April 17, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Ukraine news?here?or read through the updates below.

The US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution Monday that condemns and holds Russia accountable for its aggression in downing a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea in March.?

The vote was 410-0.

For context: A Russian fighter jet?forced down a US Air Force drone?over the Black Sea on March 14 after damaging the propeller of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone, according to the US military.

The Reaper drone and two Russian Su-27 aircraft were flying over international waters over the Black Sea when one of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel on the unmanned drone several times, a statement from US European Command said.

This screengrab shows two Russians claiming to be former Wagner commanders.

Two Russian men who claim to be former Wagner Group commanders have told a human rights activist that they killed children and civilians during their time in Ukraine. The claims were made in video interviews with Gulagu.net, the founder of a human rights organization targeting corruption and torture in Russia.

In the video interviews posted online, former Russian convicts Azamat Uldarov and Alexey Savichev — who were both pardoned by Russian presidential decrees last year, according to Gulagu.net — describe their actions in Ukraine. CNN cannot independently verify their claims or identities in the videos but has obtained Russian penal documents showing they were released on presidential pardon in September and August of 2022.

Uldarov, who appears to have been drinking, details how he shot and killed a 5 or 6-year-old girl. He called it: “A management decision. I wasn’t allowed to let anyone out alive, because my command was to kill anything in my way.”

According to Gulagu.net, the testimonies were given to founder Vladimir Osechkin over the span of a week. It said Uldarov and Savichev were in Russia when they spoke.

?Describing his motivation for the interview:

?Uldarov said in the cities of Soledar and Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, Wagner mercenaries “were given the command to annihilate everyone.”

At one point in the interview, Savichev described how they “got the order to execute any men who were 15 years or older,” and getting orders to “sweep” a house.

“It doesn’t matter whether there is a civilian there or not. The house needs to be swept. I didn’t give a f**k who was inside,” he said.

Savichev described how Wagner fighters who did not follow orders were killed.

When asked?about the men and the contents of the 1.17-hour-long video, Prigozhin said he had not yet had the “technical ability to watch the entire video.”?Prigozhin shared this Q&A from an interview he did with the Russian online newspaper Mash.

However, he added, in his response on Telegram: “Regarding the execution of children, of course, no one ever shoots civilians or children, absolutely no one needs this. We came there to save them from the regime they were under.”

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, tweeted Monday: “Russian terrorists confessed to numerous murders of Ukrainian children in Bakhmut and Soledar. Confession is not enough. There must be a punishment. Tough and fair. And it will definitely be. How many more crimes like these have been committed?”

A Ukrainian serviceman operates a drone to spot Russian positions near the city of Bakhmut, on Sunday.

Heavy fighting is ongoing in and around the contentious eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, said the Ukrainian military’s General Staff.

Moscow is interested in ending the conflict in Ukraine?“as soon as possible,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after meeting with Brazil’s foreign minister.

Here’s what else to know:

The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich is shown in this undated photo.

The White House wants for more frequent and routine access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan?Gershkovich in Russia, following US Ambassador Lynne Tracy’s visit to see him earlier Monday.?

Tracy wrote in a tweet that she had visited Gershkovich – designated?by the US?as wrongfully detained –?at Lefortovo Prison, marking “the first time we’ve been permitted access to him since his wrongful detention more than two weeks ago.”??

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said the US is “certainly grateful” for consular access to the journalist.

“As I think you saw from the embassy in Moscow, he appears to be in good health. And considering the circumstances, in relatively good spirits,” he said.

Kirby told reporters that the administration wants “to have regular and routine ability” for consular access “to see Evan and to talk to Evan.”?

UK officials are investigating the possibility of sanctioning everyone involved in the trial of British-Russian Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell told said Monday.

Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison after he publicly criticized the Ukraine war.

Mitchell was speaking in the House of Commons after the Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Alicia Kearns asked an urgent question on the sentencing, calling it a “farce.”

British nationals are “not safe anymore to remain in Russia,” Kearns said.

The frontman of Russian punk band Naiv, Alexander Ivanov, spoke out in support of schoolgirl Masha Moskalyov, who drew an anti-war picture at school, at a concert in Moscow on Saturday.

Masha Moskalyova had been briefly placed in an orphanage after her father, Alexey Moskalyov, who was raising Masha alone, was charged with “discrediting the Russian military” for expressing anti-war sentiments?

Wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with her name, Ivanov said, “Friends, I’m seizing this opportunity. I can’t let it pass me by.”

More on the case: In April 2022, Masha drew a picture of Russian missiles being fired at a Ukrainian family and wrote “No to war” and “Glory to Ukraine” during her art class, according to the Russian independent news outlet, Mediazona. Her school subsequently called the police.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, speaks during a joint press conference with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira, right, at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia on April 17.

Russia is “interested” in ending the conflict in Ukraine “as soon as possible,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday during a news conference with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira in Brasilia.?

Lavrov also thanked his Brazilian colleagues for the “excellent understanding” of the situation in Ukraine, and said Russia is grateful for Brazil’s “desire to contribute” to the search for possible solutions.

The Russian foreign minister is also expected to meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva today, according to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry’s schedule published online.

Ukraine has repeatedly said that peace in the conflict will only be achieved if Russia restores the country’s borders and Kyiv takes back Crimea.

“Real peace means restoring the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine. Real peace means a safe homeland for the targeted people in the Ukrainian Crimea,” Ukrainain Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba?said in an address last week to the Black Sea Security Conference in Bucharest.

“I reiterated Brazil’s stance in contributing to a peaceful solution to the conflict, reminding President Lula’s manifestations in seeking the formation of a group of friendly countries to mediate the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine,” Vieira said in a televised press conference.?

Vieira also highlighted Brazil’s stance against unilateral sanctions.

“Such measures, in addition to having the approval of the security council of the United Nations, also have a negative impact on the economy all over the world, and in particular in underdeveloped countries, most of whom haven’t fully recovered from the pandemic,” Vieira said.?

A Ukrainian service member is seen in a trench at a position on a front line near the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on April 10.

There are several significant takeaways from the?leaked US documents?about the course of the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian ground forces in the country are approaching exhaustion and there are few reinforcements available. Ukrainian air defenses are depleted, making any counteroffensive vulnerable to Russian air superiority.

And the United States does not expect the war to end this year.

The 53 documents reviewed by CNN provide a snapshot of capabilities and vulnerabilities as perceived by the US Defense Department in the first quarter of this year.

Snapshots are inherently risky: Circumstances change, as do resources and intentions. But the documents tend to confirm that Ukrainian forces are preparing for an offensive and that Russia is putting extensive effort into holding what it already has, while looking to aviation to blunt any Ukrainian attacks.

And if the Russians were unaware of the way the Ukrainian military would design its counteroffensive, the documents may have given them some useful indicators.

Russian brigades mauled: Several of the documents, which appear to date largely from February and March, tend to confirm that Russia has committed the vast majority of its army battalions to its war on in Ukraine. Despite the mobilization last autumn, which potentially added 300,000 soldiers to the Russian ranks, a significant minority of these battalions are described as “combat ineffective” — short of men and equipment.

One document says that 527 out of 544 available Russian battalions are committed to the operation, and 474 are already inside Ukraine. A substantial number are deployed in the south of the country — with an estimated 23,000 personnel in Zaporizhzhia and another 15,000 in Kherson. That suggests the Russians expect any Ukrainian offensive to target that region.

But in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, for example, 19 out of 91 battalions were adjudged as “combat ineffective.”

Russia still has vast inventories of hardware, but the documents suggest that some of the best has already been lost, and older, less reliable armor is being dusted off. One says that Russia continued to fall behind stated goals for replenishing equipment and personnel, and was incorporating “older, less accurate munitions systems.”

Open skies: While Ukraine’s ground forces may be in better shape than the enemy’s, especially once 12 new brigades?mentioned in one leak?are fully trained and equipped, its reliance on Soviet-era air defenses points to a growing vulnerability, according to the documents obtained by CNN. This in turn may give the Russian air force freedom of the skies to blunt any Ukrainian ground offensive.

One of the leaked documents detailed how Ukrainian stocks of Soviet-era medium-range air defense missiles were severely depleted. Ominously, it suggested that Ukraine had run out of munitions for the highly capable German-made Iris-T air defense system by February.

Ukrainian officials are constantly asking Western partners for more air defense weaponry and one document talks of a three- to six-month window in which to solicit further Western contributions.

Read more of the analysis.

Vladimir Kara-Murza stands inside an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on April 17.

A lawyer for jailed Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza has warned of his deteriorating health, in comments outside court following his sentencing on Monday.?

“Now, while he was already in custody, a number of symptoms associated with numbness of limbs and nerve failure have worsened,” she said.?

Eismont said Kara-Murza was first diagnosed with polyneuropathy – a condition that develops when nerves in the body’s extremities are damaged – when he was taken for an examination to a civilian hospital in Moscow at the end of March.?

According to Eismont, the results of the examination showed serious problems with the nerves in both his legs and one arm.?

“The diagnosis of polyneuropathy is on the list of diseases that prevent serving a sentence,” she said.?

Last month, Kara-Murza could not be taken to the courthouse from the pre-trial detention center due to his deteriorating health, according to a Facebook post from another lawyer in his legal team, Vadim Prokhorov. Prokhorov said that the opposition politician’s health has significantly deteriorated.

Some context: The Moscow City Court on Monday sentenced Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison in the case of treason, discrediting the army and participating in the activities of an undesirable organization.

In addition to the jail time, he was sentenced to restriction of movement for six months after his release, banned from working in journalism for seven years after release and ordered to pay a fine of 400,000 roubles (roughly $5,000).?

An oil tanker is moored at the Sheskharis complex, part of Chernomortransneft JSC, a subsidiary of Transneft PJSC, in Novorossiysk, Russia, in 2022.

Russia’s?oil exports?have bounced back to levels last seen before it invaded Ukraine, despite a barrage of?Western sanctions.

Moscow’s exports of crude oil and oil products rose in March to their highest level since April 2020, jumping by 600,000 barrels a day, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly oil report Friday. The rise lifted Russia’s estimated revenue from oil exports to $12.7 billion last month.

The revenue is still down 43% from a year ago, the IEA said, as Russia is forced to sell its barrels to a more limited pool of customers who can negotiate greater discounts.

Some background: Western countries have imposed a raft of sanctions on Moscow’s energy exports since President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in February last year. The most significant is a ban on Russian?seaborne crude imports?into the European Union and a?ban on refined oil products?such as diesel?into the bloc.

But Russia, the world’s second-largest exporter of crude, has found willing buyers in?China and India?to replace European customers.

Read more about this here.

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny appears on screen via a video link from prison during a court hearing on May 26, 2021.

Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has strongly condemned the 25-year prison sentence handed Monday to fellow Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, describing it as “shameless” and “simply fascist.”

Navalny said he believed the verdict was politically motivated and expressed support for Kara-Murza and his family.

He also expressed deep concern about Kara-Murza’s health.

“The term that he [Vladimir Kara-Murza] received is revenge for the fact that he did not die at one time, having survived 2 poisonings, which were apparently committed, and this has already been proven, by the FSB of Russia,” he added.

Russian authorities have disputed Russia’s involvement in those incidents.

Reporter for U.S. newspaper The Wall Street Journal Evan?Gershkovich?appears in an undated handout image.

US Ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, on Monday visited detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the US embassy said on Twitter.

“He is in good health and remains strong. We reiterate our call for his immediate release,” the post said.

The US designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained earlier this month, which gives further backing to the assertions by the US government and the Wall Street Journal that the espionage charges against the reporter are baseless. It will also empower the Biden administration to explore avenues?such as a prisoner swap to try to secure Gershkovich’s release.

See the embassy’s tweet:

Smoke rises above the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine, in this drone footage obtained from a handout video released on April 15.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has said that “assault detachments” have captured two districts in the center and northwest of the embattled city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

The defense ministry provided no further details on the locations. CNN cannot independently verify the claim.

It comes after the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said that “the enemy launched unsuccessful attacks in the vicinities of Khromove and Ivanivs’ke,” suburbs to the west and southwest of Bakhmut, respectively.

In the update on Monday morning the General Staff also said that “heavy fighting is ongoing in Bakhmut.”

Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza sits on a bench inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at the Basmanny court in Moscow, Russia, on October 10, 2022.

The United States and France have added to the chorus of international condemnation following Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza’s 25-year prison sentence on Monday.

“Mr. Kara-Murza?is yet another target of the Russian government’s escalating campaign of repression,” US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement.?

And the French Foreign Ministry said France is “dismayed” by Kara-Murza’s sentencing at a Moscow court on Monday, calling it “a new illustration of the campaign of repression led by the Russian authorities against voices critical of the power and its war of aggression against Ukraine.”

“It is concerned by the instrumentalization of the Russian justice system, which has become a tool of oppression for the Kremlin,” it added in a statement.

The Foreign Ministry also said it was concerned about Kara-Murza’s health due to detention conditions.

“France calls on Russia to respect international human rights law, to release the political prisoners and to drop the legal proceedings against them,” reads the statement.

“We salute the courage of women and men like Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alexei Navalny and so many others who defend freedom of speech and opinion despite the risks involved.”

Last week, jailed opposition figure Navalny’s team revealed he had been experiencing severe stomach issues amid fears that he may have been slowly poisoned.

“Last week,?Navalny?has been suffering from stomach pain so acute that prison officials were forced to call an ambulance to treat him,” the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) said Friday on Twitter.

More on Western nations condemning Kara-Murza’s conviction: Norway’s foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt condemned in the “strongest terms” the “politically motivated” sentencing of Kara-Murza.

Austria is “deeply alarmed” by the “deteriorating” human rights situation in Russia, Austria’s Foreign Ministry?tweeted?on Monday

“We strongly condemn the politically motivated 25-year sentence of @vkaramurza?& call for his immediate & unconditional release. The repression of the Russian civil society must stop,” the tweet reads.

CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite contributed to this post.

Ukraine has accused Moscow of threatening the United Nations-brokered Grain Initiative, saying inspections of ships in Turkish territorial waters have been blocked for the second time.

Inspections were blocked Monday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement.

“As a result, for the second time in 9 months of operation of the Grain Initiative, an inspection plan has not been drawn up, and not a single vessel has been inspected. This threatens the functioning of the Grain Initiative.”

The ministry said Russia had been unilaterally registering vessels submitted by Ukraine and had been choosing vessels from the line at their own discretion, a move Kyiv considered to be “unacceptable” and in contradiction of the agreement.

“Since April 2023, Russian representatives of the JCC [Joint Coordination Centre] have been trying to interfere in the activities of Ukrainian ports and exporters by imposing their own criteria for determining specific vessels that will participate in the initiative,” the ministry said.

The JCC facilitates the functioning of the grain initiative and includes representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN.

“Ukraine categorically rejects Russia’s latest demands and opposes its interference in the operation of Ukrainian ports. We hope that the UN partners and Turkey can still ensure that all parties in the JCC comply with the procedures that have worked for 9 months.”

For its part, Russia has maintained its position and says prospects for the extension of the grain deal have not been improving.

“[Prospects] are still not so rosy,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the likelihood of the current deal being extended.

“Unfortunately, the situation with the improvement of the state of affairs in the second part of these agreements still does not improve,” he added.

Evgenia Kara-Murza speaks to journalists in Vienna, Austria, on September 20.

The wife of Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza has praised his “courage” after he was sentenced to 25 years in prison after condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“A quarter century - that is a “5+” for your courage, consistency and honesty in your many years of work,” said Evgenia Kara-Murza on Twitter. “I am eternally proud of you, my dear, and I am always with you.”

A 5+ is comparable to an A+ in the Russian educational system.

Kara-Murza, a prominent British-Russian human rights advocate and Kremlin critic, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Moscow City Court on Monday.

The United States, United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union have all condemned the sentencing, as have Amnesty International and UN human rights chief Volker Turk.

Kara-Murza previously told the court he’s “proud” of the actions which landed him in jail.

“I am in jail for my political views. For speaking up against the war in Ukraine. For years of fighting against Putin’s dictatorship,” he said in his closing statement to the court on April 10.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends the 4th ministerial conference of countries neighboring Afghanistan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on April 14.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday, according to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry’s schedule published online.

Lavrov will first meet with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira at the Palácio do Itamaraty in Brasilia, before a joint press conference.?

After Lavrov’s meetings with Vieira, he will then meet with Lula, according to the schedule.

Some context: On Saturday, Lula said he had discussed the idea of creating a group of countries willing to intervene and mediate further talks between Russia and Ukraine with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

“It is necessary to constitute a group of countries willing to find a way to make peace,”?he said.

Lula?traveled to Beijing on Friday for talks with Xi.?

Vladimir Kara-Murza is seen on a TV screen as he stands in glass cage as he listens to the verdict in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, on April 17.

Prominent?Russian?human rights advocate and Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza has said he’s “proud” of the actions which landed him a 25-year jail sentence.

“Not only do I not repent for any of this – I am proud of it.”

“I stand by every word I have spoken and every accusation that has been levelled against me,” said Kara-Murza.

“And I only blame myself for one thing: That over the years of my political activities, I have not been able to convince enough of my fellow countrymen and politicians in democratic countries of the danger that the current regime in the Kremlin poses to Russia and the world.”

Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years prison on Monday after he publicly condemned the war in Ukraine.

His sentencing has been widely condemned by Western nations and human rights organizations.

He will appeal the sentence, his lawyer told CNN on Monday.

The European Union has strongly condemned the “outrageously harsh” sentencing of Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison, it said in a statement on Monday.

“The European Union stands in solidarity with all those Russians who are prosecuted, imprisoned or intimidated for fighting for human rights, speaking the truth and criticising the regime,” it continued.

“We call on Russia to immediately and unconditionally release all those imprisoned for politically motivated charges,” the EU said.

Western nations, including the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, along with human rights groups, have condemned Kara-Murza’s sentencing.

He will appeal the sentence, his lawyer told CNN on Monday.

The Kremlin has declined to comment on the sentencing.

Kara-Murza was initially detained one year ago, hours after an interview with CNN in which he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “regime of murderers.”

A village in Russia’s Belgorod region, on the border with Ukraine, was struck by Kyiv’s forces overnight, the regional governor has claimed.

“The village of Krasnoye, Shebekinsky urban district [of the Belgorod region], came under the fire by the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a Telegram post Monday.

Local media reported that two drones dropped improvised explosive devices at the local thermal power plants, citing an anonymous source.

Gladkov said there were no casualties, but that a hay store caught fire when a farm was hit.

Ukraine would not confirm its involvement in the incident.

“We will not confirm or deny [Ukraine’s involvement],” a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Andrii Yusov, said in comments broadcast on Ukrainian national television on Monday.

“I think that Russians should get used to the fact that while they are waging an unjust war of aggression, there are no safe places on their territory,” he added.

“The war has already come to the home of every Russo-fascist and every subject of the Russian regime,” he added.

A Russian court sentenced prominent Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison after he criticized the war in Ukraine, sparking criticism from Western allies.

Elsewhere, Russian forces have launched a new wave of attacks in Bakhmut, and Slovakia has joined Poland and Hungary in temporarily banning grain imports from Ukraine amid worries over the effects on national producers.

Here are the latest headlines:

Germany “sharply” condemns the sentencing of British-Russian Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, a government spokesperson said on Monday.

Kara-Murza was sentenced on Monday to 25 years in prison after publicly condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“The trial against Vladimir Kara-Murza shows how the Russian justice system is instrumentalized against him and many of his compatriots and also shows what a shocking extent the repression has reached in Russia in the meantime,” Andrea Sasse told journalists.

“This verdict, like many others, is aimed at the deterrence, exclusion and suppression of any critical voices,” she added.

Sasse also stated that Germany demands the “immediate release of Vladimir Kara-Murza,” and “all other unjustly politically imprisoned people.”

U.S. ambassador to Russia?Lynne?Tracy, center, attends the hearing of the case of Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza in Moscow, Russia, on April 17.

US Ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy has condemned the jailing of Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, saying the criminalization of criticism in Russia is “a sign of weakness, not strength.”

“The court’s decision today to sentence Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison is an attempt to silence dissent in this country. We will continue to call for his release,” Tracy said after the sentencing on Monday. “Criminalization of criticism of government action is a sign of weakness, not strength.”

Tracy said the US would continue to work for a Russia where dissent from the government was allowed.

“We support the right of Mr. Kara-Murza and every Russian to have a voice in the direction of their country,” she said.

“Mr. Kara-Murza and countless other Russians believe in and hope for a Russia where fundamental freedoms are upheld. And we will continue to share those hopes and work for that outcome.”

Amnesty International and UN human rights chief Volker Turk have released statements condemning the sentencing of British-Russian Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza.

He was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Monday after publicly condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Amnesty International has said that it considers Kara-Murza a “prisoner of conscience” as he has been convicted “solely for his political beliefs.”

“The so-called ‘crimes’ Vladimir Kara-Murza was tried for – speaking out against the invasion and advocacy on behalf of victims of human rights violations – are in fact acts of outstanding bravery,” Amnesty International’s Russia director Natalia Zviagina stated.

The group said Kara-Murza?should be “immediately and unconditionally released.”

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Turk issued a statement calling Monday’s sentence a “blow to the rule of law and civic space in the Russian federation.”

“No one should be deprived of their liberty for exercising their human rights, and I call on the Russian authorities to release him without delay.”

Slovakia has temporarily suspended imports of grain from Ukraine, a government spokesperson told CNN on Monday.

The decision was made after Poland and Hungary banned imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine following a surge in cheap goods.

“A working group will meet today to discuss this topic. The result of the meeting will be communicated later,” the spokesperson added.

Some context: Poland announced its ban on Saturday, aiming “to protect the Polish agricultural market against destabilization,” the Polish prime minister’s office said in a statement.??

Ukraine?responded to the move?saying?it?“regrets the decision of its Polish counterparts,” adding it’s ready to cooperate with?Poland in an?investigation of any possible abuses.?

Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy on Sunday announced Budapest would temporarily ban the import of grain, oil seeds and other agricultural products from Ukraine.

When?Russia?invaded?Ukraine?it?blocked ports and sea?routes?used to export Ukrainian grain?to Africa and the Middle East.?Fearing widespread famine,?the European Union lifted duties on?grain?from Ukraine to ease distribution to those global markets.?

Ukrainian?grain?has since flowed into Poland but much of it?has remained in?the country, bringing down the price?and causing Polish farmers to suffer significant financial losses.??

Russian opposition figure Vladimir?Kara-Murza stands behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on April 17.

The UK has condemned the “politically-motivated” sentencing of British-Russian Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza and has summoned the Russian ambassador.

Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Monday after publicly condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“I pay tribute to Mr Kara-Murza and his family, including his wife Evgenia and her unwavering commitment to raising her husband’s cause on the international stage. The UK will continue to support them and to call for Mr Kara-Murza’s immediate release,” Cleverly added.

Kara-Murza was initially detained?one year ago, hours after an interview with CNN in which he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “regime of murderers.”

He will appeal the sentence, his lawyer told CNN on Monday.

A screen set up at a hall of the Moscow City Court shows live feed of the verdict in the case against Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza in Moscow, Russia, on April 17.

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent?Russian?human rights advocate and Kremlin critic, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Moscow City Court on Monday after publicly condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Based on the results of the trial, for Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-Murza, by partial addition of sentences, to be sentenced to a final sentence of imprisonment for a term of 25 years to be served in a strict regime correctional colony. The verdict of the Moscow City Court has not yet entered into force,” a statement from the court read.

Kara-Murza will appeal the sentence, his lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov, told CNN on Monday.

The Kremlin has declined to comment on the sentencing.

“As you know, we never comment on court decisions,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a call with journalists on Monday. “We shall not comment now either.”

Kara-Murza was initially detained?one year ago, hours after an interview with CNN in which he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “regime of murderers.”

Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, center, delivers an opening address before (clockwise) Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the start of the first working session of a G7 Foreign ministers' meeting at the Prince Karuizawa hotel in Karuizawa, Japan, on April 17.

Foreign ministers of the G7 nations “remain committed to intensifying, fully coordinating and enforcing sanctions against Russia,” as well as providing support for Ukraine, according to Japan’s foreign ministry.

G7 foreign ministers gathered Monday in the Japanese town of Karuizawa for three days of meetings ahead of next month’s summit in Hiroshima.?

The group of ministers underscored that Russia “must withdraw all forces and?equipment from Ukraine immediately and unconditionally,” according to a statement published Monday.

It also condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, calling Russia’s “irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric “unacceptable.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting Monday with his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on naval drills currently being held by the Russian Pacific Fleet.

The final stage of the drills will begin Tuesday and include the development of missile strikes with electronic launches, Shoigu told Putin in a video of a meeting between the two released by the Kremlin.

While Russia’s priority is Ukraine, “no-one?canceled?the tasks of developing the fleet,” Putin told Shoigu.?

As part of the drills, strategic missile carriers are expected fly out over the Pacific Ocean and conduct simulated artillery firing at ship groups of a mock enemy, he added.

According to Putin, the first stage of the snap drills in the Pacific Fleet was held “at a very high level,” which often mean he was satisfied with the performance.

Fleet drills near Japan: Warships from the Russian Pacific Fleet began conducting conducting anti-submarine exercises in waters off the country’s far eastern coast, Russia’s Pacific Fleet press service had announced on Thursday morning.

The exercises involved three corvette warships tasked with locating and destroying a mock enemy submarine with the assistance of helicopters in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.?

Tensions between Japan and Russia have been increasing in recent months, fueled by Japan’s support of Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. The drills are taking place month after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kishida has previously spoken out forcefully against Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor, warning last year that “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow.”

A MiG-29 supersonic fighter of Slovak army on April 14, 2005, in Sliac, Slovakia.

Slovakia has completed the transfer of its 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, the country’s Defense Minister, Jaroslav Nad’ said on Monday.?

Slovakia had already announced the transfer of four of the 13 aircraft back in March, after Ukrainian pilots traveled to the country and flew them into Ukraine. The remaining nine aircraft were shipped over land.?

Nad’ went on to say the MiG-29 aircraft will be a significant support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s military aggression.?

Drone footage of?Bakhmut, Ukraine,?in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on April 15, 2023.

Russian forces have launched what the Ukrainian military said were “unsuccessful attacks” against the Bakhmut suburbs, as heavy fighting continues inside the embattled city.?

The move suggests an attempt by Moscow to encircle Ukrainian soldiers within Bakhmut. Despite claims Russian forces are advancing inside the city,?footage geolocated by CNN on Monday shows Ukrainian fighters holding positions in central Bakhmut.?

Ukraine also says it repelled 60 Russian attacks in Bakhmut and Mary’inka over the past 24 hours.

Some context: The eastern city of?Bakhmut?is currently the scene of the fiercest fighting between Russia and Ukraine’s troops. It has been rocked by heavy shelling and dozens of firefights in recent days as both militaries wage street-by-street — and even house-by-house — battle for control of the city, according to Serhii Cherevatyi, of the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

A year ago, Natalia’s life was?upended by war. With her family, she fled the fighting in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Mariupol and crossed into Russia.

From there, she and many other Ukrainians were encouraged by Russian authorities to take a 4,000-mile train journey east to the very edge of Siberia, to a coastal town called Nakhodka on the Sea of Japan, a stone’s throw from North Korea. It’s closer to Alaska than to the front lines.

In the absence of a reliable evacuation corridor to Ukrainian-held territory, going to Russia was the only option for many people in Mariupol at that time. Ukraine describes these refugees as forcibly deported, though Natalia says no one forced her to leave.

No longer a home: Russia has tried several experiments to attract people to its resource-rich far east, including from ex-Soviet states. Now, state programs are being repurposed to accommodate fleeing Ukrainians. Those who agree to go to Russia’s far east are promised a cash payment, housing assistance, Russian citizenship and potentially even free land.

Natalia, who was an office worker in Mariupol, has now found work in a local food-processing plant. She told CNN she’s struggling with the cost of rent. She hopes to find a job that better matches her skills, but for now it’s all she can find. She misses home, but at least the maritime climate reminds her of coastal Mariupol. Her husband and daughter are with her, and she says she has no family remaining in Ukraine.

Russian authorities took her Ukrainian passport and swapped it with a Russian one, Natalia says. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality” and that everyone has a right to leave any country, even their own.

Read the full story here.

The embattled city of?Bakhmut?— currently the scene of the fiercest fighting between Russia and Ukraine’s troops — is reporting bloody street fighting and continuous shelling, according to a Ukrainian army spokesperson.

Here are the latest headlines:

A dump track unloads grain in a granary in the village of Zghurivka, Ukraine, August 9, 2022.

The European Commission denounced a decision by Poland and Hungary to ban imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine.

“Unilateral actions are not acceptable. In such challenging times, it is crucial to coordinate and align all decisions within the EU,” EU Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà told CNN in a statement Sunday.

Podestà said trade policy is an “exclusive competence” issue, referring to the?alliance’s policies?around decisions that must be made as a group, and not by individual member states.

The commission is requesting more information from the involved countries to assess the measures, the spokesperson said.

The bans in question:?On Saturday, Poland banned imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine “to protect the Polish agricultural market against destabilization,” the Polish prime minister’s office said in a statement.??

Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy announced Sunday that Budapest would take similar steps, temporarily banning the import of grain, oil seeds and other agricultural products from Ukraine.

“The government is committed to representing the interests of the Hungarian economic society,” Nagy said in a?Facebook post?Sunday, adding he was taking the step “in the absence of meaningful EU measures.”

What led up to the bans:?When Russia invaded?Ukraine,?it blocked ports and sea routes?used to export?Ukrainian?grain to Africa and the Middle East.?Fearing?widespread famine,?the European Union lifted duties on grain from Ukraine to ease distribution to those global markets.

Ukrainian grain has since flowed into Poland, but much of it?has remained in the country, bringing down the price?and causing Polish farmers to suffer significant financial losses.

That’s spurred protests and calls for the European Commission —?effectively the EU’s cabinet government — to intervene. But the international body only?spurred further anger?when it announced a draft decision to extend duty-free and quota-free imports of Ukrainian grain until June 2024.

CNN’s Mariya Knight and Jonny Hallam contributed to this report.

A view shows a residential building damaged by a Russian military strike in?Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine April 14.

The?death?toll?from Friday’s?Russian missile barrage?on residential buildings in?Sloviansk,?Ukraine, has reached 15, according to?a regional Ukrainian official.

A further?24 people were wounded?in the strikes, up from the previously reported total of 22, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk region’s military administration, said in a?Telegram post?Sunday.

Kyrylenko?said rescuers pulled?five?people, including a 14-year-old girl, from under the rubble. The bodies of 10 of the victims were recovered.

Some context:?The strikes, which?killed a 2-year-old boy, are among the?worst attacks?on Sloviansk since the year began.

At least eight explosions rocked the city Friday afternoon local time, as Russian forces targeted it with S-300 rockets, according to Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Liakh. The strikes hit apartment buildings, houses, administrative buildings and a schoolyard.

In this drone footage smoke is seen in Bakhmut?on April 15.

The embattled city of?Bakhmut?— currently the scene of the fiercest fighting between Russia and Ukraine’s troops — has been rocked by nearly 100 shellings over the last 24 hours, a Ukrainian army spokesperson told CNN.

Some 30 firefights have taken place as both militaries wage street-by-street — and even house-by-house — battle for control of the city, said Serhii Cherevatyi, of the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

New video released by Ukraine’s military illustrates the intensity of the fighting.?

In one, Ukrainian soldiers from the 3rd?Assault Brigade can be seen firing from a position inside a shattered first-floor apartment, its corner entirely blown away.

The constant sound of gunfire exchanges and explosions speaks to what Cherevatyi described yesterday as the “bloodiest of battles,?unprecedented?in recent decades.”

Russia reports gains:?Russia’s Ministry of Defense?claimed Sunday?that Wagner mercenaries have captured two more blocks in the north and the south of Bakhmut, according to RIA Novosti. Units of Russia’s Airborne Forces, the VDV, were providing support, the Defense Ministry added.

CNN is unable to independently verify the report, but the?Institute for the Study of War in Washington, DC,?appeared to?back?up the Russian claims, based on geolocated footage.

Russia targets supply route:?Moscow’s troops launched an assault Saturday on the town of Khromove, which lies along Bakhmut’s main supply route from Chasiv Yar to the west, Cherevatyi said.

Logistics operations were not easy, the spokesperson told CNN, but they continued.?

Russian forces continue to mount heavy attacks on Ukrainian towns and positions in the eastern part of the country, according to new information from a Ukrainian army spokesperson.

The area between Lyman and Kupyansk — which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces six months ago, and constitutes the northernmost stretch of the front line — is under the heaviest fire with 300-400 attacks per day, Serhii Cherevatyi, of the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told CNN.

Ukrainian paratroopers shot down a Russian Su-25 aircraft over the nearby town of Chervonopopivka, Cherevatyi said.

All Russian offensives in the area were unsuccessful Saturday, the Ukrainian military claimed.

Kyiv’s forces also reported Russian mine-laying operations in four eastern locations.