On the 49th day of the war, tensions in the country have not eased, especially in the east, where Ukrainians are waiting for an imminent attack by the Russian army. Follow the latest information live.
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The cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, was “severely damaged” by a fire-caused ammunition explosion, Russian state authorities reported on Thursday, citing the Ministry of Defense. “Due to a fire, ammunition exploded on board the missile cruiser Moskva. The ship was badly damaged,” said the ministry, quoted by the agencies Tass and Ria Novosti.
The crew has been fully evacuated and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire, he added. Russian authorities have not specified the location of the incident. Ukrainian authorities previously claimed that the Moscow River was on fire after being hit by rockets. “Neptune missiles protecting the Black Sea caused significant damage to this Russian ship,” said Ukrainian Governor of the Odessa region (south) Maxime Marchenko.
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American diplomacy on Wednesday justified Joe Biden’s accusation of “genocide” leveled against Russia the day before by arguing that Russian forces wanted to “destroy Ukraine and its civilian population.” The President of the United States surprised everyone on Tuesday by saying Russian President Vladimir Putin was committing “genocide” in Ukraine, but conceded that the decision rested with international lawyers.
“I think once we can gather all the evidence, we will end up coming to the same conclusion as President Biden, because what is happening on the ground is not an accident,” said CNN’s third channel of American diplomacy, Victoria Nuland. “It is a premeditated decision by Russia and its armed forces to destroy Ukraine and its civilian population,” she added.
The 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide describes it as a “crime committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”. Lawyers remain reluctant to use this term, while Western leaders are divided over its use. The Kremlin considers it “unacceptable” for Joe Biden to make such an allegation. However, American diplomats are trying to minimize the specific scope of the president’s indictment, believing it was primarily a “moral” position.