Former Ukraine prison detainees doubt Russia’s deadly blast story
Even before the deadly blast that killed at least 53 Ukrainian soldiers on Friday, the Olenivka prison in the country’s separatist-controlled eastern Donetsk province was known to human rights groups as a lawless place where pro-Russian forces hold civilians flagged as potential enemy “collaborators” and military prisoners of war.
Located just a few miles from the war’s front line, it has served as a detention facility for several thousand people brought from Mariupol after Russia captured that southern Ukrainian port city in May following a brutal and protracted siege. Among them were hundreds of soldiers who fought back from the city’s last stronghold, the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant, before finally surrendering.
Read the full story here.
Even before the deadly blast that killed at least 53 Ukrainian soldiers on Friday, the Olenivka prison in the country’s separatist-controlled eastern Donetsk province was known to human rights groups as a lawless place where pro-Russian forces hold civilians flagged as potential enemy “collaborators” and military prisoners of war.
Located just a few miles from the war’s front line, it has served as a detention facility for several thousand people brought from Mariupol after Russia captured that southern Ukrainian port city in May following a brutal and protracted siege. Among them were hundreds of soldiers who fought back from the city’s last stronghold, the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant, before finally surrendering.
Read the full story here.
U.S. imposes sanctions on Putin’s reported girlfriend
The United States imposed sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reported romantic partner Tuesday, part of the latest raft of penalties targeting Kremlin-linked officials and entities in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Alina Kabaeva, 39, was among 13 Russian nationals added to the Treasury Department’s sanctions list. A former star gymnast with two Olympic gold medals, Kabaeva has become better-known in recent years as the 69-year-old Russian leader’s rumored girlfriend.
The U.S. announcement Tuesday cited Kabaeva’s “close relationship to Putin,” though it did not point to a romantic tie specifically. But the U.S. government holds that Kabaeva is the mother of at least three of Putin’s children, the Wall Street Journal reported, and had previously prepared a sanctions package against her before making a last-minute decision in late April to hold off to avoid hurting prospects for a negotiated peace in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
The United States imposed sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reported romantic partner Tuesday, part of the latest raft of penalties targeting Kremlin-linked officials and entities in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Alina Kabaeva, 39, was among 13 Russian nationals added to the Treasury Department’s sanctions list. A former star gymnast with two Olympic gold medals, Kabaeva has become better-known in recent years as the 69-year-old Russian leader’s rumored girlfriend.
The U.S. announcement Tuesday cited Kabaeva’s “close relationship to Putin,” though it did not point to a romantic tie specifically. But the U.S. government holds that Kabaeva is the mother of at least three of Putin’s children, the Wall Street Journal reported, and had previously prepared a sanctions package against her before making a last-minute decision in late April to hold off to avoid hurting prospects for a negotiated peace in Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Off the Turkish coast, officials inspected the first ship carrying grain out of Ukraine’s port city of Odessa in a deal to ease the global food crisis.
- Ukraine’s ombudsman is trying to contact his Russian counterpart to visit the Olenivka prison, under separatist control in eastern Ukraine.
- The head of the United Nations’ nuclear agency warned that Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant — the largest nuclear power facility in Europe — is “completely out of control” in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday.
- Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, accused Russian forces of using the Zaporizhzhia plant “as the equivalent of a nuclear shield.”
More live updates here.
- Off the Turkish coast, officials inspected the first ship carrying grain out of Ukraine’s port city of Odessa in a deal to ease the global food crisis.
- Ukraine’s ombudsman is trying to contact his Russian counterpart to visit the Olenivka prison, under separatist control in eastern Ukraine.
- The head of the United Nations’ nuclear agency warned that Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant — the largest nuclear power facility in Europe — is “completely out of control” in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday.
- Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, accused Russian forces of using the Zaporizhzhia plant “as the equivalent of a nuclear shield.”
More live updates here.
U.S. Senate votes to approve NATO membership for Sweden and Finland
The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to admit Sweden and Finland into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, endorsing an expansion of the alliance that supporters believe would send a message condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 95-1 vote made the United States the 23rd of NATO’s 30 members to ratify the proposed addition, which leaders in Helsinki and Stockholm began to contemplate this spring in response to Russia’s aggressive cross-border campaign.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the vote “a signal to Russia: they cannot intimidate America or Europe.”
The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, which still must be finalized by several other member nations, would boost the alliance’s military assets, especially since the two countries’ considerable arsenals of artillery, war planes and naval weapons are already compatible with NATO systems.
Read the full story here.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to admit Sweden and Finland into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, endorsing an expansion of the alliance that supporters believe would send a message condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 95-1 vote made the United States the 23rd of NATO’s 30 members to ratify the proposed addition, which leaders in Helsinki and Stockholm began to contemplate this spring in response to Russia’s aggressive cross-border campaign.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the vote “a signal to Russia: they cannot intimidate America or Europe.”
The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, which still must be finalized by several other member nations, would boost the alliance’s military assets, especially since the two countries’ considerable arsenals of artillery, war planes and naval weapons are already compatible with NATO systems.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Olympian Griner will return to court in Moscow, with a verdict expected soon even as U.S. officials call for a prisoner exchange. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to accept a deal to free Griner and former security consultant Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year prison term in Russia.
- The United Nations will probe the attack at a detention facility held by pro-Russian separatists, which killed at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war captured during Russia’s siege of Mariupol.
- Russian troops who captured the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine are jeopardizing nuclear safety, the head of the U.N. atomic energy watchdog says.
- Amnesty International said Ukrainian forces at times endangered civilians with bases and weapons in residential areas, including schools and hospitals.
More live updates here.
- Olympian Griner will return to court in Moscow, with a verdict expected soon even as U.S. officials call for a prisoner exchange. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to accept a deal to free Griner and former security consultant Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year prison term in Russia.
- The United Nations will probe the attack at a detention facility held by pro-Russian separatists, which killed at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war captured during Russia’s siege of Mariupol.
- Russian troops who captured the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine are jeopardizing nuclear safety, the head of the U.N. atomic energy watchdog says.
- Amnesty International said Ukrainian forces at times endangered civilians with bases and weapons in residential areas, including schools and hospitals.
More live updates here.
Russia’s vow to annex occupied Ukraine sparks divisions, pleas for aid
Russia’s vow to annex pockets of occupied Ukraine has presented the United States and its partners with a pressing dilemma, as trepidation grows in Washington and Kyiv over whether the West is positioned to avert a pivotal shift in the war.
“Time is on Putin’s side,” said Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), referring to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Waltz in late July was part of a congressional delegation that toured the war-ravaged cities of Irpin and Bucha, and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Waltz noted that in occupied areas, Moscow is already installing government offices, replacing the Ukrainian hryvnia with the Russian ruble as currency, handing out Russian passports and flooding the airwaves with pro-Kremlin media.
“The more time [Putin] gets to put his people in place,” Waltz said.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s vow to annex pockets of occupied Ukraine has presented the United States and its partners with a pressing dilemma, as trepidation grows in Washington and Kyiv over whether the West is positioned to avert a pivotal shift in the war.
“Time is on Putin’s side,” said Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), referring to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Waltz in late July was part of a congressional delegation that toured the war-ravaged cities of Irpin and Bucha, and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Waltz noted that in occupied areas, Moscow is already installing government offices, replacing the Ukrainian hryvnia with the Russian ruble as currency, handing out Russian passports and flooding the airwaves with pro-Kremlin media.
“The more time [Putin] gets to put his people in place,” Waltz said.
Read the full story here.
Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison on drug charges
A Russian judge on Thursday handed down a harsh nine-year prison sentence for WNBA star Brittney Griner, rejecting the player’s plea for leniency and her apology for “an honest mistake” in bringing less than a gram of cannabis oil into the country in February.
The sentence — close to the maximum possible — is likely to fuel anger among the athlete’s supporters and fans in the United States, who see her as a political pawn being held hostage by Russia. It will add to pressure on the Biden administration to reach a deal with Moscow on a prisoner exchange deal to bring her home.
Griner’s fate is now in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will make the final decision on any prisoner swap. She also was fined 1 million rubles ($16,590).
Griner pleaded guilty last month to carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil into the country.
Read the full story here.
A Russian judge on Thursday handed down a harsh nine-year prison sentence for WNBA star Brittney Griner, rejecting the player’s plea for leniency and her apology for “an honest mistake” in bringing less than a gram of cannabis oil into the country in February.
The sentence — close to the maximum possible — is likely to fuel anger among the athlete’s supporters and fans in the United States, who see her as a political pawn being held hostage by Russia. It will add to pressure on the Biden administration to reach a deal with Moscow on a prisoner exchange deal to bring her home.
Griner’s fate is now in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will make the final decision on any prisoner swap. She also was fined 1 million rubles ($16,590).
Griner pleaded guilty last month to carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil into the country.
Read the full story here.
Russia to launch spy satellite for Iran but use it first over Ukraine
A new satellite that Russia is preparing to launch on Iran’s behalf next week will greatly enhance Tehran’s ability to spy on military targets across the Middle East — but first, Moscow intends to use the spacecraft to assist its own war effort in Ukraine, according to Western security officials familiar with the matter.
Russia’s Roscosmos space agency announced an Aug. 9 launch date for the satellite, dubbed “Khayyam” after a 12th-century Persian mathematician, in fulfillment of a deal negotiated with Iran over nearly four years.
Russia, which has struggled to achieve its military objectives in its five-month-old assault on Ukraine, has told Tehran that it plans to use the satellite for several months, or longer, to enhance its surveillance of military targets in that conflict, the two officials said on the condition of anonymity, citing sensitivities surrounding intelligence collection.
Read the full story here.
A new satellite that Russia is preparing to launch on Iran’s behalf next week will greatly enhance Tehran’s ability to spy on military targets across the Middle East — but first, Moscow intends to use the spacecraft to assist its own war effort in Ukraine, according to Western security officials familiar with the matter.
Russia’s Roscosmos space agency announced an Aug. 9 launch date for the satellite, dubbed “Khayyam” after a 12th-century Persian mathematician, in fulfillment of a deal negotiated with Iran over nearly four years.
Russia, which has struggled to achieve its military objectives in its five-month-old assault on Ukraine, has told Tehran that it plans to use the satellite for several months, or longer, to enhance its surveillance of military targets in that conflict, the two officials said on the condition of anonymity, citing sensitivities surrounding intelligence collection.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- A Russian court found WNBA star Brittney Griner guilty on drug charges Thursday, handing her eight years on one count and a year and a half on another, before taking into account time served. Griner’s defense team said that they will “certainly file an appeal.”
- A new U.S. intelligence finding says Russia may plant fabricated evidence at the site of the attack that killed Ukrainian prisoners who were captured in Mariupol.
- Ships loaded with grain await approval to leave Ukrainian ports.
- The safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is at risk, the head of the U.N. atomic energy watchdog warned as he appealed for access to inspect Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia facility that was captured by Russian forces.
More live updates here.
- A Russian court found WNBA star Brittney Griner guilty on drug charges Thursday, handing her eight years on one count and a year and a half on another, before taking into account time served. Griner’s defense team said that they will “certainly file an appeal.”
- A new U.S. intelligence finding says Russia may plant fabricated evidence at the site of the attack that killed Ukrainian prisoners who were captured in Mariupol.
- Ships loaded with grain await approval to leave Ukrainian ports.
- The safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is at risk, the head of the U.N. atomic energy watchdog warned as he appealed for access to inspect Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia facility that was captured by Russian forces.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The deal to lift a Russian blockade on millions of tons of Ukrainian grain is moving ahead. A Panama-flagged vessel left Odessa with corn for Ireland, a Malta-flagged ship departed the port of Chornomorsk for Britain, and a Turkey-flagged vessel will also export corn from Chornomorsk, according to the Turkish government.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Friday, their second meeting in weeks. A Russian proposal intercepted ahead of the meeting — and shared with The Post by Ukrainian intelligence — indicates Russia hopes Turkey will agree to new channels to help avoid restrictions on its banking, energy and industrial sectors.
- Russia’s war in Ukraine has damaged or destroyed nearly 200 temples and prayer houses of different denominations, along with hundreds of educational institutions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly address.
- The deal to lift a Russian blockade on millions of tons of Ukrainian grain is moving ahead. A Panama-flagged vessel left Odessa with corn for Ireland, a Malta-flagged ship departed the port of Chornomorsk for Britain, and a Turkey-flagged vessel will also export corn from Chornomorsk, according to the Turkish government.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Friday, their second meeting in weeks. A Russian proposal intercepted ahead of the meeting — and shared with The Post by Ukrainian intelligence — indicates Russia hopes Turkey will agree to new channels to help avoid restrictions on its banking, energy and industrial sectors.
- Russia’s war in Ukraine has damaged or destroyed nearly 200 temples and prayer houses of different denominations, along with hundreds of educational institutions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly address.
Russia turns to Turkey, other trading partners to blunt sanctions’ impact
Russia is turning to Turkey and other potential new trading partners as it tries to circumvent Western sanctions that are starting to bite even deeper into its economy following its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Sochi on Friday, and the meeting — the leaders’ second in just over two weeks — is setting off alarms that the Kremlin could strengthen economic ties with a NATO nation that has not joined in imposing sanctions on Moscow.
A Russian proposal intercepted ahead of the meeting indicates Russia hopes Turkey will agree to new channels to help it avoid those restrictions on its banking, energy and industrial sectors.
Read the full story here.
Russia is turning to Turkey and other potential new trading partners as it tries to circumvent Western sanctions that are starting to bite even deeper into its economy following its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Sochi on Friday, and the meeting — the leaders’ second in just over two weeks — is setting off alarms that the Kremlin could strengthen economic ties with a NATO nation that has not joined in imposing sanctions on Moscow.
A Russian proposal intercepted ahead of the meeting indicates Russia hopes Turkey will agree to new channels to help it avoid those restrictions on its banking, energy and industrial sectors.
Read the full story here.
Russia warns ‘megaphone’ diplomacy could sink hopes of Griner prisoner swap
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that his country was ready to discuss a possible prisoner exchange deal with the United States involving basketball star Brittney Griner but warned “loud statements” and public diplomacy from the United States could sink hopes of any deal.
“We are ready to discuss the issue,” Lavrov told reporters Friday. He said that the appropriate channels would be via a dialogue mechanism established by Washington and Moscow after President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva in 2021.
Lavrov also accused Secretary of State Antony Blinken of being uninterested in meeting with him to discuss the matter on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit taking place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Read the full story here.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that his country was ready to discuss a possible prisoner exchange deal with the United States involving basketball star Brittney Griner but warned “loud statements” and public diplomacy from the United States could sink hopes of any deal.
“We are ready to discuss the issue,” Lavrov told reporters Friday. He said that the appropriate channels would be via a dialogue mechanism established by Washington and Moscow after President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva in 2021.
Lavrov also accused Secretary of State Antony Blinken of being uninterested in meeting with him to discuss the matter on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit taking place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Read the full story here.
Brittney Griner may go to a Russian penal colony. Here’s what you need to know.
WNBA star Brittney Griner received a harsh 9½-year prison sentence Thursday in her trial on drug charges in Moscow, close to the maximum term possible.
The basketball star’s attorneys plan to appeal, as the Biden administration urges Moscow to accept a deal to free Griner and former security consultant Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia. Washington has declined to say whether the two could be released in exchange for imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
If diplomatic efforts or the appeal fail, Griner could be sent to a penal colony, a Russian prison facility known for brutal conditions.
Read the full story here.
WNBA star Brittney Griner received a harsh 9½-year prison sentence Thursday in her trial on drug charges in Moscow, close to the maximum term possible.
The basketball star’s attorneys plan to appeal, as the Biden administration urges Moscow to accept a deal to free Griner and former security consultant Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia. Washington has declined to say whether the two could be released in exchange for imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
If diplomatic efforts or the appeal fail, Griner could be sent to a penal colony, a Russian prison facility known for brutal conditions.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- Three ships laden with grain left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports Friday — a sign of incremental progress in the wake of a deal between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations to restore grain shipments amid a global food crisis.
- In Moscow, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner’s lawyers pledged to appeal a 9½-year prison sentence, as U.S. officials urge Moscow to accept an offer to free Griner.
- Putin met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Friday, their second meeting in 2½ weeks.
- In a joint statement, the leaders said they had agreed to increase the volume of trade between their countries, and reaffirmed the Ukraine grain deal.
- Russia’s war in Ukraine has damaged or destroyed nearly 200 temples and prayer houses of different denominations, along with hundreds of educational institutions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly address.
More live updates here.
- Three ships laden with grain left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports Friday — a sign of incremental progress in the wake of a deal between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations to restore grain shipments amid a global food crisis.
- In Moscow, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner’s lawyers pledged to appeal a 9½-year prison sentence, as U.S. officials urge Moscow to accept an offer to free Griner.
- Putin met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Friday, their second meeting in 2½ weeks.
- In a joint statement, the leaders said they had agreed to increase the volume of trade between their countries, and reaffirmed the Ukraine grain deal.
- Russia’s war in Ukraine has damaged or destroyed nearly 200 temples and prayer houses of different denominations, along with hundreds of educational institutions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly address.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia and Ukraine are accusing each other of shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, located in southeast Ukraine. It was seized by Russian forces in March and its closeness to front line fighting is triggering international fears of a nuclear crisis.
- The deal to lift a Russian blockade on millions of tons of Ukrainian grain appears to be working. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 60,000 tons of corn are on board a vessel en route to consumers in Turkey, Britain and Ireland, and will ease a food crisis in parts of Africa and Asia.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Friday, their second meeting in 2½ weeks. In a joint statement, the leaders said they had agreed to increase the volume of trade between their countries. Turkey, a NATO member, also agreed to switch part of its payments for Russian gas to rubles.
More live updates here.
- Russia and Ukraine are accusing each other of shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, located in southeast Ukraine. It was seized by Russian forces in March and its closeness to front line fighting is triggering international fears of a nuclear crisis.
- The deal to lift a Russian blockade on millions of tons of Ukrainian grain appears to be working. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 60,000 tons of corn are on board a vessel en route to consumers in Turkey, Britain and Ireland, and will ease a food crisis in parts of Africa and Asia.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Friday, their second meeting in 2½ weeks. In a joint statement, the leaders said they had agreed to increase the volume of trade between their countries. Turkey, a NATO member, also agreed to switch part of its payments for Russian gas to rubles.
More live updates here.
As war grinds on, old Ukrainian political divisions are reemerging
CHERNIHIV, Ukraine — There has been an unofficial agreement among Ukraine’s raucous and highly competitive politicians since Russia invaded: Put aside old differences and form a unified front against Moscow.
It’s been a remarkable shift in a country plagued by political infighting, corruption and Russian influence since it declared independence from the dissolving Soviet Union in 1991.
But now, as the war grinds on and billions of dollars in international aid pours in, cracks and prewar tensions are beginning to emerge between the central government and local leaders.
Read the full story here.
CHERNIHIV, Ukraine — There has been an unofficial agreement among Ukraine’s raucous and highly competitive politicians since Russia invaded: Put aside old differences and form a unified front against Moscow.
It’s been a remarkable shift in a country plagued by political infighting, corruption and Russian influence since it declared independence from the dissolving Soviet Union in 1991.
But now, as the war grinds on and billions of dollars in international aid pours in, cracks and prewar tensions are beginning to emerge between the central government and local leaders.
Read the full story here.
India turns to Russian fertilizer, showing challenge of isolating Moscow
India has dramatically increased its imports of fertilizer from Russia in recent months, demonstrating the difficulties the United States and its allies face in isolating Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.
From April to June, India imported 7.74 million tons of Russian fertilizer, a figure representing about two-thirds of all its fertilizer imports from Russia last year, making the country India’s top supplier, according to information provided in Parliament by the minister of chemicals and fertilizers.
These shipments come on top of record imports of discounted Russian oil. Although Persian Gulf countries remain India’s top suppliers of crude oil, India in July bought about 1 million barrels a day from Russia, a sharp increase since the beginning of the year. Government data shows that India spent $3.7 billion on Russian oil between January and May, up more than 350 percent from the same period last year.
Read the full story here.
India has dramatically increased its imports of fertilizer from Russia in recent months, demonstrating the difficulties the United States and its allies face in isolating Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.
From April to June, India imported 7.74 million tons of Russian fertilizer, a figure representing about two-thirds of all its fertilizer imports from Russia last year, making the country India’s top supplier, according to information provided in Parliament by the minister of chemicals and fertilizers.
These shipments come on top of record imports of discounted Russian oil. Although Persian Gulf countries remain India’s top suppliers of crude oil, India in July bought about 1 million barrels a day from Russia, a sharp increase since the beginning of the year. Government data shows that India spent $3.7 billion on Russian oil between January and May, up more than 350 percent from the same period last year.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia and Ukraine are accusing each other of shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, located in southeast Ukraine. It was seized by Russian forces in March and its closeness to front line fighting is triggering international fears of a nuclear crisis.
- The deal to lift a Russian blockade on millions of tons of Ukrainian grain appears to be working. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 60,000 tons of corn are on board a vessel en route to consumers.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Friday, their second meeting in 2½ weeks.
More updates here.
- Russia and Ukraine are accusing each other of shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, located in southeast Ukraine. It was seized by Russian forces in March and its closeness to front line fighting is triggering international fears of a nuclear crisis.
- The deal to lift a Russian blockade on millions of tons of Ukrainian grain appears to be working. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 60,000 tons of corn are on board a vessel en route to consumers.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Friday, their second meeting in 2½ weeks.
More updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Four ships carrying almost 170,000 tonnes of grain headed out Sunday under the deal to ease the global food crisis, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said. The first foreign-flagged ship arrived in Ukraine to be loaded with grain since Russia’s invasion, he said a day earlier.
- Ukraine’s largest and most profitable port will join those restarting operations following months of blockades, Mustafa Nayyem, deputy infrastructure minister said on Facebook. The Pivdennyi port will work Odessa and Chornomorsk ports to export three million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products within a month, Nayyem said.
- The United Nations is warning of a potential “nuclear disaster” after heavy shelling struck Europe’s largest atomic power plant. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant highlights the potential for “catastrophic consequences.”
More live updates here.
- Four ships carrying almost 170,000 tonnes of grain headed out Sunday under the deal to ease the global food crisis, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said. The first foreign-flagged ship arrived in Ukraine to be loaded with grain since Russia’s invasion, he said a day earlier.
- Ukraine’s largest and most profitable port will join those restarting operations following months of blockades, Mustafa Nayyem, deputy infrastructure minister said on Facebook. The Pivdennyi port will work Odessa and Chornomorsk ports to export three million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products within a month, Nayyem said.
- The United Nations is warning of a potential “nuclear disaster” after heavy shelling struck Europe’s largest atomic power plant. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant highlights the potential for “catastrophic consequences.”
More live updates here.
U.N. watchdog warns of ‘nuclear disaster’ from shelling at Zaporizhzhia plant
The United Nations nuclear chief warned of a potential “nuclear disaster” after shelling of Europe’s largest atomic power plant, once again urging Russia and Ukraine to allow a mission of experts access to the facility to help secure it.
The shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine highlights the potential for “catastrophic consequences” from attacks on and near the facility, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a statement on Saturday.
“Military action jeopardizing the safety and security of the Zaporizhzya nuclear power plant is completely unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs,” Grossi’s statement said.
Read the full story here.
The United Nations nuclear chief warned of a potential “nuclear disaster” after shelling of Europe’s largest atomic power plant, once again urging Russia and Ukraine to allow a mission of experts access to the facility to help secure it.
The shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine highlights the potential for “catastrophic consequences” from attacks on and near the facility, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a statement on Saturday.
“Military action jeopardizing the safety and security of the Zaporizhzya nuclear power plant is completely unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs,” Grossi’s statement said.
Read the full story here.