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

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.

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”.

• Europe’s army spending grew at a document tempo in 2022, reaching a stage unseen because the chilly warfare following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, world safety researchers stated. The rise in Europe helped world army expenditures attain an eighth straight document at $2.24tn, or 2.2% of the world’s gross home product, in keeping with the Stockholm Worldwide Peace Analysis Institute.

• 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.

• Russia is advising residents to keep away from journey to Canada. Russia cited what it known as quite a few circumstances of discrimination towards its residents, together with bodily violence, its international ministry stated.

• Anti-Kremlin protesters staged a rally in Paris on Sunday, urging the EU to impose sanctions on the socialite spouse of the Russian deputy defence minister, who they accuse of bypassing sanctions. The protesters stated deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov had divorced his spouse Svetlana Maniovich final yr in an effort to allow her to stay a luxurious way of life in France and evade sanctions.

• Russia is interesting for “actual males” in a brand new army recruitment drive. Russia’s defence ministry has launched a significant drive for volunteer recruits, pitching to their masculine satisfaction amid a restricted pool of fighting-age males in Russia, the UK Ministry of Defence says.

• 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.

• Ukrainian international minister Dmytro Kuleba is predicted to vent Kyiv’s frustration over wrangling that’s holding up an EU plan to purchase ammunition to assist Ukraine throughout a video assembly along with his EU counterparts. A landmark deal for EU international locations to collectively purchase artillery shells for Ukraine has not but been applied as a result of disagreements over how a lot of the enterprise has to remain inside Europe.