October 25, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

WNBA star Brittney Griner, who lost an appeal against her 9-year jail term in Russia on Tuesday, is hoping for a prisoner exchange, according to her lawyer.

“Brittney had this hope from the very start when she was detained,” lawyer Maria Blagovolina told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday evening.

Griner wasn’t expecting much from the appeal hearing, but “she still had some hope,” she said. “She was very upset when the court hearing ended,” the lawyer added.

The judge upheld her conviction on drug smuggling charges and reduced only slightly her prison sentence.

Some background: US officials have tried to secure the release of Griner and Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia, by proposing a prisoner swap with Russia. Those efforts have continued in recent weeks, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday in a statement that called the latest hearing a “sham,” adding, “President Biden has been very clear that Brittney should be released immediately.”

US President Joe Biden congratulated Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on his appointment in a call Tuesday afternoon, the White House said.

“The leaders reaffirmed the special relationship between our countries, underscoring their desire to further enhance cooperation on issues critical to global security and prosperity,” according to a readout from the White House. “The leaders agreed on the importance of working together to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its aggression, address the challenges posed by China, and secure sustainable and affordable energy resources.”

They also discussed the future of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, including “the need to maintain momentum toward reaching a negotiated agreement with the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol,” the White House said.

Vilnius, Lithuania — As his daughters dozed off in the back seat, his wife filmed him driving, eyes narrowed, focused on the dark road ahead. Andrei, a doctor, had been plotting their escape from Belarus since 2020, when the Kremlin-backed regime cracked down on a popular uprising, sending the country spiraling deeper into authoritarian rule and engulfing it in a climate of fear.

When Russia launched its assault on Ukraine from Belarus’ southern doorstep, getting out suddenly felt more urgent. His family watched from the windows of their apartment block as helicopters and missiles thundered through the sky. Within days, Andrei — whose name has been changed for his safety — said he found himself being forced to treat Russian soldiers injured in Moscow’s botched assault on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Then, at the end of March, he was jailed on trumped-up corruption charges. After his release in May, and carefully weighing the risks, he decided it was time to leave.

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko had admitted that Belarus was providing medical aid to Russian military personnel, but little is known about what happened in the hospitals where they were taken, which were kept under strict surveillance. In interviews with Belarusian doctors, members of the country’s medical diaspora, human rights activists, military analysts and security sources, CNN examined the role Belarus played in treating Russian casualties, while the Kremlin sought to conceal them.

Their testimonies and documentation — including medical records — offer insights into the Belarusian government’s complicity in the Ukraine war, as fears mount that the country might be sucked further into the fight.

Click here to read more on the CNN Special Report

Police in Norway arrested an academic working at the University of Tromsø in the Arctic Circle on Monday, on suspicion of spying for Russia, according to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Norway’s police told NRK that the man, a researcher at the university, claims to be a Brazilian citizen but they suspect he could be using a false identity and could actually be a Russian citizen.

“We have asked that a Brazilian researcher at the University of Tromsø be expelled from Norway as we believe he represents a threat to fundamental national interests,” said Hedvig Moe, Assistant Head, Norwegian Police Security Service, speaking to NRK.

“PST (Norwegian Police Security Service) is worried that he may have acquired a network and information about Norwegian politics of the northern area. Even if this network or the information gathered bit by bit is not a threat to the security of the kingdom, we are worried that the information could be misused by Russia,” Moe added.

CNN has reached out to the police force for comment.

Some context: In July, Richard Moore, the head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service MI6, told CNN’s Jim Sciutto that since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, European countries have expelled “north of 400 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover” across the bloc.

Norway has been on edge after a series of leaks in two Russian gas pipelines – both of which run under the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark – that leaders of several countries said were the likely result of sabotage.

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The White House said Tuesday it was taking notice of steps Saudi Arabia has taken in recent days to support Ukraine as President Joe Biden weighs a recalibration of US-Saudi ties.

The comment was notable because Biden has previously accused Riyadh of siding with Russia after the Saudi-led OPEC+ announced a cut in oil production, a step that could cause energy prices to rise.

Saudi officials vehemently denied that was the case, but Biden nonetheless vowed “consequences” for the step and his aides said Biden would rethink Washington’s longstanding ties to the Gulf monarchy.

Biden continues to “strategically think through what the review process is and how we move forward with this relationship,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

But she said the White House was taking note of recent steps showing Saudi Arabia on the side of Ukraine.

“We’ve taken note since the OPEC plus cut that Saudi Arabia voted against Russia at the United Nations and also pledged $4 million to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and humanitarian needs,” Jean-Pierre said. “These steps do not compensate, though, for the production cut, but they are noteworthy.”

“We’ll be watching to see what Saudi Arabia does over the coming weeks and will inform our consultations and review,” she said.

The comments were more conciliatory than previous statements from the administration, which accused Saudi Arabia of trying to “spin or deflect” its oil cut decision.

Biden himself told CNN’s Jake Tapper he was looking to take action against the kingdom.

“There’s going to be some consequences for what they’ve done, with Russia,” the President said.

But on Tuesday, Jean-Pierre said the more recent steps would be taken into consideration as Biden formulates a response.

“We’ve been very clear. We are noticing some actions that they’ve taken, as I just laid out, at the United Nations and what Saudi Arabia was able to do in helping Ukraine because that is something that is incredibly important,” Jean-Pierre said.

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency are set to arrive in Ukraine “shortly,” foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Tuesday, as Kyiv attempts to head off unsubstantiated claims from the Kremlin about a so-called “dirty bomb” plot. Russia raised the issue to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday in a closed-door meeting.

Meantime, a Russian court upheld detained American Brittney Griner’s drug smuggling conviction following an appeals hearing, effectively ending the legal process, according to her lawyers.

Newly-appointed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held his first phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday and assured him the UK’s support for Ukraine is “as strong as ever under his premiership,” according to a readout from Downing Street. 

Zelensky could count on Sunak’s government to “stand in continued solidarity,” it said. 

“Both leaders agreed on the need to continue to place pressure on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s barbaric regime through continued economic sanctions.”

“President Zelensky congratulated the Prime Minister on his appointment and wished him a happy Diwali”, it said. 

Tweeting on Tuesday, Zelensky described the conversation as excellent and said the two agreed to “write a new chapter” in their countries’ relations. 

The agent of US basketball star Brittney Griner called a Russian court’s rejection of the player’s appeal “disappointing, yet unsurprising.”

The decision “further validates the fact that she is being held hostage and is being used as a political pawn. Brittney Griner is being held by Russia simply because she is an American,” Lindsay Colas added.

Colas said that the sentence that Griner received “is regarded as harsh and extreme by Russian legal standards.”

The player’s agent called for urgency, pointing to what has happened to other US wrongful detainees around the world. She sought to rally Griner’s supporters to keep supporting efforts to get the player home.

“We call on all people, fellow Americans, along with the global sports community, to unite in their support for BG and President Biden’s efforts to do what is necessary to rescue her. We must support the use of all available tools to secure the safe return of BG and all Americans – with urgency,” Colas said. “The fire at Evin prison in Iran last week that almost killed American prisoner Emad Shargi, and Matthew Heath’s attempt to take his life in June while held in Venezuela, prove that time is an illusion. We do not have time. At any moment something might happen, and we must remain focused and unified in our call to return BG to her family immediately.”

The agent also thanked the Biden administration and other outside groups for advocating for Griner’s return.

“Each day matters, and we are thankful for every effort to ensure not one more day passes without her home,” Colas said.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Ukraine Tuesday for the first time since the Russian invasion started, where he condemned Russia’s recent escalatory steps and promised a timely delivery of committed weapons to Kyiv. 

Speaking to reporters alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Steinmeier slammed Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric,” partial mobilization of troops and claimed annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.  

The presidents met on the day Berlin hosted a conference on Ukraine’s recovery. Zelensky in a joint statement announced he had appointed Steinmeier as the patron of the reconstruction of the Chernihiv region.  

The two leaders discussed Ukraine’s economic, financial and defense needs, particularly artillery systems, armored vehicles and other weapons, according to a readout of the meeting posted on Zelensky’s Telegram channel.   

Speaking in Kyiv, Steinmeier vowed Ukraine will receive a delivery of Mars2-systems plus an additional two self-propelled howitzers from Germany in the coming days.  

“Today, Germany is one of the leading suppliers to Ukraine’s air defense,” he said.   

“Thirty Gepard tanks, three Mars2 multiple rocket launchers, several thousand anti-aircraft guns, one of the most modern air defense systems in the world, Iris-T. I hope it will help to make people a little safer, to protect them from Russia’s brutal aggression.” 

This is Steinmeier’s first wartime visit to Ukraine after two failed attempts in April, when he was uninvited over his links with Russia, and last week when the visit was canceled for security reasons.

The German president is considered to have had close relations with Russia in his previous political roles. Ukraine has previously been critical of Steinmeier over his links with Russia and the leading role he played as former foreign minister in improving relationships with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Russia made allegations to the UN Security Council about Ukraine’s supposed “dirty bomb” capabilities on Tuesday while Western countries scoffed at the claims.

Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dimitry Polyanskiy told reporters afterward his nation believes there are two facilities in Ukraine potentially working on constructing a “dirty bomb.”

Polyanskiy claimed intelligence sources backed the claim, though he did not present any evidence. 

A UK diplomat described Polyanskiy’s claim as “pure Russian misinformation.”

Ukraine has welcomed a pending visit from International Atomic Energy Agency officials to show the country has nothing to hide.

Russia has repeatedly claimed in recent days that Ukraine is conspiring to use the “dirty bomb,” a device that contains nuclear materials along with traditional explosives, in what Moscow says would be a false flag operation to blame Russia.

The claims have been rejected by Ukraine as well as its Western allies, including the US and the UK.

CNN’s Kristina Sgueglia and Jonny Hallam contributed to this report.

Ukraine is asking citizens who fled the country following Russia’s invasion not to return home this winter due to blackouts caused by Russian drone and missile strikes on the country’s power grid.

“We need to survive this winter. [If people come back] the electrical grid might fail,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Tuesday.

She added:

“In spring, I would really like for us to work together to rebuild our Kharkiv region, Kherson region and the rest of our cities and settlements here in Ukraine. “

Russia has notified the US of an upcoming annual exercise that includes its strategic nuclear forces, the Pentagon said Tuesday. 

The GROM exercise involves live missile launches and the deployment of strategic assets. The Pentagon stressed that it is a routine annual exercise, and the US will keep an eye on it. 

“Russia is complying with its arms control obligations and its transparency commitments to make these notifications,” Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news briefing. 

The Pentagon said last week that it was expecting the exercise, but Moscow had not officially notified Washington at the time. 

Last week, the US and NATO began the annual nuclear exercise known as Steadfast Noon, which has been conducted each year for more than a decade. 

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The Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region could become a target of a Ukrainian offensive soon, a Moscow-appointed senior official in the regional government said on Tuesday. 

“There is a good chance that the Zaporizhzhia region will become main target of the Ukrainian offensive. What is it based on? The fact that the amount of enemy equipment and manpower concentrated here, to put it mildly, is significant,” Vladimir Rogov said, speaking to Russian state TV Channel One.  

Rogov added that there could be strikes from the Orekhov and Gulyai-Pole areas on the cities in Zaporizhzhia: Enerhodar, Vasilyevka, Tokmak, Pology — and further up to Berdyansk.  

According to the Russia-backed official, such a scenario is “quite possible” because these places are a plain with no natural barriers such as rivers or forests. 

“Of course, there will be resistance. Our guys are waiting, our guys are getting ready. Our military understands perfectly well what potential risks are,” Rogov added. 

President Joe Biden said the United States is in “constant contact” with Russia in an attempt to get Brittney Griner and other wrongfully detained Americans back to the US, but he admitted the response hasn’t been very “positive.”

“We are in constant contact with Russian authorities to get Brittany and others out,” the President said, briefly taking questions after getting his updated Covid booster Tuesday afternoon.

He added: “So far, we have not been meeting with much positive response. But we’re not stopping.”

Some more context: As CNN reported, a judge in Russia left Griner’s verdict in place, upholding on Tuesday the US basketball star’s conviction on drug smuggling charges and reducing only slightly her 9-year prison sentence.

Griner’s sentence will be modified to count the time she spent in pretrial detention after her Feb. 17 arrest at a Moscow airport, the judge ruled, with each day in pretrial custody counting as 1.5 days toward her prison sentence. It was not immediately clear exactly how much that would reduce the sentence.

Biden did not name other wrongfully detained Americans, although the State Department said earlier on Tuesday that it was engaging the Russians about releasing both Griner and Paul Whelan, a former Marine who was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and arrested on espionage charges.

The Russian judicial process in the case of US basketball star Brittney Griner — including the rejection of her appeal today by the Moscow Regional Court – “has been a sham,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a briefing on Tuesday. 

“Today is another sad day for justice in Russia, and we use that term justice loosely because there has been no justice in this case, there has been no rule of law in this case,” Price said. “This process, to put it simply, has been a sham. The denial of Brittney Griner’s appeal is another repudiation of justice which only compounds the original injustice of her detention.”

The decision doesn’t change the fact that Russia is wrongfully detaining both Griner and US citizen Paul Whelan, he said.

“Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney Griner and fellow US citizen Paul Whelan. Nothing about Brittney’s conviction or the denial of this appeal today changes that. Secretary Blinken and President Biden have been clear that they should be released,” Price said. 

US President Joe Biden said Russia would be making a “serious, serious mistake” should it deploy a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

His comment came as Russian officials warn Ukraine may be preparing to use a so-called dirty bomb on the battlefield in Ukraine, an allegation that Western leaders immediately said was false.

It raised fears Russia could be laying the groundwork to launch such an attack as a pretext for escalating the war in Ukraine.

Biden said he’d spent much of Tuesday discussing the matter.

“I spent a lot of time today talking about that,” Biden said when questioned by CNN’s Jeremy Diamond about Russia’s intentions.

“Let me just say Russia would be making incredibly serious mistake if it were to use a tactical nuclear weapon,” he added. “I’m not guaranteeing that it’s a false flag operation yet. We don’t know. It would be a serious, serious mistake.”

American officials have said they do not see evidence that Russia is currently preparing to use an unconventional weapon, such as a dirty bomb, on the battlefield in Ukraine. 

Russia is accusing Ukraine of planning to use a so-called dirty bomb, an allegation dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies as a false-flag operation that Moscow could use as a pretext to escalate the Kremlin’s war against its neighbor.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly denied Moscow’s accusations and Kyiv’s foreign minister has invited UN inspectors to visit Ukraine to show they “have nothing to hide.”

Here’s what else you need to know:

What is a dirty bomb?

What is Russia saying?

What are other countries saying?

Is a dirty bomb a nuclear weapon?

Has a dirty bomb ever been used?

Read more about this here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said that new security challenges faced by what he calls Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine are “serious and significant.”

He called on his government to “speed up” decision-making and manufacturing of military equipment in relation to the conflict.  

“Now, we are also faced with the need to speed up resolution of the issues related to the provision of a special military operation and related to the fight against those restrictions in the economic sphere that we have encountered,” Putin said, speaking to the first meeting of the newly formed Coordination Council.  

On Oct. 20, Putin created the Coordination Council, headed by the country’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, to meet the needs of the Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. 

The Russian leader warned that if Moscow’s operation is carried out within the framework of “standard bureaucratic procedures,” there will be “no result.” 

Putin also stressed that equipment of Russian soldiers needs to be “efficient and modern.” 

He said that the operation in Ukraine cannot be based only on previously established standards as they could be outdated, adding that there is a need to focus on the “real situation, real needs.” 

Mishustin said in the meeting that it was necessary to increase the production of clothing and protective equipment for mobilized soldiers. 

Putin urged the council members to draft “targets” that needed to be met to address the rising needs of the operation in Ukraine in the “shortest time,” adding that he was expecting the council to submit those targets during Tuesday’s meeting but none have been submitted as of yet.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he spoke with his British counterpart James Cleverly on Tuesday, following Cleverly’s re-appointment as foreign secretary under new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.   

“Governments may change, but the support of our UK friends will remain unwavering for as long as it is needed for Ukraine to win,” Kuleba said in a tweet. 

US Rep. Pramila Jayapal has withdrawn a controversial letter she issued on Ukraine diplomacy after fallout from members of her Congressional Progressive Caucus, who said it was drafted months ago but sent this week without their knowing. 

“The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting. As Chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this,” she said in a statement. “The letter sent yesterday, although restating that basic principle, has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians’ just defense of their national sovereignty. As such, it is a distraction at this time and we withdraw the letter.”

House Democrats were angry at Jayapal for sending out a letter calling for the Biden administration to pursue diplomacy on Ukraine, with many publicly and privately fuming that the progressive leader blindsided them with a letter that revealed new divisions within their party over the war and with just days to go before the November midterms. 

“People are furious – especially frontliners,” said one senior House Democrat, referring to the most vulnerable members at risk of losing their seats in the Nov. 8 midterms.

Russia said will regard any use of an alleged “dirty bomb” by Ukraine as “an act of nuclear terrorism” in a letter to the United Nations secretary general, ahead of a closed-door Security Council meeting.

The UN Security Council will have closed-door discussions Tuesday on Russia’s allegation, without evidence, that Ukraine has plans to create a “dirty bomb,” a device that contains nuclear materials along with traditional explosives. 

In the letter circulated ahead of the meeting, Russia’s UN Mission alleged Ukraine has “appropriate scientific capacities and knowledge” as well as “various testing systems in operation.”

Russia also alleges the “provocation may be carried out with the support of the Western countries.”

Russia’s claims that Ukraine is conspiring to use the “dirty bomb” — in what Moscow says would be a false flag operation to blame Russia — have been rejected by the United States, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. 

On Monday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “We reject the transparently false allegation that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory.”

Ukraine is increasingly concerned that Russia is preparing to detonate a “dirty bomb” — a conventional explosive surrounded by radioactive material — on Ukrainian territory, because of Moscow’s persistent claims that Ukraine is building such a weapon, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a briefing Tuesday.

“What is even more concerning is the persistence with which Russian officials pursue this false story. This makes us worry that Russia might itself be preparing to commit a crime, which it tries to cover in advance by spreading this disinformation,” Kuleba said.

“Ukraine has never had a plan to develop any dirty bombs. This story is a pure Russian lie, and no one should be fooled by it,” Kuleba said.

Upon Ukraine’s request, the International Atomic Energy Agency is sending a team of nuclear investigators to inspect the two facilities that Russia alleges — without evidence — have been used to build a dirty bomb.

“We have nothing to hide,” Kuleba said.

“As President Zelensky said, even the dangerous Russian rhetoric on nuclear weapons and constant nuclear blackmail which we hear from Russia are unacceptable. They must be met with immediate and resolute actions,” he added.

Ukraine officially gave up nuclear weapons it inherited from the former Soviet Union in 1994, and Kuleba said that the country has no plans to acquire any more. 

“Ukraine is a dedicated and responsible member of treaty of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. We have never had, do not have and do not plan to develop any dirty bombs,” he said.  

The UN Security Council will have closed-door private discussions late Tuesday morning on Russia’s allegation — without evidence — that Ukraine has plans to create a “dirty bomb,” according to two United Nations diplomats.

Russia’s claims that Ukraine is conspiring to use a “dirty bomb,” a device that contains nuclear materials along with traditional explosives, have been dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies as a possible false-flag operation from Moscow.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has said it will send safeguard inspectors to visit two nuclear locations in Ukraine after receiving a request to do so from authorities in Kyiv. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday stressed that it was necessary to update the procedures and regulatory frameworks to ensure the success of what Moscow calls a “special operation” in Ukraine, according to a statement from the Kremlin.  

“It is necessary to update the procedures and regulatory frameworks and the economy as a whole, and individual industries, and to ensure the special operation,” Putin said, speaking at the first meeting of the newly-formed Coordination Council.  

“The issues of updating and improving administrative procedures have been discussed many times, but the situation is such that all this work needs to be looked at again,” Putin added.  

“There is a need for broad and deep coordination between all structures — both economic and power blocs, and regions,” he said.  

Putin’s comments come as Russia experiences a string of losses in Ukraine, including in regions it claims it is annexing, in violation of international law.

Ukraine has invited experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit two facilities the Russian government claims — without evidence — are involved in a plan to create a so-called “dirty bomb.” 

The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that it had invited the IAEA to “conduct verification” at the Institute of Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv and the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant in Zhovti Vody in the Dnipropetrovsk region. 

The Russian defense ministry had named the two facilities as being involved in the alleged scheme in a briefing to journalists on Monday. 

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday that he expected the experts to arrive “shortly” and the visit would show that his government had “nothing to hide.”

Russia is accusing Ukraine of planning to use the type of bomb, which combines conventional explosives like dynamite and radioactive material like uranium. Kyiv and its Western allies say there is no truth to the accusation and that Moscow could be mounting a false-flag operation as a pretext to escalate the Kremlin’s war against its neighbor. 

Russian diplomats will raise the issue of an alleged “dirty bomb” plot in a closed meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

Remember: In a speech in September, Putin raised the specter of nuclear weapons, warning that, “In the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country and to defend Russia and our people, we will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us. This is not a bluff.”

CNN’s Brad Lendon contributed reporting to this post.

A decision by the Moscow Regional Court to uphold US basketball star Brittney Griner’s drug smuggling conviction earlier today in Russia “was a reminder that this process has been a sham from the start,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told CNN’s Erica Hill.

“What we saw this morning was a reminder that this process has been a sham from the start. Today has been another sad day for justice in Russia. I use that term justice very loosely of course because justice has alluded this case from the start, the rule of law has alluded this case from the start,” Price said.

The State Department continues “to engage with the Russians” on releasing both Griner and Paul Whelan, who are both wrongfully detained in Russia, Price said. The Biden administration has had conversations with Russia on the matter “in recent days,” but the US wants to see Russia engage in the negotiations more seriously, he added.

“We continue to engage with the Russians, those conversations have taken place even in recent days,” Price said. “This has not been a static process, we are continuing to urge them to engage and engage them seriously on this, because we want to see Paul, we want to see Brittney return to their loving families as soon as possible.”

The fact that both Whelan and Griner are still “behind bars” in Russia “suggest to us that this process has not moved as quickly as we would like,” Price added.

“Up until now, the Russians haven’t engaged in a way that we would consider serious. We want them to change that posture, we want them to engage constructively, we want them to engage on the proposal that we put forward,” Price said.

The US government still considers Brittney Griner to be “wrongfully detained,” US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Elizabeth Rood said on Tuesday, following a Russian court’s decision to uphold her conviction. 

“It is honestly tragic that Ms. Griner had to spend her birthday last week in a Russian prison rather than at home with her family and on the basketball court with her teammates,” Rood told reporters outside the Moscow Regional Court.

“The United States Embassy in Moscow has no higher priority than the welfare of all US citizens detained in Russia whether wrongfully detained or not. We will work very hard to ensure their fair treatments and their welfare — this is what we’re here to do,” she continued.

“Nothing in the previous sentence, nothing in the result of today’s appeal changes the fact that the United States government considers Griner to be wrongfully detained,” added Rood, who is the most senior American diplomat in Moscow.

Brittney Griner’s lawyers said they are “very disappointed” in the Moscow Regional Court upholding her drug smuggling conviction, adding that the outcome of the appeal hearing on Tuesday “is not what we expected.” 

“We are very disappointed. The verdict contains numerous defects, and we hoped that the court of appeal would take them into consideration,” her lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement. “We still think the punishment is excessive and contradicts to the existing court practice.”

“Brittney’s biggest fear is that she is not exchanged and will have to serve the whole sentence in Russia. She had hopes for today as each month, each day away from her family and friends matters to her,” her lawyers added. 

Regarding whether they would appeal further, her lawyers said they would discuss it with Griner and “use all the available legal tools especially given the harsh and unprecedented nature of her verdict.”

They added that it is not clear when Griner will be transferred from pre-trial detention to another prison location for the remainder of her sentence but noted that it could take a “few months.” 

Griner remains in pre-trial detention center No 1 Novoye Grishino, north of Moscow. 

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan weighed in on a Russian court’s decision to uphold the conviction of Brittney Griner today, saying President Joe Biden has been clear the WNBA star “should be released immediately.”

“We are aware of the news out of Russia that Brittney Griner will continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today,” Sullivan said. “President Biden has been very clear that Brittney should be released immediately.”

Sullivan again stressed the Biden administration is working to get Griner and Paul Whelan back home and remains in contact with representatives of the families, praising their “courage” as their loved ones remain detained in Russia.

Whelan, an ex-Marine, has been detained in Russia since 2018.  

“In recent weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan,” Sullivan said. “The President has demonstrated that he is willing to go to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions to bring Americans home, as his Administration has done successfully from countries around the world.”

The Moscow Regional Court has left US basketball star Brittney Griner’s verdict in place, upholding the earlier decision from the Khimki city court, which means that Griner’s conviction for smuggling drugs into the country will stand. 

Griner’s sentence of nine years in prison will be slightly decreased, as the judge ruled to count the time spent in custody since Feb. 17. Each day Griner spent in pre-trial detention will count as 1.5 days toward her prison sentence, the judge ruled. It is not yet clear exactly how much that will reduce her sentence. 

The outcome means the “legal process will be basically over,” one of Griner’s lawyers, Alexander Boykov of the Moscow Legal Center, previously told CNN. 

Griner was initially taken into custody at a Moscow airport days before the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when authorities accused her of trying to smuggle less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. She plays in Russia during the WNBA’s offseason.

The All-Star center for the Phoenix Mercury pleaded guilty to drug charges, telling the court during her trial that vape cartridges containing the cannabis oil were in her luggage because she had packed her bags in a hurry.

Russian forces are making it harder for people to leave the occupied territories, prohibiting evacuation vehicles from leaving some regions, Ukraine’s government said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“At the moment, evacuation is too hard. The opportunity to leave temporally occupied territories is almost exhausted,” according to the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories. “The occupiers have actually stopped allowing evacuation vehicles to leave the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. They put up all kinds of obstacles: they demand licenses from drivers, use the fingerprinting procedure, check all documents, phones, cars, and so on.” 

“As a result, only a small number of people managed to leave in almost a month. Earlier, the same amount of people left over one or two days,” the statement said. 

In a post on Telegram earlier on Tuesday, the displaced mayor of Russian-held Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, claimed that only 139 people had been allowed to leave the occupied parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions to the city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday – while on Sunday they, “did not release a single person,” he said.

The road through the Russian-held checkpoint at Vasylivka to Zaporizhzhia has been a key route for civilians fleeing occupied territory. 

“I remind residents that there are alternative ways to leave: via Crimea or via Novoazovsk in the Donetsk region,” Fedorov said. “The road may take a long time but given the risk of death in the occupied territories, it is necessary to evacuate.” 

Earlier this month, CNN reported that only a handful of people had been able to leave Russian-occupied territory through Vasylivka since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared he was annexing four Ukrainian regions, which is illegal under international law. 

US basketball star Brittney Griner spoke during her appeal hearing on Tuesday and asked the Moscow Regional Court to take into consideration the letters of good word in her favor, as well as the arguments of her lawyers regarding her “disproportionate” sentence of nine years in prison.

“I’ve been here almost eight months and people with more severe crimes have been given less than what I was given,” Griner told the court via video. 

Griner was initially taken into custody at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 when authorities accused her of trying to smuggle less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner plays in Russia during the WNBA’s offseason.

In July, the basketball star pleaded guilty to drug charges, telling the Khimki city court during her trial that vape cartridges containing the cannabis oil were in her luggage because she had packed her bags in a hurry.

Griner said on Tuesday that she apologizes for the mistake she made, saying, “Yes, I pleaded guilty. I did not intend to do this but I do understand the charge against me and I hope that this will also be taken into account.” 

“It’s been a very very stressful and very traumatic to my mental and [physical state] and to my family,” Griner added. 

The judge in the appeal hearing took a break to deliberate following Griner’s statement. 

US basketball star Brittney Griner’s lawyers asked the Moscow Regional Court to acquit her during an appeal hearing on Tuesday. 

Griner’s lawyers said her sentence of nine years in prison was disproportionate and argued that the previous court ruling was wrong to say Griner had criminal intent. 

One of her lawyers, Maria Blagovolina, told the court that the results of the examination into her drug use are “doubtful and unconfirmed” and that “continuous narcotic substance use is incompatible with a career as a professional athlete.” 

Another lawyer for Griner, Alexander Boykov, added that “no lawyer will be able to say in all honesty that this verdict is in line with Russian judicial practice.” 

Griner remains in Correctional Colony No. 1 in Novoye Grishino, north of Moscow, and appeared at the appeal hearing by video on Tuesday, nearly three months after she was convicted of smuggling drugs into the country.

UN nuclear experts are set to arrive in Ukraine as part of efforts to debunk Russian claims that Kyiv is planning to use a “dirty bomb,” and European leaders have promised to continue their financial support for Ukraine at a conference in Berlin. Meanwhile, a car bomb has injured five people in Russian-occupied Melitopol and Ukraine’s military claims that Russia is preparing for a “potential retreat” in Kherson.

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Rssian missiles and Iranian-made drones have destroyed more than a third of Ukraine’s energy sector, President Volodymyr Zelensky told an international conference on Ukraine reconstruction on Tuesday. 

Speaking by video to the meeting in Berlin, Zelensky said the attacks were aimed at making “it harder for us to endure this winter.” 

Zelensky claimed his government had “not yet received a single cent” toward the recovery plan it set up to fund the repair of hospitals, schools, transportation, power plants and other infrastructure damaged during the war. 

Zelensky also asked for financial assistance to cover Ukraine’s state budget deficit next year, which he forecast would be $38 billion. 

He repeated calls to establish a legal mechanism that would allow Ukraine to receive frozen Russian assets.

“Russian assets — those that have already been frozen, and those that still need to be frozen — are significant,” he said. “We need a real, fast, legal mechanism for directing Russian assets to compensate for the losses caused by the Russian war.” 

After 30 progressive members of the US House of Representatives wrote to US President Joe Biden seeking changes to the Ukraine strategy and calling for a negotiated settlement, the chairwoman of the caucus, Pramila Jayapal, clarified the group’s position, saying they maintain “unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine.”

The statement comes after some progressives criticized the letter, including Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan, who called it “bad timing.” 

Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss called the letter “an olive branch to a war criminal who’s losing his war.”

Jayapal said in her updated statement:

“Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support,” she said.

“Diplomacy is an important tool that can save lives — but it is just one tool. As we also made explicitly clear in our letter and will continue to make clear, we support President Biden and his administration’s commitment to nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” she continued.

Acar bomb exploded near a local TV station in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol on Tuesday morning, injuring five people, said city authorities.

“A car was blown up near the building of the ‘ZaMedia’ media holding in Melitopol,” the Russian-installed Melitopol administration said in a post on Telegram.

“Windows and interior doors were damaged due to the blast wave. Neighboring residential buildings and a car passing by at the time of the explosion were also damaged,” it added. “Five people were slightly injured, including employees of the media holding. One was hospitalized.”

Melitopol is in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-appointed regional council, told Russian state media RIA Novosti that the incident was “a terrorist attack.”

CNN has not been able to independently verify the claim.

US basketball star Brittney Griner is present via videolink for her appeal hearing at the Moscow Regional Court.

Griner spoke briefly at the hearing to confirm basic information such as her name, according to her legal team.

It is not yet clear whether Griner will be making any further statements during Tuesday’s appeal hearing. 

The hearing is taking place nearly three months after the US basketball star was convicted of smuggling drugs into Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison. 

Griner’s attorneys are expected to argue the verdict was unfair and unjustified under Russian law, they told CNN. 

Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure are “pure acts of terror,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a conference in Berlin on Tuesday. 

Moscow was “deliberately leading targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure, with a very clear aim: to cut off men, women and children from water, electricity and heating as the winter is approaching,” said von der Leyen at an event on the “recovery, reconstruction and modernization” of Ukraine.

“These are pure acts of terror. Russia tries to paralyze Ukraine, but we will not let this happen,” she added. 

Von der Leyen said Ukraine needed 3 to 5 billion euros per month “just to cover … recurrent running costs” such as the salaries of its armed forces, teachers and doctors.

“It’s only right if the European Union assumes its fair share, and I’m working with our member states [so] that the Union could support Ukraine with up to 1.5 billion euros every month of the war, which would be, in sum, round about 18 billion euros in 2023,” she said.

The conference will not include a “pledging segment” according to a Q&A from the German government. “Participating institutions are however free to announce or confirm their support for recovery.”

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were set to arrive in Ukraine “shortly”, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Tuesday, as Kyiv attempts to head off unsubstantiated claims from the Kremlin about a so-called “dirty bomb” plot.

“IAEA experts are expected to arrive shortly and prove Ukraine has neither any dirty bombs nor plans to develop them,” Kuleba said on Twitter. “Good cooperation with IAEA and partners allows us to foil Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ disinfo[rmation] campaign.”

A dirty bomb is a weapon that combines conventional explosives such as dynamite, and radioactive material like uranium.

Ukraine and its Western allies have flatly rejected Russia’s allegations, offered without evidence, that Kyiv is conspiring to use a so-called “dirty-bomb” on its own territory in a false flag operation.

Russian diplomats plan to raise the issue in a closed meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for a “new Marshall plan” to rebuild Ukraine, referring to the US-sponsored development program which aimed to rehabilitate European economies after World War II in order to safeguard democracy on the continent.

“We don’t know when this war will end. But end it will,” Scholz said on Tuesday at a conference in Berlin on planning and financing the post-war reconstruction effort.

Helping Ukraine recover will be “a challenge for generations” and require “the combined strength of the entire international community,” he added.

Germany will continue to support Kyiv with arms to defend itself for as long as necessary, said Scholz.

“To ensure that it does prevail … we will resolutely continue to support Ukraine politically, financially, in terms of humanitarian assistance and also with arms, for as long as it takes,” he said.

This includes strengthening Ukraine’s air defense systems, which Ukraine “urgently needs now,” added the chancellor.

Scholz said Russia’s use of drones to attack civilians and power plants in Ukraine marked a “new low” in the war and suggested Moscow is “desperate.”

“The latest indiscriminate attacks including the use of kamikaze drones against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine mark a new low in Russia’s despicable effort to wipe Ukraine off the map,” he said. “The abhorrent way of warfare only demonstrates one thing: Putin’s Russia is desperate.” 

Russia is accusing Ukraine of planning to use a so-called dirty bomb, an allegation dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies as a false-flag operation that Moscow could use as a pretext to escalate the Kremlin’s war against its neighbor.

A dirty bomb is a weapon that combines conventional explosives like dynamite and radioactive material like uranium. It is often referred to as a weapon for terrorists, not countries, as it is designed to spread fear and panic more than eliminate any military target.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly denied Moscow’s accusations and Kyiv’s foreign minister has invited UN inspectors to visit Ukraine to show they “have nothing to hide.”

Here’s what you need to know:

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is driven along Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2022.

Related article What is a dirty bomb and why is Russia talking about it? | CNN

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Ukraine for a surprise visit on Tuesday, marking his first trip to the country since Russia’s invasion began in February. 

Steinmeier’s spokesperson Cerstin Gammelin tweeted the president had “arrived in Ukraine with a double message.”  

“My message to the people of Ukraine is: You can rely on Germany! We will continue to support Ukraine: militarily, politically, financially and humanitarianly,” the president was quoted as saying. 
“Let us never forget what this war means for the people here! With all the hardships that the war also brings for us in Germany - Let’s look for a moment through the eyes of the Ukrainians.”

Some background: This is Steinmeier’s first wartime visit to Ukraine after two failed attempts, firstly in April when he was uninvited due to his links with Russia and then last week when his trip was canceled for security reasons.

Russian forces in occupied Kherson are preparing “defensive positions” along the east bank of the Dnipro river and leaving small pathways for a “potential retreat” from the west bank, Ukraine’s military claimed Tuesday. 

“According to available information, the enemy is arranging defensive positions on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro river in Kherson region,” the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its daily operational update. 
“Near the settlement of Hornostaivka, engineering and sapper units of the Russian occupation troops are laying mines along the coastline, leaving small pathways for the potential retreat of their troops from the right (western) bank.”

CNN cannot confirm the Ukrainian military’s claim. 

Recent movements: On Monday, a resident in Russian-occupied Kherson told CNN’s Clarissa Ward that Russia was withdrawing its administrative services from the city, and that many residents were waiting behind to await Ukrainian liberation. 

The Kherson resident described the city as calm, with very few people on the streets.

The Russian-installed governor of the region, Vladimir Saldo, said last week that the civil administration would move from Kherson city to the eastern (left) bank of the Dnipro river.

Brittney Griner is set to appeal her verdict in Russian court Tuesday, nearly three months after the US basketball star was convicted of smuggling drugs into the country and sentenced to nine years in prison.

Griner’s appeal will be considered in the Moscow Regional Court in a hearing at which her attorneys are expected to argue the verdict was unfair and unjustified under Russian law, they told CNN. Griner, 32, will attend the hearing via video conference from her detention center.

The outcome of the appeal is expected the same day as the hearing, according to the lawyers, Alexander Boykov of the Moscow Legal Center and Maria Blagovolina, a partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners law firm. The court hearing the appeal can choose to leave Griner’s verdict in place, overrule it and send it back to the lower court, or reduce Griner’s prison term, they said.

If the Khimki city court’s decision is upheld, the “legal process will be basically over,” Boykov said. In the meantime, Griner, a two-time US Olympic gold medalist, is concerned she will have to serve out the remainder of her sentence in Russia if her appeal is unsuccessful and if the United States and Russia can’t strike a deal for a prisoner swap, he said.

Both attorneys have indicated they felt Griner’s nine-year sentence was extreme, with Blagovolina calling it “very severe for this type of crime and this amount of this substance.”

Read more:

US Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, waits for the verdict inside a defendants' cage during a hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022. - A Russian court found Griner guilty of smuggling and storing narcotics after prosecutors requested a sentence of nine and a half years in jail for the athlete. (Photo by EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Brittney Griner will appeal her case today in Russian court | CNN

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated US support for Ukraine in a call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday, following unsubstantiated Russian allegations that Ukraine plans to use a “dirty bomb.”

“The Secretary reaffirmed enduring U.S. support for Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression, atrocities, and rhetoric surrounding so-called ‘dirty bombs’ in Ukraine,” according to a readout from State Department spokesman Ned Price.
“He noted our commitment to work with Allies and partners to continue meeting Ukraine’s security assistance needs on the battlefield,” Price added.

Kremlin’s allegations dismissed: Russia’s claims that Ukraine plans to use a dirty bomb have been strongly refuted by Ukraine, the US, the United Kingdom and the European Union, which have in turn accused Moscow of trying to launch its own false-flag operation.

A dirty bomb is a weapon that combines conventional explosives like dynamite and radioactive material like uranium. It is often referred to as a weapon for terrorists, not countries, as it is designed to spread fear and panic more than eliminate any military target. There is no record of such a weapon ever being used successfully.

On Monday, the UN’s nuclear watchdog has said it will send safeguard inspectors to visit two nuclear locations in Ukraine at the request of authorities in Kyiv.  

Russia will raise the issue of an alleged “dirty bomb” plot to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, Reuters reported on Monday.

Reuters said Russia sent a letter on its claims to the UN late on Monday and its diplomats plan to raise the issue in a closed meeting with the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

“We will regard the use of the dirty bomb by the Kyiv regime as an act of nuclear terrorism,” Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia wrote in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council, Reuters reported.

CNN has not verified the letter, which Reuters said it had seen.

Russia’s claims that Ukraine is conspiring to use a so-called “dirty-bomb” in a false flag operation have been rejected by the United States, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

A dirty bomb would combine a conventional explosive, such as dynamite, with radioactive material, such as uranium, to disperse the radioactive material over a large area. There is no record of such a weapon ever being used successfully.

On Monday, the UN’s nuclear watchdog has said it will send safeguard inspectors to visit two nuclear locations in Ukraine at the request of authorities in Kyiv.  

The UN’s nuclear watchdog said it will send inspectors to visit two nuclear locations in Ukraine after receiving a request to do so from authorities in Kyiv. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was “aware of statements made by the Russian Federation on Sunday about alleged activities at two nuclear locations in Ukraine,” according to a news release on the agency’s website Monday

The agency did not give the location of the two sites. 

The decision follows allegations made by Russian officials in recent days that Kyiv planned to use a so-called “dirty bomb” in a false flag operation.

A dirty bomb would combine a conventional explosive, such as dynamite, with radioactive material, such as uranium, to disperse the radioactive material over a large area. There is no record of such a weapon ever being used successfully.

Moscow claims without evidence that there are scientific institutions in Ukraine housing the technology needed to create the weapon and accuses Kyiv of planning to use it.

The allegations have been strongly refuted by the United States, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, which in turn accused Russia of trying to launch its own false-flag operation.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi received a written request from Ukraine to send teams to carry out verification activities at the two locations.

Grossi stressed that both sites are under IAEA safeguards.

“The IAEA inspected one of these locations one month ago and all our findings were consistent with Ukraine’s safeguards declarations. No undeclared nuclear activities or material were found there,” the IAEA chief said. 

Top US Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on Monday, his spokesperson said in brief readouts of each call.

In his conversation with the chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, they “discussed several security-related issues of concern and agreed to keep the lines of communication open. In accordance with past practice, the specific details of their conversation will be kept private,” said Col. Dave Butler, the Joint Staff spokesperson.

Milley spoke with the Ukrainian Armed Forces Gen. Valery Zaluzhny about “the unprovoked and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and exchanged perspectives and assessments,” the spokesperson said.

Yesterday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke via telephone, the second call in three days between the two.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is continuing to urge for more air-defense systems, saying that according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia had ordered about 2,000 Shahed drones from Iran.  

Zelensky made the comments in a pre-recorded video address to the Haaretz Democracy Conference. Haaretz is an Israeli daily newspaper and news website.

Ukraine’s President said Russia might be offering Iran assistance with its nuclear program in exchange for Iranian-made drones that Russia has used to batter Ukraine in recent weeks, though he didn’t offer any evidence to support that claim, nor can CNN independently authenticate that.   

Zelensky also spoke about why Russia had resorted to using drones.  

“Russia loses to us in a real confrontation on the battlefield. Putin’s army does not know how to fight. We beat them on our land in such a way that it is forced to withdraw its contingents even from other regions that they tried to destabilize,” he said.
“But, unfortunately, we do not have our own ‘Iron Dome’. We still do not have a modern and effective air defense and missile defense system that could secure our skies. That is why Russia hopes to use terror in the air to compensate for losses on the ground.”

Some background: Zelensky’s comments come about a week after Ukraine appealed to Israel for air-defense systems — like Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system — to counter Iranian ballistic missiles and long-range drones. 

Israel said it would help Ukraine develop an air defense alert system but did not plan to deliver any weapons systems. Israel has strategic ties with Russia, especially in its dealings with Syria, and while Israel has given Ukraine humanitarian aid, it has not offered any weapons support to date. 

Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has cast doubt on the future of a UN-backed grain deal, saying there is a “lot of work” to do before the agreement can be renewed next month.

The agreement has allowed Ukraine — one of the world’s largest wheat producers — to export grain from its Black Sea ports since the beginning of August.

Lavrov said Moscow wanted the UN to provide evidence that the exports, which must pass through a monitoring center in Istanbul, are being directed to the world’s poorest countries. Speaking during a joint news conference with the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Moscow on Monday, he said he had asked the UN for data on the final destinations of the grain.

Lavrov said Russia understands that poorest nations receive only 5% to 7% of the exported grain, while the rest goes to the European Union.

“European countries give the following explanation: they say, yes, we receive most of the Ukrainian grain, but then this grain is distributed around the world, including to the poorest countries. I would like to have a clearer picture, so we asked the UN secretariat who is engaged in this operation, and who has all the data, to provide statistics on the movement of grain to the final destination,” Lavrov said.

The data requested from the UN will inform Russia’s decision on whether to remain in the grain deal, he added.

Lavrov also complained that the second part of the agreement, which deals with the supply of Russian food and fertilizers to the world market, “is practically not implemented.”

Lavrov argued there was a need for clear legal exemptions from sanctions for Russian companies, and guarantees for the free entry of Russian ships into European ports and foreign ships into Russian ones. He said one of the key problems is the sanctions imposed against the Russian Agricultural Bank, the main financial institution servicing the supply of fertilizers and grain to world markets.

“There is a lot of work. The deal expires in November. And we proceed from the fact that before the issue of its extension is considered, all the issues mentioned will be resolved in a satisfactory way,” Lavrov said.

Russian state-controlled TV channel RT has suspended presenter Anton Krasovsky after he suggested on air that Ukrainian children in the 1980s who saw Russian forces as occupiers should have been “drowned.”

On Monday RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan denounced Krasovsky’s comments in a Telegram post, saying they were “wild and disgusting.”

Krasovsky is a commentator who hosts his own show on RT.

He made the comments in a broadcast last Thursday after author Sergei Lukyanenko said that, on a visit to Ukraine in the 1980s, children told him: “Ukraine is occupied by Muscovites.”

Krasovsky replied: “These children should have been drowned in the Tysyna [river].”

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba took to Twitter to call for a worldwide ban on RT, saying the comments amounted to “aggressive genocide incitement.”

“Governments which still have not banned RT must watch this excerpt. This is what you side with if you allow RT to operate in your countries,” Kuleba said, sharing a clip from the RT broadcast.

Krasovsky later apologized for his comments on Telegram, saying he “was really embarrassed” and “did not see the line.”

“I apologize to everyone who was stunned by this. I apologize to Margarita, to everyone to whom this seemed wild, unthinkable and insurmountable. I hope you will forgive me.”