Summary
Here’s a roundup of today’s news and developments in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza has been jailed for 25 years for his opposition to the Russia’s war in Ukraine.
A number of countries, including the UK and France have raised concerns about his imprisonment. UK foreign secretary James Cleverly has summoned the Russian ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin for an explanation. Kara-Murza holds dual Russian-British citizenship.
His wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, told British broadcaster LBC that she was “baffled” by the UK government’s “weak” response.
The British ambassador in Russia, Deborah Bronnert, said the verdict of a 25-year sentence was “shocking” and called for his immediate release.
The UN’s human rights head has urged Russia to release him. Volker Türk said: “No one should be deprived of their liberty for exercising their human rights.”
Baltic neighbour Latvia has sanctioned 10 Russian officials and lawyers involved in the case.
Away from Kara-Murza’s sentencing.
The Kremlin has said prospects for a renewal of the Black Sea grain initiative, in which Russia allows Ukraine to ship agricultural exports from its Black Sea ports via Turkey, were “not so bright”. Russia has repeatedly complained that western economic sanctions are preventing it from exporting agricultural products, and that these need to be lifted in order for it to agree to any extension.
Slovakia will temporarily halt imports of grains and other selected products from Ukraine to protect its farmers, joining Poland and Hungary in the move, a government spokesperson said on Monday.
Ukraine’s restoration ministry has said the Black Sea grain initiative is in danger of being shut down after Russia again blocked inspections of ships under the deal in Turkish waters.
The US ambassador to Russia has been able to visit the imprisoned journalist Evan Gershkovich for the first time. Posting on Twitter, the embassy’s official account said the ambassador Lynne Tracey visited him in Lefortovo prison. It is the first time the US has had consular access since Gershkovich was arrested on espionage charges.
The United States and dozens of other UN members called for Russia to release Gershkovich. “We protest Russian efforts to limit and intimidate the media,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations, reading a statement supported by 45 other UN member states, including the UK, France, Germany and Japan, AFP reports.
Slovakia has handed over all 13 MiG-29 fighter jets it had pledged to Ukraine, the Slovak defence ministry said on Monday.
Almost 500 children have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, according to a report by the Ukrainian prosecutor general. It said that as of Monday, a total of 1,418 children had been affected. They had counted 470 children killed and 948 who had been injured – although the department believes that the number of injured children is higher.
The Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska, who has been subjected to sanctions, bemoaned a “primitive” Russian finance system dominated by state banks, saying it was sliding into the past while other countries took advantage of a realignment in global finance.
That’s all for today. Thank you for following along.
The chair of the UK foreign affairs select committee, Alicia Kearns, has told the broadcaster Andrew Marr that the government should “absolutely” introduce sanctions against 31 people complicit in crimes against the Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza.
She said: “[Sanctions are] one of the things I called for today in my [urgent question]. The reality is we’ve only sanctioned two of the 31 people complicit in crimes against him. And those both happen to be sanctioned because of their treatment of Magnitsky.
“There are 29 people [involved] that the British government was given evidence about this over six months ago – and it’s time for them to take action.”
Updated
