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WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - Neither Russia nor Ukraine committed to respect five principles laid out by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi on Tuesday to try to safeguard Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Grossi, who spoke at the U.N. Security Council, has tried for months to craft an agreement to reduce the risk of a catastrophic nuclear accident from military activity like shelling at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant. "Mr. Grossi's proposals to ensure the security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are in line with the measures that we've already been implementing for a long time," Russia's U.N. Western powers accused Russia, whose forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, of putting Zaporizhzhia at risk, with the United States demanding that Russia remove its weapons and civil and military personnel from the plant. Russia denies that it has military personnel at the power plant and it describes the war, which has killed thousands and reduced cities to rubble, as a "special military operation" to "denazify" Ukraine and protect Russian speakers.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Vassily Nebenzia, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Daphne Psaledakis, Arshad Mohammed, Grant McCool Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Ukraine's, . Security, U.S, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, United States, Moscow

[1/5] A view shows an apartment building damaged during a massive Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 30, 2023. One person died and four were injured when debris from a destroyed Russian projectile hit a high-rise apartment building sparking a fire, Ukrainian officials said. Russian state-owned news agency RIA cited the defence ministry as saying more than one air base had been hit. Moscow said it invaded Ukraine to "denazify" its neighbour and protect Russian speakers. Russia said on Monday the grain deal would no longer be operational unless a U.N. agreement with Moscow to overcome obstacles to Russian grain and fertiliser exports was fulfilled.

[1/10] Municipal workers remove debris of a traffic light broken by a part of a missile which landed on a street during a Russian strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 29, 2023. A Ukrainian presidential aide said on Monday any post-war settlement should include a demilitarised zone of 100-120 km (62-75 miles) inside Russia along the border with Ukraine. After months of attacks on energy facilities, Russia is now targeting military facilities and supplies to try to disrupt Ukraine's preparations for its counterattack, Kyiv says. Moscow says Ukraine has stepped up drone and sabotage attacks against targets inside Russia as it prepares for the offensive. The governor of Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said several frontier settlements were shelled simultaneously by Ukrainian forces on Monday.

☆ Two Ukrainian men in wheelchairs were forcibly deported to Russia and subjected to months of abuse. Then they escaped.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two Ukrainian men in wheelchairs were forcibly sent to Russia last year after Kherson was occupied. Bohdan and Oleksandr told Insider they were bullied during their time in a Russian deportation camp. Their days were filled with threats and bullying, the men told Insider, adding that nurses frequently referred to them "Nazis." Both told Insider they plan on living there for the foreseeable future. Describing the moment he got out of Russia, Bohdan said: "I felt like it was the day before my birthday party.

☆ Ukrainian city mourns champion kickboxer killed fighting Russian troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Yuriy RylchukIVANO-FRANKIVSK, Ukraine, April 4 (Reuters) - Hundreds of residents of the Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk turned out to mourn four-times world kickboxing champion Vitalii Merinov after he was killed in action fighting Russian troops. The Ukrainian flag was draped over his coffin as it was carried out of the church on Monday. "To the hero of Ukraine, Vitalii Merinov, three-times glory," his friend, Taras Mstyslav, said, with mourners calling out "Glory, glory, glory!" Citizens knelt on the street during the funeral procession, holding Ukrainian flags, while others threw flowers. "You can see for yourself, thousands of Ivano-Frankivsk residents came to say farewell to him," Mstyslav said at the cemetery.

☆ Exclusive: U.S. plans $550 million aid for Ukraine, Moldova energy security
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Arshad Mohammed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Firefighters work to put out a fire at energy infrastructure facilities damaged by Russian missile strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv region, Ukraine November 15, 2022. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERSSAINT PAUL, Minn., Feb 24 (Reuters) - The United States plans to announce $250 million in aid on Friday to shore up Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks and $300 million for Moldova, partly to help Chisinau wean itself from energy dependence on Russia. The $300 million for Moldova includes $80 million in budget support to offset high electricity prices, $135 million for electric power generation projects and $85 million to improve its ability to obtain energy supplies from alternative sources, according to a second draft document. Moldova, a former Soviet republic of 2.5 million people neighboring Ukraine to the west, is one of the poorest nations in Europe and has traditionally been heavily reliant on Russian gas. The money is from a pool of $45 billion for Ukraine included in a broader spending bill passed by Congress last year.

☆ Marking one year of war in Ukraine, U.N. chief denounces Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons. The so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable. It is high time to step back from the brink," Guterres told the 193-member U.N. General Assembly at a meeting to mark the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine. The draft text would again see the General Assembly demand Moscow withdraw its troops and call for a halt to hostilities. "Russia violated the UN Charter by becoming an aggressor," he said at the United Nations.

BUCHA, Ukraine/VILNIUS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - The brightly painted nails were what gave the identity of the body away. A year on from the full-scale invasion, her family and friends have parted ways, their lives upended by the conflict. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of war crimes in Bucha, an allegation the Kremlin denies. February 24 is the day when life was taken away from all Ukrainians, but we are trying to get it back." Additional reporting by Yiming Woo in Bucha; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russian envoy: U.S. seeks to inflame Ukraine crisis with claims of crimes against humanity
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Washington is trying to demonize Moscow and foment the crisis in Ukraine with allegations of Russian crimes against humanity, Russia's ambassador to the United States said on Sunday. The Biden administration formally concluded that Russia has committed "crimes against humanity" during its nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday. Organisations supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development have documented more than 30,000 war crimes incidents since the invasion, according to the U.S. government. The U.N.-backed Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine says it has identified war crimes but has not concluded whether they amount to crimes against humanity. The war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted millions, pummelled the global economy and made Russian President Vladimir Putin a pariah in the West.

☆ UN to mark Russia invasion of Ukraine anniversary by urging 'just peace'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] The United Nations headquarters building is pictured with a UN logo in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 1, 2022. The 193-member General Assembly is likely to vote next Thursday after two days of speeches by dozens of states to mark the Feb. 24 anniversary of the start of the war. Russia was diplomatically isolated last year, when 141 states voted on March 2 to denounce its invasion and demand Moscow withdraw its troops. The United States and western allies have called the invasion an unprovoked land grab against a sovereign nation. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said last month.

☆ Analysis: Washington pushes for harsher action against banks with Russia ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( John O'Donnell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"We are looking at additional banks and financial institutions to see how Russia deals with the outside world. Some European banks, including UniCredit (CRDI.MI) and Raiffeisen Bank International (RBIV.VI), have large businesses there and must follow local rules to grant payment holidays to soldiers. ENFORCEMENTO'Brien said that the United States would step up enforcement, something the EU also hopes to improve. "We are now looking at how sanctions, including financial sanctions, can be most effective," he said. "While the majority of important Russian banks are sanctioned, there is a lot outside that perimeter that you could go after," said Nicolas Veron, of Washington think tank the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

☆ New Russian offensive underway in Ukraine, says NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian defenders, who have already held out for months, were braced for new ground attacks, Ukrainian military officials said on Monday. The Russian assault on Bakhmut has been spearheaded by mercenaries of the Wagner group, who have made small but steady gains. The Ukrainian military reported Russian shelling all along the frontline and said 16 settlements had been bombarded near Bakhmut. The Ukrainian governors of Luhansk and Donetsk have recently said that a predicted Russian offensive had begun. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, in what it calls a "special military operation" to "denazify" the country and protect Russian speakers.

☆ Invited by Russia, Roger Waters tells UN: Ukraine invasion illegal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ambassador Ferit Hoxha told the 15-member Security Council. Soon after Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia introduced tough new laws on spreading "misinformation" about the war or discrediting the Russian army. Russia called the Security Council meeting on Wednesday to discuss the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and asked Waters to brief. While Waters condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as illegal, he also said it "was not unprovoked" and he also condemned "the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms." "The only sensible course of action today is to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine," Waters saidUkraine's U.N.

☆ A key ally of Putin said he wants to invade Poland next, ignoring Russia's inability to capture Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Putin ally said he wants to turn to Poland after Ukraine, to "denazify and demilitarize" it. Russia has been struggling in Ukraine, but Kadyrov said the war would end this year. After all, after Ukraine, Poland is on the map! Poland is also a NATO and EU member, which means it would get more support from the West than Ukraine has. Kadyrov, a close ally with Putin, has also been critical of the Russian army's performance in Ukraine, calling for even more brutal tactics.

☆ Ukraine calls for faster weapons supplies as Russia presses eastern offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

We have to speed up events, speed up supplies and open up new weapons options for Ukraine." Three people were killed and six injured on Sunday by Russian strikes on Kherson that damaged a hospital and a school, the regional administration said. Russian troops had occupied Kherson shortly after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and held the city until Ukrainian forces recaptured it in November. Russia on Saturday accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately striking a hospital in a Russian-held area of eastern Ukraine, killing 14 people. Russia says it launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine to fend off a hostile West and "denazify" the country.

☆ Russia's military reforms respond to NATO's expansion, Ukraine -chief of general staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The military reforms, announced mid-January, have been approved by Putin and can be adjusted to respond to threats to Russia's security, Gerasimov told the news website Argumenty i Fakty in remarks published late Monday. Under Moscow's new military plan, an army corps will be added to Karelia in Russia's north, which borders with Finland. In Ukraine, Russia will add three motorized rifle divisions as part of combined arms formations in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, parts of which Moscow claims it annexed in September. "The main goal of this work is to ensure guaranteed protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country," Gerasimov said. "Our country and its armed forces are today acting against the entire collective West," Gerasimov said.

☆ Former Wagner commander seeks asylum in Norway after fleeing Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who founded Wagner, said that Medvedev had worked in a Norwegian unit of Wagner but had "mistreated prisoners". In interviews with Gulagu, Medvedev said he grew disaffected after his contract was repeatedly extended by Wagner without his consent. He said he had witnessed the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners who were brought to the front by Wagner. Medvedev said losses were very high after Wagner began sending large numbers of prisoners to the front in the second half of 2022. The Wagner statement did not address Medvedev's accounts of punishment and of battlefield losses, or that his contract was repeatedly extended.

☆ Davos 2023: Europe, NATO to build Ukraine unity in Russian no-go zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"On my way from Lithuania to @Davos where I have been invited to speak. Lithuania is a very good friend of Ukraine, so you know what I will be saying. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, calling it a "special military operation" to "denazify" and demilitarise its neighbour. Ukraine, which dominated the WEF's last big meeting in May, has sent another high-level delegation. It has one panel session on mapping Russia's trajectories, but none of its speakers are Russian.

☆ German minister promises Ukraine weapons, EU accession help on surprise trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a statement ahead of a meeting with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Baerbock expressed Germany's solidarity with Ukrainians living through Russia's invasion and harsh winter conditions. After Germany last week promised to send Marder fighting vehicles to Ukraine as part of increased military support, Baerbock promised more weapons, without specifying which ones. Senior Russian legislator Leonid Slutsky, echoing Moscow's line that it launched the war to "denazify" Ukraine, said history would harshly judge the comments by Baerbock. Baerbock also said it was important not to lose sight of Ukraine's place in Europe and its desire to join the EU. She said Germany would provide 20 million euros ($21.47 million) for demining efforts and another 20 million euros to boost Ukraine's access to Starlink internet terminals.

☆ Zelenskiy, Putin promise victory in contrasting New Year speeches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses Ukrainian people on the New Year eve, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released December 31, 2022. We say: we have no other option than to win," said Zelenskiy, dressed in his trademark khaki outfit and standing in darkness with the Ukrainian flag fluttering behind. The attacks followed a barrage of more than 20 cruise missiles fired across Ukraine on Saturday - and many bombardments earlier. "The main thing is the fate of Russia," Putin, dressed in a dark suit and tie, said. Reiterating that the West is supposedly intent on "destroying Russia" by using Kyiv, Putin vowed he will never allow that.

☆ Russia lashes out at the West, warns Ukraine to fulfil its territorial demands
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends the international conference "Eurasian Choice as a Basis for Strengthening Sovereignty" organised by the United Russia party in Moscow, Russia December 14, 2022. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERSA day after President Vladimir Putin said he was open to negotiations over Ukraine, Russia's foreign minister lashed out saying Kyiv and the West sought to destroy his country and Ukraine must meet Moscow's demands or its army will. Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, calling it a "special operation" to "denazify" and demilitarise Ukraine, which he said was a threat to Russia. Kyiv and the West say Putin's invasion was merely an imperialist land grab. The United States and its allies have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia for its invasion and sent billions of dollars in assistance to the Ukrainian government.

☆ Russia's Lavrov: West and Ukraine want to destroy Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 27 (Reuters) - The United States and its NATO allies together with Ukraine want to defeat Russia "on the battlefield" in order to destroy it, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the state TASS agency in remarks published Monday. President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, calling it a "special operation" to "denazify" and demilitarise Ukraine, which he said was a threat to Russia. Like most senior Russian officials, Lavrov has over the last decade adopted an increasingly hawkish position, supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine and railing against what he and Putin have called the West's attempts to constrain Russia and dominate global affairs. Lavrov reiterated that Russia and the United States cannot maintain normal connection, blaming the administration of the U.S. President Joe Biden. The United States has provided billions of dollar in support to Ukraine, with the latest $1.85 billion aid package announced last week, further angering Moscow.

Dec 27 (Reuters) - Moscow's proposals for settlement in Ukraine are well known to Kyiv and either Ukraine fulfils them for their own good or the Russian army will decide the issue, TASS agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. Moscow has been calling its invasion in Ukraine a "special military operation" to "demilitarise" and "denazify" its neighbour. Lavrov told TASS that when it comes to how long the conflict will last, "the ball is in the regime's court and Washington behind it." Kyiv has ruled out conceding any land to Russia in return for peace, and publicly demands Russia relinquish all territory. Moscow has insisted it is pursing "demilitarisation" and "denazification" but in reality its aims have not been fully defined.

"On my way to the United States to strengthen resilience and defence capabilities of Ukraine," Zelenskiy said on his Twitter account early on Wednesday. Russia calls its invasion in Ukraine a "special military operation" to denazify and demilitarise its neighbour. His wife, Olena Zelenska, travelled to Washington in July to address Congress and has made several other international trips pleading for Ukraine, as have his aides and ministers. In contrast, his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, has spent much of his time inside the halls of the Kremlin. Reporting in Kyiv by Pavel Polityuk; Writing in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Putin orders border strengthening, demands greater control of society by special services
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders and instructed special services to keep greater control of society and to ensure the safety of people in regions in Ukraine that Moscow claims as its own, news agencies reported. "Work must be intensified through the border services and the Federal Security Service (FSB)," Russia's state-owned RIA news agency cited Putin as saying. Speaking on Security Services Day, widely celebrated in Russia, Putin instructed the services to increase control of the society and maximise their "use of the operational, technical and personnel potential" to prevent risks coming from abroad and internal traitors. "Maximum composure, concentration of forces is now required from counterintelligence agencies, including military intelligence," TASS state agency citied Putin as saying. "It is necessary to severely suppress the actions of foreign special services, quickly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs."

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