Key occasions
Russia and Ukraine accuse one another of utilizing chemical weapons on battlefield
Russia and Ukraine have accused one another on the international chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague of utilizing banned toxins on the battlefield, the organisation mentioned on Tuesday.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mentioned that the accusations had been “insufficiently substantiated” however added that “the scenario stays unstable and very regarding relating to the attainable re-emergence of use of poisonous chemical compounds as weapons.”
Final week, the US mentioned Russia had violated the worldwide chemical weapons ban overseen by the OPCW by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin in opposition to Ukrainian troops and utilizing riot management brokers “as a way of warfare” in Ukraine.
Russia denied the allegations.
The OPCW mentioned it had been monitoring the scenario since February 2022, when Moscow invaded Ukraine.
Below the Chemical Weapons Conference, any poisonous chemical used with the aim to trigger hurt or dying, is taken into account a chemical weapon.
“It’s in opposition to the Conference to make use of riot management brokers at warfare on the battlefield. If used as a way of warfare, these brokers are thought of chemical weapons and, therefore, are prohibited underneath the Conference,” the OPCW mentioned.
For these eager to know extra about Vladimir Putin’s seemingly insurmountable grip on energy, Andrew Roth, our Russia correspondent, tells us the ways the Russian president makes use of to remain in publish.
Putin: Russia open to growing relations with West on equal phrases
Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned as he took the oath for a brand new six-year time period on Tuesday that Russia didn’t rule out dialogue with the West but it surely wanted to be on equal phrases, Reuters stories.
In a brief speech, Putin additionally mentioned that Russia was open to growing relations with different international locations he described as “the world’s majority”.
Russia’s state system should be immune to any threats and challenges, he mentioned.
Vladimir Putin arrives at inauguration ceremony
Listed below are some footage from Vladimir Putin’s inauguration ceremony:
Vladimir Putin has been sworn in for a brand new six-year presidential time period. He’s now making his inaugural tackle. There are a couple of vibrant charecters on the ceremony, together with American actor Steven Seagal.
Alexander Zaldostanov often known as “Khirurg” (The Surgeon), a pacesetter of the Evening Wolves bikers’ membership, can be on the cereomy.
Exiled Russian opposition chief Yulia Navalnaya urged supporters on Tuesday to maintain up the combat in opposition to President Vladimir Putin, describing him in a video on the day of his re-inauguration as a “a liar, a thief and a assassin”, Reuters stories.
EU plans to sanction Ukrainian media oligarch accused of treason by Kyiv
Jennifer Rankin
The EU plans to sanction a media oligarch accused of conducting malign affect operations in Europe and ban 4 extra Russian media retailers from the airwaves and web in its newest spherical of measures in opposition to Russia.
The bloc is looking for to sanction Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian politician and businessman accused of excessive treason by Kyiv, who was launched to Russia in a prisoner alternate in 2022.
In keeping with the EU draft itemizing Medvedchuk has “continued funding and finishing up affect operations concentrating on political events and particular person politicians in Europe”.
He’s mentioned to fund Voice of Europe, a Russian media outlet accused of systematic “media manipulation and distortion of the information”. Voice of Europe is ready to be banned within the EU, alongside Russian state information company Ria Novosti, the newspapers Rossiyskaya Gazeta and Izvestiya.
Voice of Europe and Medvedchuk had been sanctioned by the Czech Republic in March for an alleged pro-Russian affect operation geared toward destabilising the European elections in June.
Below the newest proposal, EU political events, foundations, NGOs and think-tanks will likely be barred from accepting cash from the Russian state or its proxies.
The newest draft sanctions – the 14th because the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – additionally proposes restrictions on items and providers linked to Russia’s liquified pure gasoline business. The European Fee needs to impose restrictions on the transhipment of LNG within the EU to cease Russia exporting shipped gasoline to non-EU international locations through EU ports.
The EU additionally needs to ban new funding, items and providers to construct LNG terminals within the Russian Arctic. The proposals, nonetheless, cease in need of a ban on Russian LNG, which in contrast to most pipeline gasoline has continued to be imported into the EU.
The plans need to be permitted unanimously by all EU 27 member states earlier than coming into power.
A Russian courtroom has remanded a US citizen in custody for 10 days for disorderly conduct, Reuters stories citing the state-run RIA information company.
A TV report mentioned the person, whereas drunk, had climbed right into a kids’s library by way of a window and fallen asleep there.
Polish particular providers have discovered and dismantled bugging gadgets in a room the place the council of ministers was attributable to meet on Tuesday, the particular providers coordinator’s spokesman mentioned, Reuters stories.
Poland, a hub for Western army provides to Ukraine as Kyiv fights Russia’s invasion, is on heightened alert for any indicators of spying exercise.
“The State Safety Service, in cooperation with the Inner Safety Company, detected and dismantled gadgets that may very well be used for eavesdropping within the room the place the assembly of the Council of Ministers is to be held at this time in Katowice”, Jacek Dobrzynski wrote on social media platform X.
“The providers are finishing up additional actions on this matter,” Dobrzynski added.
On Monday, the federal government mentioned it was verifying if a Polish choose who had entry to confidential info and requested for political asylum in Belarus had been spying.
Good morning and welcome to our Ukraine weblog because the time has simply handed 10am in Kyiv and Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely be sworn into workplace at a lavish ceremony within the Kremlin later at this time, embarking on a record-breaking fifth time period with extra energy than ever earlier than.
As AFP writes, the 71-year-old has dominated Russia because the flip of the century, securing a contemporary six-year mandate in March after profitable presidential elections devoid of all opposition.
The inauguration will likely be broadcast dwell on most main Russian tv channels from round noon (10.00BST), when a luxurious motorcade will drive Putin to Moscow’s Grand Kremlin Palace.
After arriving, he’ll stroll by way of the palace corridors to the ornate Saint Andrew Corridor, the place he’ll take the presidential oath and make a quick tackle to Russians.
Authorities officers and international diplomats in Moscow have been invited to the ceremony, together with French ambassador Pierre Levy, who is predicted to attend.
Different European international locations together with Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic have signalled that they won’t ship representatives amid soured tensions over the battle in Ukraine.
Yesterday Ukraine urged its western allies to not recognise Putin because the “reputable president” of Russia given his 87% landslide victory was criticised by most worldwide observers and dismissed as rigged by opposition and rights teams.
The ceremony comes at an particularly tense time for Russia’s diplomatic relations provided that yesterday it introduced tactical nuclear nuclear drills and threatened to strike British army amenities amid its anger over feedback by senior politicians together with Emmanuel Macron and David Cameron.