April 12, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Ukraine news here or read through the updates below.

There have been more than 77,000 alleged war crimes registered by Ukraine, the country’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin told The Washington Post Wednesday.

He said the alleged war crime incidents “include not only murder, not only humiliation and rape, they also include the destroying of private property. They include forced deportation. They include forced detention of Ukrainians on occupied territories. They include looting on massive scale on the occupied territories and many other war crimes.”

The chief prosecutor told the newspaper he has 305 alleged perpetrators “who are notified of suspicion,” along with 150 indictments ready and 30 convictions “by Ukrainian courts with regard to Russian war criminals” who committed alleged crimes on Ukrainian soil. He added that “99-plus percent of all cases of war crimes committed against Ukrainians will be prosecuted and tried in Ukraine.”

“We are investigating war crimes in course of ongoing aggression,” Kostin said to the Washington Post. “We are not only investigating them, but also, we are making Russians accountable for the war crimes committed on Ukrainian soil.”

According to Kostin, there are four elements contributing to the criminal accountability documented throughout the war in Ukraine: National efforts, assistance from the International Criminal Court, international coordination and the creation of a special international tribunal for the alleged “crime of aggression.”

“These four layers of criminal responsibility create full web of accountability on (a) criminal level for Russia and its perpetrators,” Kostin told the Post.

Russia says its forces hit Ukrainian army reserves attempting to get into the battered city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Russian forces hit “reserves of the enemy that tried to break into Bakhmut from the settlements of Chasiv Yar and Bohdanivka, as well as the units of the 28th Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Kostiantynivka.”

On Tuesday, Ukrainian officials denied Wagner founder and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin’s claim that Russian forces now control 80% of the city.

Here are other headlines:

Sanctions: The United Kingdom announced sanctions on a network of companies and individuals with financial links to Russian oligarch and ex-Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, as well as Alisher Usmanov. It said the move would would target those helping the pair to “avoid the full cost” of sanctions already imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The United States also imposed a large tranche of sanctions Wednesday on more than 100 people and entities around the world for their ties to the war.

Beheading video responses: The EU has pledged to hold those responsible for war crimes in Ukraine to account, EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali said on Wednesday. The statement is in response to two videos released on social media in the past week that appear to show beheaded Ukrainian soldiers. Wagner private military company leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has denied that his fighters were involved in the grisly video.

Leaked documents: A Russian military group fighting in Ukraine on behalf of Vladimir Putin attempted to buy weapons and equipment from an unlikely source: NATO member Turkey, according to a leaked US intelligence document that was obtained by CNN. The leaked document appears to show the lengths the Russian private military group Wagner has gone to try to further strengthen its capabilities as the war in Ukraine — in which it is playing a key role — continues on with no signs of abating.

Electronic conscription bill: A new bill allowing for the electronic delivery of military draft papers is meant to fix a chaotic process of registration and enlistment, the Kremlin said Wednesday. The bill is designed to make the process “modern, efficient and convenient for citizens,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. The final step is for the bill to be signed by President Vladimir Putin before it officially becomes law. Russian officials have denied suggestions that the bill lays the groundwork for a fresh wave of mobilization.

Evan Gershkovich: The US continues its public push for consular access to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, as the top official handling hostage negotiation committed to bringing him home from Russia. Access to Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, is being considered and will be worked out in due course, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

Military aid: Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal repeated Ukraine’s requests for F-15 and F-16 fighter jets and longer-range missiles from the US directly to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in remarks at the top of their meeting at the Pentagon. Shmyhal also thanked the US for its continued military support during their meeting. Also, the Serbian government has denied it sold weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, after a report emerged claiming otherwise.

Pentagon officials provided an unclassified briefing about the leaked classified information Wednesday afternoon for House leadership, the House Intelligence Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, according to three congressional sources familiar with the matter. 

 The 45-minute phone briefing was held by the Pentagon’s Under Secretary for Defense and Security Ronald Moultrie, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs Rheanne Wirkkala and Under Secretary for Policy Colin Kahl. 

It was the first official briefing the lawmakers received on the topic, coming a week after the Defense Department was made aware of the leaked classified documents. 

Senate leadership and the relevant Senate national security committees also received a briefing from the Biden administration on the leaked classified documents, according to a source familiar with the matter. 

The briefers told the House and Senate committees that the Pentagon is looking for the source of the leak and that the Biden administration is trying to ease the concerns of nervous allies, according to another source familiar with the briefings.

One source declined to provide details about what was said but told CNN that members learned very little, and some left the meeting feeling like there was a lack of urgency inside the administration over the leak.

All senators will receive a briefing on the leaked documents on Wednesday afternoon next week, according to a Senate Democratic aide. A classified briefing for all House members is also expected next week, possibly on Wednesday, one of the sources said. 

The European Union Delegation at the United Nations said those who are committing war crimes in Ukraine must be held accountable after a video appears to show beheadings of Ukrainian soldiers.

“The EU supports investigations on all war crimes committed in Ukraine. We will work tirelessly to ensure accountability,” the EU said on Twitter Wednesday.

Some background: A video was posted to a pro-Russian social media channel on April 8, which appears to show the beheaded corpses of two Ukrainian soldiers lying on the ground next to a destroyed military vehicle.

Russian social media accounts said the video was shot near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, which has been the scene of the war’s fiercest fighting for many months, with Wagner fighters very heavily involved.

CNN is unable to independently confirm the video’s location.

A second video, which was posted on Twitter and is heavily blurred, looks to have been filmed during the summer because of the amount of plant life on the ground. It purports to show a Russian fighter using a knife to cut off the head of a Ukrainian soldier. A voice at the beginning of the video suggests the victim might have still been alive when the attack began.

A Russian military group fighting in Ukraine on behalf of Vladimir Putin attempted to buy weapons and equipment from an unlikely source: NATO member Turkey, according to a leaked US intelligence document that was obtained by CNN.

The leaked document appears to show the lengths the Russian private military group Wagner has gone to try to further strengthen its capabilities as the war in Ukraine — in which it is playing a key role — continues on with no signs of abating.

As a NATO member, Turkey is broadly considered a partner nation to the US and other nations providing direct military support to Ukraine and it has publicly expressed opposition to Russia’s invasion.

It is also home to a major US military base where nuclear weapons are stored and act as an obvious warning sign to deter Russian aggression against NATO members. 

Evidence that Turkey has discussed selling weapons to Russian mercenary forces would likely raise serious concerns in Washington and complicate Ankara’s relationship with other NATO members.

Not only does the document reference intelligence about Wagner seeking to purchase weapons from Turkey, it also states that the paramilitary group planned to resume recruitment of prisoners from Russia’s jails. 

According to the US signals intelligence reporting cited in the document, personnel from the Wagner Group met with “Turkish contacts” in early February with the intent “to purchase weapons and equipment from Turkey” that could then be used by Wagner mercenaries who are fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

Wagner also planned to use the weapons and equipment from Turkey in Mali, where the group maintains a significant presence, according to the leaked document.

While there is no evidence that shows that Turkey has moved forward with any arms sales to the Wagner Group, details about the February meeting — outlined in a section of the leaked document titled, “Mali, Russia, Turkey: Vagner seeks weapons from Ankara” — suggest US officials believe the Russian mercenary outfit has at least tested the waters. 

CNN has not independently confirmed the veracity of the document, but US officials have indicated that most of the leaked tranche are authentic. A State Department spokesperson said the “the Department of Defense and the intelligence community are actively reviewing and assessing the validity” of the leaked documents, adding “we are not in a position to confirm or comment on any specific information they contain.”

CNN has reached out to the US National Security Council, the office of the Turkish President and Turkey’s Embassy in Washington for comment on the document.

Read more here.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has secured a $200 million loan from the World Bank to help rebuild the country’s energy sector.

“Today we signed the agreement with World Bank VP Anna Bjerde to provide an additional $200 million to restore power system in #Ukraine,” he tweeted Wednesday, after a meeting in Washington. “We are also preparing to implement a military risk insurance project for foreign investors.” 

“Grateful for the support for Ukraine’s recovery,” he added.

Shmyhal said Ukraine would begin rebuilding damaged areas this year.

“The funds attracted from the World Bank will be used to rebuild the power grid and heat supply systems in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy and the cities of Chernihiv region,” he said, according to his office. “This winter, we have defeated Russia in the battle for light and are already preparing for the next heating season.”

Access to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, is being considered and will be worked out in due course, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

“Regarding the visit of Evan Gershkovich by representatives of the US Embassy in Moscow, we inform you that the issue is being considered and will be worked out in due time in accordance with consular practice and Russian law. The status assigned to him by the American authorities in this case does not matter,” said Zakharova in a statement published by the ministry Wednesday.

Zakharova said the “noise” staged in the Western media around the detention of a journalist “caught red-handed” is “an example of blatant hypocrisy.”

“It is kept silent that the American embassy in Moscow was notified in a timely manner about the detention of Evan Gershkovich. Our diplomats in similar cases, in violation of the bilateral consular convention, are informed either with a delay or not at all, especially in high-profile cases under the jurisdiction of the US Department of Justice and the FBI,” she said.

According to Zakharova, the calls by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other US officials to its citizens to leave the Russian Federation are “hypocritical,” since it was Washington that launched “the real hunt for Russians in the US and third countries.”

“I emphasize that any attempts to put pressure on the Russian authorities and the courts, insisting on a ‘special treatment’ for US citizens who have broken the Russian law, are senseless and futile. It is time for Washington to learn that we will not tolerate interference in our internal affairs and will act exclusively in accordance with our national interests,” Zakharova added.

Some background: On Monday, the US State Department officially designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained by Russia.

The designation gives further backing to the assertions by the US government and the Wall Street Journal that the espionage charges against the reporter are baseless. It will empower the Biden administration to explore avenues such as a prisoner swap to try to secure Gershkovich’s release.

Reporting from CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this post.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal thanked the United States for its continued military support as he met with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

“Denys Shmyhal thanked the United States and the Secretary personally for their significant military support, as well as for their efforts to establish the Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defense, which currently includes more than 50 countries,” his office said in a readout of the meeting. 

The pair discussed Ukraine’s further needs, with Shmyhal asking Austin to supply Ukraine with more weapons. 

“Ukrainian soldiers have proven that they can master the latest equipment in a short time and use it effectively on the battlefield,” he said, according to his office. “For a quicker victory, Ukraine also needs more weapons: Air defense, heavy artillery and equipment, mortars and ammunition.”

Wagner private military company founder and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin has called for the entire Russian society to be mobilized, saying people are ready to contribute to Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine. 

“It is not only the mobilized who should be mobilized, those who go to the front, but all the society should be mobilized,” Prigozhin said in an audio posted on his Telegram channel, in reaction to Russia’s new electronic conscription bill. “Starting from simple workers who are actually ready for this process.”

“When we travel to the regions, our recruiters see that people are ready to be mobilized and understand that there is a war going on for the very existence of Russia,” he added. Unlike Prigozhin, the Russian government continues to deny it is waging a war in Ukraine, referring to the conflict as a “special military operation.”

The new bill put forward by the Kremlin, which is set to be signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, would tighten the rules for Russians drafted into the conflict to prevent them from leaving the country — as many did in droves during last year’s “partial mobilization.” The Wagner leader criticized Russian officials who fled the country with their wealth and said the whole “system” needs to be shaken. 

“Why don’t we want to clean out this anthill that has been created over the years and which over the years has turned from a community of people who are ready to develop something in this country into a community of people who are only interested in their own well-being?” he questioned. “The system requires global sanitation and a reduction in the number of participants in this bureaucratic community.”

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal repeated Ukraine’s requests for F-15 and F-16 fighter jets and longer-range missiles from the US directly to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in remarks at the top of their meeting at the Pentagon.

Austin did not comment on the specific requests, but did commit to expanding the production of military assets in the US for Ukraine.

“We will keep investing in our own defense industrial base to further ramp up production,” said Austin.

Austin also thanked Ukraine for its focus on accountability for the security assistance the US has already provided.

“Let me commend you for the unprecedented level of transparency that Ukraine has provided to ensure our security assistance remains in the hands of Ukraine’s defenders,” said Austin.

Austin ignored a question about the effect of the leaked classified documents from the Pentagon on Ukraine.

More on jets: In March, Slovakia joined fellow NATO member Poland in pledging to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. The White House had said that Poland’s decision to send the fighter jets is a “sovereign decision” that won’t spur US President Joe Biden to send F-16 aircraft.

The United States imposed a large tranche of sanctions on more than 100 people and entities around the world for their ties to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Wednesday’s sanctions are the latest action meant to diminish Moscow’s abilities in its war in Ukraine and punish those who are supporting it, including through helping Russia to evade existing sanctions.

Sanctions on Russian billionaire and associates: The latest sanctions target a wide network tied to Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who is already under sanction in multiple countries, and were taken in coordination with the United Kingdom.

According to the US Treasury Department, Usmanov “is one of Russia’s wealthiest billionaires” who “holds significant interests in the metals and mining, telecommunications, and information technology sectors.”

He is “known to be close to multiple U.S.-designated, senior Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Dmitry Medvedev, current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia and former President and Prime Minister of Russia,” according to a statement.  

Sanctions on international companies and a bank: The US also imposed sanctions on companies based in China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, which the US Treasury Department said is supporting Russia’s military industrial complex in defiance of existing sanctions. 

The Treasury also sanctioned the International Investment Bank, “a Russia-controlled financial institution” in Budapest, as well as its Moscow-based subsidiary and several former and current executives. 

“The IIB’s presence in Budapest enables Russia to increase its intelligence presence in Europe, opens the door for the Kremlin’s malign influence activities in Central Europe and the Western Balkans, and could serve as a mechanism for corruption and illicit finance, including sanctions violations,” according to the Treasury Department. 

Sanctions on organizations that target children: In addition, the US State Department is sanctioning two Russian entities “that support Russia’s efforts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine through the militarization and indoctrination of schoolchildren: The All Russian Children’s And Youth Military Patriotic Public Movement Youth Army, and the State Budgetary Educational Institution of Additional Education of the Republic of Crimea Crimea Patriot Center,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. 

According to the State Department, the so-called youth army was created by Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and is “responsible for militarizing and propagandizing schoolchildren in occupied areas of Ukraine.”
The “Crimea Patriot Center” is “an organization whose objective is to provide youth with a ‘military-patriotic education’ in order to prepare them for service in the Russia’s Armed Forces,” it said.

The Serbian government has denied it sold weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, after a report emerged claiming otherwise.

“Serbia has not and will not sell weapons to either Ukraine or Russia,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Milos Vucevic said in a statement Wednesday. “We have rejected those allegations more than ten times, and we will do it again.”

Vucevic was responding to a Reuters report that claimed a leaked Pentagon document names Serbia as having sent or is planning to send lethal aid to Ukraine. 

“Someone obviously aims to drag Serbia into that conflict, but we adhere to our policy consistently,” Vucevic said.

“There is always the possibility that some weapons might mysteriously appear on the territory where there is a conflict, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Serbia. That is a question for the countries that do not conform to international norms or terms of business agreements,” he added. 

More about the documents: CNN has reviewed 53 leaked documents, all of which appear to have been produced between mid-February and early March.

The highly classified Pentagon documents have provided a rare window into how the US spies on allies and foes alike, deeply rattling US officials, who fear the revelations could jeopardize sensitive sources and compromise important foreign relationships.

Many of the documents, which US officials say are authentic, had markings indicating that they had been produced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s intelligence arm, known as J2, and appear to be briefing documents.

CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand and Kylie Atwood contributed to this post.

Ukrainian and Spanish defense ministers have denied claims that NATO troops are fighting against Russian armed forces in Ukraine, refuting allegations that emerged from a leak of highly classified Pentagon documents.

“It is totally false that there are NATO troops in Ukraine,” Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Wednesday at a joint news conference in Madrid with her visiting Ukrainian counterpart. 

“It’s not true that there are NATO personnel in Ukraine,” with the exception of military attachés, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said.

Responding to a question about the document leak, Reznikov said it “has a lot of data that’s not true (and) is no longer current. The beneficiary of this operation is Russia or its allies or sympathizers,” adding that he is confident that Ukraine’s US allies will work to “neutralize this leak and avoid this in the future.”

Ukraine has “full confidence in our in our American allies” in spite of the leak, he said. From Spain’s perspective, Robles said the unity of NATO and European Union allies remains strong and Russia will “not achieve a break in that.” 

Update on tanks: Robles said Spain’s first shipment of six modern battle tanks for Ukraine will leave soon via ship and should arrive in the war-torn country by the end of this month. Along with these six Leopard 2A4 tanks, Spain will also send 20 armored vehicles, she added. Spain will later send four more of the Leopard tanks “as soon as possible,” after they are repaired.

Reznikov said Ukraine asked Spain for air defense systems, including combat jets, artillery rounds, and for training and technical advice in amphibious military operations, including undersea mine removal. The Ukrainian defense minister said he would meet with executives of Spanish arms makers on this visit. He and the Spanish defense minister were also expected to tour a military hospital in Madrid treating Ukrainian troops severely wounded in combat, including those whose limbs have been amputated.

Russian officials have denied suggestions that a bill to allow for the electronic delivery of military call-up papers lays the groundwork for a fresh wave of mobilization. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters it is meant only to “fix the mess” that followed September’s controversial partial mobilization order, which was beset by issues and prompted thousands of Russians to flee.

But the strict new rules make it more difficult for Russian men to avoid an order should it be made, and Russians told CNN of their concerns about the plan.

“Now it will be much easier to mobilize me, given how digitalized life in Moscow has become,” Alexey, a 41-year-old lawyer from Moscow, told CNN.

While he is not within the official age range for mobilization, he does not expect the Kremlin to stick to their own guidelines when calling up recruits.

“I have no illusions with regard to the assurances of authorities who insist these amendments were passed exclusively to improve the draft’s bookkeeping and have nothing to do with the second mobilization wave,” he said. “I don’t believe a word of this.”

“I believe the mobilization has never ended. It has begun and continues to the day,” he added. “You can look at this development as preparation of the state to step up mobilization. To make it possible to notify and mobilize large number of conscripts in a short period of time.”

The bill passed through its third reading in the lower chamber of Russia’s parliament Tuesday, and was approved by the upper chamber, the Federation Council on Wednesday. Its final formality is to be signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CNN also spoke to Olga, a 48-year-old woman who fears her son, who is 16, will be sent to fight in the coming years, disrupting his plans for higher education.

“I feel very badly about this war. And same goes for all other wars and any deaths by force regardless of the cause,” she said. “I would prefer for wars to be fought only by professional military or volunteers.”

“Should (the war) drag on and intensify, and if there is a real second wave of mobilization, then I think some will try to leave (Russia), of course,” she added.

Read more.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense on Wednesday claimed its forces hit Ukrainian army reserves attempting to get into the battered city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

According to the ministry, Russian forces hit “reserves of the enemy that tried to break into Bakhmut from the settlements of Chasiv Yar and Bohdanivka, as well as the units of the 28th Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Kostiantynivka.”

The ministry also said Wagner private military company fighters had captured three more blocks in their attempt to seize control of the embattled city.

CNN cannot independently verify these claims. 

What Ukraine says: On Tuesday, Ukrainian officials denied Wagner founder and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin’s claim that Russian forces now control 80% of the city.

“I’ve just been in touch with the commander of one of the brigades that are defending the city. I can confidently state that the Ukrainian defense forces control a much larger percentage of the territory of Bakhmut,” Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the eastern grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces told CNN on Tuesday.

Western officials have conceded Russia had been able to make some progress in Bakhmut, but added it could be “measured in meters.”

Wagner private military company leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has denied that his fighters were involved in a grisly video that purportedly shows Ukrainian soldiers who have been beheaded.

“I have watched this video. It’s bad when people’s heads are cut off, but I haven’t found anything to support that this is happening near Bakhmut and that Wagner fighters are participating in the execution,” he said in a statement published by his company Wednesday.

Prigozhin was responding to a question about a video that was posted to a pro-Russian social media channel on April 8, which appears to show the beheaded corpses of two Ukrainian soldiers lying on the ground next to a destroyed military vehicle.

Russian social media accounts say the video was shot near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, which has been the scene of the war’s fiercest fighting for many months, with Wagner fighters very heavily involved. CNN is unable to independently confirm the video’s location.

A second video, which was posted on Twitter and is heavily blurred, looks to have been filmed during the summer because of the amount of plant life on the ground. It purports to show a Russian fighter using a knife to cut off the head of a Ukrainian soldier. A voice at the beginning of the video suggests the victim might have still been alive when the attack began.

CNN’s Vasco Cotovio, Andy Carey, Josh Pennington and Yulia Kesaieva contributed reporting to this post.

The US continues its public push for consular access to Evan Gershkovich as the top official handling hostage negotiation committed to bringing the detained Wall Street Journal reporter home from Russia. 

“The Russians owe us a consular visit. We have yet to have consular access to Mr. Gershkovich,” US special envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens told “CNN This Morning.” 

Asked if a prisoner swap is on the table, Carstens said that the US is committed to bringing Gershkovich and others who are wrongfully detained home and that US President Joe Biden would do “whatever it takes to get that job done” and is willing to make “hard decisions.”

“The President of the United States and the Secretary are committed to bringing Evan home and Paul Whelan as well. And we’re gonna find whatever it takes to get that job done. We’re not going into the specifics of the pathways of negotiation. To my mind that might decrease our chances to garner that release, but I can tell you that the President’s shown time and time again that he’s committed, he’s willing to make the hard decisions to find ways to bring Americans home,” he said. 

Now that Gershkovich has been formally designated by the State Department as wrongfully detained, Carstens said it “by force of law obligates the United States of America to seek a wrongfully detained American’s release. And that’s what we’re doing right now. My office is working closely with the National Security Council at the White House to find those paths that will bring Evan home.” 

More on Americans detained in Russia: Carstens said he spoke with Paul Whelan for about 15 minutes on Monday and they spoke “about Evan’s case.”

“Paul’s spirits are still good. He’s still remaining strong. He’s still resilient. Small known fact — I mean, he sings the National Anthem every day from his prison cell, and he’s ready to come home and we’re going to find a way to bring him home,” he said, adding that his office does not prioritize cases and both Whelan and Gershkovich, along with the 30-40 cases currently being handled by his office are “treated equally.”

Carstens noted that there have been conversations between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as discussions between US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy and her counterparts.

“We’ve been pressing them for Evan’s release, we’ve been pressing them for consular access, and anything beyond that I’d rather not talk about. I want to maintain some of our negotiation space,” Carstens said, adding, “We’re going to find a way to bring Evan and Paul Whelan home.”

The upper chamber of Russia’s parliament, the Federation Council, has voted in favor of the electronic delivery of military call-up papers, which critics say will make it more difficult for Russians to evade conscription.

The final step is for the bill to be signed by President Vladimir Putin before it officially becomes law.

Once the bill becomes law, a person will be considered notified even if they have not seen the call-up papers or email. The call-up papers will be deemed to be served once they appear on a government portal called Gosuslugi — the main online platform for state services in Russia, such as making a doctor’s appointment, requesting a passport or registering for marriage. 

Previously, conscription documents in Russia had to be hand-delivered by the local military enlistment office or through an employer. 

Those liable for military service will be banned from traveling abroad, the proposed legislation published on the government’s website said. Draft dodgers will receive a travel ban from the day when the summons is considered to have been “handed” to them, in accordance with the law. 

People who fail to show up for a military summons without a valid reason within 20 days will face restrictions, such as being unable to register a vehicle and drive it, being unable to register an apartment, being unable to register as an individual entrepreneur or as self-employed, and be blocked from getting a loan.

Paper and electronic summonses will have equal legal force, Andrey Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Committee on Defense, said to the RBC TV channel. According to Kartapolov, the introduced changes apply to all those liable for military service and not just to conscripts, he told state news agency TASS.

Russia’s Defense Ministry routinely conscripts men for compulsory military service twice per year, in spring and autumn.

The spring conscription this year will apply to 147,000 citizens between the ages of 18 and 27, and will take place from April 1 to July 15, according to an official document published by the government.

More context: The Kremlin has consistently denied rumors of a possible second wave of mobilization in Russia. Its “partial mobilization” last year for its invasion of Ukraine resulted in a significant number of citizens fleeing Russia.

Conscription involves the selection and enlistment of young men into the military, while mobilization refers to the larger-scale process of calling up reservists and other military personnel in the event of an emergency or war.

The UK has announced sanctions on a network of companies and individuals with financial links to Russian oligarch and ex-Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, as well as oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

It said the move would target those helping the pair to “avoid the full cost” of sanctions already imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“We are closing the net on the Russian elite and those who try to help them hide their money for war,” UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.

“There’s no place to hide. We will keep cutting them off from assets they thought were successfully hidden. Together with our international partners the UK will continue to crack down on those who are supporting the war. We won’t stop until Putin does.”

Among those sanctioned are Demetris Ioannides and Christodoulos Vassiliades, whom the statement described as “two Cypriot professional enablers” of Abramovich and Usmanov.

Companies which the Foreign Office said were part of Usmanov’s financial network were also sanctioned, including USM, Curzon Square and Hanley Limited, according to the statement.

Several family members of other Russian oligarchs who it said were “used as proxies to hide their assets” were also sanctioned, according to the statement. 

The assets of Usmanov and Abramovich were frozen by the UK government shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. 

A new bill allowing for the electronic delivery of military draft papers is meant to fix a chaotic process of registration and enlistment, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

“We must be aware that we must regulate the system of military registration and conscription. According to the Constitution, conscripts must serve in the army. This is a constitutional duty of citizens. When the special military operation began, we saw that in some places we had a lot of chaos in the military registration and enlistment offices,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told press on a Wednesday conference call.

The bill is designed to “fix the mess” and make the process “modern, efficient and convenient for citizens,” he said. 

Russian officials have denied suggestions that the bill lays the groundwork for a fresh wave of mobilization, after a chaotic order in September prompted scores of Russians to flee the country.

But the measure will make it harder for Russians to evade conscription.

On Tuesday, the State Duma – the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament – voted in favor of allowing electronic delivery of military call-up papers in addition to traditional letters. The upper chamber, the Federation Council, approved the bill on Wednesday.

The final step is for the bill to be signed by President Vladimir Putin before it officially becomes law.

Putin is “aware” of the legislation and will “read the document” before signing it, Peskov added. 

He also said the bill was passed through in “accordance with the procedure provided for in the State Duma,” and questions regarding the speed in which the bill passed should be addressed to Parliament.

The EU has pledged to hold those responsible for war crimes in Ukraine to account, EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said on Wednesday. “The EU reiterates its firm commitment to holding to account all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” Massrali said. 

The statement is in response to two videos released on social media in the past week which purport to show beheaded Ukrainian soldiers. “If confirmed, this is yet another brutal reminder about the inhumane nature of the Russian aggression,” Maasrali said. “Killing prisoners of war is a very serious breach of the Geneva convention and demonstrates once more Russia’s complete disregard of international law, in particular, international humanitarian law.” 

A video purporting to show the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier has sparked widespread outrage and a war crimes investigation by Ukraine’s security services.

Elsewhere, authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea have canceled planned Victory Day parades citing security concerns.

Here are the latest headlines:

A Ukrainian defense ministry official has appealed for people to stop sharing video that purports to show the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier.

“We urge to stop the sharing of this video, as well as any similar video footage,” said Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar.

“Now after everyone has seen it, prosecutors and the International Court should watch it.”

Two videos have emerged on social media in the past week: One purports to show the execution of a captured Ukrainian solider, and a second purports to show the mutilated bodies of two Ukrainian soldiers lying on the ground.

“From the first moments after the video of the execution of a Ukrainian soldier by Russian inhumans appeared, all competent Ukrainian services have been carefully studying it frame by frame in order to identify the war criminals,” said Maliar on Telegram.

“Tonight, we were doing just that together with other law enforcement agencies and special services,” she added.

Maliar also appealed to the public to refrain from guessing the identity of the soldier in the apparent execution video, saying authorities “are doing everything to identify the deceased.”

The United Nations says it is “appalled by particularly gruesome videos posted on social media” – one of which purports to show the execution of a captured Ukrainian solider, and a second which purports to show the mutilated bodies of two Ukrainian soldiers lying on the ground.

In a short statement, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, part of the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), says the apparent executions are “not an isolated incident.”

“In recent reports the Mission documented a number of serious violations of international humanitarian law, including those committed against prisoners of war. The latest incidents must also be properly investigated, and the perpetrators must be held accountable,” the statement said.

On March 24, the UN said it has documented dozens of cases of summary executions of prisoners of war (POWs) carried out by both Russian and Ukrainian forces since February 2022, but admits it is far harder to get information from Russia, or territories under Russian control, than it is from Ukrainian authorities.

The OHCHR said it has documented the summary execution of 15 Ukrainian POWs by Russian forces, in addition to the use of Ukrainian POWs as human shields, the death of two wounded POWs due to lack of medical care, as well as torture. 

On the other side, the report says it has documented – through open-source information, in situ visits and witness interviews – the summary execution of at least 25 Russian POWs being held by Ukrainian forces. 

Video purporting to show the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier is “terrible,” but “first of all, we need to verify the authenticity” of it, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“Of course, these are terrible shots. Then it may be a reason to check whether this is true or not, whether this took place and, if so, where and from which side,” Peskov said during a regular call with journalists on Wednesday.

Two videos purporting to show beheaded Ukrainian soldiers have emerged on social media in the past week.

Earlier Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the perpetrators to be punished.

“There is something that no one in the world can ignore: how easily these beasts kill,” he said.

“We are not going to forget anything. Neither are we going to forgive the murderers. There will be legal responsibility for everything. The defeat of terror is necessary,” Zelensky added.

Video that purports to show the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier is Russian propaganda and “an illegal execution by terrorists, by the occupying state,” a Ukrainian official said Wednesday.

“We are now conducting a detailed check of the content, the location, and who it is,” Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, told national TV. 

“This is another blatant fact of violation of all possible rules and norms of warfare. I am not even mentioning the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law,” he added.

“This is a fact that the world must pay attention to – not only with sympathy or indignation, but by working together to bring all those responsible to justice.”

Yusov said the publication of the video is evidence “that such a genocidal policy, such a war crimes policy, is a state policy”.

“Propaganda in Russia is centralized. There is a periodic posting of such videos of atrocities by the Russian military, we recently saw the execution of a Ukrainian soldier for the slogan ‘Glory to Ukraine,’ in general, once a month, once every few weeks, such content appears,” he added. 

“This is a deliberate state policy of the Russian Federation to cover the atrocities of its army against the Ukrainians, against Ukrainian military,” said Yusov.

He said the goal of the policy is “undoubtedly an attempt to demoralize and sow panic among the Ukrainian defense and security forces, which they are failing at”.

“Also, the purpose of such public atrocities, torture and executions is, in particular, to intimidate their soldiers.”   

Two videos purporting to show beheaded Ukrainian soldiers have emerged on social media in the past week.                                  

Russia will not tolerate attempts by the US to “pressure” it over the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday, according to Russian state media outlet TASS. 

Ryabkov told journalists Russia was considering allowing US diplomats consular access to Gershkovich, adding that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was in working contact with the US embassy. 

“On this issue we are acting in full compliance with our laws, naturally taking into account the provisions of the consular convention and are guided by available precedent in this area,” said Ryabkov. “Therefore, we reject any attempts to pressure us.”

Gershkovich is facing up to 20 years in prison on espionage charges. The US State Department has designated him as being wrongfully detained,

Next week a Moscow court will hear an appeal filed by Gershkovich’s lawyers against the decision that he should be held in the notorious Lefortovo pre-detention center until May 29, according to state media outlet RIA Novosti. 

Ryabkov also said that the highly classified Pentagon documents leaked online in recent weeks could be fake and deliberately planted with the aim of misleading Russia, according to TASS.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has launched a war crimes investigation into a video that purports to show the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier, it announced Wednesday.

“Yesterday, a video was posted online of the Russian occupiers showing their beast side by brutally torturing a Ukrainian prisoner and cutting off his head,” the SBU said in a statement on Telegram.

“The Security Service of Ukraine launched a pre-trial investigation into this war crime under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” the SBU said.

“We will find these inhumans. If necessary, we will get them wherever they are: from under the ground or from the other side. But they will definitely be punished for their actions,” SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk added.

The video seen by CNN, which was posted on Twitter and is heavily blurred, looks to have been filmed during the summer because of the amount of plant life on the ground. 

It purports to show a Russian fighter using a knife to cut off the head of a Ukrainian soldier. A voice at the beginning of the video suggests the victim might have still been alive when the brutal attack began.

The video was one of two purportedly showing beheaded Ukrainian soldiers that have emerged on social media in the past week. The other may have been filmed more recently.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Russia “worse than ISIS” and said it is “absurd” that the country is currently presiding over the UN Security Council.

“Russian terrorists must be kicked out of Ukraine and the UN and be held accountable for their crimes,” he said on Twitter.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, tweeted: “Russian soldier is recorded enjoying cutting off head of Ukrainian war prisoner. Proving their beast nature and convincing world of RF’s [Russian Federation’s] bloodthirstiness once again.”

“There is something that no one in the world can ignore: how easily these beasts kill,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said in response to a social media video that purportedly shows the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier.

“We are not going to forget anything. Neither are we going to forgive the murderers. There will be legal responsibility for everything. The defeat of terror is necessary,” he said in a video message on Wednesday.

Two videos have emerged in the past week that purport to show beheaded Ukrainian soldiers.

Dariia Zarivna, adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said in a statement Wednesday that the videos are “aimed at intimidation.”

“It completely dehumanizes and demonstrates the essence of a terrorist country,” she said of the videos.

“But it is important to understand the purpose. This is an PSYOP [psychological operation] aimed at intimidation. The target audience is not only Ukraine, but also Western societies,” she said.

“It doesn’t work on us, though. The Russians are afraid of this, but not us,” she added.

The videos appear to be of separate events – one of them may have been filmed very recently, while the other, from the amount of foliage seen on the ground, looks like it was filmed during the summer.

The second video was posted on Twitter and is heavily blurred. It purports to show a Russian fighter using a knife to cut off the head of a Ukrainian soldier.

A voice at the beginning of the video suggests the victim might have still been alive when the brutal attack began.

Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova has requested more medicine and medical equipment from India, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Dzhaparova concluded a three-day visit to India on Wednesday, where she met with Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi.

In a statement issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) following her visit, Dzhaparova also “proposed that rebuilding infrastructure in Ukraine could be an opportunity for Indian companies.”

According to the MEA, she “handed over a letter from President Zelensky, addressed to Prime Minister Modi,” but the ministry didn’t provide further details about the letter.

The MEA also announced that the next session of the Inter-Governmental Commission, a group focused on trade and bilateral cooperation between the two countries, will be held in India.

In contrast, the next round of Foreign Office Consultations, which focus on diplomatic ties between the two countries, will take place in Kyiv. The dates for both meetings are yet to be decided.

The European Union strongly condemns the decision of Russian authorities to declare the activities of EU-Russia Civil Society Forum as “undesirable,” according to a statement from the European Union External Action (EEAS) on Wednesday.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office on Tuesday had effectively shut down the Berlin-based organization which hosts intergovernmental conferences and civil society events.

This decision further intensifies the crackdown on independent civil society and media in Russia, taking place against the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the EEAS said in its statement.

The European Union urges the Russian authorities to repeal the current legislation on the so-called “undesirable organizations” and “foreign agents”, which severely restricts the freedoms of association and opinion, the statement added.

“The European Union stands in solidarity with Russian citizens who are prevented from exercising their human rights. We will continue to support the important work of Russian civil society organizations, human rights defenders and independent media and journalists inside and outside Russia,” it added.

Authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea and the city of Sevastopol have cancelled parades and marches to celebrate Victory Day on May 9 and May Day (May 1) citing security reasons.

The two dates are public holidays in Russia, with May 9 marking Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.  

“The authorities of the Republic of Crimea and the city-hero of Sevastopol made a joint decision not to hold festive demonstrations on May 1, the ‘Immortal Regiment’ marches and the military parade on May 9. This decision is due to security reasons,” the Russian-appointed Head of Crimea Sergey Aksenov said on Telegram.

Aksenov noted that representatives of local authorities will visit veterans and congratulate them on Victory Day.

The situation in Crimea: While any Ukrainian offensive to reclaim Crimea is at best distant, the Russians are taking no chances. 

As CNN reported last month, Russia is going to great lengths to fortify the peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014. 

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, has been carrying out attacks in Crimea with two goals: harass the Russian Black Sea fleet and disrupt vital Russian supply lines.

Few details emerge about Ukrainian strikes in Crimea. Only occasionally does unofficial social media video provide clues about what has been hit. And only occasionally do normally circumspect Ukrainian officials refer to any actions in Crimea.

Previous reporting from CNN’s Tim Lister

Two videos have emerged on social media in the past week which purport to show beheaded Ukrainian soldiers.

The videos appear to be of separate events – one of them may have been filmed very recently, while the other, from the amount of foliage seen on the ground, looks like it was filmed during the summer.

The first video was posted to a pro-Russian social media channel on April 8. It was purportedly filmed by Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group and appears to show the beheaded corpses of two Ukrainian soldiers lying on the ground next to a destroyed military vehicle.

In the video, a voice can be heard, behind the camera, the sound seemingly distorted to prevent the speaker’s identification.

“(The armoured vehicle) got f**ked by a mine,” the voice, speaking Russian, says. 

Apparently referring to the bodies on the ground, the voice, laughing, continues, “They killed them. Someone came up to them. They came up to them and cut their heads off.” 

The dead soldiers also appear to have had their hands cut off. 

Russian social media accounts say the video was shot near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, which has been the scene of the war’s fiercest fighting for many months, with Wagner fighters heavily involved. CNN is unable to independently confirm the video’s location.

The second video, which was posted on Twitter and is heavily blurred, looks to have been filmed during the summer because of the amount of plant life on the ground. It purports to show a Russian fighter using a knife to cut off the head of a Ukrainian soldier. A voice at the beginning of the video suggests the victim might have still been alive when the attack began.

Shortly after the videos emerged, Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, tweeted: “There will be an accountability for everything.”

Read more here.

The highly classified leaked Pentagon documents posted to social media offer a pessimistic US view of the war’s progress in Ukraine.

The documents highlight flaws in Ukraine’s weaponry and air defenses and predict a stalemate in the war for months to come.

The documents, which appear to date from February and March, detail many of Ukraine’s perceived military shortfalls as Kyiv prepares for a spring counteroffensive against Russia. 

Several of the classified documents warn Ukraine’s medium-range air defenses to protect front-line troops will be “completely reduced by May 23,” suggesting Russia could soon have aerial superiority and Ukraine could lose the ability to amass ground forces in a counteroffensive. 

The documents also underscore lingering problems with Russia’s own military offensive, predicting that the result will be a stalemate between the two sides for the foreseeable future.

Officials familiar with the situation tell CNN the documents appear to be part of a daily intelligence briefing deck prepared for the Pentagon’s senior leaders, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. 

The leaking of the documents — many of which are marked top secret — represents a major national security breach, and the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into who may have leaked them while the Pentagon is investigating how the leak impacts US national security.

In addition to the assessment of the Ukraine war, the documents include intelligence gathered on allies and adversaries alike.

Here are the latest headlines:

Russia successfully conducted a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Tuesday, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. 

The launch from the Kapustin Yar test range in the Astrakhan region was part of testing on next-generation ICBM combat equipment, the Defense Ministry reports. 

“On April 11, 2023, a Strategic Missile Forces combat crew conducted a successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Kapustin Yar state central joint forces test range in the Astrakhan region,” the statement said.

The launch helped confirm the correctness of schematic and structural and technical solutions used in developing new strategic missile systems, the Defense Ministry said. The missile’s test warhead hit the target at the Sary Shagan firing range (Republic of Kazakhstan) with the target accuracy, according to the statement.

Back in February, Russia carried out a test of an ICBM that appears to have failed around the time President Joe Biden was in Ukraine, according to two US officials familiar with the matter.

Russia notified the United States in advance of the launch through deconfliction lines under its New START treaty obligations, one official said, adding that “such testing is routine.” Another official said that the test did not pose a risk to the United States and that the US did not view the test as an anomaly or an escalation.

CNN’s Oren Liebermann and Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia’s failure to grant consular access to wrongfully detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich “puts it, once again, in violation of international commitments it’s made.”

“I think Russia not following through on meeting its obligations to consular access, never mind the practice of detaining people arbitrarily for political purposes, is going to do even more damage to Russia’s standing around the world — a standing that has been in free-fall, particularly since its rei-nvasion of Ukraine last year,” Blinken said at a news conference at the US State Department.

“I think it sends a very strong message to people around the world to beware of even setting foot there, lest they be arbitrarily detained,” he said.

Blinken noted that he had designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained Monday, and reiterated that he called on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to immediately grant consular access and release the detained journalist.

Blinken did say what measures are being taken to free Gershkovich, only saying that the US is “engaged every single day in pressing for that access as well as pressing for Evan’s release.”