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Putin promises 'immediate' reaction if Russia threatened
Russia is blocking the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, the local governor said.
Around 2,000 soldiers are thought to be holed up in the industrial complex – the last vestige of Ukrainian resistance in the battered city – which is under siege from Russian forces.
Regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian forces were not allowing wounded Ukrainian troops out of the plant, nor allowing humanitarian corridors for civilians to be set up around the Donetsk region.
Earlier, Mariupol mayor Vadym Boychenko was quoted by the city council as saying living conditions in the city were “medieval” and “an immediate and complete evacuation is needed”.
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson accused Western counties of openly calling on Ukraine to attack Russia, adding that the West should take Moscow seriously when it says strikes on Russian territory will have consequences.
It comes as Russia reported a series of blasts in the south of the country and a fire at an ammunition depot on Wednesday.
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Show latest update 1651147259 Germany to train Ukrainians to use howitzers
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany will organise training for Ukrainian soldiers on how to use howitzers supplied by the US.
Washington said it was supplying 90 of its howitzer heavy artillery weapons to Ukraine to shore up the Ukrainian army’s defence against Russia in the Donbas.
The cannons are part of America’s multi-billion package of military aid for Ukraine.
A US defence official said last week a small number of Ukrainian soldiers were being trained to use the howitzers at an undisclosed location outside of Ukraine. The training would last a week, the official said.
Liam James 28 April 2022 13:00
1651146359 Nato would ‘warmly welcome’ Finland and Sweden joining alliance
Finland and Sweden would be ‘warmly welcomed’ into Nato, the head of the military alliance claimed on Thursday (David Harding writes).
Jens Stoltenberg said both countries would be embraced with open arms should they decide to join the 30-nation military organisation and could become members quite quickly.
“It’s their decision,” Mr Stoltenberg said in Brussels. “But if they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed, and I expect that process to go quickly.”
They are expected to submit a simultaneous application, possibly as early as next month.
Nato would ‘warmly welcome’ Finland and Sweden joining alliance Jens Stoltenberg says any application from Helsinki and Stockholm would be processed ‘quickly’
Liam James 28 April 2022 12:45
1651145460 Roubles for gas may break Russia sanctions, says EU
A senior European Union official said that the mere fact of opening a bank account in roubles at Gazprombank may be in breach of EU sanctions against Russia, but the EU had no indication about whether any EU gas company had done so.
The official said that “at first sight” the opening of a bank account in roubles by gas importers would appear to be a breach of sanctions.
The official added that the European Commission had no formal indication that EU companies have set up gas payment accounts with Gazprombank in roubles.
Russia yesterday cut off the gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria in a warning shot to countries who refuse to meet the Kremlin’s demand that gas payments be made in roubles – a demand made in retaliation to western sanctions.
Most foreign Russian gas contracts are met with euros or US dollars but the Kremlin wants roubles to counteract the damaging effect of western sanctions on the Russian economy. Payment in roubles would support Russia’s home currency amid the financial distress.
Liam James 28 April 2022 12:31
1651144665 Russia blocking evacuation of wounded from Mariupol steel plant, says local governor
Russia is not allowing wounded Ukrainian fighters to be evacuated from the Azovstal steel works where they are holed up in the southern city of Mariupol, the local governor said.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Donetsk region’s governor, said Russia was also not allowing humanitarian corridors to be established to evacuate civilians in the region.
But he said only 370,000 residents remain in Ukrainian-controlled parts of the Donetsk region compared to 1.67 million before Russia’s invasion. Russia denies targeting civilians in the invasion.
Mariupol city council earlier warned that the lives of the 100,000 residents who remain in the besieged city may be in danger from disease due to “the lack of centralised water supply and sewerage, the decomposition of thousands of corpses under the rubble, a catastrophic shortage of drinking water and food”.
The council cited cited Mariupol mayor Vadym Boychenko as saying living conditions in the city were “medieval” and “an immediate and complete evacuation is needed”.
The water and power supplies in the city were cut off early in the Russian invasion and remaining residents have had to struggle with food shortages, with only a few humanitarian aid deliveries being able to safely reach them.
Liam James 28 April 2022 12:17
1651143315 Ukrainian presidential aide says world recognises Ukraine’s right to defend itself
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak joined the discussion around the legitimacy of strikes in Russia, saying Ukraine will “defend itself”.
He said: “Ukraine should decide whether to strike Russian military facilities, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said. Russia has attacked Ukraine and killing civilians.
“Ukraine will defend itself in any way, including strikes on the warehouses and bases of the killers in Russia. The world recognises this right.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain 28 April 2022 11:55
1651142570 Russia says it has not received response from Ukraine to latest peace proposal
Russia has still not received a response from Ukraine regarding its latest proposals for a possible peace agreement, foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
“As of this morning, at the time of preparing for the briefing, the Russian side has not received an answer,” she said.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain 28 April 2022 11:42
1651141995 ‘We’ll fight as long as we have to’, says Ukrainian soldier holed up in besieged Mariupol
A Ukrainian soldier holed up in a steel works in Mariupol said his forces will fight for as long as needed, before urging world leaders to find a way to save civilians and the hundreds of troops trapped in Russia’s “medieval” siege.
Captain Sviatoslav Palamar, 39, a deputy commander of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment, spoke in an interview with Reuters from the steel works that is the last redoubt for the port city’s defenders.
My colleague Tom Balmforth has more:
‘We’ll fight as long as we have to’, says Ukrainian soldier holed up in Mariupol Ukrainian captain says civilians and troops are trapped in Russia’s ‘medieval siege’
Maryam Zakir-Hussain 28 April 2022 11:33
1651141256 ‘Deadly epidemics’ may erupt in Mariupol as residents trapped in ‘medieval’ conditions, authorities warn
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.
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.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain 28 April 2022 11:20
1651140674 Boris Johnson accused of revealing Ukrainian ‘military secrets’ by former head of Polish army
Boris Johnson has been accused by a former head of the Polish army of “tempting evil” and jeopardising efforts to support Ukraine in its war against Russia by revealing that Ukrainian soldiers were receiving training in Poland on how to use British anti-aircraft missiles.
General Waldemar Skrzypczak, also a former junior defence minister, said the British prime minister’s comments could threaten the safety of the troops involved with the conflict now in its third month and showing no signs of abating.
Mr Skrzypczak said that Mr Johnson had revealed “a military secret” when he gave details of the Ukrainian training plan during a trip to India last week.
My colleague Thomas Kingsley reports:
Boris Johnson accused of revealing Ukrainian ‘military secrets’ by Polish ex-general ‘Such statements are tempting evil’, Polish ex-general says in scathing criticism of UK’s PM
Maryam Zakir-Hussain 28 April 2022 11:11
1651139893 Arming Ukraine will threaten European security, Kremlin warns UK
Commenting on remarks about arming Ukraine from British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has warned that giving Kyiv heavy weapons would threaten the security of the European continent.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain 28 April 2022 10:58
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