He said a separate attack killed two members of a repair crew that was working to restore mobile communications.
Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war that is now in its third year.
The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission said in February that more than 10,000 civilians had been killed in Ukraine and nearly 20,000 wounded.
The Russian Embassy in London and Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
— Elliot Smith Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said China’s 12-point peace plan for Ukraine is “reasonable,” despite Western criticism, according to Russia’s RIA state news agency.
— Elliot Smith Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly said on Thursday that relations between Russia and NATO have “slipped to the level of direct confrontation.”
– Elliot Smith Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv early Thursday morning killed four people, including three rescue workers, and injured 12 more, according to Ukrainian officials.
“We also strengthened our defense cooperation: today, Ukraine and Finland signed an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support.”
According to reports from the FSB security service on Thursday, Russia has detained three more individuals who are allegedly connected to the deadly attack that occurred at a concert hall outside of Moscow last month.
News agency RIA Novosti reported via Telegram, citing the FSB, that two foreign nationals and a Russian citizen, who were all originally from the Central Asian region, were detained in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and Omsk.
The militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the late-March mass shooting and fire at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, which resulted in the deaths of at least 144 people.
— William Meredith.
Six civilians were killed on Thursday in Ukrainian attacks on areas of southern and eastern Ukraine under Russian control, according to Russian-installed officials.
Two people died in a village after a drone struck a car and another drone fired at a passenger who was able to crawl away from the vehicle, according to Andrey Alekseenko, a Russian official in the Kherson region.
He claimed that two workers on a repair crew trying to get mobile communications back were killed in a different attack. Another patient was in critical condition at the hospital.
In Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, officials stationed by Russia reported that nine people were injured and two people had died as a result of Ukrainian shelling on Thursday.
In the now third-year conflict, both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians. The ‘U. Not N. The Human Rights Monitoring Mission reported in February that there had been close to 20,000 injuries and over 10,000 civilian deaths in Ukraine.
— News reports.
Russia will try to sabotage the Paris Olympics this summer, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, who stated as much on Thursday.
Macron answered when asked if he was worried Russia would specifically target the Olympics, “I have no doubt, including in informational terms.”. Speaking off the program, he discussed the opening of an Olympic aquatics center in Saint-Denis, outside of Paris.
The French capital will host the summer Olympics from July 26 to August. Eleven, and the Paralympic Games in August. 28 – September 21. 8.
According to a translation, Marcon stated, “We are preparing these Olympic and Paralympic Games collectively; there is a colossal amount of work being done by the elected officials around me, by their services, by the sporting world, by state services.”.
CNBC’s request for comment was not immediately answered by Russia’s Foreign Ministry or the Russian Embassy in London.
Says Sam Meredith.
The government of Finland announced on Thursday that the border closure with Russia has been extended indefinitely.
Late last year, the recently joined NATO member state shut down its 13 points of entry from Russia, citing accusations made by Moscow, which it disputes, that the Kremlin was purposefully directing undocumented migrants toward its eastern border in an attempt to create instability.
The closures were supposed to last until April 14, but Interior Minister Mari Rantanen stated in a statement that Helsinki had not seen any indications that things had significantly changed in the last few months.
— Smith, Elliott.
Despite criticism from the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Thursday that China’s 12-point peace plan for Ukraine is “reasonable,” according to Russia’s official news agency RIA.
The proposals were widely criticized for being overly ambiguous and for not respecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty as an independent nation when China released them in February of last year.
“The Chinese document’s foundational analysis of the reasons behind the current situation and the necessity of removing these underlying causes is, in our opinion, its most crucial component. Lavrov told reporters on Thursday that it is logically organized from the general to the particular, according to state news agency RIA.
The lack of specificity in this plan drew criticism. However, this is a sensible plan that the great Chinese civilization put forth for debate. ****.
Says Elliot Smith.
According to reports, NATO and Russian relations have “fallen to the level of direct confrontation,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday. “.
Reportedly celebrating its 75th birthday this week, Peskov informed reporters during a press conference that the transatlantic defense alliance was “already involved in the conflict surrounding Ukraine” and that it was still moving closer to Russia’s borders.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia has long harbored concerns about NATO’s eastward expansion, which have been exacerbated by the recent admission of Sweden and Finland to the alliance as well as Ukraine’s vociferous desire to join.
Peskov’s remarks follow those made by Alexander Grushko, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, who stated that while communication between Moscow and NATO is at a “critical zero,” Moscow has no plans to openly engage in hostilities with any member state. The interview was published on Thursday.
– Smith, Elliott.
The energy ministry of Ukraine reported on Thursday that following another round of Russian drone strikes overnight, 350,000 people in Kharkiv and the surrounding areas lacked access to electricity.
The energy ministry stated on the messaging app Telegram that the disconnections were a part of hourly blackout schedules and that no continuous electricity shortage is anticipated despite Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
It added that no additional limitations are anticipated in other parts of the nation.
– Smith, Elliott.
Dismissing Moscow’s version of a conversation between French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, France has denied indicating that it is prepared for possible discussions with Russia about Ukraine.
In a statement, the Russian defense ministry stated that “the starting points could be based on the Istanbul peace initiative” and that “readiness for a dialog on Ukraine was noted.”. “.
The French readout, which featured Lecornu and Shoigu talking about the increased terror threat in the wake of the recent mass shooting in Moscow that was claimed by ISIS-K, an affiliate of the Islamic State, lacked these specific details.
Later, a French government source was cited by Reuters, claiming that no discussion about Ukraine was mentioned going forward and that the Russian account was “not true.”.
– Smith, Elliott.
According to Ukrainian officials, Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv early on Thursday morning resulted in the deaths of four people—including three rescue workers—and the injuries of twelve more.
Iranian-made shahed drones struck a 14-story residential apartment building, destroying several floors and causing multiple casualties and a death, according to a post made by Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov on the messaging app Telegram.
In another location, a residential building was repeatedly attacked, resulting in the deaths of three rescuers. We have four dead in total,” Terekhov continued.
An emergency medical nurse was among the victims as well; she arrived at the scene to offer assistance along with the brigade. “.”.
— William Shakespeare.
Official requests for information were sent to the U.S. by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office. s. , France, Germany, and Cyprus over its suspicions that Western nations may be involved in terrorist attacks within Russia, according to a government office statement cited by state news outlet Tass.
According to Tass, the office was prompted to send the inquiries in response to requests from members of the Russian State Duma to look into possible foreign involvement in terror attacks, such as the explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipeline and the attack at Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall in late March, which left at least 144 people dead.
“Our colleagues in these countries will earnestly consider the requests and fulfill their obligations under the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the 1997 International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, which involve investigating the information provided, facilitating efforts to obtain evidence necessary for probes, and ensuring that punishments be duly carried out,” is what Russia’s top prosecution body said in a statement. ****.
— Turak Natasha.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is advocating for a greater level of direct involvement from the alliance in providing military assistance to Ukraine.
Speaking during the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Stoltenberg stated that the alliance will look into ways to go beyond its current role of coordinating weapons and other equipment for Kyiv. s. -led contact group.
Stoltenberg informed those in attendance that “Ukraine has urgent needs—any delay in providing support has consequences on the battlefield as we speak.”. Therefore, we must change the way we support one another. “.”.
He said, without going into details, “We must ensure reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine for long haul so that we rely less on voluntary contributions and more on NATO commitments, less on short term offers and more on multiyear pledges.” He did, however, add that a multiyear financial commitment would also be part of the plan.
“The majority of Ukraine’s military support comes from NATO allies,” he declared. Therefore, increasing our participation in NATO would improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our efforts. ****.
— Turak Natasha.
In an Instagram post describing their most recent collaboration, Ukraine’s defense minister thanked Finland for a 188 million euro ($202,5 million) military aid package the Nordic nation announced for Kyiv.
Rustem Umerov posted on his social media, saying, “I am grateful to our Finnish partners and Minister @anttihakkanen for another military aid package for Ukraine valued at up to €188 million.”. By signing an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support today, Finland and Ukraine furthered their defense cooperation. “.
The message said, “Finland will step up political, financial, humanitarian, and reform cooperation and provide long-term military and financial assistance.”. “We are stronger when we work together. I appreciate all of your unwavering help. “.
– Turak Natasha.
