Day 420 of the Invasion of Ukraine: All EU countries must Comply with Putin's Arrest Warrant

Ukraine | April 19, 2023, Wednesday // 10:28|  views

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Day 420 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

  • EC: All EU countries must comply with Putin's arrest warrant
  • Russian drones have struck Ukraine's Odesa region
  • ISW: Putin is trying to build a general image ahead of the expected Ukrainian offensive
  • The US has brought charges against Americans and Russians who worked for Moscow
  • Inspections of the ships with which Ukraine exports grain have been resumed
  • Pictures from a Danish boat showed that Russian ships passed near the Nord Stream before the explosions
  • Moscow called on Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba for support in the war against Ukraine
  • The agreement between Poland and Ukraine on the transit of Ukrainian grain enters into force on Friday
  • MEPs call on Russians to resist the regime
  • Advisor to Zelensky: Russia wants the war to end soon? Then leave our territory
  • Sabalenka: Lukashenko's comments do not help me
  • New low: Russian occupiers steal tombstones


EC: All EU countries must comply with Putin's arrest warrant

The countries that have recognized the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, including and all EU member states are obliged to comply with the issued warrant for the arrest and surrender to the court of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was said by the European Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova in front of the plenary hall of the European Parliament in Strasbourg at a debate dedicated to the abduction of Ukrainian children in Russia.

The court's chief prosecutor Karim Khan's arrest warrant for Putin and children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova was issued at the end of March for child abduction and is for life. Moscow has said it does not recognize the Hague court's jurisdiction and will not comply with it. European Commissioner Jourova reported that according to data from the National Information Bureau of Ukraine as of last Friday, there are about 16,000 kidnapped Ukrainian children:

"Adoption as a result of illegal abduction is a crime and cannot be tolerated. The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Russia, as well as the independent Dozhd TV, have also identified Ukrainian orphans in Russian orphanages. In some of them, the children are subjected to the so-called 'military-patriotic training'".

Most MEPs urged member states to comply with the International Criminal Court's order, and to consider sanctions against third countries that refuse to do so.

Hungary has already said that Putin will not be arrested if he sets foot on its territory. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, on the other hand, refused to answer directly whether Bulgaria would detain him if he arrived on a visit to our country.

Russian drones have struck Ukraine's Odesa region

Russian drones struck the southern part of Ukraine's Odesa region overnight, the head of the Odesa region military command, Yury Kruk, said. No casualties reported.

Ukrainian air defense shot down several Russian drones over the Zaporizhzhia region late last night. The fighting near Bakhmut is also fierce. The commander of Ukraine's ground forces, General Oleksandr Sirsky, said the Russian army was reducing the city to rubble by subjecting its defenders to increasing artillery and airstrikes. The Ukrainian troops hold the western neighborhoods and do not allow themselves to be surrounded. In his traditional late video address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that yesterday's Russian strikes on Kherson and Donetsk region will receive a tangible response. One person was killed and 9 were injured when the Russian artillery shelled in Kherson.

Zelensky also announced that in a telephone conversation with the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the US Congress, Kevin McCarthy, he discussed Ukraine's need for weapons, as well as the strengthening of sanctions pressure on Russia. So far, Congress has approved billions of dollars in humanitarian, economic and defense aid to Ukraine.

Three months after Germany promised to supply Kyiv with Patriot missiles, the air defense system is now in Ukraine. This was reported by the German government, and the information was also confirmed by Kyiv. The United States and the Netherlands have also pledged Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

Egyptian officials have abandoned plans to supply missiles to Russia, agreeing instead with the United States to supply ammunition to Ukraine. This was claimed in a publication by the "Washington Post", referring to the leaked secret documents of the Pentagon. In one of them, from mid-February, it revealed a secret scheme by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to deliver 40,000 missiles to Russia. He ordered his subordinates to keep the delivery secret to avoid trouble with the West.

South Korea may expand its support for Ukraine beyond humanitarian and economic aid if it comes under a large-scale civilian attack, President Yoon Suk-yeol said, signaling for the first time a shift in its stance against arming Ukraine.

ISW: Putin is trying to build a general image ahead of the expected Ukrainian offensive

Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to show himself as a general in anticipation of the planned Ukrainian counter-offensive during his visit to the occupied Kherson and Luhansk regions, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) commented on Tuesday's footage of the Russian autocrat's visit to the front.

On April 18, the Kremlin announced that Putin had visited the headquarters of Russia's Dnipro Group of Forces in Kherson Oblast and the headquarters of the Vostok National Guard in the occupied Luhansk Oblast. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin visited the occupied territories on April 17. This, however, is out of step with the published excerpts, where Putin however states that the Orthodox holiday of Easter is "coming up", suggesting that his visit took place before April 16. The Kremlin later edited the video and cut Putin's reference to Easter as an upcoming holiday.

To the extent that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did visit the front line in Avdiivka on Tuesday, it is possible that the Kremlin is deliberately releasing footage of Putin's visit to overshadow Zelensky's visit in the information space. ISW has already reported on Russian military bloggers who criticized Russian officials for failing to visit the front lines like Zelensky. On March 19, Putin visited occupied Mariupol to improve his image as a general. Russian occupation officials and military bloggers boasted at the time that the Kremlin mastermind had boosted the morale of Russian troops preparing to repel Ukrainian counteroffensives. Geolocated footage shows Putin visiting the Arabat Spit in the southwestern part of Kherson Oblast - at least 130 kilometers from the nearest front line. There have also been speculative comments about the fact that doppelgangers of the Russian president were used for the visits - both the one in Mariupol and now, the last one, as opposition Russian analysts and publicists in Ukraine draw attention to the fact that in the Kremlin and even at the Easter service no one gets physically close to Putin, while during his visits to the front he is surrounded by crowds of "random" people.

Putin's visit, according to ISW, is likely aimed at publicly selecting potential scapegoats ahead of planned Ukrainian counter-offensives. Putin received briefings from the commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, Colonel General Mikhail Teplinski, the commander of the Dnipro Group of Forces, Colonel General Oleg Makarevich, and other unnamed military commanders on the situation on the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia front lines. He also met with Colonel General Alexander Lapin and other unnamed senior officers to discuss the situation on the front line in Luhansk. Putin probably deliberately named Teplinski and Makarevich as commanders in charge of southern Ukraine, and Lapin as the commander overseeing the Luhansk direction - these will also be the scapegoats if the Ukrainian counter-offensive is successful.

Putin's demonstration meetings with Teplinski, Makarevich and Lapin likely confirm another change in the military command and possibly in the Kremlin's inner circle. A Kremlin-linked military blogger noted that Russian Chief of General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu did not attend Putin's meetings in occupied Ukraine. The author claims that Teplinski and Lapin - both of whom were reportedly placed on leave - returned to the Russian military command, possibly against the will of Gerasimov and Shoigu. Russian sources previously claimed that the Kremlin replaced the Wagner-linked Teplinski with Makarevich as Airborne Forces commander on January 13, possibly after the Russian MoD and Gerasimov regained Putin's favor in the run-up to Russia's failed winter-spring offensive in Donbas. The meeting confirms Yevgeny Prigozhin's hints about Teplinski's reappointment. ISW previously assessed that the confirmed reassignment of Teplinski suggested that the Kremlin was likely looking to work with Wagner to achieve a decisive victory in Bakhmut. The confirmation may further indicate that Prigozhin at least partially regained Putin's favor by defeating Gerasimov and Shoigu's efforts to eliminate Wagner at Bakhmut.

Putin may at the same time be trying to balance Wagner's influence by reassigning Lapin to command the Luhansk sector of the front line. A military correspondent close to the Kremlin claimed that Lapin had assumed the role of commander of the Vostok National Guard formation and noted that the Putin-Lapin meeting confirmed Lapin's return to the front line. Prigozhin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov successfully campaigned to remove Lapin from his position as commander of the Center group of Russian forces, possibly due to personal conflicts during the offensive operations in Severodonetsk-Lysychansk and Luhansk in the summer of 2022.

The US has brought charges against Americans and Russians who worked for Moscow

The US Justice Department announced it has filed new charges against four Americans and three Russians they say worked for Moscow to conduct a years-long malicious campaign of foreign influence in the United States, Reuters reported.

The agency announced yesterday that it had filed new charges against Muscovite Alexander Viktorovich Ionov and added Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers Aleksey Borisovich Sukhodolov and Yegor Sergeevich Popov to the accused in the case.

In July 2022, Ionov was indicted on charges of organizing an election influence campaign using political groups in Florida, Georgia and California. The US Department of Justice claimed that it was intended "to create the impression that the American public supports the annexation of territories in Ukraine". In turn, Ionov defined the accusations against him as "nonsense".

Charges were also filed against four Florida residents involved in several political groups, including the African People's Socialist Party, the department said. It added that Yonov allegedly recruited them "to participate in the influence campaign and to act as agents of Russia in the United States."

Additionally, in a separate case in Washington, Russian national Natalia Burlinova was charged with "conspiring with an FSB officer to act as an illegal agent of Russia in the United States," the Justice Department said in a statement. The agency alleges that Burlinova tried to recruit US academics and researchers to travel to Russia on a Moscow-funded program "dedicated to the promotion of Russian national interests."

Inspections of the ships with which Ukraine exports grain have been resumed

Inspections of the ships with which Ukraine exports grain through the Black Sea have been resumed after Russia blocked the process in Turkish waters in the last two days. Ukraine warned earlier that the grain deal was at risk of being suspended.

The UN, with whose mediation the deal was reached in the summer, as well as Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, confirmed that the export of grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea has resumed. The Minister of Agriculture Mykola Solski announced that negotiations are underway for the future of the agreement, and believes that they need time. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will discuss the deal with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres next week in New York. The agreement expires on May 18. Moscow has already warned that the prospects for an extension are "not particularly good".

Pictures from a Danish boat showed that Russian ships passed near the Nord Stream before the explosions

A Danish Coast Guard cutter took 112 photos of Russian ships sailing near the Nord Stream gas pipelines, four days before the explosions on the pipelines, reports the Danish newspaper "Dagbladet Information", quoted by DPA and BTA.

The publication has approached the Danish defense headquarters with a request to check the files, said German media outlet t-online.de, which first reported the news.

The newspaper "Dagbladet Information" noted that it requested access "to the photos and videos of the Russian ships taken by the Danish Coast Guard cutter P526 Nymphen on September 22, 2022."

However, the publication has not been granted access to the files because of the official investigation being conducted by the authorities into the case of the explosions. However, the newspaper received a response to its inquiry that "112 photographs and no video footage have been identified".

At the end of September 2022, a total of four leaks were discovered on the Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2 gas pipelines, caused by explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.

Authorities suspect it was sabotage, but it is still unclear who was responsible for the blasts. Germany, Sweden and Denmark have launched investigations into the case.

Moscow called on Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba for support in the war against Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba to support Moscow in the war against Ukraine.

"You chose to go your own way," Lavrov said in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas during his tour of Latin America. We must unite our forces against the pressure of the West, Lavrov urged.

After talks with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, the two pledged that their countries would continue to provide mutual support and condemned the economic sanctions imposed on their countries by the US government.

The agreement between Poland and Ukraine on the transit of Ukrainian grain enters into force on Friday

Poland and Ukraine reached an agreement on the transit of Ukrainian grain through their territory. The decision comes into effect from Friday, announced the Polish Minister of Agriculture, Robert Telus.

From Monday, Poland and Hungary imposed a ban on the import of grain and food products. Slovakia followed suit, with the embargo taking effect from today. Only Warsaw initially banned transit as well.

Pressure is mounting on the European Commission to find a solution to protect farmers in Central and Eastern Europe due to imports of cheap Ukrainian grain undercutting their prices.

Immediately after the ban, Kyiv and Warsaw began negotiations, with Ukraine declaring that opening transit routes through the country was a priority.

"Immediately after the borders were closed, and even before that, we were negotiating with the Ukrainian side to continue transit through Poland, but with 100 percent guarantees that these products, especially grain, would not be stored here. I am satisfied that it was it is possible to agree on such a mechanism that will guarantee that not a single ton of grain will be left in Poland", said Robert Telus - Minister of Agriculture of Poland.

"As a result of the negotiations, which lasted two days, we decided that the transit through Poland will be allowed from Friday. The Polish side informed us about the technical aspects of the transit of Ukrainian goods through its territory. We are convinced that the Ukrainian exporters will fulfill the requirements responsibly" , said Yulia Svyrydenko - Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine.

MEPs call on Russians to resist the regime

The European Parliament "calls on the Russian people to prevent the continued commission of atrocious crimes by their country's political and military leadership, which is waging an illegal war of aggression against Ukraine solely to support the survival of its own criminal regime and destroy the prospects for a peaceful and prosperous future for the Russian people".

The call is contained in the text of a draft resolution by Socialist MEPs Pedro Marques from Portugal and Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz from Poland.

Five out of a total of 7 political groups in the European Parliament submitted their texts for a draft resolution dedicated to repression in Russia, especially the cases of convicted dissidents Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza. Only the far-right group Identity and Democracy (ID) and the radical left did not.

Two Bulgarian representatives are among the importers. Ilhan Kyuchyuk from DPS participated in the drafting of the text of the liberal group "Renew Europe" (OE), and Angel Djambazki from IMRO - of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR).

Navalny faces a new sentence that could reach 35 years in prison. Kara-Murza was sentenced on Monday to 25 years in prison.

The EP accepted the request for an extraordinary debate on the subject this evening in Strasbourg. And tomorrow the resolution will be voted on.

All texts call for the immediate release of Navalny, Kara-Murza, as well as all those convicted for political reasons.

Liberals and conservatives are pushing for tough measures under the EU's Global Sanctions Regime for human rights abuses against those responsible for arbitrary trials, arrests and torture. EP adds that some of the people connected with the trial against Kara-Murza were involved in the murder of the lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009, and two of them in the poisoning of Navalny in 2020.

Meanwhile, conservatives have welcomed Alexei Navalny's recent apology for his stance on the Russian-Georgian conflict in 2008. The group is calling on the dissident to distance himself from Russia's imperialist policies, which he has supported in previous speeches.

The Greens/European Free Alliance (EFA) group is calling on member states to provide humanitarian visas and other support to Russian dissidents threatened with political persecution. Diplomats from the EU and from member state embassies should continue to attend trials against dissidents.

Advisor to Zelensky: Russia wants the war to end soon? Then leave our territory

To end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, Russia must withdraw its troops from its territory. This was announced by the adviser to the head of the office of the Ukrainian president Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview with the YouTube channel "Facts ICTV". He was commenting on a statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said that the Russian Federation is interested in "ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible."

"Isn't it just amazing? We haven't gone anywhere, have we? You want us to end the conflict as soon as possible? You are the only country that started this conflict. And the solution to this conflict is quite simple - withdraw your troops, get them out of Ukraine. And that's it, there is a solution. ‘Soon?’ Remove the troops tomorrow, the day after tomorrow there will be no conflict. Well, there will be some negotiation process, we will talk about something. You will respond in some way, but there will be no conflict," assured Podolyak.

He added that the issue of negotiations can only be discussed taking into account the peace formula of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to Podolyak, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov realizes that "there are no grounds for this conflict, that you came to a sovereign territory, you are torturing it today, and you don't need to go to Brazil to stop all this."

"You want it to stop as soon as possible? Withdraw the troops," emphasized Podolyak.

Sabalenka: Lukashenko's comments do not help me

Aryna Sabalenka said that she cannot control the comments of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko about her, but she thinks that they will bring her even more negativity. Last month, the Belarusian tennis player said she had never faced so much hatred in the dressing room and that the treatment of her had worsened since Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the support of Belarus.

Lukashenko celebrated Sabalenka's title at the Australian Open in January, and recently said people know where she comes from despite playing under a neutral flag because of sanctions.

"I'm sure these comments don't help me. I don't know what to say because he can comment on the game, he can say whatever he wants. I have nothing to do with politics. If Ukrainians hate me more after his speech, what can I do what to do? If I can stop the war, I will, but unfortunately it's not in my hands," Sabalenka said ahead of the tournament in Stuttgart.

She again commented on the attitude towards her from other female tennis players: "There are strange looks at me and yes, probably hatred from some people. But I have not done anything bad to Ukraine and I have not done anything. There are people who do not like me just because I was born in Belarus. It's their decision, I can't control it. But it's not the best feeling to be hated for doing nothing."

In early April, world number one Iga Swiatek stated that there should have been a complete ban on tennis players from Russia and Belarus.

Sabalenka admitted that she tries to stay as far away from the internet as possible to avoid negative comments.

"I'm looking to focus on myself and my game and not get depressed about this situation," Sabalenka added.

New low: Russian occupiers steal tombstones

Russian occupiers are stealing tombstones from cemeteries in the area of the town of Popasna, Luhansk region. Then they sell them in Russia to relatives of Russians who were mobilized and killed in Ukraine.

This was announced by the former chairman of the Luhansk regional administration, Serhiy Haidai, in an interview with the Ukrainian Espresso TV channel, the "Unian" agency reported.

He pointed out that the occupiers do not intend to rebuild the local cities that they themselves destroyed.

"They officially talk about it. Moreover, the Russians managed to outdo themselves. In Popasna, the invaders dismantle cemeteries. In particular, they take tombstones, polish them to remove names, portraits and dates, and then sell them to Russia. They sell them to Russians who are relatives of those mobilized and killed in Ukraine," Haidai stressed.

Novinite is still the only Bulgarian media that publishes a summary of events and highlights related to the conflict, every single day. Our coverage began on day one - 24.02.2022 and will not stop until the war has concluded. Despite the pressure, our independent media will continue to provide its readers with accurate and up-to-date information. Thank you for your support! #stayinformed

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Tags: Ukraine, Russia, Putin, Zelensky

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