The shelling killed civilians, damaged residential buildings and downed power lines in nine regions of Ukraine on Thursday, the country’s presidential office said.
At least four people were killed and 10 more injured in 24 hours as blasts rocked towns, authorities said, including the oft-targeted Mykolaiv and Nikopol, which is close to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia.
The shelling killed five civilians and wounded six others in the eastern city of Donetsk, Russian-backed local authorities said. Separatist officials blamed Ukrainian forces for the shelling, which Ukrainian officials denied. Mandatory evacuations in Donetsk province began on Wednesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram, when the first evacuation train arrived in Kropyvnytskyi.
Around 50 residential buildings were damaged by Russian rockets in Nikopol, located across the river from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russian troops earlier in the war. The shells also hit power lines, leaving residents without power, Ukrainian officials said.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Associated Press this week that the power plant is “completely out of control” and urged Russia and Ukraine to allow experts to assess the situation.
“All nuclear security principles have been violated,” Grossi said. “What is at stake is extremely serious and extremely serious and dangerous.”
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latest developments
►A ship that Ukraine says is carrying 10,000 tons of grain stolen by Russia has left a Lebanese port following an investigation, Lebanon’s transport minister said on Thursday. The departure of the Laodicea, which is likely to anger Ukraine, comes as a ship carrying grain from Ukraine sails for Lebanon, the first ship to leave Ukrainian Black Sea ports since the war began.
►US intelligence officials say Russia is working to plant false evidence to blame Ukrainian forces for the Olenivka prison attack that left 53 dead and dozens wounded, the Associated Press reported.
►The US Senate delivered near-unanimous bipartisan approval of NATO membership for Finland and Sweden on Wednesday, voting 95-1 in favor of the bid from two Nordic nations that, until Russia’s war against Ukraine, they had long eschewed military alliances.
Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison
WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony on Thursday in her cannabis possession case.
Griner, 31, who pleaded guilty weeks ago, apologized to his family and wife. “I made an honest mistake, and I hope his ruling doesn’t end my life here,” Griner said, addressing the judge.
Griner was arrested in Russia on February 17 after vape cans containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, but her arrest was not made public until nearly three weeks after it happened.
President Joe Biden issued a statement condemning Griner’s detention, saying, “It is unacceptable and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends and teammates. My administration will continue to working tirelessly.” and pursue every avenue possible to get Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”
Amnesty International says Ukraine endangers civilians
Ukrainian forces have violated international law by establishing bases and operating weapons systems in populated residential areas, turning civilian areas into military targets, Amnesty International said in a report on Thursday.
The human rights organization’s investigators found evidence that Ukrainian forces took over buildings such as schools and hospitals in 19 towns and villages, exposing populated areas to Russian attacks that killed civilians and destroyed infrastructure.
However, in cities like Kharkiv, Amnesty International found that Russia had illegally targeted civilian areas and committed war crimes. Ukraine’s use of civilian areas as military bases “in no way justifies” Russia’s use of indiscriminate weapons such as internationally banned cluster munitions, the organization said.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak criticized the report, saying the only threat to the Ukrainians is the Russian army.
Russian and pro-Kremlin state media widely quoted the report, which to some extent aligns with the official Moscow narrative.
“We are talking about it all the time, calling the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces tactics of using the civilian population as a ‘human shield,'” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram. .
WHATS NEXT:Brittney Griner Convicted on Drug Charges, Sentenced to Nine Years in Russian Prison
Now that the trial is over, negotiations to free Griner are expected to continue between the US and Russia despite high tensions between the countries.
The US State Department said last week it had proposed a “substantial offer” to secure the release of Griner and Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia on espionage charges.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Russia made a “bad faith” counteroffer. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for “discreet” talks, accusing the United States of “megaphone diplomacy” that will not move negotiations forward.
‘For America’s benefit’: Rare near-unanimity in NATO Senate vote
In an equally divided and polarized US Senate where so much legislation is going to die, near-unanimous support for any measure is cause for amazement and even celebration.
And indeed, the often antagonistic parties were merry Wednesday night after a 95-1 vote in favor of supporting NATO membership for Sweden and Finland, two Nordic countries that had remained militarily non-aligned. for decades until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed its stance. .
“This historic vote sends an important signal of America’s sustained, bipartisan commitment to NATO and to ensuring that our Alliance is prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke frequently of the modernized and well-funded armies of Sweden and Finland and his experience working with US forces and weapons systems.
McConnell, a longtime NATO supporter, went so far as to assure Finnish President Sauli Niinisto that the Senate would quickly ratify Finland’s membership to encourage him to run, even though the Kentucky Republican no longer leads the majority in the upper house. .
McConnell pressed his caucus for strong support (only Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri voted against it), emphasizing that the US leadership role globally “is important not only militarily, but also commercially, everything which is good for this country. This is not a charity that we are involved with here. This is for the benefit of the United States.”
Contributor: Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
