A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia’s 24 February invasion. Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing the 62-year-old man in the northeastern Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on 28 February after being ordered to shoot at him from a car.
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko has said that Moscow would be prepared to go back to peace negotiations when the leadership in Kyiv demonstrates “a constructive response”.
Ukraine has said it will not agree to any ceasefire deal that would involve handing over territory to Russia, as Moscow intensified its attack in the eastern Donbas region. “The war must end with the complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” said Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last night that 50 to 100 Ukrainians were dying every day on the war’s eastern front in what appeared to be a reference to military casualties. The heaviest fighting is focused around the twin cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in Luhansk, one of the two regions that make up the Donbas. Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Luhansk, said in a local television interview that Russia was using “scorched-earth” tactics in the region.
Donetsk’s self-proclaimed separatist leader Denis Pushilin has said that “The prisoners from Azovstal are being held on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic. Organising an international tribunal on the republic’s territory is also planned.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia was concerned by the trial of a Russian serviceman in Kyiv charged with war crimes, adding that it could not defend his interests in person.
Peskov also warned that Russian soldiers would have to be alert to “terrorist attacks” after the Russian-appointed mayor of the occupied city of Enerhodar in southern Ukraine was injured in an explosion on Sunday. Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that Andrey Shevchik was in intensive care.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for “maximum sanctions” against Russia in an address to the World Economic Forum in Davos. He proposed a full oil embargo and cutting off all of Russia’s banks from the international monetary system.
Zelenskiy suggested the rebuilding could be partly funded by finding Russian assets hidden overseas, freezing them, and allocating them to a special fund to help those hurt by the war.
Russia’s death toll from its war on Ukraine is akin to the losses suffered in its war in Afghanistan, the UK Ministry of Defence has said. In the first three months since Russia invaded Ukraine, it is likely to have suffered a similar death toll to that experienced by the Soviet Union during its nine year war in Afghanistan, the MoD claimed.
Russia is “concentrating its efforts” on assaults on the eastern Ukrainian city of Siverodonetsk and the nearby town of Toshkivka, the Ukrainian military has said in its latest operational report.
A Russian diplomat has resigned from his position in the United Nations, saying he has “never been so ashamed” of his country and condemning Vladimir Putin for his “aggressive war” against Ukraine.
Belarus’s army has begun checking its weaponry and logistics equipment to make sure they are combat-ready, its ministry of defence said, Reuters reports. In a statement, it said the army was carrying out checks on equipment in long-term storage. “The inspection will determine the condition of the equipment and its readiness to carry out its tasks,” it said.
Lithuania has called for a naval coalition “of the willing” to lift the Russian Black Sea blockade on Ukrainian grain exports. The Lithuanian foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, proposed the plan during talks with the UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, on Monday in London.
A bid by Ukraine to join the European Union would not be finalised for “15 or 20 years”, France’s Europe minister said. “We have to be honest. If you say Ukraine is going to join the EU in six months, or a year or two, you’re lying,” Clément Beaune said. “It’s probably in 15 or 20 years. It takes a long time.”
Zelenskiy has extended Ukraine’s martial law for three months through to 23 August. Ukraine’s parliament also banned the symbols “Z” and “V”, used by Russia’s military to promote its war in Ukraine, but agreed to Zelenskiy’s call to allow their use for educational or historic purposes.
Olena Zelenska has given a rare interview with Zelenskiy, only their second public appearance together since Russia launched its invasion. She recounts the “anxiety and stupor” she felt on 24 February, and says that even though she has barely seen her husband since, “no one, not even the war, could take him away” from her.
The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, spoke with Zelenskiy on Sunday evening about Russia’s blockade of Odesa, Ukraine’s largest shipping port. The blockade of Ukraine’s ports has been a growing concern for world leaders as many continue to warn about global food security, in particular for developing countries.
Technicians linked to the Syrian military’s infamous barrel bombs that have wreaked devastation across much of the country have been deployed to Russia to help potentially prepare for a similar campaign in the Ukraine war, European officials believe. Intelligence officers say more than 50 specialists have been in Russia for several weeks working alongside officials from president Vladimir Putin’s military.
Polish president Andrzej Duda became the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament in person since the invasion began, backing Ukraine’s stance on territorial concessions and warning the international community that ceding any territory to Russia would be a “huge blow” to the entire west.
YouTube has taken down more than 70,000 videos and 9,000 channels related to the war in Ukraine for violating content guidelines, including removal of videos that referred to the invasion as a “liberation mission”.
New Zealand will deploy another 30 defence force troops to the UK, to help train 230 Ukrainian soldiers in using a howitzer gun. The government will also provide 40 gun sights and a small quantity of ammunition for training purposes.
