Live blog: Russia's Gazprom halts gas deliveries to Poland, Bulgaria

Russia tells the world not to underestimate the considerable risks of nuclear war and warns conventional Western weapons were legitimate targets in Ukraine, where battles rage on the 62nd day.

Russia warns Britain that if it continued to provoke Ukraine to strike targets in Russia then there would be an immediate "proportional response."
AFP

Russia warns Britain that if it continued to provoke Ukraine to strike targets in Russia then there would be an immediate "proportional response."

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Russia suspending gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria

Officials in Poland and Bulgaria have said that Russia is suspending their countries' natural gas deliveries after they refused to pay for their supplies in Russian rubles.

The governments of the two European Union and NATO members said Russian energy giant Gazprom informed them it was halting the gas supplies starting on Wednesday.

The suspensions would be the first since Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that "unfriendly" foreign buyers would have to pay the state-owned Gazprom in rubles instead of dollars and euros.

UN: Putin agrees to UN, ICRC help for civilian evacuation 

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed "in principle" to UN and International Committee for the Red Cross involvement in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Ukraine's Mariupol, the United Nations said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Follow-on discussions will be held with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Russian Defence Ministry," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement after Putin met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Moscow.

Putin tells UN chief still has 'hope' in Ukraine talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the visiting UN chief that he still had hope for negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Putin also said Russia and Ukraine were continuing their talks in an online format and hoped that the dialogue would yield a positive result.

"Despite the fact that the military operation is ongoing, we still hope that we will be able to reach agreements on the diplomatic track. We are negotiating, we do not reject (talks)," Putin told UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who was visiting Moscow.

US, allies to meet monthly on arming Ukraine: Austin

The United States and its allies will meet once a month to discuss Ukraine's defence needs to battle Russian troops, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said.

"Today's gathering will become a monthly Contact Group on Ukraine's self-defence," Austin said following the first session of a weapons summit. "The Contact Group will be a vehicle for nations of goodwill to intensify our efforts, coordinate our assistance, and focus on winning today's fight and the struggles to come."

Forty nations joined Tuesday's meeting at the Ramstein US airbase in southwestern Germany, including NATO members but also countries such as Israel, Japan and Australia.

Putin not 'serious' about Ukraine diplomacy: Blinken

Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no seriousness about diplomacy to end the Ukraine crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

"We've seen no sign to date that President Putin is serious about meaningful negotiations," Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He also said the United States and Ukraine are "largely aligned" on what Ukraine needs to continue its fight against Russian troops and what Washington can provide.

Russia warns Britain of 'proportional response'

Russia has warned Britain that if it continued to provoke Ukraine to strike targets in Russia then there would be an immediate "proportional response," the RIA news agency has quoted the defence ministry as saying.

The Russian military also warned that it could strike Ukrainian “decision-making centres” in the Ukrainian capital and said wouldn’t be stopped by the possible presence of Western advisers there.

British minister James Heappey has said it was completely legitimate for Ukraine to strike Russian logistics lines and fuel supplies. He acknowledged the weapons the international community was now providing had the range to be used in Russia.

Kiev razes Soviet monument to Ukraine-Russia friendship

Kiev has begun demolishing a monument symbolising historic ties between ex-Soviet Ukraine and Russia, more than two months after Moscow's troops attacked their neighbour.

"We are removing the bronze sculpture of two workers installed in the centre of the capital in 1982 'to commemorate the reunification of Ukraine with Russia'," Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on social media.

Klitschko said a second component of the sculpture would be removed later and the giant arch above the workers would be renamed and illuminated with the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

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The dismantling of the Ukraine-Russia friendship monument began on Tuesday and authorities plan to finish by nightfall.

Ukraine heading for collapse into several states: Putin ally

One of President Vladimir Putin's closest allies has said Ukraine is spiralling towards a collapse into several states because of what he cast as a US attempt to use Kiev to undermine Russia.

"Using their henchmen in Kiev, the Americans, in an attempt to suppress Russia, decided to create an antipode of our country, cynically choosing Ukraine for this, trying to divide essentially a single people," Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia's Security Council, said.

"The result of the policy of the West and the regime in Kiev can only be the disintegration of Ukraine into several states," he said in an interview with the government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Polish media: Russian gas supplies to Poland halted

Russian gas supplies under the Yamal contract to Poland have been halted, Polish private broadcaster Polsat News and the Onet.pl website have reported, citing unnamed sources. PGNiG SA, which buys gas from Gazprom under a long-term contract that expires this year, declined to comment.

Poland has repeatedly said it would not agree to Russia's demand to pay in roubles for gas it buys from Gazprom under new rules Russia announced last month.

Ukraine: No humanitarian corridors as fighting has not halted

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said no humanitarian corridors were operating on Tuesday as there had been no break in the fighting in Ukraine.

TASS: Moldovan region says attacks can be traced to Ukraine

The head of the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria has said attacks on the territory could be traced back to Ukraine, the TASS news agency has reported.

"The traces of these attacks lead to Ukraine", TASS cites Vadim Krasnoselsky, the self-styled president of the breakaway region, as saying. "I assume that those who organised this attack have the purpose of dragging Transnistrian into the conflict."

Transnistrian has been subject to several attacks in the past day, local authorities say, after a military unit was targeted, blasts tore through Transnistrian's state security HQ and two explosions damaged old Soviet-era radio antennae.

Russia trying to 'destabilise' Moldova: Ukraine

Ukraine has accused Russia of trying to create unrest in a Moscow-backed separatist region of ex-Soviet Moldova where recent blasts have raised fears of a spillover of the Ukraine conflict.

"Russia wants to destabilise the Transnistrian region and hints Moldova should wait for 'guests,'" Mykhaylo Podolyak, a Ukraine presidential aide, wrote on Twitter.

"Bad news: if Ukraine falls tomorrow Russian troops will be at Chisinau's gates," Podolyak said, referring to the capital of Moldova. "Good news: Ukraine will definitely ensure strategic security of the region. But we need to work as a team," Podolyak added.

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Russia: Our goals are primarily to protect civilians

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Moscow is ready to cooperate with the United Nations to help civilians in Ukraine, where Russia has been conducting a military operation for over two months.

"Our goals are primarily to protect the civilian population and here we are ready to cooperate with our colleagues from the UN to alleviate the plight of the civilian population," Lavrov said during a press conference with visiting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

But he dismissed Kiev's proposal to hold peace talks in Mariupol and said it was too early to talk about who would mediate any negotiations. He also said Russia was committed to a diplomatic solution via talks on Ukraine. 

UN chief pushes for Ukraine corridors on Moscow visit

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called during a visit to Russia for Moscow and Kiev to work together to set up aid and evacuation corridors in Ukraine. He also called for an independent investigation into "possible war crimes" in Ukraine.

"We urgently need humanitarian corridors that are truly safe and effective," he told a press conference after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"To that end I have proposed the establishment of a humanitarian contact group bringing together the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United Nations to look for opportunities for the opening of safe corridors," he said.

Pentagon: Russia already weakened after conflict in Ukraine

Russia already has a weakened military and is a weakened state after its military campaign in Ukraine, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby has said before a meeting of NATO allies and partners.

"They are a weaker military. They are a weaker state right now they are and again further isolating themselves," Kirby said in an interview with CNN. "We want Russia not to be able to threaten their neighbours again in the future."

"Its economy is in tatters. Its military has been depleted in many ways, not completely, but certainly they have suffered casualties and they have suffered losses in this invasion of Ukraine," he said. Kirby did not give further details on his assessment.

TASS: Russia hits Wikimedia Foundation with additional fine

A Russian court has fined Wikipedia owner Wikimedia Foundation an additional two million roubles ($26,900) after an earlier penalty for not deleting articles Russia has demanded it remove, the TASS news agency reported.

Russia has objected to articles that it says contain inaccurate information about what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

Nearly 5.3 million flee Ukraine conflict as refugees

Nearly 5.3 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia launched its assault two months ago, the United Nations has said, warning that three million more were expected to follow this year.

In total, 5,264,767 people have fled Ukraine as refugees since February 24, according to the latest data from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. That marks an increase of 32,753 over Monday's figure.

UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said the new projection of 8.3 million Ukrainian refugees was a planning figure, and that it was unclear when it would be reached amid a "highly dynamic" situation.

Russian strikes kill 9 in southern, eastern Ukraine

Three people died and seven others were wounded, two of them seriously, in a bombing in the eastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, regional governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on the Telegram messaging service.

Another three bodies were pulled from the rubble of a building in the eastern town of Popasna, Lugansk governor Sergiy Gaiday wrote on Telegram.

Two people were killed and six others wounded in the eastern Donetsk region, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote on Telegram. In Zaporizhzhia, one person was killed and another wounded when missiles hit a business in the southern city.

Germany to authorise tank deliveries to Ukraine

Germany will authorise the delivery of tanks to Ukraine, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht has said, in what would be a clear switch in Berlin's cautious policy on military backing for Kiev.

The government has agreed to sign off the delivery of used Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, Lambrecht told an international meeting of defence ministers at the US Ramstein airbase, according to a copy of her speech seen by AFP.

Forty countries are holding emergency talks at the airbase in southwestern Germany on bolstering the defence capabilities of Ukraine.

Russia expels three Swedish diplomats

Moscow has said it will expel three diplomats from Sweden after Stockholm expelled three Russian diplomats over the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia's foreign ministry said it summoned the Swedish ambassador to Russia and "strongly protested" the expulsion of Russian diplomats and Sweden's "military support to the Kiev regime".

It also accused Sweden of "covering up the crimes of Ukrainian nationalists against the civilian population of Donbass and Ukraine," referring to a region in eastern Ukraine, parts of which are controlled by pro-Russia separatists.

IAEA: Russian takeover of Chernobyl was 'very dangerous'

Russia's temporary takeover of the Chernobyl site was "very, very dangerous" and raised radiation levels but they have now returned to normal, the head of the UN atomic watchdog has said.

"The situation was absolutely abnormal and very, very dangerous," Rafael Grossi said. Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was visiting the site on the 36th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster.

Russian troops took over the site on February 24, the first day of their military campaign against Ukraine, taking Ukrainian soldiers prisoner and detaining civilian staff. The occupation lasted until the end of March and raised global fears of nuclear leaks.

Wimbledon chiefs say 'no viable alternative' to Russia ban

Wimbledon was left with "no viable alternative" to banning Russian and Belarusian players, tournament chiefs at the All England Club have said. The decision was criticised by the ATP, which runs the men's tour, and women's tour organisers the WTA.

But All England Club (AELTC) chairman Ian Hewitt defended the move, saying the decision was made after careful consideration, taking into account UK government guidance. "We have considered at length the options available," he told reporters.

The move means stars such as Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka cannot play at the event, which starts in late June.

Germany aims to replace all Russian oil supplies within days

Russian oil currently accounts for only 12 percent of Germany's supply, Economy Minister Robert Habeck has said, adding that Europe's biggest economy hopes to replace all deliveries of oil from Russia in a matter of days. 

Habeck was speaking to reporters during a visit to Poland for talks about energy security.

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UN chief in Moscow wants Ukraine ceasefire 'as soon as possible'

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said during a visit to Moscow that he was looking to find ways to stop the fighting in Ukraine as quickly as possible.

"We are extremely interested in finding ways in order to create the conditions for effective dialogue, create the conditions for a ceasefire as soon as possible, create the conditions for a peaceful solution," Guterres said at the start of talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Guterres will also meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Refugees fleeing war in Ukraine projected to exceed 8M

The UN refugee agency has projected that the number of people fleeing the war in Ukraine will soar to 8.3 million this year.

“The rapidity with which people are fleeing, we have not seen in recent times,” said UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo at a press conference.

Mantoo said that the number of internally displaced people in Ukraine is 7.7 million, adding to more than 5.2 million fleeing to other countries.

Breakaway Moldovan region raises "terrorist threat level"

The breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria has raised its "terrorist threat level" to red and introduced checkpoints after several blasts in the region, its official news agency said.

The Russia-backed region has been hit by several attacks in the past day, local authorities say, after a military unit was targeted, blasts at Transdniestria's state security HQ and two explosions damaged old Soviet-era radio antennae.

Sixth EU sanctions package against Russia expected soon

A sixth package of European Union sanctions against Russia in response to its offensive on Ukraine is expected "very soon," the bloc's energy policy chief has said.

The exact date of the package is not yet confirmed, and as with the previous rounds of EU sanctions, it would need approval from EU countries, EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson told a news conference in Warsaw.

UN doubles aid appeal for Ukraine to $2.25B

The United Nations has said that the worsening situation in Ukraine forced it to more than double its aid appeal for the war-ravaged country.

"Over $2.25 billion is now required for needs inside Ukraine, more than double of the amount requested ($1.1 billion) when we launched the appeal on 1 March, a few days after the war began," the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement.

Power demand, output in Ukraine drop 40 percent 

Ukraine's electricity demand and generation have fallen by about 40 percent since the beginning of Russia's war against the country, with nuclear output hit the most, according to International Energy Agency's (IEA) Ukraine Real-Time Electricity Data Explorer.

The IEA, which releases real-time electricity data, obtained from the Ukrainian national power company, ENERGO, and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, Entso-e, showed that electricity demand stood at around 18.5 gigawatts (GW) a day before the war on February 23.

With the start of the war, demand showed sustained drops to 11.9 GW on April 23 and 9.75 GW on April 24, marking a decrease of 35.5 percent and 47.5 percent, respectively.

Forty countries meet in Germany on bolstering Ukraine's defence  

Forty countries are holding emergency talks in Germany on bolstering the defence of Ukraine, which the US Pentagon chief believes "can win" against Russia if given the necessary means and backing.

The meeting called by the US at its Ramstein airbase in southwestern Germany is "focused on doing things to generate additional capability and capacity for the Ukrainian forces", said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following his visit Sunday to Kiev.

Just ahead of the talks, Germany, under pressure from the US and allies, signalled that it was ready to authorise the deliveries of Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine, in what would be a major switch in Berlin's cautious policy vis-a-vis defence equipment supply for Kiev.

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Two explosions near western Ukraine border 

Police in the Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria says two explosions on Tuesday morning in a radio facility close to Ukrainian border knocked two powerful antennas out of service.

The incident occurred in the small town of Maiac roughly 12 kilometres west of the border with Ukraine, according to the region’s Interior Ministry.

It comes just a day after several explosions, believed to be caused by rocket-propelled grenades, were reported to hit the Ministry of State Security in the city of Tiraspol, the region’s capital. No one was hurt in the explosions, officials said.

Security meeting in Moldova over blasts in Russia-backed region

The president of ex-Soviet Moldova has convened a meeting of the country's security council after a series of blasts in the Russian-backed separatist Transnistria region.

President Maia Sandu was set to hold a meeting of the country's Supreme Security Council followed by a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, after explosions hit a radio tower and the security ministry in the breakaway region.

Russia and Belarus to hold joint air force drills

Russia and Belarus will hold joint drills of their air forces and air defence forces in Belarus, Minsk's defence ministry has said in a statement.

The drills will take place from April 26 to 29, the ministry said.

Deadly rocket strike on Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia

At least one person has been killed and another wounded in a rocket strike on commercial premises in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia, local authorities said.

The regional administration said two rockets hit the premises and a third rocket exploded before reaching its target.

Bulgarian premier asks public to donate month's salary to Ukraine

 Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov has called upon Bulgarian citizens to donate a month's salary to a fund to purchase weapons for Ukraine.

"I call on every Bulgarian citizen who really wants to help Ukraine to donate a salary like me. Words are easy, deeds are difficult,” Petkov said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Sharing a bank receipt of his donation, he said he has donated a month's salary to the fund.

Russia strikes over 90 targets in Ukraine, killing 500 soldiers

Russia has struck over 90 military targets in Ukraine overnight, killing at least 500 Ukrainian soldiers and destroying dozens of armoured vehicles, artillery and other military equipment, the defence ministry said.

Russia also said it struck two ammunition depots in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region.

Norway to allocate $44M to British-led Ukraine weapons procurement

Norway will allocate $43.7 million (400 million crowns) to a British-led initiative for buying weapons for Ukraine, the Norwegian prime minister has said.

Norway may also make additional direct shipments of weapons to Ukraine on top of those it has already made, Jonas Gahr Stoere told parliament.

Separatist leader: Moscow should launch next campaign phase

The Russian-backed separatist leader of the Ukrainian breakaway region of Donetsk has said that Moscow should launch the next stage of its military campaign in Ukraine after reaching the region's frontiers, RIA news agency quoted him as saying.

Denis Pushilin, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, made the comment on a Russian talk show broadcast online.

UK increases humanitarian aid to Ukraine

The British government has announced an increase in humanitarian supplies for war-torn Ukraine, including ambulances and fire engines.

The government will provide new ambulances and fire engines to Kiev, as well as funds for UK charities working throughout Ukraine.

“We have all been appalled by the abhorrent images of hospitals deliberately targeted by Russia since the invasion began over two months ago,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

EU aims for zero dependence on Russian oil, gas by 2027

The European Union (EU) aims to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas by two-thirds by the end of the year and to zero by the end of 2027, the bloc's Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni told Il Messaggero daily in an interview published on Tuesday.

Gentiloni also told the paper that the EU would cut its own growth estimates for 2022 from a previous target of 4 percent, adding however that it is too early to say if the slowdown will lead to stagnation.

EU will release its Spring Forecast on May 16.

Russian official: Ukraine fires at Russian village

Several buildings have been damaged in the Golovchino village in Russia's Belgorod province which came under fire from Ukraine on Tuesday morning, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on messaging app Telegram without citing evidence.

Hours earlier, Gladkov said at least two people had been hurt in an attack on another village, Zhuravlyovka.

He did not specify whether the two attacks were cases of artillery or mortar shelling or missile strikes.

Spain seizes bank accounts, yachts, properties belonging to Russians

Spanish authorities have frozen 12 bank accounts and funds and seized three yachts and 23 properties belonging to Russian oligarchs since the conflict broke out in Ukraine, the prime minister’s chief of staff has said.

Speaking in the Spanish parliament, Oscar Lopez said the assets have been seized in line with the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russian oligarchs. 

Over the last two months, Spanish authorities have seized the yachts of billionaires Viktor Vekselberg, Alexander Mikheev and Sergey Chemezov.

Britain says Russia tries to encircle Ukraine's positions in east

Russia is probably attempting to encircle heavily fortified Ukrainian positions in the country's east, the British military has said in an update.

Reports say the city of Kreminna has fallen, with heavy fighting in the south of the city of Izium, as Russian forces try to advance towards the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, Britain's defence ministry said on Twitter.

"Ukrainian forces have been preparing defences in Zaporizhzhia in preparation for a potential Russian attack from the south," it added in the regular bulletin.

Six Ukrainian women train to demine their country 

Six Ukrainian women have started demining training in Kosovo to dispose of explosive ordnance in their war-torn country.

They are the first group of Ukrainian deminers to be trained by the MAT Kosovo, part of the Malta-based PCM Group of companies.

Instructors are teaching them how to dispose of unexploded ordnance, such as cluster munitions, minefields, booby traps and other explosive remnants.

For live updates from Monday (April 25), click here

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