Russia Ukraine War LIVE: Russian forces have fired missiles worth $7.5 bn into Ukraine

According to Forbes Ukraine's report, Russian forces have fired missiles worth $7.5 billion, the Kyiv Independent reported. This amount was reportedly calculated by Forbes after identifying the class of missiles fired by Russia. 

Meanwhile, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has revealed that a total of 2,899 Ukrainians have been killed in Russia's attack as of April 28. Out of the total, at least 210 are confirmed deaths of children whereas 3,235 people have been injured.

Poland on Friday announced that it is ready to defend Slovakia's airspace if it provides MiG-29 fighter planes to war-torn Ukraine. Earlier this month, Slovakia stated that it might consider supplying the planes to help Ukraine defend itself against invading Russian forces if alternative airspace protection of its own air space could be secured. 

Tap here to read more.

Ukraine on Friday alleged that the Russian Federation is using ammunition depots in Transnistria to smuggle weapons. Transnistria is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Moldova. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry stated that Russia occupied the territory of Transnistria around 30 years ago and has been conducting mobilization exercises since then with a task force of its troops stationed in this region.

Read full story.

Credit: Twitter/ @DefenceHQ

US President Joe Biden and his administration have expressed disappointment about Russia attending the G20 summit scheduled for November, in Indonesia's Bali. “The President has been clear about his view: This shouldn’t be business as usual, and that Russia should not be a part of this,” press secretary Jen Psaki said. “But, again, it’s six months away.”

US has cited its 'intelligence sources' saying that Russia was behind an attack on Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist Dmitry Muratov, an editor of the investigative newspaper Novara Gazeta back in April. Muratov had claimed that he was on a train when he was attcked by unidentified perpetrators who splashed red paint with acetone on him. "This is for you from our boys," the attackers had yelled, according to the journalist's facebook post at the time he was attacked. 

Dmitry Muratov, a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize last year, had also announced on March 22 that he will give his Nobel award to be auctioned to help Ukrainian refugees. Muratov, the editor of Russia's leading opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, and Maria Ressa of the Philippines were both awarded the 2021 Nobel prize for their efforts "to safeguard freedom of expression."

"Novaya Gazeta and I have decided to donate the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Medal to the Ukrainian Refugee Fund. There are already over 10 million refugees. I ask the auction houses to respond and put up for auction this world-famous award," Muratov said in an article published under his name. 

Credit: AP

Swedish capital will rename part of a park near the Russian Embassy to Fria Ukrainas plats (Swedish for Free Ukraine Square) to show “Stockholm’s solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” the mayor said Friday. Stockholm’s planning department has decided to rename part of Mariebergspark, with the Stockholm mayor Anna König Jerlmyr calling it on Facebook “an important mark l against the actions of the Russian regime.”

Several European cities have renamed streets. One of the first was Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where a quiet alley where the Russian Embassy in the Lithuanian capital is located, changed its name to “Heroes of Ukraine street” in March.

Source: Associated Press 

Poland continues to help Ukraine in the midst of Russian aggression as it was announced that the country has provided more than 200 T-72 tanks to Ukraine. As per the reports of the Information Radio Agency (IAR), in addition to the tanks, Poland has also deployed several hundred infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. Warsaw has already shipped seven billion Polish zlotys worth of equipment to Ukraine. Self-propelled howitzers 2C1 and multiple rocket launchers are among the weapons that Ukraine received from Poland.

This comes after reports emerged that Poland reportedly transferred the first shipment of Soviet-designed T-72 tanks to Ukraine, a few weeks ago.

Credit: AP

Read full report here 

NATO fighter jets stationed in both the Baltic and Black Sea regions have scrambled “multiple times over the past four days” to track and intercept Russian aircraft near alliance airspace, according to a statement posted by NATO’s Allied Air Command.

NATO radars tracked a number of unidentified aircraft over the Baltic and Black Seas since Tuesday 26 April. In response, NATO's Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOC) at Uedem, Germany and Torrejón, Spain launched Allied fighter aircraft in their respective regions to intercept and identify the approaching aircraft, the Allied Air Command of NATO said. 

Credit: NATO

Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) fighters from Poland, Denmark, France and Spain have been airborne at different times in the Baltic Sea Region since Tuesday to safeguard Allied airspace. In the Black Sea region QRA aircraft from Romania and the UK have launched to investigate unknown tracks approaching Allied airspace.

Source: NATO Allied Air Command/ Public Affairs Office

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday stated that the United States' bill enabling the transfer of seized Russian assets to Ukraine is a 'blatant distortion of international law.' He argued that such a law is nothing but an "expropriation of private property." "This clearly demonstrates how fragile all the generally recognised foundations are now, in the field of private property, economics, politics and everything else. This can cause nothing but rejection and incomprehension," Sputnik quoted Peskov as saying.

The US had previously stated that it was mulling seizing sanctioned Russian assets and transferring them to war-ravaged Ukraine. Even though the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has censured the plan as a potential infringement of constitutional due-process safeguards, the Justice Department announced it would support it. 

Credit: Mikhail Tereshchenko, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Read full report here 

In a key development pertaining to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the UK on Friday announced to send a team of war crimes experts to support Kyiv with investigations into 'Russian atrocities' in the war-torn nation. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, in a statement, announced that the team of experts from Britain will aid the Ukrainian government to collect evidence of Russian atrocities including rape and sexual violence.

Credit: Associated Press

The announcement of the UK government comes as Liz Truss visited The Hague to hold talks with International Criminal Court President, Judge Piotr Hogmanski. The decision of the UK administration comes as the war between Russia and Ukraine transcended its second month with no signs of cessation in sight. 

Read full report here

German government has strongly criticized the Russian missile strike on Kyiv during the UN secretary-general’s visit to the Ukrainian capital. Germany “condemns the Russian missile attack on Kyiv, while Secretary-General (Antonio) Guterres was there simultaneously for talks, in the sharpest possible manner,” government spokesman Wolfgang Buechner told reporters in Berlin on Friday.

The attack “reveals before the eyes of the world community once more that Putin and his regime have no respect whatsoever for international law,” he added.

A State Department official has said that US is aware of the emerging reports of an American killed in Ukraine and are "closely monitoring the situation.” In a statement to American broadcaster CNN, the US official said,  “Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment." 

 “We once again reiterate US citizens should not travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict and the singling out of US citizens in Ukraine by Russian government security officials, and that US citizens in Ukraine should depart immediately if it is safe to do so, using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options," the official who spoke on condition of anonymity said. 

Netherlands has announced that it will reopen its embassy in Kyiv on Friday, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra said. “A small embassy team there in Kyiv will work closely with the Ukrainian authorities and other returned partner countries,” Dutch foreign affairs minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Twitter. “It is important that we provide support to Ukraine on the ground.”

Ukrainian Armed Forces have retaken the village of Ruska Lozova in the Kharkiv region from Russian troops, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense r=has claimed on telegram. The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense said: "The village of Ruska Lozova in the Kharkiv region was liberated from the occupiers by an assault unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, under the leadership of the Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky. Currently, it is completely under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces." 

A Ukrainian soldier inspects a damaged military vehicle after fighting in Kharkiv. Credit: AP

Firefighters work to extinguish multiple fires after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Credit: AP

Armored personnel carrier burns and damaged light utility vehicles stand abandoned after fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Credit: AP

Tens of thousands of troops from NATO and other north Atlantic nations will take part in a series of military exercises across Europe in the coming weeks as western countries seek to deter Russian aggression.

The exercises, backed by aircraft, tanks, artillery and armored assault vehicles, will take place in Finland, Poland, North Macedonia and along the Estonian-Latvian border. They will include troops from NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force, which includes non-NATO members Finland and Sweden.

“The scale of the deployment, coupled with the professionalism, training and agility of the British Army, will deter aggression at a scale not seen in Europe this century,” Lt. Gen. Ralph Wooddisse, commander of the UK field army, said in a statement.

The deployments will begin this week in Finland, where troops from the U.S., Britain, Estonia and Latvia will participate in Exercise Arrow to improve their ability to work alongside Finnish forces.

Since Russia launched its full-scale Russian invasion on Ukraine, as many as 435 civilians have been wounded and more than 100 have been killed in Kyiv. "Just for over 2 months of Russia's barbaric invasion, 435 civilians have been wounded in the capital. Slightly more than 100 people, including 4 children, have been killed," Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko posted on Facebook. 

"Kyiv continues to be under enemy fire. Yesterday's attack, rockets in peaceful houses - evidence of that. Rescuers dismantled the debris in a high-rise building in the Shevchenkivskyi district. It is new and still sparsely populated, so there were few inhabitants," said Klitschko in a video posted on his Facebook account. 

"In just over 2 months of Russia's barbaric invasion, 435 civilians were injured in the capital. Slightly more than 100 died, including 4 children," he went on to add. 

South Korean embassy to Ukraine will "soon" resume its operations in Kyiv “considering the fact that the situation near Kyiv is stabilizing,” the country’s foreign ministry announced on Friday. South Korea had moved its mission from Kyiv on March 2 to a "safe area" in after Russia launched its miitary offensiv. Ambassador Kim Hyung-tae and other embassy staff were moving to the new location along with six South Korean nationals. Seoul's foreign ministry announced that it was starting the temporary offices in Lviv, near the Polish border, and Chernivtsi, near Romania. 

The ministry said embassy officials will return to Kyiv for smoother cooperation with the Ukrainian government and the protection of South Korean nationals, as security conditions are stabilizing.The chief of the mission will determine the timing of the return while giving top priority to staff safety, it added, according to Yonhap. Seoul is also providing additional donation of US$50 million to Ukraine. 

An American citizen who was killed in an attack by the Russian forces while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces has been identified by the American news outlet. According to his family, Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, died Monday in the war, family members confirmed to broadcaster CNN. Cancel is being reported as the former US Marine who went into the war, and was deployed by the private military contracting company at the time that he was killed. 

"He wanted to go over because he believed in what Ukraine was fighting for, and he wanted to be a part of it to contain it there so it didn't come here, and that maybe our American soldiers wouldn't have to be involved in it," Cancel's mother, Rebecca family told CNN in a telephone interview Amercian broadcaster CNN. 

US ex-Marine flew to Poland on March 12 and had enrolled to fight with soldiers from "all different countries," said his mother,  indicating that he was likely a part of Ukraine's International Legion. 

"They haven't found his body," she said. "They are trying, the men that were with him, but it was either grab his body or get killed, but we would love for him to come back to us." 

Credit: twitter/@Levi_godman

Norway has announced that it is shutting its borders and ports to Russian trucks and ships, restricting all the goods' flow inside the country from May 7, Norwegian foreign ministry has said in a statement. Russian fishing vessels are known to be caught at ports in northern Norway. The country Arctic Svalbard archipelago has been operating under a 1920s treaty that permits the foreign access, although Norway will now shut the ports and seal the access to Moscow cargoes, vessels and any maritime or land traffic into Oslo. 

Credit: Associated Press

Ukraine has been bolstering its defenses near the southern border with the Moldovan breakaway region Transnistria after series of explosions this week, where nearly 1,500 to 2,000 Russian troops are stationed. They guard a major ammunition depot.The long sliver land along Moldova's eastern border with Ukraine is a home to roughly 300,000 people. Vitalie Marinuta, who served as Moldova's minister of defense from 2009 to 2014, blamed Russian Federation for the attack, reportedly saying that having studied how the GRU, or Russian military intelligence, works — "it seems like it's their signature."

“We have strengthened the protection of the state border with Transnistria, where the Russian provocations continue in an effort to create tension for Odessa and the region,” Sergey Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odessa regional military administration, said in a video posted to Telegram.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to attend the G20 summit that will be held in Indonesia's Bali in November, President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo said in a statement Friday. 

“Indonesia wants to unite the G20. Don't let there be a split. Peace and stability are the keys to the recovery and development of the world economy,” Widodo said. 

Indonesia has also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The latter had expressed gratitute for the island nation's invitation on Twitter, saying that he is “grateful." It remains unclear if Ukraine would attend the summit while Russia will.

As US President Joe Biden approved a new $33 billion military aid package for Ukraine that includes “ammunition, armored vehicles, small arms, de-mining assistance, and unmanned aircraft systems,” to fight Russian troops he asserted that Russia's 'aggression will not win.' Biden in a speech made at White House furthermore said that Moscow's "threats [of nuclear war] will not win."

Kremlin has stepped up its rhetoric against Ukraine’s allies in the West warning about nuclear warfare. Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov said this week that the threat of nuclear war as “serious.”

Credit: AP

Chinese foreing ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday advised that countries should "champion dialogue" rather than stoke confrontation, uphold cooperation rather than create division, and safeguard world stability rather than further amplify the spillover effect of the conflict. Wenbin was responding to China's take on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he’s been invited to this year’s Group of 20 summit in Indonesia.

"G20 is the premier forum for international economic and financial cooperation. With the instability and uncertainty in the international situation, there is an urgent need for all members of the international community to work together for joint response," Wenbin said. 

He added, G20 needs to focus on its mandate, avoid politicizing and weaponizing international economic and financial cooperation, and make positive contribution to promoting steady world economic recovery and improving global economic governance. 

Credit: AP

Russian troops have fired 16 artillery shells and fired attacks from two jets and one missile strike, killing five civilians and 11 others, according to a statement from Oleg Synegubov, head of the Kharkiv regional administration on Telegram. Kyiv was not the only region attacked by Russian artillery strikes in the last 24 hours, he said. The Donetsk region was hit 11 times, Ukraine's National Police said in a Telegram post. 

In this handout photo released by Ukrainian Emergency Service, a burnt car is seen in front of a damaged City Hall building, in Kharkiv. Credit: AP

Ukrainian Emergency Service shows emergency service personnel inspecting the damage inside the City Hall building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Credit: AP

Chinese foreing ministry spokesperosn Wang Wenbin has accused NATO of clinging to old security concept, and engaged in bloc confrontations. "It has become a tool for certain countries to seek hegemony," said Chinese foreing ministry. Wenbin went on to assert that NATO claims to be a defensive organization, but in fact "it is constantly creating confrontation and disturbances."

"NATO demands that other countries abide by the basic norms of international relations, yet has wantonly waged wars and dropped bombs in sovereign states, killing and displacing innocent civilians," said China's Wenbin, referring to UK Foreign Secreatry Liz Truss recent threats directed at beijing.

"NATO, a military organization in the North Atlantic, has in recent years come to the Asia-Pacific region to throw its weight around and stir up conflicts. The impact of NATO’s eastward expansion on the long-term peace and stability of Europe is worth reflecting upon," he asserted.

"As for China’s position on the Ukraine issue, it is consistent and clear. We always make independent judgments based on the merits of each matter."

UN deputy on Friday lamneted that neither Russia nor Ukraine are ready to make peace or come to the negotiation table. "This is not a conflict tragically, which is ready for peacemaking by anybody, let alone the United Nations" Lord Malloch Brown, former UN deputy secretary general said in an interview with Sky News. Neither side is "ready to make concessions," he added.

Two British male volunteers have been kidnapped by Russian forces in Ukraine while they were involved in evacuation efforts, Dominik Byrne, the co-founder, and chief operating officer of the UK not-for-profit, Presidium Network told reporters of the American braodcaster CNN. The two British volunteers were "travelling somewhere south" of the city of Zaporizhzhia in central Ukraine when they went missing, the outlet was told. They are being interrogated by Russian soldiers, who asked them whether the volunteers were "British spies." 

A woman walks past the US Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. Credit: AP

Spokesman for China’s ministry of foreign affairs, Wang Wenbin on Friday accused NATO of 'messing up' the stability in the Europe as well as the Asia Pacific region. Responding to UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss remarks that China must "play by the rule based order" Wenbin said: "Other countries [hinting at UK] must abide by basic norms while it has wantonly waged wars and dropped bombs in sovereign states, killing and displacing innocent civilians”.

“NATO, a military organisation in the North Atlantic, has in recent years come to the Asia-Pacific region to throw its weight around and stir up conflicts,” Wang said. “NATO has messed up Europe. Is it now trying to mess up the Asia-Pacific and even the world?”

Liz was speaking at Mansion House in London when she warned China as she accused Russia of starting a brutal war inside Ukraine. “Countries must play by the rules. And that includes China,” she said.

Credit: AP

Ukraine has said that an 'operation is planned today to get civilians out of' Azovstal plant in Mariupol. At least 2000 Ukraine forces and civilians including women and children have been holed up in the steel works facility that became the final holdout in the southern city of Mariupol.

“An operation is planned today to get civilians out of the plant,” president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office said. 

This satellite photo released by Planet Labs shows the Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, with some large holes blasted in the roof. Credit: Planet Labs via AP

Russia’s ministry of defence on Friday stated that its Black Sea fleet had targetted Ukraine military facilities with Kalibr cruise missiles. "The crew of a diesel-electric submarine of the Black Sea Fleet from the Black Sea carried out a salvo launch of Kalibr cruise missiles at the military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," it wrote in a Teelgram post. Russian MoD also notified that high-precision long-range air-based weapons of the Russian Air Force destroyed the production buildings of the Artem rocket and space industry enterprise in the city of Kyiv. 

Speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin has accused the United States of tryin gto "seek profits" from the war in Ukraine. Russia's reamrks came after US House gave final passage to the WWII era legislation, reviving a lend-lease program to more quickly provide weapons to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries.

“Lend-Lease is a commodity loan, and not cheap: many future generations of Ukrainian citizens will pay for all the ammunition, equipment and food that the United States will supply,” Volodin said in teelgram post.  US passed the legistlations by an overwhelming 417-10 vote. 

Credit: AP

Radio Liberty journalist and producer Vera Girich has been killed in a missile attack on Kyiv. She died after Russian missile hit the house where she lived earlier yesterday on 28 April. Her deadbody was recovered in the wreckage on the morning of 29 April by the Ukrainian authorities.

She started working with the Radio Svoboda on 1 February, 2018 and was currently employed in Kyiv bureau. Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko posted to Telegram that Vera Girich's body was recovered from rubble in the Shevchenkivskyi district targetted by the Russians. 

Germany has said that it won’t block EU embargo on Russian oil to punish Russia's President Vladimir Putin as the move could prove to be detrimental for EU's own economy. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, vice chancellor in the ruling coalition in Berlin, on Friday warned that an oil embargo on Russia will seriously cause impact to Europe’s biggest economy, including supply shortages and exorbitant inflation. 

“But we will no longer experience a national catastrophe,” German Economic Minister said in an interview with ZDF television. “We have made a lot of progress on oil and could join an embargo if it happened. Germany is not standing in the way of it.” he then reiterated that Berlin has already cut reliance on Russian oil, adding that a total embargo will push Russia to explore alternate options and sell its oil at higher prices. 

“We have to stop the global oil price from rising in such as way that only Germany, western Europe, the U.S. and maybe Canada can afford it,” Habeck said.

“And then Putin would come along and say: you see what happens, the capitalist west is making you poor, I’ll help you out and you can get a 20% discount from me. I just want you to be my ally.”

Credit: AP

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said that “Russia has brought barbarity to Ukraine and committed vile atrocities, including against women." She asserted that the Britiain will "uncover the truth" and hold Putin accountable for his actions. Truss made remarks as she travelled to The Hague to meet with international criminal court president, Judge Piotr Hofmanski, and her Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra.

“The specialist team will assist the Ukrainian government as they gather evidence and prosecute war crimes and will include experts in conflict-related sexual violence,” she said according to a foreign office statement.

Credit: Associated Press 

President Volodymyr Zelensky lashed out at Moscow in his nightly address over lack of coordination for evacuation in Mariupol with Russia despite the talks with United Nations. In the recorded message, Ukrainian President said that Russia would need to “actually do what it says.”

“Moscow claimed they had allegedly ceased fire in Mariupol. But the bombing of the defenders of the city continues,” Zelensky said. He added, “Russia’s shelling of Mariupol did not stop even when the UN secretary general was holding negotiations in Moscow.”

Credit: Associated press

Ukrainian military has killed one civilian and wounded another in Petrovsky, a district in the Donetsk region. The area where the incident occured is controlled by the Russian-backed separatists, Russian state affiliated agency TASS reported. 

In the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta, the Unity N completed the loading of 71,000 tons of Ukrainian corn - for the first time since the start of the war. As Ukraine's seaports have been blocked since the start of the war, Ukraine is forced to send goods by train across its western border or through its small river ports on the Danube to Romania.

"This is the first Panamax-class ship with Ukrainian corn to leave the port," Comvex port operator Viorel Panayt said. 

As UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced sending over 8,000 British Army troops for a planned exercise in EU, it is one of the largest deployments witnessed since the Cold War. The exercises will see 72 Challenger 2 tanks, 12 AS90 tracked artillery guns and 120 Warrior armoured fighting vehicles deploy to countries from Finland to North Macedonia, demonstrating the Army’s modernisation into a lethal, agile and global force.

Tens of thousands of troops from NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) allies and partners are involved in the exercises. The high readiness forces from the Lead Armoured Task Force and Air Manoeuvre Task Force will take part. 1,000 British soldiers from the King’s Royal Hussars Battlegroup and C Squadron of the Light Dragoons have been deployed alongside troops from 11 partner nations including Poland, Denmark and the United States.

Exercise Swift Response, which also began this week, sees elements of 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team and 1 Aviation Brigade Combat Team operate alongside French, American, Italian, and Albanian counterparts in North Macedonia. 

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "The security of Europe has never been more important. These exercises will see our troops join forces with allies and partners across NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force in a show of solidarity and strength in one of the largest shared deployments since the Cold War."

"Operating across Europe, the British Army will stand alongside partners, combining our capabilities and shared values, promoting peace and security."

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has donated Tesla Powerwall stations to the hospitals in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The solar panels would help regions which “suffered from the Russian occupation,” Mykhailo Fyodorov, Ukraine’s Digital Transformation Minister, said on Facebook.

Credit: twitter/@sydney_ev/illustrative

A Russian troops' checkpoint in the village of Krupets, Kursk was hit on Friday by the incoming shelling and the mortar. Ukraine's governor Roman Starovoyt informed on the Telegram  account that the shellings hit the Rylsky district near the border, although without mentioning whether it was launched from the Ukrainian side.  "Around 8:00 am, a checkpoint in the village of Krupets was shelled with mortar fire. The firing points were suppressed by retaliatory fire from our border guards and the military,” said Starovoyt. 

United States has passed the World War II-era military lend-lease program to boost the military aid for Ukraine. US House of Representatives revived the age old legislation making it easier to sell military weapons, and recreating the Lend-Lease Act that helped fight Hitler during World War II. House has already enacted the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 by a vote of 417 to 10. President Joe Biden will sign it into law at the White House.

Illustrative: An Associated Press photograph shows Adolf Hitler, German Reichsfuehrer, acknowledging the ecstatic cheers of Sudeten Germans, as he entered Asch, on the heels of German armies which took over the ceded Czechoslovakian territory, on October 3, 1938. 'Party members grip each other's belt, straining to hold the enthusiastic crowds in check.' Credit: AP 

General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces has claimed that the Russian troops have been "robbing" wheat stocks as well as the villagers in the eastern Donbass region. As Russian troops intensified the shellings in the country's eastern and the southern regions, Ivan Fedorov, mayor of the southern city of Melitopol held by Russian forces said, that they have been confiscating the grain supply. 

"Russian occupiers are robbing the villagers," said the General Staff on the Telegram channel. "Thus, for example, over 60 tons of wheat together with the cargo trucks were stolen from the agricultural cooperative in the town of Kamianka-Dniprovska," he went on to add. 

"Today it has moved to an industrial scale," said the mayor of Melitopol. "Yesterday we published a video of a convoy of 50+ cars with trailers taking grain out of our occupied territories. And today we do not know where they sent it," he added. 

Russian military vehicles move on a highway in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces near Mariupol, Ukraine. Credit: AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov

Russia pounded targets from practically one end of Ukraine to the other Thursday, including Kyiv, bombarding the city while the head of the United Nations was visiting in the boldest attack on the capital since Moscow’s forces retreated weeks ago. Ukrainian emergency services said 10 people were wounded when a Russian missile hit a 25-story apartment building in Kyiv on Thursday evening and set off a fire, which partially destroyed the first and second floors.

The bombardment came barely an hour after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a news conference with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who said Ukraine has become “an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain.” A spokesperson said Guterres and his team were safe. Meanwhile, explosions were reported across the country — in Polonne in the west, Chernihiv near the border with Belarus, and Fastiv, a large railway hub southwest of the capital. The mayor of Odesa, in southern Ukraine, said rockets were intercepted by air defenses.

Credit: Associated Press

Source: Associated press 

UK Defence Ministry has released its latest intelligence update about the ongoing situation in the war-torn nation. In the latest update, the UK Defence Ministry has stated that the focus of Russian armed forces continues to remain on Donbass. According to the intelligence update, Russia seeks to fulfil its aim of taking control over the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. 

According to the UK Defence Ministry's latest intelligence update, Russia has made "limited" territorial gains due to strong resistance by Ukraine. It further said that Russian armed forces have been able to achieve "limited territorial gains" at the cost of Moscow's troops.

The UK Defence Ministry has stated that fighting continues to remain heavy around Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Russian forces have been trying to advance south from Izium to Slovyansk. Notably, Ukrainian forces have been showcasing resistance against Russian aggression in Ukraine which continues for the 65th day.

Read more here

The European Union (EU) has warned that Russian demand for payment of gas imports in rubles is a "breach" of sanctions, Financial Times reported citing its sources, with the knowledge of the preparations, that gas distributors in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia were planning to comply with Kremlin’s demands. The EU considers paying in rubles would mean interacting with Russia’s central bank in transactions, violating sanctions.

Ukrainian foreign ministry Dmytro Kuleba on Friday said, "Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons for the sake of world peace. We have then been knocking on NATO’s door, but it never opened. Security vacuum led to Russian aggression. The world owes Ukraine security and we ask states to decide which security guarantees they are ready to provide."

The British Defence Ministry says Russia's focus in its war on Ukraine remains the Donbass region.

In an update Friday, the British military said heavy fighting had been seen around Lysychansk and Severodonetsk. The British said they believe Russia is trying to attempt an advance south from Izium toward Slovyansk.

The British military said in a tweet: “Due to strong Ukrainian resistance, Russian territorial gains have been limited and achieved at significant cost to Russian forces.” The British military has been offering daily public reports on the fighting since the start of the war in February.

In Kyiv, Russia pounded targets from practically one end of Ukraine to the other Thursday, including Kyiv, bombarding the city while the head of the United Nations was visiting in the boldest attack on the capital since Moscow's forces retreated weeks ago.

Ukrainian emergency services said 10 people were wounded when a Russian missile hit a 25-story apartment building in Kyiv on Thursday evening and set off a fire, which partially destroyed the first and second floors.

The bombardment came barely an hour after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a news conference with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said Ukraine has become “an epicentre of unbearable heartache and pain”.

A spokesperson said Guterres and his team were safe.

Meanwhile, explosions were reported across the country - in Polonne in the west, Chernihiv near the border with Belarus, and Fastiv, a large railway hub southwest of the capital.

The mayor of Odesa, in southern Ukraine, said rockets were intercepted by air defences.

(AP)

Thanking POTUS, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "Thank you @POTUS and to the American people for their leadership in supporting Ukraine in our fight against Russian aggression. We defend common values - democracy and freedom. We appreciate the help 🇺🇸. Today she is needed more than ever!" 

This was after Biden signed the Congress bill over assistance to Ukraine. United States House of Representatives passed legislation relaxing the requirements for engaging in defence equipment lend-lease deals with war-torn Ukraine and other Eastern Europe nations, clearing the way for additional US armaments to flow into the area.

A senior US official has said that Russia has made "slow and uneven" progress in Ukraine allowing Russian forces to advance only "several kilometers or so" each day, according to CNN. 

According to Kyiv Independent, Russian forces attacked Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with grad missile launchers. Valentyn Reznichenko, a regional governor, said that early on Friday, Russian forces attacked the villages of Velyka Kostromka and Marianske in the Dnipropetrovsk region using Grad missile launchers.

IAEA has warned that missiles flying over Ukrainian nuclear power plants might lead to a nuclear accident. The International Atomic Energy Agency said on April 28 it was reviewing Ukrainian reports that a missile had flown directly over a nuclear power plant. In a statement, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said 'If a missile goes astray, it could potentially lead to nuclear accident'.

In the capital city of war-torn Ukraine, on Thursday the United Nations Secretary-General and Ukraine President Voldoymyr Zelenskyy conducted a news conference on day 60 of the Russia-led invasion. The press briefing was conducted as Guterres arrived in Kyiv after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. 

Notably, Zelenskyy reiterated his stance and implied that his army will continue to put forth relentless resistance against the Kremlin forces. "Ukraine will not recognise the referendum that Russia put by force," he said while adding that Russia and Ukraine have a 'wide range of issues that need to be addressed'. 

Local officials have claimed that Russia is preventing injured Ukrainian soldiers from being evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant, as per media reports.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres told BBC journalist Ben Brown that he was 'shocked' by the Russian missile attack on a residential area of ​​Kyiv, when he was speaking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Bulgaria and Israel changed their recommendations for visiting Moldova and the Russian-occupied Transnistria region on April 28, according to Kyiv Independent.

Canada’s defence minister Anita Anand has recently confirmed that Canadian troops are training Ukrainian troops to use howitzer artillery. Speaking alongside US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Anand said that 'Since Day One of this attack, our Ukrainian friends have faced Putin’s forces with unfailing courage and resolve. Canada, like the United States, stands firmly with them.'

As talks over sanctions continue amid escalations in the Russia Ukraine war, a report has claimed that the United States imported more Russian fossil fuels than India during the first two months of the war. An independent research group on Thursday revealed the information and also noted that Germany was the biggest buyer of Russian energy in the last two months. This comes amid countries continually speaking about isolating Russia financially by placing economic sanctions.

A study published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air calculates that Russia has earned 63 billion euros (USD 66.5 billion) from fossil fuel exports since the start of the Russia Ukraine war, which began on February 24. The report made using data on ship movements, real-time tracking of gas flows through pipelines and estimates based on historical monthly trade reported that the US imported more crude oil from Russia than India.

Read more here

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday announced that it would close the monitoring mission to Ukraine. The decision came following a lack of consensus at the OSCE Permanent Council on March 31 to extend the mission’s mandate.

US House of Representatives passed legislation relaxing the requirements for engaging in defence equipment lend-lease deals with war-torn Ukraine and other Eastern Europe nations, clearing the way for additional US armaments to flow into the area.

On Thursday, House members have passed the bill by a vote of 417 to 10, putting it to US President Joe Biden's desk for signature. The law was unanimously passed by the Senate in April, ANI reported.  

According to a formal summary of the legislation, "This bill temporarily waives certain requirements related to the President's authority to lend or lease defense articles if the defense articles are intended for Ukraine's government or the governments of other Eastern European countries affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine". 

Read more here

While UN chief Antonio Guterres was visiting Kyiv, Russia reportedly launched attacks on the West of the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the strikes happened “immediately after” his talks with the UN chief.

UK Ministry of Defence has said around 8,000 British army troops will take part in exercises across eastern Europe to combat Russian aggression in one of the largest deployments since the cold war, reported The Guardian.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday night said, "Today, immediately after the end of our talks [with Guterres] in Kyiv, Russian missiles flew into the city. 5 missiles. This says a lot about Russia's true attitude to global institutions, about the Russian leadership's efforts to humiliate the UN and everything that the organization represents. And therefore requires an appropriate, powerful response."

Today, immediately after the end of our talks [with Guterres] in Kyiv, Russian missiles flew into the city. 5 missiles. This says a lot about Russia's true attitude to global institutions, about the Russian leadership's efforts to humiliate the UN and everything that the organization represents. And therefore requires an appropriate, powerful response." he added.

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds news conference with Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres in Kyiv.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly on May 11 will vote on a country to replace Russia on the world organization’s leading human rights body after Moscow was suspended over the allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine. UNGA spokesperson  Paulina Kubiak said on Thursday7 that the Czech Republic was the only candidate for the seat in the Human Rights Council which has 47 members. 

It is to note here that the seats in the Geneva-based council are divided among the regional groups. So, Russia’s replacement after its removal earlier this month has to come from an East European Country. After General Assembly suspended Russia, the country’s deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin told the UN members that Russia withdrew from the Human Rights Council, even before the vote took place. Human Rights Council spokesperson Rolando Gomez noted that Russia preserved the status of being an observer at the body, by withdrawing. 
 

Speaking to the media, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "Ukraine will not recognize the referendum that Russia put by force.  There is another complexity that Russia-Ukraine talks have-We have a wide range of issues that needs to be addressed."

'I'm working on my objective not to shine in Media. My statement in every place I visit is the same. I went to Russia, and Ukraine..my statement was the same everywhere...We can ensure total commitment to Ukraine's people to end this war against Russia with respect to international law,' said UN General Secretary. 

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hits its 64th day, a former NATO commander urged the West to prepare for a “worst-case” scenario: war with Russia.

A Ukraine-based media house on Thursday alleged that there was a video confirms that the atrocities in Bucha were committed when the city was occupied by the Russian forces. Russian propaganda has been trying to claim that the bodies were planted by Ukrainians after the Russians left the area, the media house stated. 

President Joe Biden will ask Congress for an additional $33 billion to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion, two administration officials said Thursday, a big boost in U.S. efforts to bolster Kyiv in an intensifying war that’s showing no signs of ending anytime soon.

Biden’s latest proposal — which the officials said was expected to last for five months — has more than $20 billion in military assistance for Ukraine and for bolstering defenses in nearby countries. There is also $8.5 billion in economic aid to help keep Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government functioning and $3 billion for food and humanitarian programs to help civilians and other spending, said the officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

The new proposal would be more than twice as large as the initial $13.6 billion package of defense and economic aid for Ukraine and Western allies that Congress enacted last month and is almost exhausted. It seemed to signal a long-term U.S. commitment to staving off Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempt to expand his nation's control of its neighbor, and perhaps beyond.

A British man has been killed and one other has been missing in Ukraine, Foreign Office said in a statement cited by Sky news. The two had been fighting against Russian forces under Ukraine's  International Legion as volunteers in support of Ukraine's military, according to Sky news. A spokesperson told the outlet: "We can confirm that a British National has been killed in Ukraine and are supporting their family." On the second British man, the spokesperson said: "We are aware of a British national who is missing in Ukraine and are supporting their family. We are urgently seeking further information."

Ukraine is a "slaughterhouse in the heart of Europe", human rights lawyer and international law expert Amal Clooney told the UN. She appealed to the UN to ensure that Ukraine gets international justice for the war crimes committed by the Russian forces in the towns of Irpin and Bucha where mass civilian garves were found. A UN session involving hearing on Ukraine war crimes included International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor and the chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry. 

"What worries me as I sit here today is that the resolute action we’ve seen in the first 50 days of this war will turn out to be the high point instead of the starting point of the legal and diplomatic response," said Amal Clooney, who represents the Clooney Foundation for Justice said. 

Russia says that Turkey gave it advance notice before moving to bar Russian planes from flying to Syria over its territory, associated press reported. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that Turkey had asked Russia more than a month ago not to send Syria-bound planes over its territory. She added that “the reasons for that were clear to us and the Russian side isn’t using that route.”

Zakharova made the comment when asked about Turkey’s weekend announcement that it had halted Russian flights to Turkey over its territory from the start of this month. It wasn’t clear whether the move was related to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Turkey has close relations with both countries and has positioned itself as a mediator. Russia and Turkey have backed opposite sides in the Syrian civil war.

Earlier on April 16, it was reported that fighters from Syria, had agreed to join Russian forces in the war against Ukraine. The members of Brigadier General Suheil al-Hassan’s division fighters were among the fighters who agreed to join the battle, including Syrian soldiers, former rebels and experienced fighters who have been fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria for years, according to AP. A small number of fighters have reached Russia for military training ahead of their deployment. Syrian observers and activists have claimed that Russia has been actively recruiting in Syria for its military offensive in Ukraine. 

The Russia Ukraine war has put NATO member Turkey, which shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good relations with both countries, in a difficult position Credit: AP Photo

Source: Associated Press

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is defending his country’s ongoing purchase of gas and other fossil fuels from Russia. Speaking during a visit to Japan on Thursday, Scholz said that “it is a challenge that many European countries, including Germany, are dependent on imports of fossil resources from Russia.”

Scholz said his government aims to end imports of Russian coal and oil this year. He said that “the same will happen for gas, but that is a process that will require more time.” Asked whether he was concerned Russia might stop shipping gas to Germany, like it did this week for Poland and Bulgaria, Scholz acknowledged that “any interruption would have consequences for the economic situation.”

He said this was also the reason why there no sanctions have so far been imposed on energy supplies from Russia, adding this had been decided “in close cooperation with our partners who themselves are energy exporters and therefore in a different starting position, such as the United States.”

Scholz said: “Whether and what decisions the Russian government takes in this regard one can only speculate, but it makes little sense to do so.”

Credit: AP/source Associated Press

At least 1,150 civilian bodies have been recovered in Ukraine's Kyiv region since Russia's invasion that began on Feb. 24, Kyiv regional police chief Andriy Nebyton said in a youtube video. He emphasized that "these were civilians, not military, who had no involvement with Territorial Defense or other military entities."

"As a result of the clearing operation and the work of detective groups in Kyiv Region, we have found and examined 1,150 bodies of civilian citizens who were killed and handed them over to medical forensics," Nebyton said. 

Mayor of Mariupol has said in telegram post that Russian military has bombed the Azovstal steel plant with 35 airstrikes in the last 24 hours. The steelworks facility is the final defense holdout of the Ukraine's Azov batallion. Nearly 1,000 civilians were are also holed up in the facility alongwith an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers. 

This satellite photo released by Planet Labs shows the Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, with some large holes blasted in the roof. Credit: Planet Labs via AP.

Russia has been trying to completely occupy the strategically important  city on the Sea of Azov and there was an attempt to declare victory without storming the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance there.  A few thousand Ukrainian troops, by Moscow’s estimate, remained in the plant, which covers an area of nearly 11 square kilometers (over 4.2 square miles). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said about 1,000 civilians were also trapped in the plant.

Azovstal has a 24-kilometer (15-mile) labyrinth of underground tunnels and passages, which allowed its defenders to maneuver freely to repel the Russian attacks. Before the war, Ukrainian authorities prepared for the Russian offensive by building up stockpiles of food and water at Azovstal.

“The plant covers a huge area, and the Ukrainians can move through underground tunnels to quickly change location,” said Ukrainian military expert Oleh Zhdanov.

“Azovstal is very hard to storm, and the Russians risk losing many troops, resources and, most importantly, time there,” Zhdanov said. “It’s a city within a city, and fighting there could take months.”

With AP Inputs

An important bridge that connects Russian-occupied Crimea with the city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine occupied by the Russians has been destroyed, according to the photos emerging online. At about 8 am local time on Thursday a railway bridge near the village of Yakmivka had "self-liquidated," said Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Odesa military administration said in teelgram post. "The occupiers supplied weapons and fuel from the Crimea through this bridge," Bratchuk said. 

Russian airstrike has hit military field hospital at Azovstal plant, and has killed the Ukrianian soldiers holed up in the facility, The Kyiv Independent reported citing the Azov batallion. "Russia was attacking the hospital where Ukrainian soldiers were treated and then shelling it with naval artillery," the Azov soldiers stated. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been claiming control over Ukraine’s port city of Mariupo even as its defenders are still holding out at a giant seaside steel mill.

Ukrainian authorities continue to report the discovery of mass graves. Credit: AP/Maxar Technologies.

Senior European Union officials say countries or companies bowing fully to the terms of a Russian presidential decree insisting that they pay their gas bills in rubles will be in breach of the bloc’s sanctions. The Kremlin says importers should establish an account in dollars or euros at Russia’s Gazprombank, then a second account in rubles. They would pay the gas bill in euros or dollars and direct the bank to exchange the money for rubles.

The officials warn that Russia’s central bank could hold on to the money before converting it and in essence use the funds as a temporary loan for the national economy or to prop up the ruble. The EU’s sanctions prohibit any transaction with the Russian Central Bank. One official said Thursday that “if the member states and the European companies apply strictly the decree … it will constitute a breach of the sanctions.” His job description does not allow him to be named publicly.

The violation essentially comes with the use of the second bank account. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, has said that companies could remain in compliance by paying in euros or dollars, as per their contract, and then notifying Gazprombank that their payment obligations are over.

Credit: AP

Source: Associated Press

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that the people must not be "too alarmed" by the recent threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin had warned earlier yesterday that there would be a "lightning fast" response should any countries intervene in the Ukraine war. Soeaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme British Defense Secretary said that Russian president is attempting to "lay the groundwork" to "cover his failure" and that it isn't the first time that he has made such threats. 

"He's [Putin] going to have to admit if he wants to mobilise more of the Russian people that it is a war. He's going to have to admit it by trying to blame everybody else, I think that is what he was rolling the pitch for," said Wallace. He added that NATO takes such warnings seriously, but "we also must not let ourselves be intimidated from defending Ukraine and protecting the people from brutality".

President Joe Biden is asking Congress on Thursday for new powers to seize and repurpose the assets of Russian oligarchs as part of a new funding request to aid Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion.

In remarks at the White House on Thursday morning, Biden will formally ask for billions of dollars in additional U.S. spending earmarked for supplying Ukraine’s military, bolstering its economy and supporting the millions of refugees who fled Russia’s invasion two months ago. He will also seek new authorities from Congress to strengthen U.S. sanctions against the Russian government and those who profit from it, the White House said.

Biden is asking lawmakers to make it a criminal offense for a person to “knowingly or intentionally possess proceeds directly obtained from corrupt dealings with the Russian government,” double the statute of limitations for foreign money laundering offenses to 10 years, and expand the definition of “racketeering” under US law to include efforts to evade sanctions.

Biden said, frozen Russian assets “have to be used to rebuild Ukraine after the war as well as to pay for the losses caused to other nations.”

Credit: AP

Source: Asscoiated Press

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has condemned the recent explosions in the Moldovan breakaway Transnistria and denounced the  “acts of terrorism."  Speaking at a briefing in Moscow, Zakharova expressed Russia’s concern about “escalating tensions” in the breakaway territory within Moldova. Ukraine had blamed  Russian security services for the attacks in Moldovan territory. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Thursday, April 28 warned the West against "pumping up" Ukraine with the weaponry. He also warned the other countries against arming Georgia and Moldova saying that it threatens the regional security and will create instability. 

“The tendency to pump up Ukraine and other countries with weapons is the type of actions that threaten the security of the continent and provoke instability,” Peskov said at the press conference. Peskov was responding to the comment made by British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Wednesday, asking countries of the world to support Ukraine by sending arms. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a teelphonic conversation with Russia's President Vladimir Putin wherein the two discussed the latest developments with regard to the war in Ukraine. President Putin thanked President Erdogan for the exchange of Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko and former US Marine Trevor Reed, which took place yesterday in Turkiye under the coordination and supervision of the National Intelligence Organization.

Turkish leader also highlighted the significance of Turkey's mediation in the exchange, as he highlighted the importance the country attaches to peace, dialogue and cooperation as well as of its mediation mission, said the Turkish government said in Twitter update. Erdogan noted that the coordination and close dialogue between intelligence units should be maintained, and that "doing so would contribute to preventing humanitarian tragedies and establishing a climate of stability in the region."

He also stressed that Turkey "stood ready" to take initiative to put an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, and to mediate on the path towards peace. Turkish leader, in talks with Putin, expressed his desire to restore lasting peace in the region as soon as possible by boosting the momentum achieved at the Istanbul talks. He further underscored that Ankara would "determinedly and sincerely continue its efforts to overcome the crisis between its two neighbors and to restore peace."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that it is Ukraine’s prerogative to launch an offensive on Russia. “My own view is that it’s vital that they do whatever is necessary to defend against Russian aggression,” Blinken told a Senate panel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Credit: AP

Blinken echoed Ukraine Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak's comments, saying that Ukraine's military has the right to launch attacks inside the Russian territories. "It is a right to attack killers bases," he said in a Teelgram post referring to Russian defense bases. 

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson on Thursday sent a chilling warning, saying that any strikes on the Russian territory will have "serious consequences." Maria Zakharova at a state conference cautioned the West against making such remarks, stating that Russia must be taken seriously. As several blasts resonated in the Russian regions, which latter blamed on the Ukraine's military, Ukrainian official described it as a payback and “karma” for its invasion. In a state address yesterday, Russian president Vladimir Putin warned the West of retaliatory strikes at “lightning-fast pace" for creating “strategic threats” for Moscow. 

Putin also warned United States against sending arms to Ukraine, saying large Western deliveries of weapons was inflaming the conflict. He also blamed NATO defensive Allaince for "pushing Ukraine" into war with Russia. 

"If someone intends to intervene in the ongoing events from the outside, and create strategic threats for Russia that are unacceptable to us, they should know that our retaliatory strikes will be lightning-fast," said Putin, according to a footage of his address broadcasted by the Russian media.

"We have all the tools for this, things no one else can boast of having now. And we will not boast, we will use them if necessary. And I want everyone to know that," he asserted. 

Credit: AP

Britain’s defense ministry says the Russian navy still has the ability to strike coastal targets in Ukraine, even after the losses of two warships. In an intelligence briefing posted Thursday morning, the ministry says that about 20 Russian naval vessels, including submarines, are currently operating in the Black Sea operational zone. But the ministry says Russia isn’t able to replace the cruiser Moskva, which sank earlier this month in the Black Sea, because the Bosporus remains closed to all non-Turkish warships. Russia also lost the landing ship Saratov, which was destroyed by explosions and fire on March 24.

At RamsteinAir Base in Germany, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met with leaders from more than 40 allied countries. Credit: twitter/@DefenceHQ

Associated Press Report

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that Finland and Sweden would be embraced with open arms should they decide to join the 30-nation military organization and could join quite quickly. Stoltenberg’s remarks Thursday come as public support in Finland and Sweden for NATO membership mounts in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Media speculation in the two countries suggests the two might apply in mid-May, according to associated press report.

Stoltenberg says that “it’s their decision. But if they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed, and I expect that process to go quickly.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gestures while speaking to the media during a news conference. Credit: Associated Press

Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak has asserted that Ukraine's military will defended their right to strike inside Russia. “Ukraine will defend itself in any way, including strikes on the warehouses and bases of the killers in Russia. The world recognizes this right," he said. Recently, fiery explosion rocked a Russian fuel depot near the border, and Moscow said Ukraine had attacked the facility. 

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters had entered Russian airspace “at an extremely low altitude” and attacked the civilian oil storage facility on the outskirts of the city of Belgorod.

In this handout photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service firefighters work at the site of fire at an oil depot in Belgorod region, Russia. The governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod accused Ukraine of flying helicopter gunships into Russian territory. Credit: Associated Press

German police have recorded more than 1,700 crimes in the country in connection with the war in Ukraine, most of them property damage and insults. The group Mediendienst Integration said Thursday that a survey of all German police authorities showed that the crimes largely targeted people of Russian or Ukrainian origin, or their property.

The group said more than 160 cases of violence against a person were recorded. Authorities have also opened 170 investigations over the use of the ‘Z’ symbol that in some contexts is considered to be a show of support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Germany deems illegal. Germany has a large population of migrants from the former Soviet Union. Since the outbreak of the war in February it also has taken in almost 400,000 Ukrainians seeking shelter from the conflict.

Source: Associated Press

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the security of Finland and Sweden matters to all allies and that the Alliance would help the two currently neutral nations to "find arrangements" for protection in the face of Russian aggression even before they are formally a member. 

"And as soon as we take the decision to invite them, that will send a strong political message, that the security of Finland and Sweden matters for all NATO allies," Stoltenberg said. 

"I am also certain that we will be able to find arrangements for that interim period between Finland and Sweden [applying] and until the formal ratification is finalized in all 30 parliaments.

Canadian MPs have passed a motion, officially recognizing Russia's atrocities in Ukraine as the "acts of genocide." The Canadian MPs cited the evidence of Russian troops' "systematic and massive war crimes and crimes against humanity" in Ukrainian towns. 

"Today every MP in the House of Commons supported my motion to recognize that the Russian Federation is committing genocide against the Ukrainian people," tweeted Heather McPherson of the leftist New Democratic Party while she introduced the motion. 

Credit: Twitter/@HMcPhersonMP

Finland and Sweden's application to NATO and the accession process subsequently would “go quickly," says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.  “We are in dialogue with Finland and Sweden, and it’s their decision. But if they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed, and I expect the process to go quickly,” he told a conference on Thursday. 

“This is fundamentally about the right of every nation in Europe to decide its own future. So when Russia tries in a way to threaten, to intimidate Finland and Sweden from not applying it just demonstrates how Russia is not respecting the basic right of every nation to choose its own path,” Stoltenberg added.

German lawmakers have voted in favor of sending heavy weapons to Ukraine, a symbolic decision that reflects the government’s change of course on the issue. Germany had initially refused to send any offensive weapons to Ukraine and later balked at sending heavy equipment such as armored vehicles.

Under pressure domestically and from allies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government agreed recently to let Ukraine purchase German armaments and support weapons swaps with allies who in turn are sending heavy gear to Ukraine. Germany has already sent about 2,500 anti-aircraft missiles, 900 bazookas, and millions of rounds of ammunition, hand grenades and mines to Ukraine, the dpa news agency reported.

It now plans to give armored vehicles to Slovenia to replace Soviet-era tanks the country is sending to Ukraine, send mortars directly to Ukraine and let Kyiv purchase mothballed self-propelled armored anti-aircraft guns from Germany. German companies have also asked to send 88 Leopard tanks, 100 Marder armored vehicles and 100 howitzers to Ukraine, permission for which has yet to be granted.

Source: Associated Press

Mariupol authorities are sounding the alarm about unsanitary conditions in the ravaged port city that they say pose a “deadly danger” to its remaining residents. Mariupol City Council said on the messaging app Telegram Thursday that “deadly epidemics may break out in the city due to the lack of centralized water supply and sewerage, the decomposition of thousands of corpses under the rubble, a catastrophic shortage of drinking water and food.”

It said that the lives of 100,000 people who still remain in Mariupol, out of 450,000 pre-war residents, may be in danger — pointing to diseases like cholera and dysentery, according to an Associated Press report. 

The Telegram post cited Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko as saying that “the invaders are not able to provide the remaining population with food, water and medicines -- or are simply not interested in that.”

He said that “living conditions in the ruined Mariupol are now medieval” and that “an immediate and complete evacuation is needed.”

People hide in a shelter during Russian shelling, in Mariupol, Ukraine. Credit: AP

Videographer Mstyslav Chernov walks amid smoke rising from an air defense base in the aftermath of a Russian strike in Mariupol, Ukraine. Credit: AP

People prepare for the night in the improvised bomb shelter in a sports center, in Mariupol. Credit: AP

A fire burns at an apartment building after it was hit by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine. Credit: AP

A woman whose husband was killed in the shelling cries on the floor of a corridor in a hospital in Mariupol. Credit: AP

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has toured areas outside the Ukrainian capital that suffered damage during the Russian advance there. Speaking to journalists on Thursday at several points, Guterres urged Russia to cooperate with the International Criminal Court. That’s after the bodies of civilians were found in areas once held by Russian forces, some shot with their hands bound. Guterres said: “When we talk about war crimes, we cannot forget that the worst of crimes is war itself.”

Guterres also said that “civilians always pay the highest price” in any war.

“When I see those destroyed buildings, I must say what I feel. I imagined my family in one of those houses that is now destroyed and black. I see my granddaughters running away in panic, part of the family eventually killed,” he said.

“So, the war is an absurdity in the 21st century. The war is evil. And when one sees these situations our heart, of course, stays with the victims.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, fourth left, is seen during his visit to Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 28, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

Source: Associated Press

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has called for the countries of the world to "push" Russia out of whole Ukraine, denouncing its  “appalling barbarism and war crimes” in the sovereign nation. In a hardened tone speech, Truss said that Russia's President Vladimir Putin's victory in Kyiv would bring “untold further misery across Europe and terrible consequences across the globe.” She then appealed to the countries of the world to send weapons, aircraft and tanks to Ukriane's miliatry to fight the Russian assault on their territory. 

Echoing Truss' remarks, UK's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News on Thursday that "whole of Ukraine" also means the 2014 Russia annexed Crimea. Russian troops, said Wallace, must be pushed out from every region in Ukraine “where they are now.”

Japan on Thursday protested Russia's expulsion of at least eight of its diplomats, saying that it is "unacceptable." Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Thursday at a presser: "We absolutely cannot accept Russia issuing this notice." Matsuno further lambasted Russia for thrawrting bilateral ties between the two nations, despite that Moscow's latest move was a retaliatory one. 

Since Ukraine's invasion, Russia and Japan have been at loggerheads, particularly due to Tokyo's stance on military intervention and Western coordinated sanctions. Russia's Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev had earlier said that Japan and Moscow "will never achieve consensus on Kuril Islands" after the latter stalled a WWII peace agreement over Tokyo’s position on the war in Ukraine. 

Moscow had unilaterally scrapped the peace treaty talks over the disputed Kuril islands and withdrew from joint economic projects, prompting Tokyo to summon the Russian ambassador.  "The Russian side, in the current conditions, does not intend to continue talks with Japan on the peace treaty," the Russian Foreign Ministry had said in a statement.

Both Russia and Japan never signed the peace treaty for ending World War II hostilities over disputes related to Russian-held islands, north of Hokkaido, at the end of the war. “The latest situation has been all caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told Japanese reporters. He slammed Russia as “extremely unjustifiable and absolutely unacceptable.”

Credit: Associated Press

Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of Belarus, has announced that Minsk and Moscow are planning to build 'union of sovereign states' which will be joined by other former Soviet republics. 

Russian forces have shelled dozens of homes in the eastern Donbass region, officials in Donetsk said posting photographs of of the damaged homes in the region on teelgram. The village shelled is situated near the small town of Ocheretyn, a few miles from the frontline.  Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk regional military administration, said on his Telegram channel that 27 houses  in the village of Lastochkine have been under intense shelling, there is no information about the casualties. 

Russian-occupied Kherson region in Ukraine will be transition ing to using the Russia's currency Ruble from May 1, Russian state media has reported. Deputy Chairman of the Civil-Military Administration of the region, Kirill Stremousov, told the RIA-Novosti news agency that the switch of the currency may take up to 4 months. 

Russia has trained dolphins to guard the entrance of the key Black Sea port and significant Kremlin naval bases under its marine mammal programme that trains the marine animals to be experts in being able to detect enemy ships and sea mines. Militarised dolphin pens were spotted at the naval base at Sevastopol harbour in sentinel-2 satellite imagery released by the US Naval Institute (USNI) on April 27, Wednesday. 

At least two highly trained dolphin pens were deployed by the naval forces of the Russian Federation to the base in February, around the time Moscow launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine. The move was intended for the marine creatures to help protect Moscow’s key Sevastopol naval base at the southern tip of annexed Crimea where several Russian warships are anchored out of range from missiles but vulnerable to sea assault, according to a naval analyst HI Sutton.

Read more here

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, "mysterious" multiple explosions rocked Transnistria, an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as part of Moldova. According to a report by the BBC, the separatist authorities blamed Ukrainian troops behind the explosions-- an accusation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuted on Wednesday. As per Zelenskyy, Russian infiltrators were bombarding the region with lethal weapons, resulting in the killing of innocent civilians. 

However, the Russian official expressed grave concerns over the recent explosion and said more than 1,500 Russian troops are still there in Transnistria. Also, the officials claimed that the Russian speakers in Moldova are being oppressed. Meanwhile, the Transnistria official claimed at least "infiltrators" from Ukraine attacked the security headquarter-- a claim that has not been acknowledged or denied by any Ukrainian officials. 

Read more here

Amid the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the United Kingdom will provide hundreds of anti-ship Brimstone missiles to Ukraine to boost its naval defence. James Heappey, Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, has stated that the supersonic missile would reach Ukraine in the "next few weeks," The Times reported. Ukraine has been fearing that Moscow could be planning to launch an attack on Odesa which is the country's largest port.

As per the news report, Britain will be providing the surface-based systems to Ukraine even though the Brimstone can be launched from the ground or air. Notably, Brimstone missile 2 has a range of up to 37 miles with a diameter of 180mm and is equipped with a 6.3kg warhead that explodes in stages and can be fired from jets including the Tornado GR4, the Typhoon F2, and Reaper drones, as per The Times report. Earlier this month, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his visit to Kyiv announced that Britain would provide the missiles to Ukraine. It is worth mentioning that the UK has been supporting Ukraine with military and humanitarian assistance since the invasion started on February 24. The Britain government has also imposed sanctions against Russia for initiating a full-fledged war against Ukraine. 

Read more here

Amid Russia's threats, NATO Secretary-General Jens Sto9ltenberg has said that both Finland and Sweden will be welcomed "with open arms" into the defence alliance. During the joint briefing alongside Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, the NATO chief said, "It is, of course, for Finland and Sweden to decide whether they would like to apply for membership in Nato or not. But if they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be welcomed with open arms to Nato. Finland and Sweden are our closest partners."

As of April 28, Ukraine's armed forces claimed that Russia lost around 22,800 soldiers along with 187 planes, 8 boats, and 970 tanks among other losses.

Financial Times has reported that some of the leading gas importers in Europe are preparing to acquiesce to Russian demands that energy must be paid for in roubles, as demanded by Kremlin. It further stated that Gas distributors in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia are planning to open rouble accounts at Gazprombank in Switzerland.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin may seek to consolidate what he has got in Ukraine and dig in like a "cancerous growth" within the country. In an interview with Sky News, Wallace said, "I think it's certainly the case that Putin, having failed in nearly all his objectives, may seek to consolidate what he's got, sort of fortify and dig in as he did in 2014. And just be a sort of cancerous growth within the country of Ukraine and make it very hard for people to move them out of those fortified positions".

"You can see in his current statements he is, in almost desperation, trying to broaden this either with threats or indeed, with potential false flags or attacks," he added.

The Zaporizhzhya Regional Military Administration reported that Russian troops shelled houses in the private sector with Kh-55 air-to-ground missiles. Two houses were damaged. Information about casualties and destruction is being clarified.

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday acknowledged the growing strategic convergence between the US and India in recent years. Reasoning that New Delhi has maintained ties with Russia out of necessity as Washington was not in the position to do so earlier, Blinken said that US President utilised 'a lot of time engaging with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's leadership'. 

"In the case of India, there is a relationship that goes back decades. And Russia, for India, was out of necessity a partner of choice when we were not in a position to be a partner," Blinken told lawmakers.

"Now, we are investing in that effort. I think there is a growing strategic convergence between the United States and India," news agency PTI quoted Blinken as saying.

Read more here

Researchers at Microsoft disclosed that Russian hackers and military worked in "tandem" to launch relentless cyberattacks on Ukraine since the war began on February 24. Some of the said security breaches were also reportedly carried out about a year before the massive hit on the east European geopolitics landscape. The report released on Wednesday mapped the details of over 200 alleged digital strikes that Microsoft believed were coordinated between the Russian military and illegal hackers throughout the invasion.

The US-based software giant said that the Russian cyberattacks, like hacking, some previously known unknown activities, and the military operations worked in "tandem against a shared target." Vice President of customer security in Microsoft, Tom Burt, in a blog post claimed that Russia's use of cyber strikes "appear to strongly correlated and sometimes directly timed" with the "kinetic" military operations on services and institutions in Ukraine. 

Read more here

The UK has decided to send hundreds of anti-ship Brimstone missiles to Ukraine in a bid to bolster naval defences after the sinking of Russia's Black Sea fleet's flagship vessel, Moskva. James Heappey, the armed forces minister, said that the supersonic missiles would arrive in the “next few weeks”, according to The Times. 

The website of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk region in Russia has published news about its plans to “expropriate the surplus crops of farmers” in the occupied region of Kherson, Ukrainian media reported. 

A Russian official announced that the nation will conduct an informal meeting with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on May 6 to convey 'first-hand' information regarding the situation in Ukraine.

While addressing a United Nations meeting on war crimes in Ukraine on Wednesday, the Russian official asserted, "If you want to learn the truth about the real situation on the ground, come to our aria-formula meeting on May 6, we plan to give the floor to some independent voices working on the front line to demonstrate you facts, not fakes," ANI reported.

Read more here

In the latest intelligence update, the UK's Ministry of Defence has said that " Approximately 20 Russian Navy vessels are currently in the Black Sea operational zone, including submarines."

"the Bosporus Strait remains closed to all non-Turkish warships, rendering Russia unable to replace its lost cruiser Moskva in the Black Sea," it said.

"Despite the embarrassing losses of the landing ship Saratov and cruiser Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet retains the ability to strike Ukrainian and coastal targets," it added.

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told CNN on Wednesday that the ongoing war will continue until "Russia decides to end it".  In the interview, the UN chief said, "The war will not end with meetings...The war will end when the Russian Federation decides to end it and when there is – after a ceasefire – a possibility of a serious political agreement. We can have all the meetings but that is not what will end the war."

Beth Van Schaack, the United States ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice, declared that there is "credible information" that Russian soldiers "executed" Ukrainian soldiers who tried to surrender in Donetsk region.

Earlier, in the national address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said that "Preliminary estimates of Ukraine’s losses from this war reach $600 billion today. More than 32 million square meters of living space, more than 1,500 educational facilities and more than 350 medical facilities have been destroyed or damaged."

He added, "Economic entities suffered huge losses – hundreds of enterprises have been destroyed. About 2,500km of roads and almost 300 bridges have been ruined or damaged. And it’s not just statistics. This is Mariupol, this is Volnovakha, this is Okhtyrka, this is Chernihiv, this is Borodianka and dozens or dozens of our cities, towns and villages.”

As the Russia-Ukraine war has entered its 64th day, the Canadian House of Commons on Wednesday termed Russia's activities in Ukraine a "genocide," citing alleged crimes such as the death of people, and the desecration of remains, the kidnapping of children, torture, as well as rape. Further, the measure was passed unanimously by the Canadian lawmakers, who stated that "ample evidence of systematic and massive war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed against the people of Ukraine,” The Hill reported.   

Read more here

US State Secretary Antony Blinken held a telephonic conversation with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday. During the conversation both the leaders discussed Russia’s "unprovoked" and "brutal" war against Ukraine- which is now nearing its ninth week. Bolstering security assistance to the Ukrainian army and additional measures to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable for the crimes committed in the last three months topped the agenda, as per a readout of the conversation released by the US State Department. 

Read more here

According to Russian state media, the Kherson region in Ukraine, which was captured by Moscow's forces will transition to using the ruble from May 1. Deputy Chairman of the Civil-Military Administration of the region, Kirill Stremousov, told the RIA-Novosti news agency that the transition period will take up to four months. In the transition period, both ruble and Ukrainian hryvnia will be in circulation. 

India has again reiterated its demand for an immediate cessation of violence and hostilities in Ukraine while keeping its point at the international forum on Wednesday. While speaking at the United Nations Security Council-- which promotes international peace and security-- Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, R Ravindra expressed grave concern over the current situation in the war-torn country and appeal to the country to stop the conflict. 

Read more here

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says Russia's move to halt gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria is 'an instrument of blackmail'.
 

Earlier, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called on countries that have condemned Russia's military aggression in Ukraine to double their support for Kyiv and supply the country with heavy weapons. She also said that NATO failed Ukraine as a structure intended to ensure peace and security. 

According to reports, the Russian currency of rouble soared to an over two-year high against the euro in Moscow trade on Wednesday.

Over 4,000  applications have been filed to sponsor Ukrainians seeking to come to the US within 48 hours of President Joe Biden's administration launching 'Uniting for Ukraine',  a USCIS spokesperson told CNN. While announcing the streamlined process for the Ukrainians fleeing war at home, Biden had said, "This new humanitarian parole program will complement the existing legal pathways available to Ukrainians, including immigrant visas and refugee processing. It will provide an expedient channel for secure legal migration from Europe to the United States for Ukrainians who have a US sponsor, such as a family or an NGO".

In an address to lawmakers in St Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned any nation against interfering in Ukraine. He said, "If someone intends to intervene into the ongoing events (in Ukraine) from the outside and creates unacceptable strategic threats for us, then they should know that our response to those strikes will be swift, lightning fast."

"We have all the tools for this — ones that no one can brag about. And we won’t brag. We will use them if needed. And I want everyone to know this. We have already taken all the decisions on this," he also said.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday, after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. UN chief is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in  Kyiv on Thursday.