Recent News on the War in Russia and Ukraine

In a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to the leaders of France and Germany on Saturday, the Kremlin said Russia was ready to discuss possible ways to re-export grain from the Black Sea ports to Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine account for almost one-third of world wheat supplies, while Russia is a major global fertilizer exporter and Ukraine is a major exporter of corn and sunflower oil.

“For its part, Russia is ready to help find options for the unrestricted export of grain, including the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports,” the Kremlin said.

It said it had told French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholes that it was prepared to increase exports of fertilizers and agricultural products if sanctions against Russia were lifted. .

Ukraine and the West have blamed Russia for the food crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine, which has pushed up the prices of grain, cooking oil, fuel and fertilizer.

Russia has blamed Western sanctions on Russia and the mining of Ukrainian ports.

– Reuters

He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholes.

The group discussed stalled talks between Russia and Ukraine, with the Kremlin blaming Kiev for the current stalemate. Putin “confirmed the Russian side’s transparency in resuming talks,” Russia said in a statement following the 80-minute call.

Scholz and Macron called on Putin to engage in “serious direct talks with the President of Ukraine and to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” according to a reading by the German federal government.

Putin said that the supply of arms to Ukraine by Western nations risked “further destabilizing the situation and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.”

– Jessica Burstinsky

Russia has successfully tested a hypersonic zircon cruise missile at a range of about 1,000 km (625 miles), the defense ministry said on Saturday.

The missile was launched from the Barents Sea and hit a target in the White Sea. The video released by the ministry shows the missile being launched from the ship and burning into the sky on a steep path.

President Vladimir Putin described Zirk as part of a new generation of unparalleled armed groups. Hypersonic weapons can travel at nine times the speed of sound, and Russia last year conducted a test launch of a zircon from warships and submarines.

The Russian military has suffered heavy losses of personnel and equipment during Ukraine’s three – month occupation, which it calls a “special operation,” but continues to test high-quality weapons to remind the world of its strength in missile technology.

Last month it carried 10 or more warships and tested a new nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat, capable of striking the United States.

– Reuters

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday that the eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman had come under full control of Russian and pro-Russian forces in the region.

Pro-Russian separatists from the Donetsk People’s Republic claimed on Friday that they had completely captured the railway-centric city west of Siverodonetsk.

Ukraine said on Friday that Russia had captured most of Liman, but was blocking its forces from advancing to the city of Slovensk, 20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest.

Ukrainian and Russian forces have been fighting for Lyman for several days.

– Reuters

The British Defense Ministry has said that Russian forces may have captured most of the Ukrainian city of Lyman, north of Donetsk Oblast. This is expected to be the starting point for the next phase of Russia’s Donbass offensive.

“Lyman is of strategic importance because it is the site of a major railway junction and provides access to important rail and road bridges over the Shivarsky Donets River,” the UK Ministry said on Twitter.

“In the coming days, Russian units in the region will make it a priority to force the river to cross. It will seek to advance major Ukrainian-controlled cities in the region. “

– Sam Meredith

The US-based think tank The Institute for the Study of War has reported that Russian forces have launched a direct offensive on the built-up areas in Severdonetsk, although they have not yet fully encircled the Ukrainian city.

In its latest daily assessment, ISW stated that Russian forces could fight to land in Severodonetsk, citing the worst record in operations in urban areas built up throughout the war to date.

“Russian forces will continue to make increasing progress and may succeed in encircling Severdonetsk in the coming days, but Russian operations around the isthmus have stalled and Russian forces may not be able to accelerate their advance,” the ISW said.

– Sam Meredith

A Ukrainian official said Ukrainian forces would have to retreat from the last pocket in the Luhansk region, as Russian troops pressed an advance in the east and changed the pace of the three-month war.

Withdrawal could bring Russian President Vladimir Putin closer to his goal of completely occupying the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine. His troops have landed in two areas known as the Donbass, while turning some cities into barren lands.

Luhansk Governor Sergei Kaitoy said Russian troops had entered the Ukrainian-occupied Donbass city of Zhivrodonetsk, after several days of trying to encircle Ukrainian forces there, and that Russian forces could not capture the Luhansk region. Predicted “.

“We will have enough strength and resources to defend ourselves. However, we will have to retreat to avoid being rounded up,” Guido told the Telegram.

Kaitoi said 90% of the buildings in Siverodonetsk were damaged and 14 tall buildings were destroyed in the recent shelling.

– Reuters

Luhansk Regional Governor Serhiy Gaidai says there are about 10,000 Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.

“These are [units] They are trying to permanently attack the Luhansk region and make a profit in any direction they can, ”Kaidoi told Ukrainian television.

CNBC could not verify this report independently.

– Sam Meredith

United Nations Won the latest round The legal battle to seize the $ 325 million Russian-owned superboat in Fiji has now reached the Pacific Supreme Court.

The case is highlighted Thorny legal field The United States finds itself trying to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs around the world. Those motives are welcomed by many anti-war governments and citizens in Ukraine, but some actions raise questions about how far the US jurisdiction has been extended.

Fiji’s Court of Appeal has rejected Faisal Hanif’s appeal, which represents the company that legally owns the super boat Amadea. Hanif argued that the United States had no authority to seize the ship under Fiji’s mutual aid laws, at least until a court decides who owns Amedia.

Hanif said he now plans to take the case to Fiji’s Supreme Court and apply for a court order to stop U.S. agents from boarding the Amadea ship from Fiji before the appeal hearing.

As part of its judgment, the Court of Appeal ordered that its judgment not come into force for seven days.

Behind various fronts, the United States argues that its investigation has found that the luxury boat flagged off in the Cayman Islands actually belonged to the Russian oligarchy authorized by economist and former Russian politician Suleiman Kerimov.

– Associated Press