Category: Politics

Russia tests missiles in the Sea Of Japan while the Wagner Group steps up recruitment efforts in Moscow. Controversy in a Kyiv church and monastery, and a look at facial recognition technology in Moscow’s subway. Plus, a Belarusian opposition leader speaks to VOA.

Source: Voice of America

The global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should act as a blueprint for addressing mass human rights violations, according to an annual report released by Amnesty International on Tuesday. But the group accuses the West of ignoring other crises, as Henry Ridgwell reports from London.

Source: Voice of America

The United States has thrown its support behind a special international tribunal to try Russia for "aggression" against Ukraine, building momentum to "prosecute the crime" for the first time since the aftermath of World War II.

The State Department said the United States would work with allies to set up a "special tribunal on the crime of aggression" over Russia's February 2022 offensive of its neighbour.

"We envision such a court having significant international support — particularly from our partners in Europe — and ideally located in another country in Europe," State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

Beth Van Schaack, the US ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice, said the United States wanted the court to have international personnel and resources.

That "will provide the clearest path to establishing a new tribunal and maximising our chances of achieving meaningful accountability," she said in a speech Monday at the Catholic University of America.

She said the United States was "committed" working with other countries to provide resources for such a tribunal "in a way that will achieve comprehensive accountability for the international crimes being committed in Ukraine."

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2020 GMT — France recognises 30s starvation in Ukraine as 'genocide'

The French parliament has recognised as "genocide" the 1930s starvation of millions in Ukraine under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, a move welcomed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In a resolution adopted by 168 votes to two, the French deputies called on the government to do the same, as the current Russian offensive in Ukraine revives memories of the atrocity meted out on the country in the 1930s.

Zelenskyy swiftly hailed the "historic decision," in a tweet thanking French MPs.

The text adopted in Paris on Tuesday recognises "the genocidal nature of the forced and planned famine by the Soviet authorities against the Ukrainian population in 1932 and 1933".

The French parliament condemned those acts and "affirms its support for the Ukrainian people in their aspiration to have the mass crimes committed against them by the Soviet regime recognised".

GMT 1935 — Russia says no 'separatist sentiments' in Moldova’s Transnistria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow does not see any "separatist sentiments" in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria.

"Legislatively, punishment has been introduced for the so-called separatism. But we don’t see separatist sentiment in Transnistria; we see the Transnistrian leadership's strong desire to comply with their commitments in the 5 2 format, and which are aimed at a full, mutually acceptable settlement of Transnistria's status," Lavrov said during an interview with Russian state news agency TASS.

Lavrov also claimed that the 5 2 format of meetings on the issue were frozen due to "the policy of the West which decided to take the 'settlement' into its own hands, impose this settlement on Tiraspol, and fully support the confrontational, short-sighted, dead-end policy of [Moldovan] President [Maia] Sandu."

Lavrov claimed that Ukraine also played a negative role on the situation surrounding the issue by siding with Moldova, which he claimed to be "in violation of its mediator status in the 5 2 format."

Russia announces downing US-supported rocket to Ukraine

Moscow has announced it had for the first time downed a long-range rocket supplied to Ukraine by the United States, weapons Kiev said were key to an anticipated counter-attack against Russian forces.

The statement from Russia's defence ministry came a day after Ukraine said it received modern Leopard and Challenger battle tanks from Germany and the United Kingdom to push back Moscow's army in east and southern Ukraine.

"Air defence (forces) downed... a GLSDB guided rocket," Russia's defence ministry said in a statement, referring to ground-launched small diameter bombs produced by Boeing and the Saab Group.

These devices have a range of up to 150 kilometres (93 miles), which would threaten Russian positions and supply depots far behind the front lines.

The Pentagon announced last month it was providing Ukraine with the artillery as part of a $2.2 billion arms package.

1805 GMT - Ukraine received $7B from US, EU since start of 2023: Premier

Ukraine has said that it has received more than $7 billion from the US and the EU since the start of the year.

“Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has received almost $5 billion of support from the EU, more than $2 billion of support from the US,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at a government meeting.

Stating that Kiev has an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a new financial programme, Shmyhal said that the country has received financial assistance from the UK, the World Bank, Germany, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, Belgium, Iceland, and Estonia.

“Norway continued the payment program for 50,000 Ukrainians who are in difficult living conditions and suffered from Russian aggression. Likewise, payments under UN and Red Cross programs continue,” Shmyhal further said.

Shmyhal also said the government will pass an order to receive $2.6 billion from the US and other p artners as a part of Kiev’s second grant in providing salaries to emergency service workers, teachers, and doctors, as well as to help pensioners, internally displaced persons, people with disabilities and low-income families.

1613 GMT - Ukraine president extends tour of war’s front-line areas

Ukraine’s president has visited the Sumy region in northern Ukraine, continuing his tour over recent days of areas of the country that have felt the brunt of Russia’s full-scale offensive and as the stage increasingly looks set for a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with officials and local people in two cities in the region and with border guards at an undisclosed location near the border with Russia.

The Sumy region was partially occupied by Russian forces after the war started more than a year ago. The Russians withdrew from the region by early April.

The Associated Press was granted exclusive access as Zelenskyy visited the cities of Okhtyrka, which saw fierce battles last year but was never occupied, and Trostianets, which was held by the Russians for a month after the invasion but retaken by Ukrainian forces on March 26, 2022.

1500 GMT - Deal to protect Ukrainian nuclear plant 'close': IAEA head

A deal to protect Europe's largest nuclear power plant from a catastrophic accident due to fighting in Ukraine could be “close,” the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has said, but warned that intensified combat in the area has increased risks to the facility.

In an interview with The Associated Press a day before he was to cross the front lines for a second time to visit the plant, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he felt it was his duty to ramp up talks aimed at safeguarding the facility.

He met Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he would “most probably” head to Russia in the coming days.

Grossi has long called for a protection zone to be set up around the plant, which is very near the front line of the war. But so far, an agreement has been elusive.

1050 GMT – West's Ukraine response exposes 'double standards': Amnesty

"The West's formidable response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine underscored double standards, exposing in comparison how inconsequential their reactions have been to so many other violations of the UN Charter," said Amnesty secretary general Agnes Callamard as she presented the group's world report in Paris.

In its annual world report for 2022, Amnesty pointed to what it described as the West's silence on Saudi Arabia's rights record, repression in Egypt and Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

Russia's full-scale assault, which began on February 24, 2022, "gave us an all too rare view of what becomes possible when there is political will to act" as the West closed ranks to support Ukraine, she added.

Amnesty said the conflict had highlighted shortcomings in responding to abuses in other parts of the globe.

1046 GMT - Bad weather forces electricity shutdowns in eight Ukrainian regions

Ukraine's national grid operator imposed emergency electricity shutdowns in eight Ukrainian regions on Tuesday because of bad weather, and said Russian attacks had affected the power supply in some frontline areas.

The shutdowns follow an improvement in electricity supplies across Ukraine in recent weeks, in what officials have hailed as a victory in their battle to restore power after months of Russian missile and drone strikes.

The grid operator, Ukrenergo, said storms, wind, snow and rain in seven regions of western Ukraine and in the southern region of Odesa had resulted in blackouts for consumers.

It said electricity distribution networks in the Kharkiv region in the northeast, Zaporizhzhia in the southeast and Kherson in the south had been damaged during recent shelling.

1012 GMT - France to double munitions supplies to Ukraine - defence minister

France will double this month its supplies of 155 artillery rounds to Ukraine to about 2,000 shells a month, its defence minister told Le Figaro newspaper, adding that Paris was also planning to boost a fund that enables Kyiv to buy French weaponry.

Ukraine has identified the supply of 155 mm shells as a critical need as it engages in a fierce war of attrition with invading Russian forces. Both sides are firing thousands of artillery rounds every day.

France and Australia agreed in February a deal that would see Canberra provide gunpowder, which is not produced in France, to enable arms producer Nexter to manufacture 155mm shells. The faster deliveries will come from this, a French official said.

0837 GMT - Ukraine defence minister grateful for 'fantastic' UK tanks

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov gave Britain the thumbs up as he took a ride in what he said was the first British Challenger 2 main battle tank to arrive in Ukraine.

Britain said in January it would send 14 of the tanks to Ukraine, which is preparing for a possible counter-offensive against Russian forces that invaded 13 months ago.

Germany's defence ministry said on Monday that 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks and 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles had also arrived in Ukraine.

0752 GMT - Russia says oil sales to India soar amid Ukraine conflict

Russian oil sales to India surged more than twentyfold last year as European buyers turned to other markets following the conflict in Ukraine, Russia's deputy prime minister said Tuesday.

"Most of our energy resources were redirected to other markets, to the markets of friendly countries. If for example we take oil supplies to India, they increased 22 times last year," Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in comments carried by Russian news agencies.

0418 GMT - Ukraine's air defence downs drones over capital – Kiev

Ukrainian authorities said air defences shot down Russian drones near Kiev and falling debris set a non-residential site ablaze, but no casualties were found.

Serhiy Popko, head of the Kiev city military administration, said Russia had launched drones towards Kiev but Ukraine's air defence forces had identified and destroyed "all enemy targets" in the airspace around the capital.

Drone wreckage fell in the western Kiev district of Sviatoshyno, sparking a fire across a 200-square-metre (2100 sq foot) area in a non-residential building, he added.

"According to preliminary data there are no casualties at this time," Popko said in a Telegram post, though he added the information was being clarified.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that a shop was set ablaze in Sviatoshyno but no casualties were found and the fire was contained.

0125 GMT - Zelenskyy decries Russia's 'radiation blackmail' in Zaporizhzhia

Ukraine's president said Russian troops were holding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant "hostage" and its safety could not be guaranteed until they left it, while his forces shut the frontline town of Avdiivka as they planned their next move.

Russian troops have occupied the nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, since the early weeks of the invasion of Ukraine and have shown no inclination to relinquish control.

"Holding a nuclear power station hostage for more than a year - this is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of European or world-wide nuclear power," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

He decried the Russian presence as "radiation blackmail".

2200 GMT – UN Security Council rejects Russian demand for Nord Stream probe

The UN Security Council has rejected a Moscow-drafted resolution calling for an independent inquiry into the sabotage last year of the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia to Germany.

Western countries have blamed the explosions under the Baltic Sea last September on Russia, but the Kremlin has accused the West of sabotage.

The resolution got three votes, with China and Brazil backing Russia and the other 12 members abstaining.

The resolution called for the creation of a commission to "conduct comprehensive, transparent and impartial international investigation of all aspects of the act of sabotage on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, including identification of its perpetrators, sponsors, organizers and accomplices."

Russia said it had been left out of investigations launched by Sweden, Germany and Denmark, all of which have rejected the accusation.

2155 GMT – Netherlands open to supplying combat jets to Ukraine: PM

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says that his country remains open to sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

“In the Netherlands, we don't see any taboos, we don't rule anything out, and we consult intensively with our partners. But at the moment, no decisions have been made to train pilots for combat aircraft with us. Nothing has been decided here yet,” Rutte said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.

Last month, the Ukrainian government officially asked the Netherlands for American-made F-16 fighter jets.

The Netherlands is phasing out its F-16 fleet. It has 24 F-16s but plans to get rid of them by next year as it switches over to the next-generation F-35. In 2021, it sold 12 planes back to the US to use as trainers.

Ukraine has been pressing the US and its European allies to provide fighter jets as top Ukrainian officials have stepped up their public lobbying campaign in recent weeks, arguing that they need the planes to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks.

But that push has been met with scepticism by the US and allied officials, who say the jets would be impractical because they require considerable training and Russia has extensive anti-aircraft systems that could easily shoot them down.

When previously asked if the US would be providing F-16s to Ukraine, President Joe Biden responded with a flat "no."

Source: TRTworld.com

Russia's defence ministry has announced that it test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan.

"In the waters of the Sea of Japan, missile ships of the Pacific Fleet fired Moskit cruise missiles at a mock enemy sea target," the ministry said in a statement on its Telegram account on Tuesday.

"The target, located at a distance of about 100 kilometres (62.14 miles), was successfully hit by a direct hit from two Moskit cruise missiles."

The Moskit, whose NATO reporting name is the SS-N-22 Sunburn, is a medium-range supersonic anti-ship cruise missile that has conventional and nuclear warhead capacity,

It is capable of destroying a ship within a range of up to 120 km (75 miles).

The ministry said the exercise took place in the Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan but did not give more precise coordinates.

The gulf borders the Russian Pacific Fleet headquarters at Fokino and is about 700 kilometers (430 miles) from Japan's northern Hokkaido Island.

Japan's defence ministry had no immediate response. The US Navy’s 7th Fleet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Russian nuclear-capable Tu-95 flew over the Sea of Japan for several hours last week.

The firing of the missiles comes a week after two Russian strategic bomber planes, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, flew over the Sea of Japan for more than seven hours in what Moscow said was a "planned flight".

In September, Japan protested multinational military exercises on the Russian-held Kuril Islands - some of which are claimed by Japan - and expressed concern about Russian and Chinese warships conducting shooting drills in the Sea of Japan.

Source: TRTworld.com

Belarus said on Tuesday it had decided to host Russian tactical nuclear weapons after years of pressure from the United States and its NATO allies aimed at changing its political and geopolitical direction.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Moscow would in future look to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus, a staunch ally, escalating a standoff with the West.

The Belarusian foreign ministry justified its decision to cooperate with Russia in a statement on Tuesday, saying Minsk was acting to protect itself from the West.

"Over the last two and a half years, the Republic of Belarus has been subjected to unprecedented political, economic and information pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom and its NATO allies, as well as the member states of the European Union," the statement said.

"In view of these circumstances, and the legitimate concerns and risks in the sphere of national security arising from them, Belarus is forced to respond by strengthening its own security and defence capabilities."

Minsk said the Russian nuclear plans would not contravene international non-proliferation agreements as Belarus itself would not have control over the weapons.

On Sunday, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that Brussels was ready to impose new sanctions on Belarus if it will proceed with the plan to host Russian nuclear weapons.

"Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation and threat to European security. Belarus can still stop it, it is their choice. The EU stands ready to respond with further sanctions," Borrell posted on social media.

Earlier, Putin said the deployment was similar to moves from the United States, which stores such weapons in bases across Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Türkiye, an analogy western allies called "misleading".

Source: TRTworld.com

China said Tuesday that the US-led "so-called" Summit for Democracy "blatantly" draws an ideological line between countries and creates division.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said it 'violates the spirit of democracy and further reveals the US' pursuit of primacy behind the facade of democracy."

"What our world needs today is not to stoke decision in the name of democracy and pursue de facto supremacy-oriented unilateralism, but to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and uphold true multilateralism on the basis of purposes and principles of the UN charter, " said Mao. "What the world needs today is not to interfere in other countries' internal affairs under the guise of democracy but to advocate genuine democracy, reject pseudo-democracy and jointly promote greater democracy in international relations."

She said the world does not need a Summit for Democracy that "hypes up confrontation but a conference of solidarity that focuses on taking real actions to solve prominent global challenges."

Beijing advised Washington to stop "pointing fingers" at other countries and to stop "interfering" in their internal affairs in the name of promoting democracy.

Washington has not invited China and Trkiye to the summit and Pakistan declined an invitation.

The US invited Taiwan, which Beijing considers an inalienable part of its territory.

The virtual two-day summit begins Wednesday in Washington.

Source: Anadolu Agency

More than a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a Justice Department task force set up to enforce U.S. sanctions on Russia continues to seize and forfeit assets owned by Russian oligarchs.

To date, the effort has resulted in roughly $1 billion worth of assets that have been seized and are subject to forfeiture.

But in the longer term, said Task Force KleptoCapture director Andrew Adams, the “more impactful” cases would target third-party actors involved in helping Russia dodge sanctions: money laundering facilitators, professional sanctions evaders and export control evasion networks.

In an interview with VOA’s Ukrainian Service, Adams, who is also acting deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, discusses his team’s major accomplishments, as well as efforts to use proceeds of seized Russian assets for Ukrainian reconstruction, using newly granted congressional authority.

The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

VOA: In March of last year, Attorney General Merrick Garland launched KleptoCapture and appointed you as the director of this task force. Could you talk about your goals and achievements during this first year?

Andrew Adams, Task Force KleptoCapture director: The task force kicked off immediately after the full-scale invasion. By early March we had set up a group of attorneys, prosecutors, agents, analysts, specialists from around the U.S. government to focus on two key priorities. The first was a short-term rush for seizure and the beginning of forfeiture proceedings aimed at large expensive and movable assets, the yachts, the airplanes and the like.

At the same time, we knew that over the long term, the more impactful cases would ultimately be aimed at money laundering facilitators, professional sanctions evaders and export control, evasion networks.

VOA: In December when talking to VOA, you addressed the total approximate amount of foreign seized funds, both domestically and internationally. It was up to $40 billion. What portion of that is attributable to KleptoCapture?

Adams: So, to focus on what the Department of Justice brings to the table here, which is seizure and forfeiture pursuant to judicial warrants, pursuant to forfeiture actions in court, that number is roughly $1 billion worth of assets. There are warrants that are executed on airplanes. We're talking about the yachts that have been seized. We're talking about real property in the form of condos and luxury property around the United States, as well as bank accounts, securities holdings and the like.

Beyond that, you are getting into the realm of what our Treasury Department, our State Department, our Commerce Department and our foreign partners can do with their blocking powers, which can go significantly beyond what the Department of Justice can seize and forfeit.

VOA: In February, a New York judge ruled that U.S. prosecutors may forfeit $5.4 million belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, and these funds may be used to help rebuild Ukraine. But recently, a U.S.-based Russian lawyer filed a claim against these funds. Do you expect the transfer to go through despite the legal challenges?

Adams: The funds that are now authorized to be transferred are $5.4 million. The period for putting in a claim passed without incident. And now those are free and clear to be given to the Department of State following the period for an appeal to pass. We fully expect that it will occur. And at that point the Department of State, working with our friends in Ukraine, will determine the best place for those funds to go. It is an example, I think, of a real success story from the last year, although $5.4 million is a drop in the bucket of the amount of harm that this war has caused Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. It's a symbol of what can be done through judicial processes that respect due process, that respect third-party rights, that are in full conformity with our Constitution, and with international law.

VOA: And how many cases are close to adjudication?

Adams: The number of investigations that we have going at any given point is in the dozens. The way that we approach all of those is to think about the forfeiture possibilities. At this point, we have filed the Malofeyev action, which is essentially finished — it's on appeal. There are roughly a half dozen different criminal cases that we filed in the late part of last year, as well as a civil forfeiture action against a set of real property, targeting about $75 million worth of property tied to Viktor Vekselberg.

VOA: Could you shed light on the role of international cooperation?

Adams: In terms of international cooperation, we operate in almost every case with significant international support. We've executed arrests in Estonia and Latvia, in Germany, in Italy, in Spain and elsewhere. We've made seizures in a number of countries around the world, including in some jurisdictions that are not traditionally viewed as the closest allies of the United States.

VOA: In December, Congress passed legislation giving the DOJ authority to direct the forfeited funds to the State Department for the purpose of providing aid to Ukraine. Could you talk about the importance of that decision?

Adams: It's an incredibly important piece of legislation. As a legal matter it paves the way for us to make these transfers in a way that we can't do very easily without this new authority. So, that was critically important - that the driving motivation for all of these cases at the end of the day is to give assistance to Ukraine. As a symbolic matter, it demonstrates both at home but also to our partners in Europe and elsewhere that there are means and mechanisms for providing exactly this kind of assistance to Ukraine through forfeiture.

VOA: The task force and broader international sanctions regime imposed a certain level of discomfort for some Kremlin-aligned oligarchs. Do you believe those sanctioned oligarchs’ voices matter to the Kremlin?

Adams: In addition to some public outcry even from people formerly close to the Kremlin, there are effects that go far beyond the specific oligarchs that come from the sanctions regimes and come from vigorous enforcement of the sanctions regimes. The effect that this has on financial institutions, on insurance companies, on aviation or maritime companies — in a way that has a material effect on the Russian war machine and the Kremlin's ability to fund this war.

Source: Voice of America

US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy sent a letter Tuesday to the White House, urging President Joe Biden to begin negotiations on the nation's debt ceiling.

McCarthy said he and Biden sat down two months ago to discuss a solution to the debt ceiling but argued the president's team has been absent since and accused Biden of being "completely missing in action."

"With each passing day, I am incredibly concerned that you are putting an already fragile economy in jeopardy by insisting upon your extreme position of refusing to negotiate any meaningful changes to out-of-control government spending alongside an increase of the debt limit," wrote McCarthy.

He offered ways to reduce the national debt, such as decreasing excessive non-defense government spending to levels before high inflation and reclaiming unspent funds for the coronavirus pandemic that have not been touched for more than two years.

"Mr. President, simply put: you are on the clock," wrote McCarthy, and he asked Biden to reach out by end of the week.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in recent months has repeatedly urged Congress to suspend or raise the debt limit to avoid a default on government obligations.

The world's biggest economy hit its debt ceiling Jan. 19 and Yellen said her agency has started using "extraordinary measures" to avoid default.

The US has never defaulted on its debt, while the debt ceiling has been raised 22 times between 1997 and 2022.

Source: Anadolu Agency

French President Emmanuel Macron's popularity rating is at its lowest since 2018, according to a survey.

Research and consulting company BVA conducted a survey for the French broadcaster RTL on March 24-25, and published the results on its website on Monday.

Macron's popularity is at its lowest since 2018, reaching 28% and approaching the level recorded during the 2018 Yellow Vest protests (26%), BVA said.

This is due to the pension reform plan which triggered massive outrage when revealed in January.

The rating indicates a downfall of six points in a month for Macron.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne also suffers from plunging popularity, with 28%.

It is the lowest rating recorded since her nomination as the prime minister, the survey showed.

A survey conducted in early March by another research and consulting company, Ipsos, for the weekly Le Point, showed that Macron's popularity rating was at its lowest in three years, with 32%.

Borne's popularity was 27%, after a fall of seven points, according to the same survey.

Source: Anadolu Agency