Russia-Ukraine warfare stay: drone assault on Crimea repelled, Russia says; Moscow threatens to scrap grain deal

AFP has revealed a collection of latest photos by photographer Anatolii Stepanov exhibiting among the destruction contained in the jap metropolis of Bakhmut, over which Ukrainian and Russian forces have been waging a brutal battle for months. Listed below are a pattern:

Ukrainian servicemen stroll between residential buildings broken by shelling Bakhmut. {Photograph}: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Pictures

A destroyed army car in Bakhmut. {Photograph}: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Pictures

Ukrainian servicemen stroll down a avenue in Bakhmut. {Photograph}: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Pictures

A destroyed car close to a residential constructing broken by shelling in Bakhmut. {Photograph}: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Pictures

A Ukrainian soldier walks down a avenue in Bakhmut. {Photograph}: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Pictures

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has threatened to finish the UN-brokered deal permitting the export of Ukrainian grain if the G7 strikes forward with a possible ban on virtually all exports to Russia.

The Group of Seven (G7) international locations are contemplating a near-total ban on exports to Russia, Japan’s Kyodo information company reported final week, citing Japanese authorities sources. Russia has repeatedly threatened to scrap its participation within the grain deal, which is because of expire on 18 Could.

Writing on his Telegram channel Medvedev wrote:

This concept from the idiots on the G7 a few complete ban of exports to our nation by default is gorgeous in that it implies a reciprocal ban on imports from our nation, together with classes of products which are probably the most delicate for the G7.

In such a case, the grain deal – and plenty of different issues that they want – will finish for them.

The G7 is reportedly discussing reversing its sanctions strategy in order that exports to Russia are robotically banned until they’re included on a delegated checklist of merchandise allowed to be shipped to the nation, in keeping with Reuters. Beneath the present framework, items are allowed to be bought to Russia until they’re explicitly black-listed.

Deputy head of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev visits a weapons factory in Tatarstan in March. — Deputy head of Russia’s safety council Dmitry Medvedev (second from proper) visits a weapons manufacturing unit in Tatarstan in March. {Photograph}: Ekaterina Shtukina/SPUTNIK/GOVERNMENT PRESS SERVICE POOL/EPA

Medvedev, a longtime ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, is Putin’s deputy chair on the influential safety council and heads a authorities fee on arms manufacturing for the warfare in Ukraine.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was agreed by Russia and Ukraine final July to assist alleviate a world meals disaster. Moscow says it agreed to increase the deal solely till 18 Could whereas Kyiv and the UN say the deal has one other 60 days to run after then, and are looking for an settlement to make sure it continues.

Ukraine is likely one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat and different grains, together with to the Center East and Asia. Russia’s invasion final yr, nevertheless, disrupted the principle Black Sea export route, pushing up costs of grain-based meals globally.

China’s cooperation with Europe and different nations is “countless” simply as its ties with Russia are “limitless”, China’s envoy to the European Union has stated, in an interview revealed on Monday.

It was unclear when Fu Cong, the Chinese language ambassador to the EU, gave the interview to the Chinese language information outlet The Paper in keeping with Reuters.

However its publication got here simply days after China’s ambassador to France sparked condemnation from Baltic nations Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia when he recommended that they weren’t essentially sovereign states.

Fu Cong, Chinese ambassador to the EU. — Fu Cong, Chinese language ambassador to the EU. {Photograph}: Ng Han Guan/AP

Fu stated:

The European facet ought to appropriately perceive the reference to ‘no higher restrict’. Friendship and cooperation amongst international locations are countless and shouldn’t be artificially restricted. Sino-Russian cooperation is ‘limitless’, and the identical is true for China and Europe.

Fu warned towards “makes an attempt” to make use of Sino-Russian relations to sow discord between China and Europe, rejecting discuss that China had “prior data” of the Ukraine battle or has been supplying weapons.

Final week ambassador Lu Shaye, when requested by a French tv channel whether or not he thought of the peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, a part of Ukraine beneath worldwide regulation, replied:

Even these ex-Soviet Union international locations would not have efficient standing, as we are saying, beneath worldwide regulation as a result of there’s no worldwide accord to concretise their standing as a sovereign nation.

Russia claims drone assault on Crimean port repelled

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet repelled a drone assault on the Crimean port of Sevastopol within the early hours of Monday, the Moscow-installed governor of town has stated on the Telegram messaging app.

“Based on the newest data: one floor drone was destroyed … the second exploded by itself,” governor Mikhail Razvozhaev wrote. “Now town is quiet however all forces and companies stay on alert.” No harm was reported, in keeping with Razvozhaev.

Sevastopol, together with the remainder of the Crimean peninsula, was declared annexed by Russia in 2014 however is internationally recognised as a part of Ukraine. There was no instant response from Ukraine. Kyiv virtually by no means publicly claims accountability for assaults inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

Explosions had been final heard in Sevastopol in February, in keeping with Ukrainian media, when Razvozhaev stated Russian air defences had shot down a drone over the Balaklava Thermal Energy Plant.

Crimea and Sevastopol, house to the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, have been the sire of standard explosions since August.

In October, a blast crippled the closely guarded Kerch bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland, a key logistics hyperlink for Russian troops in southern Ukraine.

The town of Balaklava, Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula. — The city of Balaklava, Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula. {Photograph}: Anadolu Company/Getty Pictures

Opening abstract

Hi there and welcome to the Guardian’s stay protection of the warfare in Ukraine with me, Helen Livingstone. Our prime story right now:

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet repelled a drone assault on the Crimean port of Sevastopol within the early hours of Monday, the Moscow-installed governor of town has stated by means of social media.

“Based on the newest data: one floor drone was destroyed … the second exploded by itself,” governor Mikhail Razvozhaev wrote on the Telegram messaging app in keeping with Reuters. “Now town is quiet.” No harm was reported, Razvozhaev added.

Sevastopol, together with the remainder of the Crimean peninsula, was declared annexed by Russia in 2014 however is internationally recognised as a part of Ukraine. There was no instant response from Ukraine. Kyiv virtually by no means publicly claims accountability for assaults inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

Different key developments:

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stated that if the G7 moved to ban virtually all exports to Russia, Moscow would reply by terminating the Black Sea grain deal that allows important exports of grain from Ukraine. Russia has strongly signalled that it’ll not enable the deal to proceed past 18 Could.
Ukraine’s army has arrange positions on the jap facet of the Dnipro River close to Kherson metropolis, the Institute for the Examine of Battle cites Russian army bloggers as saying. Infiltrating the realm could possibly be a primary step in the direction of attempting to dislodge Russians from positions they’re utilizing to shell and shoot at Kherson.
China’s ambassador to France has sparked anger in jap Europe and Ukraine whereas drawing a rebuke from Paris and the EU after questioning the sovereignty of post-Soviet international locations. Ambassador Lu Shaye recommended international locations that emerged after the autumn of the Soviet Union “don’t have efficient standing beneath worldwide regulation as a result of there’s not a world settlement confirming their standing as sovereign nations”.
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The Russian international minister, Sergei Lavrov, has stated Moscow “won’t forgive” Washington for denying US visas to Russian journalists who had been meant to accompany him on a go to to UN headquarters. “We gained’t neglect, we won’t forgive this,” he stated. Russia took up the presidency of the 15-member safety council in April.
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Russia’s defence ministry claims it has captured one other three districts within the western a part of Bakhmut in jap Ukraine. Troops who’ve continued into the closely contested metropolis are considered a part of the Wagner group of mercenaries.
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