Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv troops say defensive lines ‘barely exist’ as Putin flaunts captured US tanks
Ukrainian troops are battling to build stronger defences as Russian advances plough through
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Russia has pushed Ukraine onto the back foot on the battlefield as Kyiv grapples with shortages of troops and ammunition.
Outnumbered Ukrainian soldiers are being forced to pull back, one village after another, as intense fighting roils the countryside surrounding Avdiivka nearly three months after the strategic city fell to Russia.
Ukrainian forces are now racing to build more defensive fortifications at places along the around 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.
The sting for Ukraine is sharpened after Russia launched an exhibition on Wednesday which proudly displays over 30 captured military vehicles from Ukraine, including US and UK-made, since the invasion began.
The exhibition was unveiled on Russia’s International Workers’ Day and will be open for a month for visitors.
It comes as a Russian ballistic missile struck a postal depot in the Ukrainian port of Odesa late on Wednesday, injuring 14 people and triggering a large fire, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
Pictures and a video posted online showed flames and billowing clouds of smoke engulfing buildings and firefighters training their hoses on areas still ablaze. Most of the loading area appeared to have been reduced to a shell.
Kremlin calls US accusation of chemical weapons use in Ukraine baseless
The Kremlin on Thursday denied a US accusation that Russian forces in Ukraine had violated an international ban on chemical weapons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow remained bound by its obligations under the treaty that bans chemical weapons.
The United States on Wednesday accused Russia of violating it by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using riot control agents “as a method of warfare” in Ukraine.
AI must not be allowed to control nuclear weapons, US official warns China and Russia
A senior US official urged China and Russia to commit to the understanding that only humans, and not artificial intelligence, will be allowed to make decisions on deployment of nuclear weapons.
Washington has made a “clear and strong commitment” underlining that humans have total control over nuclear weapons, State Department arms control official Paul Dean told an online briefing on Thursday. The UK and France have also followed suit, the official said.
“We would welcome a similar statement by China and the Russian Federation,” Mr Dean, who is the principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence and Stability, said.
AI must not be allowed to control nuclear weapons, US official warns China and Russia
Washington has made ‘strong commitment’ underlining that humans have total control over nuclear weapons, State Department official says
Switzerland says Russia not invited 'at this stage' to Ukraine peace talks
The Swiss government said on Thursday that Russia has not been invited “at this stage” to talks to be held in Switzerland in mid-June aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
“Switzerland is convinced that Russia must be involved in this process,” the Swiss government said in a statement. “A peace process without Russia is not possible.”
Brittney Griner says she thought about killing herself during first few weeks in Russian jail
WNBA star Brittney Griner said she thought about killing herself during her first few weeks in a Russian jail after her 2022 arrest on drug-related charges.
Griner spoke for the first time about her monthslong detention in Russia during an hourlong interview that aired Wednesday night on ABC. Her memoir, “Coming Home,” is set to be released on May 7.
Griner was detained after arriving at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis.
Brittney Griner says she thought about killing herself during first few weeks in Russian jail
WNBA star Brittney Griner says she thought about killing herself during her first few weeks in a Russian jail after her 2022 arrest on drug-related charges
Russia's Gazprom to send 42.4 mcm of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday
Russian energy producer Gazprom said it would send 42.4 million cubic metres (mcm) of natural gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday, in line with the volume sent on Wednesday.
Drone footage shows devastation in Ukrainian city after relentless Russian shelling
Months of relentless Russian artillery pounding have devastated a strategic city in eastern Ukraine. New drone footage shows the remains of the community Chasiv Yar — set amid green fields and woodland - left in rubble. The massive destruction is reminiscent of the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, which Ukraine yielded after months of Russian bombardment and huge losses for both sides. The strategically important city has been under relentless attack by Vladimir Putin’s forces for months. Capturing it would give Russia control of a hilltop from which it can attack other cities that form the backbone of Ukraine’s eastern defenses.
Ukrainian drones target energy infrastructure in Russia's Smolensk region, governor says
Ukrainian drones tried to attack energy infrastructure in Russia‘s Smolensk region, governor Vasily Anokhin said on the Telegram messaging app on Thursday.
He did not say what particular facilities had been targeted, but said emergency workers have been deployed. Many drone attacks in recent months have targeted oil refineries and depots.
US hits China with sweeping sanctions over support for Russia’s war in Ukraine
The US has sanctioned nearly 300 companies and individuals from China, Russia, and several other countries for allegedly supporting Russia’s defence industry and helping it evade American sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
The US Department of the Treasury said on Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on nearly 200 entities and the State Department on more than 80 to “degrade Russia’s ability to sustain its war machine” in Ukraine.
The sanctioned entities, located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, China, Russia, Turkey, the UAE and Slovakia, have allegedly enabled Russia to “acquire desperately needed technology and equipment from abroad”.
US hits China with sweeping sanctions over support for Russia’s war in Ukraine
Washington sanctions nearly 300 companies and individuals from China, Russia, Singapore, UAE and other countries
Russian ballistic missile strike hits Odesa
A Russian ballistic missile struck a postal depot in the Ukrainian port of Odesa late on Wednesday, injuring 14 people and triggering a large fire, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
It was the third missile attack on the city in as many days.
Pictures and a video posted online showed flames and billowing clouds of smoke engulfing buildings and firefighters training their hoses on areas still ablaze. Most of the loading area appeared to have been reduced to a shell.
US accuses Russia of using chemical weapons against Ukrainan troops
The United States accused Russia of violating the global ban on chemical weapons by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops.
Chloropicrin causes severe irritation to the eyes, skin and lungs, and was used in large quantities during World War I, according to the US’s National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety.
In a statement on Wednesday, the State Department said: “The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield.”
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