Latest news from Russia and the war in Ukraine

The first grain ship to leave Ukraine in months has arrived safely in Turkish waters, where it will be inspected before continuing its journey to Lebanon.

The mission comes after a deal brokered between Russia and Ukraine by Turkey and the United Nations to allow vital exports from the country to resume after a blockade that contributed to global shortages of wheat and cooking oil, of which Ukraine is a major producer and exporter.

The ship was carrying more than 26,000 tons of corn and is due to undergo an inspection in Istanbul before continuing to Tripoli.

The UN-led Joint Coordination Center asked all parties to inform their troops of the ship’s movements to ensure its safe passage from Ukraine through the Black Sea, where much of the coast has been so mined by Russia as well as from Ukraine amid the invasion. Turkish waters in the Bosphorus.

The agreement, which was reached after much negotiation between the warring countries, was hailed as a rare success for international diplomacy, with some officials hoping it could be used to broker a possible ceasefire.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday after the merchant ship Razoni left the port of Odessa that it “was loaded with two commodities in short supply: corn and hope.”

“Hope for millions of people around the world who depend on the smooth functioning of Ukraine’s ports to feed their families. The ship’s departure is the first concrete result of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. It’s been a long journey since then that I presented the proposal to the leaders of the Russian Federation and Ukraine at the end of April,” he said. Razoni’s departure was, he added, a “huge collective achievement.”

— Holly Elliott

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, the epicenter of the war in Ukraine, is “simply hell”.

Describing Russia’s “fire superiority” in his nightly video message, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces “still cannot completely break the advantage of the Russian army in artillery and manpower, and this is very noticeable in the battles, especially in Donbas – Pisky, Avdiyivka. other directions”.

“It’s just hell. It can’t even be described in words.” he added.

With fighting raging in the Donbass, Ukraine has ordered residents of one of its constituent regions, Donetsk, to evacuate while Kyiv discusses the need for more weapons with its international allies. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with President Zelensky about more military aid to Ukraine, tweeting on Wednesday that “it is vital that NATO and allies provide even more aid to Ukraine even faster.”

He said the two also discussed the first grain shipment since Russia invaded in late February and the subsequent naval blockade of Ukrainian ports.

Zelensky also commented on the initial success of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, to allow Ukraine to resume exports of vital products by sea.

“Our goal now is to have regularity: so that when a ship leaves the port, there are other ships – both those loading and those approaching the port. Continuity and regularity is the necessary principle. All consumers our agricultural products need it”, he said.

— Holly Elliott

Two Republican senators have proposed amendments to the vote to add Sweden and Finland to NATO.

Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, are both seeking changes to the treaty vote as Congress prepares to go on recess.

Paul told NBC News that his amendment states that “nothing in Article Five of the NATO Treaty supersedes the direction of Congress that we should declare war.” NATO’s provision states that an attack on one member of the alliance is an attack on all members.

Sullivan told NBC News that his amendment states that each NATO member, to now include Sweden and Finland, would have to commit to 2 percent of GDP spending on the defense goal set at the NATO Summit in Wales in 2014.

The vote on the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO is expected to pass with an overwhelming majority.

— Amanda Macias

Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken announced new sanctions on Russian oligarchs and state entities.

Below it is the State Department newsletter of the sanctions imposed on the following Russian oligarchs:

• Alexander Ponomarenko “for his operation or operation in the aerospace sector of the Russian economy. He is an oligarch with close ties to other oligarchs and the construction of Vladimir Putin’s seaside palace.” He has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
• Dmitry Pumpyanskiy “for operation or activity in the field of financial services of the economy of the Russian Federation.” The United Kingdom, the European Union and New Zealand have also designated him. Pumpyanskiy has links to the yacht “Axioma”, which is now identified as foreclosed property.
• Andrey Melnichenko “for operation or activity in the field of financial services of the economy of the Russian Federation.” Like Pumpyanskiy, he has also been nominated by the United Kingdom, the European Union and New Zealand.

“We are also imposing additional costs on the Russian war machine by designating 24 Russian defense and technology entities,” Blinken wrote in a statement.

“Russia has systematically focused on exploiting high-tech research and innovation to advance Moscow’s military capabilities — the same defense capabilities that the Russian military uses in its brutal attacks on Ukraine’s population centers and resulting civilian deaths, including children’. he added.

— Amanda Macias

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said March was the deadliest month so far in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

There were more than 3,100 civilian casualties and 2,400 injuries due to the conflict in March, according to figures compiled by the UN.

The United Nations has confirmed 5,327 civilian deaths and 7,257 injuries in Ukraine since Russia’s February 24 invasion.

“Most civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects, including heavy artillery bombardment, multiple rocket launchers, rockets and airstrikes,” the UN office wrote in a report.

The human rights office added that the majority of casualties and injuries were reported in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

— Amanda Macias