Summary
As the time in Kyiv approaches 9pm, here’s a roundup of today’s news in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president spoke to the Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. He said they had a “long and meaningful” phone call and that he would send an envoy to Beijing.
Xi is reported to have said that China “would not sit idly by, nor would it add oil to the fire, still less exploit the situation for self gains,” in regards to Ukraine.
Xi also said that “talks and negotiation” were the only way the conflict would end. He is going to send a peace delegation to Kyiv.
British fighter jets helped in a joint-Nato response to intercept three Russian planes, including two SU-27 fighter jets, over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday.
The Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny says he is being investigated on terrorism charges that could see him sentenced to 30 years in prison, Reuters reports.
The Kremlin critic is currently serving sentences totalling 11-and-a-half years on charges including fraud and contempt of court, which human rights groups say were made up to silence him.
Italy has said it wants to play a major role in the reconstruction of Ukraine and urged EU bodies to back the rebuilding of a country battered by over a year of war with Russia. Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, met the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, on Wednesday.
A Ukrainian reporter working as a fixer for Italy’s daily newspaper Repubblica has been shot dead by snipers in Kherson, while his Italian colleague was wounded, the newspaper said Wednesday.
“Our correspondent Corrado Zunino and his fixer Bogdan Bitik were victims of an ambush by Russian snipers today on the outskirts of Kherson, in southern Ukraine,” the Repubblica said.
Russia is resettling poor citizens from remote parts of its country in the east of Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s deputy defence minister. Hanna Mailar said the inward migration into Ukraine was mainly being seen in Luhansk.
In a press conference, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said there was “no use now in saying who is right” in the conflict. In a joint conference with the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez he said that “no one can doubt that Brazilians condemn Russia’s [invasion]. The mistake happened and the war started.”
That’s all for today. Thanks for following along. We’ll be back tomorrow.
Ukrainian journalist shot dead in Ukraine with Italian colleague wounded
A Ukrainian reporter working as a fixer for Italy’s daily newspaper Repubblica has been shot dead by snipers in Kherson, while his Italian colleague was wounded, the newspaper said Wednesday.
“Our correspondent Corrado Zunino and his fixer Bogdan Bitik were victims of an ambush by Russian snipers today on the outskirts of Kherson, in southern Ukraine,” the Repubblica said.
“Bitik unfortunately did not make it and died: he leaves behind his wife and a son. Corrado, who was wounded in the shoulder, is in the civil hospital in Kherson,” it said.
Both reporters, who had extensively covered the conflict, were wearing bulletproof vests with “press” written on them, it added.
“We were hit. I saw Bogdan on the ground, he wasn’t moving,” Zunino said in a telephone conversation with someone at the newspaper, the daily said.
“I crawled until I got out of the line of fire. I ran until I came across a civilian’s car. I was covered in blood, I got myself taken to the hospital in Kherson.
“I tried several times to call Bogdan, he didn’t answer. He was a great friend of mine, the pain is excruciating”, he was reported to have said.
The reporters were ambushed near the bridge in Kherson, the Repubblica said.
“It’s difficult to recover Bitik’s body at the moment, due to the presence of snipers,” it said.
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said his ministry and the Italian embassy in Kiev were working with the Ukrainian authorities on returning Zunino to Italy.
