE 11:30 Ukraine did not find Chinese weapons on the battlefield
Ukraine has not found Chinese weapons used by Russia on the battlefield, National Security and Defense Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said in an April 16 interview.
“Should this change, we will promptly notify both Ukrainian society and the world. However, given China’s involvement in world affairs, it is not clear why it would choose to supply weapons to the Russian Federation at this time Danilov said.
Danilov added that when Ukraine was able to confirm that Russia had started using Iranian-made drones to attack the country, the authorities “immediately made a statement to this effect” and appealed to the countries whose components were used to manufacturing drones.
China has publicly positioned itself as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang declared that his country will not sell weapons to either of the two parties involved in the war.
UPDATE 10:30 A Russian attack killed 4 people in the Donetsk region
A Russian attack killed four people in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, on April 16, announced the governor of Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko.
According to Kyrylenko, it is not possible to determine the number of victims in Mariupol and Volnovakha, occupied by the Russians.
On April 14, Russia launched a missile attack on the city of Sloviansk, killing 15 and injuring 24. Among those killed is a two-year-old boy.
UPDATE 09:30 Russia has huge losses in the war
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on Monday morning that Russia has lost 182,660 soldiers in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion on February 24 last year.
This number includes 590 casualties suffered by Russian forces in the last day alone.
According to the report, Russia also lost 3,660 tanks, 7,087 armored fighting vehicles, 5,672 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,804 artillery systems, 538 multiple launch missile systems, 285 air defense systems, 308 planes, 293 helicopters, 2,347 drones and 18 boats.
UPDATE 08:00 EU, after Poland and Hungary banned Ukrainian grain: unilateral actions, unacceptable
Unilateral trade actions by European Union member states are unacceptable, the bloc’s executive said Sunday, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect their local agricultural sectors.
After Russia’s invasion blocked some Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, ended up staying in Central European states, affecting prices and sales for local farmers.
“We are aware of the announcements by Poland and Hungary regarding the ban on imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine,” a spokesman for the European Commission said in an emailed statement, cited by Reuters.
“In this context, it is important to emphasize that trade policy is the exclusive competence of the EU and therefore unilateral actions are not acceptable.”
“In such difficult times, it is essential to coordinate and align all decisions within the EU,” the statement added.
Wagner’s mercenaries have captured two more blocks of Bahmut
Russia said on Sunday that Wagner mercenary units had captured two more blocks in the eastern Ukrainian town of Bahmut, the target of a major offensive by Moscow.
Wagner spearheaded Russia’s bid to capture Bahmut since last summer in what was the longest and deadliest battle of the war for both sides.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Wagner’s assault teams captured two blocks in the northwest and southeast of Bahmut, which was largely destroyed in the fighting.
Serhiy Cherevatyi, the spokesman for the military command in eastern Ukraine, said that Wagner’s troops are acting like a battering ram and attacking dozens of times a day.
“The enemy continued to attack our positions with satanic zeal,” he told the Ukrainian parliament television channel.
Russia is trying to deport Ukrainian children from the occupied Zaporozhye region, an official claims
Russian forces are trying to separate children from their families in occupied southeastern Ukraine in an attempt to “intimidate people,” a Ukrainian military spokesman said Sunday.
The official’s warning, Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi, on Ukrainian national television, echoed the claims of local Telegram groups in Enerhodar, a town in the occupied Zaporozhye region.
Users have shared unverified reports of children being deported to Russian-occupied Crimea, using Zaporozhye nuclear power plant buses as a means of transport.
Ukraine shot down a fighter jet, while Russia launches constant attacks on the eastern front
The Russian military continues to launch heavy attacks on Ukrainian cities and positions in the eastern part of the country, according to new information provided by a Ukrainian military spokesman.
The area between Lyman and Kupyansk, which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces six months ago and constitutes the northernmost part of the front line, is under the most intense gunfire, with 300-400 attacks per day, he said. for CNN Serhii Cherevatyi, from the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Ukrainian paratroopers shot down a Russian Su-35 over the nearby town of Chervonopopivka, Cherevatyi said.
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