Russia has called on North Korea to fuel its brutal war in Ukraine from a deal that would see Moscow exchange food for weapons, the White House said.
Desperate Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is reportedly in a deal with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un, as the Kremlin seeks allies among so-called “rogue” nations.
“Under this proposed deal, Russia would obtain more than two dozen weapons and ammunition from Pyongyang,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday, The Guardian reports.
“We also perceive that Russia will send a delegation to North Korea and that Russia will provide food to North Korea in exchange for munitions. “
This comes as Ukraine marks one year since the discovery of the Bucha bloodbath in which 461 bodies of civilians were found in a mass grave after the liberation of the city.
Read our blog about the war in Ukraine below for the latest news. . .
However, Russian and Belarusian athletes from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will compete in Paris 2024 as neutrals, without their country’s flag or national anthem.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the decision, having “elements of discrimination. “
He said: “These recommendations have been characterised by elements of discrimination, which is unacceptable. We will continue to advocate for our athletes in any and all ways we can. “
Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki opposed letting those athletes compete.
He took to Twitter and said: “The IOC’s resolution to send Russian athletes back to the festival is a scandal and a betrayal of the true spirit of sport.
“I have told Minister @KamilBortniczuk to raise our company’s objection to the IOC authorities. We will do everything we can to keep the game away from Russian influence. “
Raphael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, arrived at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the Russian company Rosenergoatom that runs the plant, responded to his visit and said it will bring important breakthroughs.
Russian news agencies quoted him as saying: “We are far from having illusions that Grossi’s scale in will radically replace something. For us, this is a painting event. Of course, anything can happen. “
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk issued a warning on Telegram to Russian citizens, warning them to adopt “stolen” children from Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin is investigating more than 16,000 cases of deportation of children lately, Vereshchuk said.
She wrote: “Taking orphaned children out of Ukraine and giving them up for adoption to Russian citizens is illegal and despicable. It’s especially disgusting when other people publicly boast about adopting stolen children from Ukraine. “
Vereshchuk added that the “dozens” of Russians who have to “adopt orphans stolen from Ukraine” deserve to “answer for it” sooner or later.
There have been statements suggesting that “several U. S. administration officials have been in the U. S. administration. “”U. S. ” they are “in favor of creating a special court in Russia. “
The Russian embassy in the United States responded overnight with a statement: “Such comments are natural blasphemy that has nothing to do with justice. The United States continues to be fully supportive of the rules of foreign law to take advantage of its own geopolitical interests. “.
“The outrageous and baseless accusations of alleged assaults, crimes against humanity and other violations are nothing more than Washington’s Russophobic crusade in hybrid warfare that opposes us.
“The United States, hypocritically and cynically, does not evaluate the acts of the Nazis who settled in Kiev and have terrorized civilians for many years.
“Washington is silent about its own role in inciting the Ukrainian conflict. It continues to help [the] Zelenskiy regime by supplying lethal weapons, as a result of which the civilian population continues to die, adding children, and kindergartens, schools and hospitals are destroyed.
“How can Washington speculate on ‘responsibility for aggression’ when the foreign network has still recovered from the catastrophic consequences of America’s adventurous interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, the bombing of Yugoslavia, and the atrocities in Vietnam?”
Vladimir Putin sought a “total cleansing” of Ukraine with “terror from house to house” to subdue his people, according to leaked spy documents.
Terrifying emails from Russia’s FSB intelligence service speak of orders “from above” for civilians to be taken to concentration camps in order to Ukraine.
The extent to which Putin planned to subdue Ukraine with excessive violence if it had resisted is revealed in emails sent through an FSB source to a Russian human rights activist.
The emails were thought to be the work of an FSB officer, but several are now believed to have contributed to the emails.
They were translated into English through Igor Sushko, an American citizen of Ukrainian descent.
The source claims that the FSB, with the support of some Russian army intelligence services, would carry out a “total cleansing” of society and politics in Ukraine.
“And after all this, we can install any government in Kiev,” the source said.
To read the full story, please this link.
Legendary Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko has criticized the International Olympic Committee’s resolution to allow Russian athletes to compete with a “neutral flag. “
Speaking to Twitter, he wrote: “The IOC allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Olympic Games under a ‘neutral flag’.
“This resolution is a false flag. Thomas Bach serves the colors and interests of Russia.
“This pollutes the Olympic spirit and it’s like this war: nonsense. “
The scenario at Russia’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is “very dangerous,” according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Since the beginning of Putin’s brutal invasion, the power plant has faced dangerously low force levels, and water near the plant also poses a risk.
Rafael Grossi told Reuters: “If the point of the tank falls above a certain point, then there is no water to cool the reactors, and we saw especially in January that water levels drop considerably. They have recovered in one way or in the last few weeks.
Belarus blamed Western tension for the Kremlin’s resolve to place tactical nuclear weapons within its borders.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus said in a statement: “For more than two and a half years, the Republic of Belarus has been subject to unprecedented political, economic and informational pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom and their NATO allies, as well as the Member States of the European Union.
“Given such cases and valid national security considerations and the dangers arising from them, Belarus is obliged to respond by strengthening its own security and defense capabilities,” the ministry added.
Berlin called the International Olympic Committee’s resolution for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to the festival a “slap in the face. “
German Sports Minister Nancy Faeser said Ukraine “deserves the solidarity of sport. “
“The international game will have to condemn Russia’s brutal war of aggression unequivocally,” Faeser added.
“This can be done with the total exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. “
Ukrainian infantrymen have returned home to continue their fight against Russia’s illegal invasion, after completing their Challenger 2 tanks in the UK.
The British Army trained the Ukrainian Corps of Painters to command and drive tanks, identify and target interaction, and paint as a team.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “It is indeed inspiring to see the determination of Ukrainian infantrymen who have finished their education in British Challenger 2 tanks on British soil.
“They return to their homeland better equipped, but no less dangerous. We will continue with them and do everything we can for Ukraine for as long as it takes. “
Lieutenant Colonel John Stone, who oversaw the mission, said: “It has been a privilege for the Combat Maneuver Centre team to deliver this to our Ukrainian partners.
“We are all incredibly inspired by the point shown and have no doubt that our friends will use Challenger 2 tanks better in the battles to come as they fight to protect their homeland. “
A UK-trained Ukrainian tank commander said: “I am fighting for my long term, for the long term of my country and for the long term of my family. We will fight. “
“For us, this tank is like a diamond. I think it’s the most productive tank in the world.
Kharkiv Oblast, the regional capital, is being bombed across Moscow from Russia’s Belgorod region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reports.
At least six explosions reported in Kharkiv.
U. S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on the U. S. to do so. U. S. officials are leaving Russia, following the arrest of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal journalist, on espionage charges.
On March 30, Blinken wrote, “We are deeply involved with Russia’s announcement of the arrest of an American citizen journalist.
“@StateDept’s priority is the safety and security of U. S. citizens abroad. If you are a U. S. citizen living or traveling in Russia, leave immediately. “
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk issued a warning on Telegram to Russian citizens, warning them to adopt “stolen” children from Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin is investigating more than 16,000 cases of deportation of children lately, Vereshchuk said.
She wrote: “Taking orphaned children out of Ukraine and giving them up for adoption to Russian citizens is illegal and despicable. It’s especially disgusting when other people publicly boast about adopting stolen children from Ukraine. “
Vereshchuk added that the “dozens” of Russians who have to “adopt orphans stolen from Ukraine” deserve to “answer for it” sooner or later.
The Ukrainian military has repelled nearly 50 Russian attacks over the past day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces wrote in its evening briefing.
The report adds that Russian attacks were repelled on March 30.
In the past 24 hours, Russia has lost 560 soldiers, according to Ukraine’s armed forces.
This brings Russia’s total combat losses to 172,900.
1 tank, 12 artillery systems and 8 APVs were also destroyed by the Ukrainian army in last day’s fighting.
The Russian government has been known to use facial popularity to monitor its citizens. In 2017, Moscow introduced one of the world’s largest facial popularity video surveillance networks.
At the time, Moscow’s Information Technology Department said 160,000 cameras in the city, adding up to more than 3,000 connected to the facial popularity system, would help law enforcement.
A Reuters review of more than 2,000 judicial instances of facial popularity cameras played a pivotal role in the arrest of many protesters. Most were arrested in 2021 after joining anti-government protests, according to court records.
After Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the government initiated facial popularity to prevent other people from protesting, according to data gathered through a Russian watchdog organization and interviews with dozens of detainees.
As a preventive measure, facial popularity is now helping Russian police identify and detain belligerent parts of the Kremlin.
Sanctions have been imposed on Slovakian national Ashot Mkrtychev across the United States for attempting to sell dozens of types of weapons and ammunition from North Korea to Russia, according to the U. S. Treasury Department.
The Treasury said Mkrtyshev had been sanctioned “for attempting, directly or indirectly, to import, export or re-export to or from the DPRK [Diplomatic Republic of Korea] weapons or similar materiel” in order for Moscow to upgrade the equipment. invasion of Ukraine.
U. S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen issued a saying: “Russia has lost more than 9,000 pieces of heavy military aircraft since the war began, and thanks in part to multilateral sanctions and export controls, Putin is increasingly desperate to update them. “
Yellen added: “Schemes like this individual’s arms deal show that Putin is turning to last-hotel suppliers like Iran and the DPRK. “
According to the head of the city’s army administration, a mandatory evacuation of families with children will be carried out next week in Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast.
Vitalii Barbabash told Interfax: “Currently, six young people remain in the city, while 3 weeks ago there were almost 50.
“But those six are like a kind of magic number: for more than a week, this number has remained unchanged. “
About 2,000 more people remain in the area.
As we previously reported (10:30 a. m. ), a Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Russia on espionage charges.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had detained US citizen Evan Gershkovich in the city of Yekaterinburg, east of the Ural Mountains.
The FSB alleged that Gershkovich “collected classified data on the activities of one of the corporations in the Russian military-industrial complex. “
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the journalist’s case would be made public.
At a briefing, Zakharova said: “Relevant statements were made from our security services. I think [they] will also provide them publicly and have the opportunity to verify them. “
If convicted of espionage, the American journalist faces up to 20 years in prison.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach called the complaint about the plan for the full return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to foreign play through governments including Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic “deplorable. “
Following last year’s ban following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the IOC presented recommendations to foreign sports federations to allow the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Bach said: “It is deplorable that some governments should respect the majority within the Olympic movement and all stakeholders, nor the autonomy of sport.
“It is deplorable that these governments face the factor of double standards.
“We have noticed a comment from singles about their attitude towards the participation of athletes from countries of the other 70 wars and armed conflicts in the world.
“Government interventions have the unity of the Olympic movement.
“It cannot be up to governments which athletes can compete in which competition.
“That would be the end of the global game as we know it today. “
The Ukrainian armed forces claim that Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) uses “humiliating screening procedures” on Crimean civilians, where they are stripped naked and interrogated.
The Ukrainian military said Russian forces in some settlements in the occupied territory were “pressuring Ukrainian citizens and violating human rights,” in a Facebook post.
He added: “In particular, in Krasnoperekopsk, FSB workers carry out active counterintelligence activities accompanied by humiliating procedures of detection, stripping, interrogation and beating of the civilian population. “
Since the war in Ukraine marked its first year last February, the Russian Kremlin’s clash with the West will last “a long time. “
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “If we communicate about war in the broad sense: with Western countries, hybrid warfare. . . This will be a long time.
In the United States, there has been a big difference over whether it continues to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia, or whether it backs down.
In an interview with the AP, Zelensky admitted, “The U. S. understands that if they prevent helping us, we may not win. “
AP went on to report how political figures in the United States are questioning Washington’s decisions to Ukraine with “billions of dollars in military aid. “
He reports: “Zelensky is well aware that his country’s good fortune is largely due to waves of support from the foreign military, especially from the United States and Western Europe.
But some in the U. S. , including Republican Donald Trump, the former U. S. president. A current U. S. candidate for 2024, they have questioned whether Washington continues to provide Ukraine with billions of dollars in military aid.
Trump’s most likely Republican rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has also warned that protecting Ukraine in a “territorial dispute” with Russia is not a significant U. S. national security priority. U. S. He later repeated that after being criticized elsewhere in the Republican Party.
“Zelensky did not mention the names of Trump or other Republican politicians, numbers he would possibly face if they win the 2024 election. “
Mark Hamill using his voice for an application similar to air defense in Ukraine.
The Air Alert app uses Luke Skywalker’s voice to warn citizens to take an awning when air raid sirens start beeping.
Star Wars phrases, expressed through Hamill, advise people: “Don’t be careless” and “Your overconfidence is your weakness. “
When he has passed, he is heard saying, “The air raid is over” and “May the force be with you. “
Comparing the Star Wars films to the setting in Ukraine, the actor said, “A fairy tale about intelligence as opposed to evil resonates with what’s happening in Ukraine.
“The other Ukrainian people joining the cause and responding so heroically. . .
“The way they weathered this storm should not be encouraged. “
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