Live Updates | The UN blames Russia for most of the civilian casualties
BERLIN – The UN chief human rights officer says his office has found that Russian forces and related armed groups are responsible for most of the civilian casualties during the war in Ukraine.
Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said the “majority” of civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons, including heavy artillery, multi-shot missile systems and missile and air strikes.
“To our knowledge, while such incidents can be blamed on both parties to the conflict, most of these victims appear to be due to the Russian armed forces and related armed groups,” Bachelet said at a special session of the Human Rights Council on Thursday.
Ukraine and its supporters pressed for a special session of the 47-member body. The Geneva Council was due to vote on a resolution reiterating its call for an “immediate cessation of military hostilities against Ukraine”.
Last month, the UN General Assembly voted to remove Russia from the Human Rights Council, the UN’s highest human rights body, over allegations by Russian forces.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
– Finnish leaders supports the application for NATO membership
– ′ This tears through my soul ‘: Ukrainian boy and murder
– Protesters are raging french company To stay in Russia
– Ukrainian circus enters the city and remains in the middle of the war in Italy
Follow all the AP stories about the Russian war against Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
NICOSIA, Cyprus – Ukrainian human rights activist says LGBTQ people in his country are “resisting” Russian invasion and many have joined the Ukrainian army to block Russian troops.
Olena Shevchenko told a European forum in Cyprus via video link that LGBTQ support groups in Ukraine have also joined in providing humanitarian assistance to all those affected or fleeing the fighting.
Shevchenko criticized the European Union’s statements on safeguarding the continent’s values in the face of war, saying words should be translated into action and, in particular, material help, such as food and medicine for those most in need.
Triantafillos Loukarelis, chairman of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion, said his organization had informed the authorities of the countries hosting the Ukrainian refugees that they were vigilant against the possibility of human trafficking, especially LGBTQs.
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MOSCOW – A senior Russian official says the threat of fighting in Ukraine is escalating into a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
Dmitry Medvedev, vice-chairman of Russia’s security council, led by President Vladimir Putin, said on Thursday that growing Western arms supplies to Ukraine and the training of its forces had “increased the likelihood that the ongoing mediation war would turn into an open and direct conflict between NATO and Russia.”
He added that “there is always a danger that such a conflict will turn into a full-blown nuclear war, a scenario that is catastrophic for everyone.”
Medvedev, who served as Russia’s placeholder president from 2008 to 2012 as Putin took office as prime minister, has become increasingly fragile in his statements in recent months.
In a comment to the messaging app, Medvedev urged the United States and its allies to consider the possible consequences of their actions and “not to suffocate in their own saliva on the paroxysms of Russophobia.”
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LONDON – The British army says Ukraine has taken over several cities and villages in the north-east of the country from Russian troops.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Russia’s concentration in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine has left its remaining forces around the city of Kharkov “vulnerable to the effects of the moving and highly motivated Ukrainian counter-offensive forces.”
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, has suffered heavy Russian bombing during the war as Russia seeks to besiege it. But the UK said in an intelligence update on social media that “it is said to have pulled units out of the area to reorganize and replenish its forces after major losses”.
It said the withdrawal was “a tacit acknowledgment of Russia’s inability to conquer important Ukrainian cities, where they expected limited opposition from the population.”
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HELSINKI – The President and Prime Minister of Finland say they support applying for NATO membership, which will pave the way for the Alliance’s expansion in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The announcement made by President Sauli Niinisö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Thursday means that Finland is practically certain to apply for NATO membership, although there are still a few steps to begin with the application process.
Neighboring Sweden is expected to decide to join NATO in the coming days.
In a joint statement, Niinisto and Marin said: “As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defense alliance.”
They said that Finland should apply for NATO membership without delay and adding: “We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken quickly in the coming days.”
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President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed Russia’s determination to deprive separatist-held territories of Ukraine in a congratulatory message to the head of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
Russia supported the separatists for years and recognized them as independent on the eve of the Ukrainian invasion.
In a statement issued by the Kremlin on Thursday, Putin said: “I am confident that through our joint efforts, we will defend the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Luhansk Republic.”
Meanwhile, Leonid Pasechnik, head of the self-proclaimed republic of Luhansk, said on Thursday that it would never return to control of Ukraine and that most of its inhabitants wanted it to become part of Russia.
Russian immigration authorities also said 15,000 people had traveled from Ukraine’s Donbass region to Russia’s Rostov region during the day, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. The number could not be verified and the conditions for crossings were unclear.
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KYIV, UKRAINE – Ukrainian army says Russian troops continue airstrikes on Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol and put pressure on cities in eastern Ukraine.
In its operative statement on the 78th day of the war, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army says that Russian forces have also fired artillery and grenade launchers at Ukrainian forces in the direction of Zaporizhia, a refuge for civilians fleeing Mariupol.
It did not deal with the latest activities around Azovstal.
The army says Russian troops also fired artillery at Ukrainian units north of the city of Kharkov in the northeast, and reported Russian attacks in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions in the north.
In the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, where fighting has continued since the start of the war, the Ukrainian army noted “partial success” in Russia’s progress. It said Ukrainian forces repulsed nine Russian invasions and destroyed several drones and military vehicles. The data could not be verified independently.
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KYIV, Ukraine – An adviser to the mayor of Mariupol said on Wednesday that Russian forces had blocked all evacuation routes from the city.
Adviser Petro Andriushchenko said that there are few apartment buildings suitable for housing after weeks of bombing and very little food or drinking water.
Andriushchenko said some of the residents who remained in the city were cooperating with the Russian occupying forces in exchange for food.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, says Ukraine has offered to release Russian prisoners of war if Russia allows the evacuation of seriously injured fighters from the Mariupol steel plant.
Russian forces have besieged the factory, Ukraine’s last stronghold in the southern port city of resistance.
Vereshchuk said no agreement has been reached, but negotiations are ongoing. Fighters trapped in the factory have refused to surrender to the Russians and have said they fear being tortured or killed.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said the ban on the United States and its allies from selling semiconductors and other technology to Russia would seriously affect Russia’s ability to manufacture munitions.
“We have reports from Ukrainians that when they find Russian equipment, military equipment in the country, it’s full of semiconductors they took from dishwashers and refrigerators,” Raimondo said at a Senate hearing on Wednesday, adding that he met a few weeks ago. With the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
Raimondo said the production of two Russian tanks has been closed and many of its car manufacturers have laid off workers and shut down operations.
“And so the point is that we have a very serious impact,” he said. “What we need to do to continue this is implementation, implementation, implementation.”
Raimondo said U.S. technology exports to Russia have fallen by nearly 70% since the end of February, when the Biden administration, in cooperation with European and Asian allies, imposed sanctions and export restrictions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
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WASHINGTON – According to some lawmakers, the final approval of Congress for the $ 40 billion Ukrainian aid law looks certain in a few days.
Senate top Republicans said Wednesday they expect strong support from the GOP for a measure approved by the House of Representatives. It is a sign of mutual, increased commitment to help prevent a bloody attack on Russia.
In a video speech Wednesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would receive more weapons and equipment from the aid law and help investigate war crimes in Russia.
The bill would also help regional allies, complement the Pentagon’s arms supplies abroad, and provide $ 5 billion in global food shortages due to Ukraine’s normally strong production of many crops caused by the war.
The new measure includes $ 6 billion for the arming and training of Ukrainian troops, $ 8.7 billion for the return of U.S. weapons stockpiles sent to Ukraine, and $ 3.9 billion for U.S. troops deployed to the region.
In addition, Ukraine will receive $ 8.8 billion in financial assistance, $ 4 billion to help Ukraine and its allies finance the acquisition of arms and supplies, and $ 900 million in housing, education, and other assistance to Ukrainian refugees in the United States.
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BERLIN – The UN nuclear agency says it is once again receiving remote information from the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine after the interruption caused by the Russian occupation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency announced late Wednesday that data transfer had resumed following a visit by its inspectors and technicians in April following the withdrawal of Russian troops.
The agency said it is the first time in two months that it has received remote information from all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and spent fuel depots where monitoring systems are in place.
Its chief, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said this was “a very important step for the IAEA to continue to take safeguard measures in Ukraine.”
However, Grossi warned that the on-site inspection of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant “remains challenging due to the presence of Russian forces and Rosatom personnel” and called the situation “sustainable”.
Grossi said he had proposed an expert visit to Zaporizhzhya “after the necessary negotiations and as soon as possible.”