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There's been an international outcry after a Russian court sentenced Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison for treason, and other charges including spreading "false" information about the Russian army. Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said "Russia's lack of commitment to protecting fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression, is alarming. We continue to urge Russia to adhere to its international obligations including Vladimir Kara-Murza's entitlement to proper healthcare." Elsewhere, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement that the 25-year prison sentence was "another 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," Turk said.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: WSJ reporter detained on suspicion of spying, Russian media say; Bakhmut becoming a 'slaughter-fest'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian media reporting suggests that the authorities are preparing to start a major military recruitment campaign with the aim of signing up an additional 400,000 troops, Britain's Defense Ministry said Thursday. "Russia is presenting the campaign as a drive for volunteer, professional personnel, rather than a new, mandatory mobilisation," the ministry noted. "Russian authorities have likely selected a supposedly 'volunteer model' to meet their personnel shortfall in order to minimise domestic dissent." Since then, Russia's Defense Ministry has announced its intentions to expand its forces in the next few years. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in December laid out proposals to increase military personnel to 1.5 million by 2026, up from 1.1 million at present.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia flexes its muscles with intercontinental ballistic missile drill; Kyiv waits for China call
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv still hasn't heard anything more about a purported call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping leave after a reception in honor of the Chinese leader's visit to Moscow, at the Kremlin, on March 21, 2023. So far, however, nothing has been arranged, Zelenskyy said. "We are ready to see him here," he told the Associated Press news agency Tuesday while en route to Kyiv after a visit to the Sumy region. When asked if there was any plan at the moment to meet with Xi, Zelenskyy replied "no."

☆ Ukraine war live updates: German and British tanks arrive in Ukraine; Russia fires supersonic missiles off Japan's coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The first shipment of German Leopard 2 tanks, much-awaited by Ukraine, has arrived in the war-torn country, Germany's defense ministry said Tuesday. Eighteen of the tanks, ammunition and spare parts, as well as two "Buffalo" armored recovery vehicles arrived in Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement. "As promised, our tanks arrived on time in the hands of our Ukrainian friends. The Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, has spent the last two months training Ukrainian soldiers on the weapon systems at a site near Munster, Germany. On the heels of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision in January to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, the Biden administration announced it will equip Ukraine with the mighty M1A1 Abrams tank.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia stirs outrage with plan for tactical nukes in Belarus; Ukrainian town now 'post-apocalyptic'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Residential buildings damaged by Russian strikes in the front-line city of Avdiivka on March 23, 2023, in Ukraine. Intense attacks on the eastern Donetsk town of Avdiivka and the damage they've caused prompted a Ukrainian official to liken the destruction to what you would see in a "post-apocalyptic" movie. Utility workers were evacuated from Avdiivka, a town just over 50 miles southwest of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, as fighting intensified at the weekend. "Avdiivka is becoming more and more like a site from post-apocalyptic movies ... Ukrainian military officials have already warned that the town could be a "second Bakhmut," where there has been heavy fighting for over seven months.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russian offensive in Bakhmut could be stalling; Moscow official says West wants to tear Russia apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A top Russian official and close ally of President Vladimir Putin claimed Thursday that the West wants to tear Russia apart, Russian news agencies reported. Medvedev, who has been associated with Russian nationalist rhetoric and saber-rattling during the war in Ukraine, has — like other Russian officials including President Putin — claimed that the West's real motive in helping Ukraine is to see Russia destroyed, without presenting any evidence of this. Ukraine's Western allies say they are helping Kyiv to defend itself from Russia's unprovoked aggression and to restore its territorial sovereignty. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Medvedev claimed that once the West divides Russia, the separate parts would then "even have a chance to join NATO, particularly if they give away our national resources." While this so-called "tandemocracy" played out, Medvedev was seen as always subordinate to Putin no matter what role he had.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kremlin approved harassment of U.S. drone, officials say; Ukraine seen building up forces near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov appeared to blame the U.S. for the downing of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday that the U.S. military blamed on the "reckless" and "unsafe" behavior of Russian fighter jets. Russia's Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov appeared to blame the U.S. for the downing of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday that the U.S. military blamed on the "reckless" and "unsafe" behavior of Russian fighter jets. "We are well aware of the missions such reconnaissance and strike drones are used for," he said, claiming that they are used to "gather intelligence which is later used by the Kiev regime to attack our armed forces and territory." The U.S. military said Tuesday that two Russian fighter jets had intercepted the drone while it was in international airspace, harassing it in a possible bid to damage the drone before one of the jets clipped the unmanned aerial vehicle, causing it to crash. — Holly Ellyatt

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Moscow defends U.S. drone crash; British and German fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov appeared to blame the U.S. for the downing of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday that the U.S. military blamed on the "reckless" and "unsafe" behavior of Russian fighter jets. Russia's Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov appeared to blame the U.S. for the downing of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday that the U.S. military blamed on the "reckless" and "unsafe" behavior of Russian fighter jets. Antonov, who was summoned by the U.S. State Department on Tuesday to explain the incident, insisted that the Russian fighter jets did not come into contact with the drone and said "the unacceptable actions of the United States military in the close proximity to our borders are cause for concern." The U.S. military said Tuesday that two Russian fighter jets had intercepted the drone while it was in international airspace, harassing it in a possible bid to damage the drone before one of the jets clipped the unmanned aerial vehicle, causing it to crash. — Holly Ellyatt

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia extends grain export deal for 60 days; Bakhmut fighting 'hard' and 'very painful,' Kyiv says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A vital grain export deal between Ukraine and Russia has been extended for 60 days, according to Russia's deputy foreign minister, who was quoted by a Russian news agency. The deal, known officially as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, has facilitated the export of agricultural products, such as wheat, corn and sunflower oil, from Ukraine via the Black Sea. Early on in the war a blockade on such exports contributed to global food shortages and rising prices. The grain initiative, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations last July, has enabled millions of tons of agricultural products to be exported from Ukraine, alleviating shortages elsewhere. Moscow has complained that international sanctions on its logistics, insurance and payments industries have continued to impede its own agricultural exports of grain and fertilizers.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kyiv claims over 1,000 Russians died in Bakhmut in last week; Wagner mercenaries pivoting recruitment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian servicemen from 24th brigade along the front line south of Bakhmut near New York, Ukraine, on March 10, 2023. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ongoing fighting in the besieged city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is taking a big toll on Russia's forces. In addition, dozens of units of Russian equipment were destroyed, Zelenskyy said, and more than 10 Russian ammunition depots were burned. There have been questions over how long Ukraine could choose to defend Bakhmut, a city almost completely surrounded by Russian forces, with mercenary fighters from the Wagner Group advancing into parts of the city. Last week, Ukraine said it would continue to defend Bakhmut, however, and would send in reinforcements.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: 'The enemy is raging,' Ukraine says, after Russia unleashes wave of drone and missile strikes across the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian serviceman guards an area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in territory under Russian military control, in southeastern Ukraine, on May 1, 2022. The power supply to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was lost as a result of missile attacks on Ukraine. "The last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Ukrainian power system was cut off as a result of rocket attacks," Ukraine's state nuclear power company Energoatom said in a statement Thursday. This is the sixth time this has happened since Russian forces occupied the plant early on in the invasion of Ukraine. Russia unleashed a wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine overnight, with the capital Kyiv among the cities hit.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Mercenaries say they've seized eastern Bakhmut; Ukraine sees over 100 attacks on Donetsk in past day
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"There is no part of Ukraine about which one can say that it can be abandoned," Zelenskyy noted. I told the Commander-in-Chief to find the appropriate forces to help the guys in Bakhmut." On Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Bakhmut had more symbolic importance than strategic and operational value. Zelenskyy said Monday that defending Bakhmut meant destroying more of Russia's invading forces. Bakhmut has yielded and is yielding one of the greatest results during this war, during the entire battle for Donbas."

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Ukraine vows to fight on in Bakhmut and inflict steep losses on Russia; China defends ties to Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian infantrymen with the 28th Brigade view damaged buildings while driving to a frontline position facing Russian troops on March 05, 2023 outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine. The status of Bakhmut is unclear after conflicting reports at the weekend over how much of the city was controlled by Russian forces, and whether Ukrainain forces were starting to withdraw from parts of the city. The ISW said Ukrainian forces may be withdrawing from their positions on the eastern bank of the Bakhmutka River that dissects the city's eastern flank. The think tank noted, in any case, that it believes the "Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut remains strategically sound as it continues to consume Russian manpower and equipment as long as Ukrainian forces do not suffer excessive casualties." "Ukrainian forces are unlikely to withdraw from Bakhmut all at once and may pursue a gradual fighting withdrawal to exhaust Russian forces through continued urban warfare," the ISW added.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Time could be running out for Ukrainian forces in besieged Bakhmut; Russia turns to 'vintage' tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Situation 'critical' in Bakhmut as retreat contemplated; Russia and U.S. keep their distance at G-20
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

There will be consequences if countries choose to give weapons to Russia to help it prosecute the war in Ukraine, the Netherlands' Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told CNBC Thursday. There will be consequences if countries choose to give weapons to Russia to help it prosecute the war in Ukraine, the Netherlands' Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told CNBC Thursday. There have been concerns that China is contemplating giving Russia weapons to help it continue its war in Ukraine, although Beijing has rebuffed those claims. Ukraine would be discussed, he noted, saying "we all are facing the effects of this tremendous crisis for which Russia, and Russia alone, is responsible." Asked when he believed the war could end, Hoekstra was pessimistic it could come to a conclusion anytime soon.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Ukrainian forces are coming under 'insane pressure' from Russia, Kyiv says, but counteroffensives are being prepared
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled Kyiv is preparing its soldiers for counteroffensives and praised soldiers for defending the country despite the "insane pressure" Russian forces have been putting on them. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled Kyiv is preparing its soldiers for counteroffensives and praised soldiers for defending the country despite the "insane pressure" Russian forces have been putting on them. "We are preparing for the return of our warriors to actions for the liberation of our land," the president said in his nightly address Tuesday, alluding to an expected counteroffensive Ukraine is likely to launch in spring. Ahead of that offensive, Zelenskyy said Bakhmut, a city in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine that has been wrestled over by Russian and Ukrainian forces for over six months, remains the epicenter of fierce fighting and fatalities in the war. Zelenskyy said "Russia does not count people at all, sending them to constantly storm our positions.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Situation in besieged Bakhmut worsens; Belarus says it can produce 'any type of weapon' with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday that Russia and Belarus are capable of producing "any type of weapon" and can export such products to 57 countries around the world, circumventing sanctions on weapons production. "Despite unprecedented sanctions pressure, we produce sufficient quantities of weapons and military equipment to meet the needs of the Belarusian army. are concerned, kudos to those who preserved the legacy of the Soviet Union, and therefore, together with Russia, we are capable of manufacturing any type of weapon," Lukashenko added. The U.S. has warned Beijing against giving weapons to Russia as Moscow looks for other sources of military hardware. Belarus has sought to stay out of actively participating in the war while assisting Russia in terms where it can, having allowed Russia to launch its initial invasion of northern Ukraine from Belarusian territory.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin says NATO nuclear capability must be minded; Russia's top diplomat says future world order is being decided
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Speaking at a conference of regional representatives of his ministry on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that "at the moment, the configuration of the future world order is being decided." The future world order is being decided right now, Russia's foreign minister said Monday, adding that Moscow has frustrated the West's plans "to isolate, and even dismember" the country. Speaking at a conference of regional representatives of his ministry on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that "at the moment, the configuration of the future world order is being decided." We now call it the world majority," he said in comments translated by Google. Lavrov's comments parrot similar remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday in which he said the West wants to defeat and divide Russia.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin rallies support ahead of war anniversary; Ukraine faces 'creeping encirclement' around Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Medvedev repeated a Russian claim that the U.S. "wants the defeat of Russia" and that the world is on the brink of a new global conflict. "If the United States wants to defeat Russia, then we have the right to defend ourselves with any weapon, including nuclear," Medvedev said. We, in addition, have accumulated experience in tracking what is happening in the United States, and not only in the United States, in this area, using other possibilities. The New Start treaty allowed for mutual inspections of each other's nuclear weapons sites, although in practice, these have been suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic and have not resumed since the war in Ukraine began. Russia has also said it wants to see Britain and France's nuclear arsenals counted in any future Start treaty.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Moscow unrepentant after suspending nuclear arms treaty with U.S., with officials saying it was 'overdue'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Ukraine war live updates: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit London today as Ukraine prepares for large-scale Russian offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In this handout image issued by Ukrainian Presidency, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on November 19, 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to arrive in the U.K. for a surprise visit — and his first to the country since the Russian invasion began last year. Zelenskyy is due to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and visit Ukrainian troops who are on training missions in the country, and will address the British Parliament. Ukraine has asked its NATO allies for fighter jets, particularly F-16s, in order to bolster its defense capabilities against Russia. So far, NATO members have not agreed to jets but there are murmurings that Ukraine could be offered some kind of fighter aircraft.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Race to find survivors after deadly Kramatorsk attack; Russia preparing for offensive in Donbas
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv is preparing new reforms as it prepares for a summit with top EU officials at the end of the week. "We are preparing new reforms in Ukraine. "This week will be a week of European integration in every sense of the word," Zelenskyy said. Ukraine applied to join the 27-member political and economic bloc last year, just days after Russia invaded last February, and wants its application fast-tracked. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said earlier this week that Kyiv hopes it can join the EU within two years.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: U.S. reportedly readying $2 billion aid package for Ukraine; Kyiv signals reforms ahead of EU summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine will host European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other top EU officials on Friday, with hopes high in Kyiv that its application to join the EU will continue to progress. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv is preparing new reforms as it prepares for a summit with top EU officials at the end of the week. Reforms that will change the social, legal and political reality in many ways, making it more human, transparent and effective. "This week will be a week of European integration in every sense of the word," Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said earlier this week that Kyiv hopes it can join the EU within two years.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kyiv presses allies for faster weapons supplies; Germany rules out fighter jets for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other areas in the Donetsk region are under constant Russian attacks. There are constant attempts to break through our defense," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Sunday. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed allies for faster weapons supplies as fighting in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the Donetsk region, continues to be intense. Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other areas in the Donetsk region are under constant Russian attacks. There are constant attempts to break through our defense," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Sunday.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: German tanks decision 'half a step' away, Kyiv says; Ukraine government reshuffle expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A decision on whether to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine is in its final stages, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Monday, with only a last "half step" to be taken. "We have only half a step left to take in the matter of tanks," Kuleba said during a nationwide news telethon reported by news outlet Ukrinform Monday. "We have already received the British Challengers [tanks], which we were once told were impossible. I have no doubts that the Leopard tanks will reach us. Germany is under intense pressure to decide whether to give the greenlight for German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine.

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