April 20, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

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A Russian fighter jet was forced to make “an emergency drop of aviation munition” over a Russian city Thursday, causing a large explosion in a central neighborhood, according to a state news agency and local officials.

A Russian Air Force Su-34 jet was flying over the border city of Belgorod, just north of Ukraine, when it was forced to drop the explosives for reasons that are still under investigation, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti, which cited the Russian defense ministry.

Officials have not immediately reported any casualties, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a Telegram post.

The explosion rocked an intersection in the city’s center and left a “huge impact crater” that was 20 meters (about 65 feet) wide, Gladkov said.

“Windows in a nearby apartment building were damaged, as well as several parked cars. Electricity poles were downed,” he added. 

An overturned car landed on the roof of a store near a residential high-rise building, according to RIA Novosti. Emergency teams are at the scene, the outlet said.

Belgorod is located about 40 kilometers (roughly 25 miles) north of the border with Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is making it known that he believes Ukraine’s “rightful place is in NATO” and pledged support from the alliance. He is visiting the country for the first time since Russia’s invasion last year.

Stoltenberg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said they discussed Ukraine’s membership to the alliance — something Russia is making clear it is against.

Here are the top headlines to know:

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky address Mexico’s Congress virtually, in Mexico City, on Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Mexico’s Congress Thursday to help defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine. 

“Your vote in the UN General Assembly and other international organizations is very important,” Zelensky said via video. “It is the vote to defend the principles and objectives of the UN Charter and therefore to defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine and all nations of the world.”

Zelensky received a standing ovation from lawmakers before and after his speech.

US President Joe Biden discussed Ukraine with French President Emmanuel Macron in a call Thursday, according to the White House.

The leaders in the call “reiterated their steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression.”

The two also talked about Macron’s visit to China as well as “their ongoing efforts to advance prosperity, security, shared values, and the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Both heads of state also agreed on the “importance of continuing to engage” the Chinese authorities on this basis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in New York on Monday, Russian state media TASS reported Thursday.

Almost all members of Lavrov’s delegation to the UN Security Council were issued visas to attend, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya told state television Russia 24, according to TASS.

He said visas had not yet been issued to journalists.

Earlier this week, Nebenzya said Lavrov is set to discuss the Black Sea grain deal with Guterres during his visit to New York.

Russia took over the presidency of the UN Security Council on April 1 in what Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called “a bad joke.”

Vladimir Kara-Murza sits on a bench inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing in Moscow in October 2022.

A group of foreign affairs committees from European parliaments on Thursday released a joint statement condemning what they called the “politically motivated” sentencing of Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza.

The statement urged his “immediate and unconditional release.”

It was signed in London during the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee’s security conference, which included members from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden.

Kara-Murza, a prominent Russian human rights advocate, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Monday after publicly condemning Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defense published a new recruitment video Wednesday in its latest attempt to convince Russian men to abandon civilian life and join the war effort.

The advert appears to mock men for wasting their time working as security guards, taxi drivers and personal fitness trainers. It ends with a shot of armed men in military uniforms with white smoke behind them and a large caption: “You’re a real man. Be one.”

The ad also advertises the monthly salary one can earn by signing a Russian military contract, starting at about $2,510.

Since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, propaganda videos have played a key role in Moscow’s efforts to recruit fighters. Videos posted on social media and aired on Russian TV try to appeal to Russian men through the narratives of patriotism, morality and upward social mobility.

Russia’s efforts to shore up its forces: Moscow’s latest recruitment push comes shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law creating an electronic conscription registry which aims to make draft dodging harder.

During Russia’s partial mobilization last September, men dodged the draft by leaving their registered addresses, not signing for draft letters and warning their family and co-workers from doing the same for them.

Fears of a new mobilization: When the Russian parliament approved the law Wednesday making the country’s conscription program more efficient and harder to evade, it spurred fears more citizens may soon be mobilized to fight in Ukraine.

The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence said Saturday the law signals Putin is gearing up for a long conflict ahead.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, has characterized the law as an unremarkable streamlining of Russia’s biannual conscription process.

One woman has died and three people were wounded after Russian troops attacked the border area of Chernihiv, Ukraine’s Operational Command North said on Thursday.

According to Operational Command North, troops attacked Halahanivka, a border village in the Chernihiv region four times between 11 a.m. (4 a.m. ET) and 11:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. ET) “probably from a 120-mm mortar.”

“As a result of the shelling, three local residents were wounded,” Ukraine’s Operational Command North said.

“One of them received shrapnel wounds to the head. The woman died in the hospital.”

The Operational Command also said there were also two attacks in the area of Hremiachka a border village in Chernihiv region, but added there were no reported casualties among the local population or damage to civilian infrastructure. 

The topic of Ukraine’s NATO membership and security guarantees will be “high on the agenda” at July’s NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, the military alliance’s chief said on Thursday.

Answering questions from reporters during a news conference in Kyiv, Jens Stoltenberg said that he recognizes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will “raise the issue of membership, of security guarantees” at the summit.

The official said that he expects NATO allies to “agree to further strengthen NATO’s package for Ukraine” at the July summit.

Asked about Friday’s meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, which Stoltenberg will be attending, he said he expects NATO allies “will make new announcements on concrete military support to Ukraine.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 20.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine’s “rightful place is in NATO,” during his first visit to the country since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Stoltenberg said he had discussed a “multiyear support initiative” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which would help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era equipment and doctrines to “NATO standards.”

This would “ensure full interoperability with the alliance,” Stoltenberg added.

NATO has been a key ally of Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, distributing military aid and bolstering Kyiv’s defenses in the face of Moscow’s relentless attacks.

The NATO chief said on Thursday that since last February, the alliance’s allies have “delivered more than 150 billion euros ($164 billion) of support, including 65 billion euros ($71 billion) of military aid.”

“Allies are now delivering more jets, tanks and armored vehicles,” Stoltenberg added. “NATO stands with you today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes.”

Zelensky echoed Stoltenberg’s calls to reaffirm ties between Ukraine and NATO, saying his visit is a sign the alliance is ready to start a new chapter with Kyiv.

Zelensky added there is “no objective barrier” to political decisions on inviting Ukraine into the NATO alliance, after Finland’s accession reignited calls from Kyiv to join.

“Now that the majority of the NATO populations and the majority in Ukraine support our entry into their alliance.”

“It is impossible to imagine security in the North Atlantic space without it.”

Zelensky went on to say Ukraine wants to know when they “will be in NATO.”

“But while we await the membership and are not a member, we want to have very specific guarantees of security approved in Vilnius if there is an opportunity to do that then we will be ready on our side.”

CNN’s Victoria Butenko and Zahid Mahmood contributed to this post.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attend a joint news briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 20.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the Ukrainian town of Bucha on Thursday morning, a year after shocking images of strewn civilians’ bodies shed light on the horrors of Russian occupation.

The alliance’s chief said he was “deeply moved” by what he saw there.

The town of Bucha, which is just north of Kyiv, has become synonymous with Russian atrocities and alleged war crimes.

Some context: Stoltenberg’s visit to Ukraine is his first to the country since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Even though Ukraine is not a member of the alliance, the bloc has played a critical role in supporting Kyiv, donating military aid and hosting refugees throughout the conflict.

Switzerland is extending its list of sanctions relating to Russia to include the Wagner private military group and state news agency, RIA, as Western allies hit the country with bans designed to isolate it from the global economy.

In a statement on Thursday, the Swiss Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) justified that it is sanctioning the Wagner group for “their active involvement in Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine” and RIA for its “dissemination of pro-government propaganda and disinformation.”

Switzerland broke its neutrality status quo shortly after Russia’s war on Ukraine began by adopting the EU’s sanction package against Russia. On Wednesday, Swiss President Alain Berset said the country is taking the implementation of sanctions “seriously” and is “doing everything that can be done in order to enforce them.”

Switzerland also updated its stance on broadcasters RT Arabic and Sputnik Arabic, which the EU placed under a broadcasting and advertising ban on April 10. The EAER said the broadcasting of the two channels would not be banned in Switzerland; however, advertising on the two channels is now forbidden.

Some context: Russia showed surprising resilience to unprecedented Western sanctions in the first year of the war. However, cracks started to appear after President Vladimir Putin last month conceded that the restrictions could deal a blow to the country’s economy.

The sanctions have also contributed to Russia’s military decline, cutting off access to certain military systems needed to operate weapons.

CNN’s Hanna Ziady contributed reporting.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg is in Ukraine on his first visit to the country since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, as members of the alliance provide critical support to Kyiv amid the war.

Here are the latest developments:

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, center, visits Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 20.

Russia reiterated on Thursday that preventing Kyiv from joining NATO is one of its key goals, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visits Ukraine on his first trip to the country since Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine’s accession to the alliance would “pose a serious and significant danger to our country, to the security of our country,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

Earlier this month, the Kremlin warned it would scale up forces near Finland after the Nordic nation joined the alliance — more than doubling NATO’s land border with Russia.

Finnish and Swedish public support for joining NATO skyrocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, also reigniting calls from Kyiv to join.

CNN’s Tara John contributed reporting to this post.

A Moscow court has fined the Wikimedia Foundation – which owns Russian-language Wikipedia – 1.5 million rubles ($18,380) for refusing to remove information on Ukraine, state media TASS reported on Thursday.

The article which the foundation was fined for includes information about fighting around Okhtyrka in the Sumy region in Ukraine that took place between February to March 2022, some of the information according to authorities was false, TASS reported.

Judge Timur Vakhrameev, who oversaw the case said the foundation was guilty under part 2 of article 13.41 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation by failing to delete the information as instructed by the Russian Federation, TASS said.

During the hearing, the Wikipedia Foundation attorney asked the court to dismiss the case and not fine the company, saying prosecutors did not state which part of the article was not true, TASS also said.

More on Russian court fines: The foundation was fined 2 million rubles ($24,500) last Thursday for declining to remove an article called “The Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia region,” TASS reported.

In April 2022, it was fined 5 million rubles ($61,250) for refusing to delete an article about Bucha, the destruction of a hospital and theatre in Mariupol and the manufacture of gunpowder, TASS said.

The company was also fined 2 million rubles ($24,500) in February 2022 for publishing information about the deployment locations of three RF military units, according to TASS.

There have been debates in Russia about banning Wikipedia. Asked about the possibility of shutting down the website in the country, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last week that a Russian alternative needed to be developed first due to concerns about the “inaccuracies, distortions,” and “historical and factual errors” on Wikipedia.”

CNN’s Anna Chernova and Olesya Dmitracova contributed reporting.

A fleet of Russian spy ships has been gathering intelligence in Nordic waters according to an investigation.

Russia has a fleet of suspected spy ships operating in Nordic waters as part of a program for the potential sabotage of underwater cables and wind farms in the region, according to a joint investigation by the public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

The broadcasters used data analysis, intercepted radio communications and intelligence sources to show how around 50 boats had been gathering intelligence for the past 10 years, using underwater surveillance equipment to map key sites for potential sabotage, Norway’s NRK and Sweden’s SVT reported.

The Russian vessels have been sailing past military training areas, important oil and gas fields, small airports, deep-water quays, and strategically important hubs for the Norwegian Armed Forces, according to NRK.

The investigation also said Russian ships appear suddenly following NATO exercises. Norway and Denmark are founding members of NATO, while Finland joined earlier this month – to Moscow’s displeasure – and Sweden is seeking to follow suit.

Diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Helsinki have been heightened following Finland’s accession to the alliance. The country scrapped its longstanding position of neutrality to become a NATO member as domestic support for joining the alliance surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Read the full story:

#NEWS: Fleet of Russian spy ships has been gathering intelligence in Nordic waters, investigation finds

Related article Fleet of Russian spy ships has been gathering intelligence in Nordic waters, investigation finds | CNN

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s Secretary General, is in Ukraine for his first visit since the conflict started in February 2022.

While that might come as a surprise to some onlookers, it’s worth remembering that Ukraine is not a member of the alliance and that NATO has made efforts since the start of the war to not appear directly involved for fear it would give Russian President Vladimir Putin justification for further escalation.

That doesn’t mean that Stoltenberg and NATO haven’t played a crucial role in Ukraine.

The alliance had been under sustained criticism for years in the run up to Russia’s invasion.

Former President Donald Trump had raised serious concerns about the US – NATO’s largest member – commitment to the alliance. French President Emmanuel Macron called NATO “brain dead” in 2019.

Ukraine has focused the minds of the alliance and has in many cases surprised diplomats and officials with its unity and willingness to take controversial steps.

Whether that’s supporting Ukraine’s application to join NATO, providing military aid, or formally welcoming Finland to the alliance, prior to the Russian invasion, both of these actions would be considered dangerous for fear of poking Putin in the eye.

There are still areas of disagreement within the alliance, notably Hungary and Turkey, both with closer relations than the others to Russia, are skeptical of anything that looks like NATO expansionism and the impact it would have on the eastern flank of Europe.

But ever since the start of the war, Putin has succeeded in one thing: bringing many of those in the West he sees as his enemies together in revulsion at his brutality – and backing that revulsion with real action.

Denmark and the Netherlands have jointly agreed to “acquire, refurbish and donate” 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks for Ukraine, as Western allies increase efforts to bolster Kyiv’s military ammunition amid dwindling supplies.

“The Leopard 2 tanks will be supplied to Ukraine from early 2024, as part of our long-term commitment to Ukraine. The estimated cost of 165 million euros will be equally divided between our nations. In this way, we will jointly take part in the ‘Leopard 2 coalition’, supported by many partners and allies,” the countries defense ministries said in a joint statement on Thursday. 

Remember: Denmark and the Netherlands previously agreed along with Germany to supply more than 100 Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine by spring 2024. 

Here’s why the Leopard 2 tanks are so important: Leopard 2 tanks are seen as a vital, modern military vehicle that would strengthen Kyiv’s forces because they are fuel efficient, and have relatively low-maintenance demands compared to other models, leading experts to believe the tanks could help Ukraine quickly.

The aftermath of an airstrike in Vuhledar, Ukraine, on April 20.

Moscow unleashed 30 attacks in the town of Vulhedar in eastern Ukraine, as the conflict in the Donetsk region ramps up amid a grinding battle for control.

Further north, one person was killed in the town of Kostiantynivka, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko the head of Donetsk regional military administration said on Thursday.

Two double-story buildings, eight private houses, eight cars and a school in Viroliubivka were damaged in the city as a result of shelling and rocket attacks, Kyrylenko said in a statement.

Two houses were damaged in the town of Toretsk, and communities in the outskirts of Chasiv Yar and Soledar were also bombarded.

The number of casualties as a result of the attacks in Vulhedar are currently unknown. There were also no reported deaths in Novoukrainka, which also came under attack, Kyrylenko added.

Some context: Chaotic scenes of Russian troops struggling to gain ground in Vulhedar have emerged in recent months, indicating weaknesses in Moscow’s command and tactics as it prepares for a spring offensive.

Russia has unleashed relentless attacks on the eastern town, indicating that it is more capable of inflicting destruction than taking territory.

CNN’s Tim Lister contributed reporting.