Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

The Kremlin declared Monday that the U.S. had “never abandoned” tries to spy on Russia and stated a current Pentagon file leakage showed this.

When the Kremlin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov was asked whether the Kremlin is worried about “the level of penetration of U.S. intelligence agencies into Russian structures” following a current leakage of supposed intelligence gathered by Washington, Peskov stated:

“Our special services and counterintelligence units are performing their functions. The United States has never abandoned work and attempts to conduct intelligence activities with us. This is met with appropriate opposition, and in this case, our special services are doing their job,” Peskov informed press reporters on Monday, news firm Interfax reported.

Peskov’s remarks followed a chest of Pentagon files were dripped and released online, appearing to reveal intelligence Washington had actually gathered on Russia, the war in Ukraine and other countries.

— Holly Ellyatt

Slovakia moved 13 Soviet- age fighter jets to Ukraine, the nation’s defense minister stated Monday.

Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nagy said on Twitter that “all 13 Slovak MIG-29 have been safely handed over to Ukrainian Air Force. Proud to be on the right side, doing the right thing to help protect lives. We Stand with Ukraine.”

The Slovak federal government authorized the shipment of the jets to Ukraine in March, with a number of airplane provided last month. Poland has actually likewise used MiG-29 s to Ukraine.

— Holly Ellyatt

Outspoken Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was imprisoned for a quarter of a century by a Moscow court on Monday, the harshest sentence of its kind considering that Russia attacked Ukraine, after it discovered him guilty of treason and other offenses he rejected.

Kara-Murza, 41, a daddy of 3 and an opposition political leader who holds Russian and British passports, invested years speaking up versus President Vladimir Putin and lobbied Western federal governments to enforce sanctions on Russia and private Russians for supposed human rights offenses.

State district attorneys, who had actually asked for the court prison him for 25 years, had actually implicated him of treason and of discrediting the Russian military after he slammed what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

In a CNN interview broadcast hours prior to he was apprehended, Kara-Murza had actually declared that Russia was being run by a “regime of murderers.” He had actually likewise utilized speeches in the United States and throughout Europe to implicate Moscow of battle civilian targets in Ukraine, a charge it has actually turned down.

In his last speech to the court recently, Kara-Murza had actually compared his own trial, which was held behind closed doors, to Josef Stalin’s reveal trials in the 1930 s and had actually decreased to ask the court to acquit him, stating he waited and took pride in whatever he had actually stated.

–Reuters

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday reported to President Vladimir Putin about drills performed by the Pacific Fleet.

In video footage broadcast on state tv, Shoigu was revealed stating that the drills consisted of “imitation strikes on enemy navy groups” in the Pacific.

Putin reacted by stating that breeze checks had actually revealed the Pacific Fleet, which is based in Far Eastern Russia, was at a high level of preparedness, which Russia’s concern was Ukraine.

The drills are taking place while Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu is going toMoscow On Sunday, he held a conference withPutin

–Reuters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is starting a trip of Latin America on Monday, with set up sees to Brazil, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.

The journey, which lasts till Friday, will see Russia’s leading diplomat hold talks with the leaders and foreign ministers of those nations, Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated.

It included that Lavrov has a “specific agenda aimed at strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation of our countries in the political, trade, economic, educational, humanitarian, cultural and other spheres,” the ministry stated.

The crucial objective of Lavrov’s trip is to enhance cooperation in between the nations in the political, financial, trade and humanitarian and cultural spheres, it stated.

“For us, Latin America is a friendly region, one of the centers of the formation of a multipolar world, with which Russia intends to maintain a dynamic dialogue, develop constructive cooperation, not subject to any dictate from outside,” the ministry stated on Telegram.

Russia regularly promotes the idea of a “multipolar world” and slams the viewed hegemony of the West in worldwide affairs. Since its intrusion of Ukraine, Moscow has actually stepped up efforts to enhance alliances and relationships abroad, such as with China, Brazil and India.

— Holly Ellyatt

Mine- cleaning in Ukraine, an activity that is happening in areas formerly inhabited by Russian forces in the northeast and south of Ukraine, might take a minimum of a years, Britain’s Ministry of Defense stated Monday.

“Mine- associated civilian casualties continue to be reported daily inUkraine The most impacted locations are Kherson and Kharkiv oblasts [regions]: locations Russia has actually formerly inhabited,” the ministry stated in an intelligence upgrade on Twitter.

With the arrival of spring, and more individuals associated with farming work, the danger of civilian mine occurrences will increase, the ministry alerted.

“Over 750 mine related casualties among civilians have been reported since the start of the invasion – one in eight has involved a child. It will likely take at least a decade to clear Ukraine of mines,” the ministry stated.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian President Vladimir Putin met China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu on Sunday, marking the current prominent conference in between Russian and Chinese authorities in current months.

Footage of the conference revealed Putin shaking hands with Li and after that taking a seat at a table at which Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was likewise seen.

“We are working actively through our military departments, regularly exchange useful information, work together in the field of military-technical cooperation, and hold joint exercises,” Putin stated, Reuters reported.

Recent joint drills, he stated, reinforced “the extremely trusting, strategic nature of our relations.”

Russia’s defense ministry stated Friday that Li would make his very first foreign journey to Russia on April 16-18 considering that his consultation to the post. The ministry stated settlements in between Li and Shoigu would occur throughout the see, which concludes Tuesday, which the authorities would go over cooperation in the defense sphere and concerns of worldwide and local security.

Putin’s newest conference with a senior Chinese authorities comes practically a month after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s see to Moscow in March in which the leaders declared their tactical cooperation. Putin likewise satisfied among China’s leading diplomats, Wang Yi, in February.

China’s State Council launched a declaration Sunday stating Beijing wants to deal with Russia to deepen “strategic communication between the two militaries, strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, and make new contributions to the maintenance of world and regional security and stability.”

— Holly Ellyatt

More than 100 Ukrainian detainees of war have actually been launched as part of a significant Easter exchange with Russia, a leading authorities stated Sunday, as Orthodox Ukrainians marked the vacation for a 2nd time considering that Moscow released its full-blown war more than a year earlier.

While events were controlled since of security threats, with a curfew disallowing the faithful from traditional all-night services, Ukrainian authorities and normal individuals shared messages of hope, connecting the story of Jesus’ resurrection to their yearning for peace and a Ukrainian success.

Dozens of households had unique factors to rejoice, as governmental consultant Andriy Yermak revealed that 130 soldiers, sailors, border guards and others recorded by Moscow were on their method back home following a “big Easter prisoner exchange.”

Yermak stated in a Telegram post on Sunday that those launched consisted of soldiers who battled near Bakhmut, the eastern mining city which has actually for months been the focus of Russia’s grinding offensive.

“The lives of our people are the highest value for us,” Yermak stated, including that Kyiv’s objective was to revive all staying POWs.

— The Associated Press