The European Union has approved new sanctions against Russia, including an embargo on coal imports. It echoes the US statement that there are indications that Russian troops are involved in torture and killings in war zones outside the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. The ban on coal imports will be the first EU sanctions targeting Russia’s energy industry over the war in Ukraine, an official said on condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not yet been made. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov, meanwhile, denied that Russia was responsible for war crimes in a wide-ranging interview with Sky News. He dismissed allegations that Vladimir Putin would appear in a war crimes tribunal, saying: “We do not see any possibility of such a thing, we do not consider it realistic.” However, he acknowledged that the “significant loss of troops” was a “huge tragedy for us”.
Basic points
Show last update 1649365254
Treatment of Ukrainians “deja vu” – former war crimes investigator
A retired Metropolitan Police officer who helped investigate war crimes in the Balkans told the Independent that Russia’s treatment of Ukrainians was “deja vu”. Ron Turnbull, 74, of Hastings, said he was talking to former colleagues about alleged atrocities in Ukrainian cities such as Bhutan. “I talked to these people and we said it was like deja vu,” he said. Read what he said to Andrew Buncombe here Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 22:00 1649364007
Nearly 5,000 people were evacuated today via 10 “corridors”
A total of 4,676 people were evacuated today from cities and towns in Ukraine via 10 “humanitarian corridors”, according to the Ukrainian government. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk also said in a video post on her Telegram channel that 1,205 of the displaced were from the besieged city of Mariupol, who were taken to Zaporizhzhia. Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 21:40 1649359207
EU imposes new sanctions on Russia, including carbon embargo
EU Member States have approved new sanctions on Russia, including an unprecedented embargo on coal imports. It comes after the US claimed that there were indications that Russian troops were raping and torturing Ukrainian civilians. The ban on coal imports will be the first EU sanctions to target Moscow’s lucrative energy industry over the war, an official told the AP news agency on Thursday, ahead of the official announcement. The whole story here by Sam Hancock Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 20:20 1649358007
More than 100 people abducted from Melitopolis “for no reason”
Russian troops have abducted more than 100 people from Melitopol, according to Ukrainian city mayor Ivan Fedorov. In a video posted on Facebook, he said: “Today, the total number of citizens abducted by collaborators and soldiers of the occupation is over 100 people.” Russian soldiers had begun abducting teachers from the Melitopolis Pedagogical University, he said. Honey city in southern Ukraine (Google Maps) According to a translation, Mr. Fedorov said: “The occupiers continue to kidnap residents of Melitopolis for no reason. “After the failure of the efforts to resume schooling in the schools, the invaders switched to kindergartens. I am sure that the employees in the pre-school educational institutions will not cooperate with the occupiers. “An attempt by associates to resume college education also failed. Of the thousands of students, only a few attended. I thank the young people for their conscious position “. Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 20:00 1649356807
“One dead and 14 injured in Kharkiv bombing,” says official
At least one person was killed and 14 were injured in bombings targeting Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Synehubov said in a video clip. The Ukrainian military said earlier that Russian troops were bombarding the city with shells and rockets. Russia denies targeting civilians. Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 19:40 1649356087
Russian diplomats ‘ordered to leave Montenegro’
Four Russian diplomats have reportedly been ordered to leave Montenegro due to breaches of diplomatic rules. The diplomats have a week to leave the former Yugoslav republic, according to the newspaper Pobjeda – citing sources from the Montenegrin Foreign Ministry. Montenegro has already deported a Russian diplomat in March, again citing breaches of diplomatic rules. Northern Macedonia and Slovenia, former Yugoslav republics and members of NATO, also deported several Russian diplomats. Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 19:28 1649354616
“Twenty-six corpses under two buildings in the Borodianka city of Kiev”
Authorities in Ukraine have found 26 bodies under two damaged buildings in the city of Borodyanka in the Kiev region. Ukraine’s Attorney General Iryna Venediktova, in a televised address, did not say whether the authorities had established the cause of death. Archive photo of destroyed buildings in Borodianka, northwest of Kiev (Nicolas Garcia / AFP via Getty Images) He accused the Russian troops of carrying out air raids on the city before capturing it. “Borodianka is the worst in terms of disaster and uncertainty about (the number of) victims,” Ms Venediktova said. The Russians deny that they targeted civilians. Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 19:03 1649353207
Russia calls the suspension by the UN Human Rights Council “illegal.”
Russia has decided to suspend its membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council following its suspension. He said the current vote by UN member states on its suspension by the Council was illegal and politically motivated. (John Minchillo / AP) This was reported by the RIA news agency, which referred to Gennady Kuzmin, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN. The UN General Assembly voted to suspend Russia’s participation in the Council by 93 votes to 24, with 58 countries abstaining. Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 18:40 1649352007
Ukraine “uses people as a shield,” said a Kremlin spokesman
In an interview with Sky News, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said that the Ukrainian army was using “people as a shield”. Dmitry Peshkov also described the scenes of destruction from the city of Bukha in the province of Kiev as “fabricated and fake”. Interviewer Mark Austin asked him, “Do you understand how grotesque this sounds?” The ruined city of Bucha (EPA) The Sky News presenter also asked the Kremlin official “how do you sleep at night” about the number of victims in Ukraine. Mr Peshkov said: “It’s not for me to sleep at night, really. These are Ukrainian military and Ukrainian personnel trying to use civilians as a shield. They are covered with citizens and do not let them leave the city “. Archive photo of Dmitry Peshkov (AP) Peshkov also claimed that Kremlin forces “never bombed political objects” during the invasion, adding: “They were simply aiming and using high-precision missiles to attack military infrastructure in Ukraine.” Mr Peshkov also said the besieged Black Sea port city of Mariupol would be “liberated from nationalist battalions”. He added: “And we hope it will happen sooner rather than later in the business.” Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 18:20 1649350807
“Most Reliable Reports of Rape and Torture by Russian Troops” – USA
“There are more credible reports that Russian soldiers tortured, raped and killed people in Ukraine,” the United States said. This was stated by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who was speaking to reporters at NATO, after a meeting with foreign ministers. Antony Blinken, central, arrives for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers (Virginia Mayo / AP) He said Washington would not allow anything to stand in the way of sending the weapons it needs to Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The United States is “maintaining and strengthening pressure on the Kremlin and its neighbors,” Blinken said. Lamiat Sabin7 April 2022 18:00
