Ukraine says Russia is stealing grain, which could worsen food crisis
Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have taken vast stores of grain from Ukraine and exported them to Russia, exacerbating the risk of shortages and hunger in areas under Russian control.
Farmers in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces reported that the Russians were “stealing their grain en masse,” according to a statement released over the weekend by Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi said on Ukrainian television last week that he had heard a surge of accounts from elevator operators about Russians seizing grain in recent weeks in occupied areas.
“This is outright robbery,” he said, warning that the behavior could cause a food crisis.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have taken vast stores of grain from Ukraine and exported them to Russia, exacerbating the risk of shortages and hunger in areas under Russian control.
Farmers in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces reported that the Russians were “stealing their grain en masse,” according to a statement released over the weekend by Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi said on Ukrainian television last week that he had heard a surge of accounts from elevator operators about Russians seizing grain in recent weeks in occupied areas.
“This is outright robbery,” he said, warning that the behavior could cause a food crisis.
Read the full story here.
Putin apologizes to Israel for Hitler comments as Zelensky slams Nazi rhetoric
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a rare apology on Thursday to Israel over recent antisemitic comments from Russia’s foreign minister connecting Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to Judaism, according to the Israeli prime minister.
The reported apology came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using Nazi propaganda and antisemitic tropes to justify the invasion as Russian leaders repeatedly compare Zelensky to Hitler.
During a phone conversation between Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the Russian president apologized for remarks made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who recently dismissed Zelensky’s Jewish faith by claiming that “Hitler also had Jewish blood” — a discredited antisemitic claim.
Read the full story here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a rare apology on Thursday to Israel over recent antisemitic comments from Russia’s foreign minister connecting Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to Judaism, according to the Israeli prime minister.
The reported apology came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using Nazi propaganda and antisemitic tropes to justify the invasion as Russian leaders repeatedly compare Zelensky to Hitler.
During a phone conversation between Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the Russian president apologized for remarks made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who recently dismissed Zelensky’s Jewish faith by claiming that “Hitler also had Jewish blood” — a discredited antisemitic claim.
Read the full story here.
Oligarch’s effort to broker peace falters even as it shields him from sanctions
As hundreds of Ukrainians faced annihilation in an encircled steel plant, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich sent word last month that he had achieved a possible breakthrough.
The billionaire and would-be peace broker told officials in Ukraine that he had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in mid-April and “reached an understanding” that would allow wounded soldiers and civilians — children among them — to leave the besieged mill in Mariupol, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
But when Ukrainian officials sought details on how to proceed, they were met by silence from Moscow. Russia continued bombing the Azovstal plant without any letup until the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross brokered a separate commitment from Putin to allow some civilians to be evacuated this week, officials said.
Read the full story here.
As hundreds of Ukrainians faced annihilation in an encircled steel plant, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich sent word last month that he had achieved a possible breakthrough.
The billionaire and would-be peace broker told officials in Ukraine that he had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in mid-April and “reached an understanding” that would allow wounded soldiers and civilians — children among them — to leave the besieged mill in Mariupol, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
But when Ukrainian officials sought details on how to proceed, they were met by silence from Moscow. Russia continued bombing the Azovstal plant without any letup until the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross brokered a separate commitment from Putin to allow some civilians to be evacuated this week, officials said.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine
- Drone footage published Thursday by the right-wing Azov Regiment’s Telegram channel shows multiple explosions at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where heavy fighting has continued.
- European diplomats met Thursday as they continue to negotiate proposals to phase out Russian oil imports.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a rare apology on Thursday to Israel over recent antisemitic comments by Russia’s foreign minister.
- Overnight, Russian forces struck the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, injuring at least 25 civilians and destroying nine homes and a school, according to the regional military chief.
More live updates here.
- Drone footage published Thursday by the right-wing Azov Regiment’s Telegram channel shows multiple explosions at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where heavy fighting has continued.
- European diplomats met Thursday as they continue to negotiate proposals to phase out Russian oil imports.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a rare apology on Thursday to Israel over recent antisemitic comments by Russia’s foreign minister.
- Overnight, Russian forces struck the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, injuring at least 25 civilians and destroying nine homes and a school, according to the regional military chief.
More live updates here.
The U.S. provided intelligence that helped Ukraine sink Russian warship
The United States provided Ukraine with intelligence that helped Kyiv attack and sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, in one of the most dramatic battlefield successes of the 71-day old war, according to people familiar with the matter.
The missile strike by Ukrainian forces in April, an extraordinary embarrassment for the Kremlin that deprived Russia of a key vessel in its military campaign, may not have been possible without the U.S. assistance, these people said, underscoring how deeply Washington has become enmeshed in Ukraine’s fight against Russia. It is unclear how many Russian sailors died in the attack, but U.S. officials believe there were significant casualties.
Despite providing intelligence on the Moskva, the United States had “no prior awareness” of Ukraine’s decision to strike the warship, a U.S. official said.
Read the full story here.
The United States provided Ukraine with intelligence that helped Kyiv attack and sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, in one of the most dramatic battlefield successes of the 71-day old war, according to people familiar with the matter.
The missile strike by Ukrainian forces in April, an extraordinary embarrassment for the Kremlin that deprived Russia of a key vessel in its military campaign, may not have been possible without the U.S. assistance, these people said, underscoring how deeply Washington has become enmeshed in Ukraine’s fight against Russia. It is unclear how many Russian sailors died in the attack, but U.S. officials believe there were significant casualties.
Despite providing intelligence on the Moskva, the United States had “no prior awareness” of Ukraine’s decision to strike the warship, a U.S. official said.
Read the full story here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine.
- Heavy fighting continues at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where Russian forces are intensifying their attack as civilians wait for another evacuation convoy that is aiming to arrive Friday. The U.N. secretary general confirmed that nearly 500 civilians had been evacuated from the plant and its surroundings in recent days.
- The U.S. provided intelligence that helped the Ukrainian military sink Russia’s Moskva warship, U.S. officials told The Post. A U.S. official said the United States did not know of the strike in advance, but said Washington shares maritime information with Ukraine to aid in its defense.
- Ukraine is “putting up a very stiff resistance,” though Russian forces are making incremental progress in Donbas, said the Pentagon spokesman. Ukrainian forces have shifted to counterattacks in Kharkiv and Izyum, while there are heavy clashes in Luhansk, according to Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
More live updates here.
- Heavy fighting continues at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where Russian forces are intensifying their attack as civilians wait for another evacuation convoy that is aiming to arrive Friday. The U.N. secretary general confirmed that nearly 500 civilians had been evacuated from the plant and its surroundings in recent days.
- The U.S. provided intelligence that helped the Ukrainian military sink Russia’s Moskva warship, U.S. officials told The Post. A U.S. official said the United States did not know of the strike in advance, but said Washington shares maritime information with Ukraine to aid in its defense.
- Ukraine is “putting up a very stiff resistance,” though Russian forces are making incremental progress in Donbas, said the Pentagon spokesman. Ukrainian forces have shifted to counterattacks in Kharkiv and Izyum, while there are heavy clashes in Luhansk, according to Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
More live updates here.
A race against time in Ukraine as Russia advances, West sends weapons
A slowly regenerating Russian army is making incremental gains in eastern Ukraine against valiant but underequipped Ukrainian forces. The United States and its allies are racing to deliver the enormous quantities of weaponry the Ukrainians urgently need if they are to hold the Russians at bay.
Both sides are fighting furiously, both sides are suffering heavy casualties, and for both sides it has become a race against time.
If the Ukrainians can hold out long enough for the new weaponry to arrive, there is a good chance they can not only reverse Russia’s gains but inflict a decisive defeat that could inhibit Russian ambitions in Europe for years, analysts and U.S. and Western officials say.
The Russians are under pressure to make gains before the new weapons arrive and before their own exhausted troops and depleted armor reach the limits of their capacity to advance.
Read the full story here.
A slowly regenerating Russian army is making incremental gains in eastern Ukraine against valiant but underequipped Ukrainian forces. The United States and its allies are racing to deliver the enormous quantities of weaponry the Ukrainians urgently need if they are to hold the Russians at bay.
Both sides are fighting furiously, both sides are suffering heavy casualties, and for both sides it has become a race against time.
If the Ukrainians can hold out long enough for the new weaponry to arrive, there is a good chance they can not only reverse Russia’s gains but inflict a decisive defeat that could inhibit Russian ambitions in Europe for years, analysts and U.S. and Western officials say.
The Russians are under pressure to make gains before the new weapons arrive and before their own exhausted troops and depleted armor reach the limits of their capacity to advance.
Read the full story here.
Video shows Russian ‘filtration camp,’ Mariupol mayor’s office says
Video released by the office of the Mariupol mayor on Thursday claimed to show the inside of a Russian “filtration camp.”
The three clips — released on Telegram — were filmed inside a school in the Ukrainian village of Bezimenne, east of Mariupol, according to geolocation by The Washington Post. The school is on the coast of the Sea of Azov, which is briefly shown in one of the videos.
Men forcibly taken from Mariupol “were placed in the school in Bezimenne village,” according to the accompanying Telegram post, and denied medical assistance. Russian soldiers frequently threaten the detainees with torture and executions, it continued.
The mayor’s office also said people were forbidden from bringing personal belongings and their identification papers were confiscated. Instead, they received “filtration” papers, officials said.
Read the full story here.
Video released by the office of the Mariupol mayor on Thursday claimed to show the inside of a Russian “filtration camp.”
The three clips — released on Telegram — were filmed inside a school in the Ukrainian village of Bezimenne, east of Mariupol, according to geolocation by The Washington Post. The school is on the coast of the Sea of Azov, which is briefly shown in one of the videos.
Men forcibly taken from Mariupol “were placed in the school in Bezimenne village,” according to the accompanying Telegram post, and denied medical assistance. Russian soldiers frequently threaten the detainees with torture and executions, it continued.
The mayor’s office also said people were forbidden from bringing personal belongings and their identification papers were confiscated. Instead, they received “filtration” papers, officials said.
Read the full story here.
In Ukrainian villages, whispers of collaboration with the Russians
IVANIVKA, Ukraine — Olena peered out from her bedroom window to see what looked like her neighbor, a tall man nicknamed Girovka, step out of a car with Russian markings and begin sending flares into the night sky from the side of the road. The next day, Russian tanks and armored vehicles emerged from the woods in a long column, descending on this small village about 60 miles south of the Russian border, along the same road.
Days later, after the Russian retreat from northern and central Ukraine, four investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine filed into 66-year-old Olena’s living room. She told them what she’d seen and showed them the spot where Girovka had stood and fired the flares. Other neighbors told investigators Girovka had been seen walking to and from Ukrainian positions minutes before they were shelled by Russian forces.
No one in the village has seen the neighbor since.
Read the full story here.
IVANIVKA, Ukraine — Olena peered out from her bedroom window to see what looked like her neighbor, a tall man nicknamed Girovka, step out of a car with Russian markings and begin sending flares into the night sky from the side of the road. The next day, Russian tanks and armored vehicles emerged from the woods in a long column, descending on this small village about 60 miles south of the Russian border, along the same road.
Days later, after the Russian retreat from northern and central Ukraine, four investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine filed into 66-year-old Olena’s living room. She told them what she’d seen and showed them the spot where Girovka had stood and fired the flares. Other neighbors told investigators Girovka had been seen walking to and from Ukrainian positions minutes before they were shelled by Russian forces.
No one in the village has seen the neighbor since.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine has accused Russian troops of rape, a tough crime to prosecute
When Russian forces withdrew from the suburbs around Kyiv last month, the horrors they left behind — bodies lying in the streets, signs of summary killings and reports of torture and mass graves — shocked the Western world and led to calls for war crimes investigations.
Then there were the accounts of rape and other sexual violence — at a factory in Bucha, in a basement in Irpin, at gunpoint in a village east of Kyiv.
Rape has long been used by the world’s armies as an instrument of war — to humiliate and terrorize populations or as part of campaigns of ethnic cleansing. It is also a crime under international law and, after decades of advocacy, has formed the basis of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity cases against perpetrators in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
But, experts say, rape is an extremely difficult crime to document and even more challenging to prosecute — namely in times of war.
Read the full story here.
When Russian forces withdrew from the suburbs around Kyiv last month, the horrors they left behind — bodies lying in the streets, signs of summary killings and reports of torture and mass graves — shocked the Western world and led to calls for war crimes investigations.
Then there were the accounts of rape and other sexual violence — at a factory in Bucha, in a basement in Irpin, at gunpoint in a village east of Kyiv.
Rape has long been used by the world’s armies as an instrument of war — to humiliate and terrorize populations or as part of campaigns of ethnic cleansing. It is also a crime under international law and, after decades of advocacy, has formed the basis of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity cases against perpetrators in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
But, experts say, rape is an extremely difficult crime to document and even more challenging to prosecute — namely in times of war.
Read the full story here.
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Russian oligarch’s $300 million yacht seized by Fiji on behalf of U.S.
The $300 million superyacht owned by Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov was seized Thursday by Fijian authorities on behalf of the United States as part of the ongoing efforts to sanction and punish Russia’s elite in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The Justice Department announced that Fiji executed a seizure warrant on the Amadea, a 348-foot-long luxury vessel that authorities say was “subject to forfeiture based on probable cause of violations of U.S. law.”
Kerimov, one of Russia’s wealthiest individuals, who built his fortune in gold mining and is a political ally of President Vladimir Putin’s, has been identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as an official of the government of the Russian Federation and a member of the Russian Federation Council.
Read the full story here.
The $300 million superyacht owned by Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov was seized Thursday by Fijian authorities on behalf of the United States as part of the ongoing efforts to sanction and punish Russia’s elite in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The Justice Department announced that Fiji executed a seizure warrant on the Amadea, a 348-foot-long luxury vessel that authorities say was “subject to forfeiture based on probable cause of violations of U.S. law.”
Kerimov, one of Russia’s wealthiest individuals, who built his fortune in gold mining and is a political ally of President Vladimir Putin’s, has been identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as an official of the government of the Russian Federation and a member of the Russian Federation Council.
Read the full story here.
Russia tightens grip on Mariupol as Ukraine seeks more Western aid
MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — Russian forces appeared to tighten their grip on the southern port city of Mariupol on Thursday, with a senior police official describing “constant” attempts to overrun the last Ukrainian forces holding out at the embattled Azovstal steel plant.
Seizing the plant would give Russia total control of the city — delivering the Kremlin its largest prize in a 10-week-old invasion that has been marked by immense human suffering and logistical failures, and has shifted to focus on eastern Ukraine after attempts to take control elsewhere faltered.
Mykhailo Vershynin, the chief of the Donetsk regional patrol police, said Russian forces had not observed a promised cease-fire in Mariupol, where a slow stream of about 500 evacuations have been reported in recent days.
Read the full story here.
MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — Russian forces appeared to tighten their grip on the southern port city of Mariupol on Thursday, with a senior police official describing “constant” attempts to overrun the last Ukrainian forces holding out at the embattled Azovstal steel plant.
Seizing the plant would give Russia total control of the city — delivering the Kremlin its largest prize in a 10-week-old invasion that has been marked by immense human suffering and logistical failures, and has shifted to focus on eastern Ukraine after attempts to take control elsewhere faltered.
Mykhailo Vershynin, the chief of the Donetsk regional patrol police, said Russian forces had not observed a promised cease-fire in Mariupol, where a slow stream of about 500 evacuations have been reported in recent days.
Read the full story here.
Pentagon sending Ukraine laser-guided rockets, new surveillance drones
The Biden administration in recent weeks has approved the transfer of more commercially available weapons to Ukraine, including for the first time laser-guided rockets that can be fired from helicopters, a senior Pentagon official said Friday.
The 70mm rockets are part of a system that converts low-cost ammunition into precision weapons.
Additionally, the administration has signed contracts to send Puma unmanned aircraft to Ukraine. The hand-launched drones are used primarily for aerial surveillance and are likely to expand Ukraine’s intelligence gathering capabilities.
Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, said in an interview that the Defense Department also has signed a contract worth nearly $18 million to send Ukraine additional Switchblade drones, which are loitering munitions that can be crashed into a target. The Ukrainians have used them to attack armored vehicles and formations of Russian soldiers.
Read the full story here.
The Biden administration in recent weeks has approved the transfer of more commercially available weapons to Ukraine, including for the first time laser-guided rockets that can be fired from helicopters, a senior Pentagon official said Friday.
The 70mm rockets are part of a system that converts low-cost ammunition into precision weapons.
Additionally, the administration has signed contracts to send Puma unmanned aircraft to Ukraine. The hand-launched drones are used primarily for aerial surveillance and are likely to expand Ukraine’s intelligence gathering capabilities.
Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, said in an interview that the Defense Department also has signed a contract worth nearly $18 million to send Ukraine additional Switchblade drones, which are loitering munitions that can be crashed into a target. The Ukrainians have used them to attack armored vehicles and formations of Russian soldiers.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- More than 500,000 Ukrainians have been deported to Russia since the start of the invasion, Zelensky said. “They were forced to go there. Everything is taken away from them. Their documents are taken away, their means of communication are taken away.”
- First lady Jill Biden is visiting Romania and Slovakia this weekend, where she plans to spend Mother’s Day with Ukrainian women.
- European Union ambassadors are debating plans to ban Russian oil imports. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that the proposals would amount to “dropping a nuclear bomb on the Hungarian economy.”
- The United States provided intelligence that helped the Ukrainian military sink the Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea fleet flagship, U.S. officials told The Post, though they insisted Friday that they did not have any involvement in the decision to strike.
More live updates here.
- More than 500,000 Ukrainians have been deported to Russia since the start of the invasion, Zelensky said. “They were forced to go there. Everything is taken away from them. Their documents are taken away, their means of communication are taken away.”
- First lady Jill Biden is visiting Romania and Slovakia this weekend, where she plans to spend Mother’s Day with Ukrainian women.
- European Union ambassadors are debating plans to ban Russian oil imports. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that the proposals would amount to “dropping a nuclear bomb on the Hungarian economy.”
- The United States provided intelligence that helped the Ukrainian military sink the Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea fleet flagship, U.S. officials told The Post, though they insisted Friday that they did not have any involvement in the decision to strike.
More live updates here.
Italy freezes $700-million megayacht linked to Putin
ROME — Italian financial authorities said Friday that they have frozen a $700-million megayacht that has been linked in media reports and by anti-Kremlin groups to Russian President Vladimir Putin. But an element of mystery remains: Italy, in its decree, did not say who the owner might be.
The move comes after Italian investigators had raced to investigate the vessel and prevent it from leaving the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara. The yacht, known as the Scheherazade, had been undergoing repairs since before the Russia-launched war in Ukraine. But earlier this week, it had returned to the water, according to a New York Times reporter who visited the marina, prompting fears the vessel might depart and evade sanctions.
The ship, until the measures imposed Friday evening, would have been free to leave.
Read the full story here.
ROME — Italian financial authorities said Friday that they have frozen a $700-million megayacht that has been linked in media reports and by anti-Kremlin groups to Russian President Vladimir Putin. But an element of mystery remains: Italy, in its decree, did not say who the owner might be.
The move comes after Italian investigators had raced to investigate the vessel and prevent it from leaving the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara. The yacht, known as the Scheherazade, had been undergoing repairs since before the Russia-launched war in Ukraine. But earlier this week, it had returned to the water, according to a New York Times reporter who visited the marina, prompting fears the vessel might depart and evade sanctions.
The ship, until the measures imposed Friday evening, would have been free to leave.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest on key battlegrounds in Ukraine.
Odessa: The region surrounding the port city will be under a curfew from the evening of May 8 until the morning of May 10 out of concern for Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, Ukrainian Col. Maksym Mikhailovich Marchenko said in a video message. Ukrainian officials have raised concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the occasion to declare a formal war with Ukraine.
Mariupol: About 50 people, including children and women, were evacuated Friday from Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in the besieged southern port, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Friday.
Kyiv: There will be increased patrols around the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced in a Telegram post Friday, adding that authorities won’t implement a curfew.
Kharkiv: Ukrainian forces defending this northeastern city have shifted to counterattacks against their Russian enemies, and as a result, are retaking territory.
More live updates here.
Odessa: The region surrounding the port city will be under a curfew from the evening of May 8 until the morning of May 10 out of concern for Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, Ukrainian Col. Maksym Mikhailovich Marchenko said in a video message. Ukrainian officials have raised concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the occasion to declare a formal war with Ukraine.
Mariupol: About 50 people, including children and women, were evacuated Friday from Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in the besieged southern port, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Friday.
Kyiv: There will be increased patrols around the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced in a Telegram post Friday, adding that authorities won’t implement a curfew.
Kharkiv: Ukrainian forces defending this northeastern city have shifted to counterattacks against their Russian enemies, and as a result, are retaking territory.
More live updates here.