The latest developments on the Russian war in Ukraine.
___
BELGRADE – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised Serbia for refusing to impose sanctions on Moscow for invading Ukraine, saying the Balkan ally made “an intelligent decision”.
“We deeply respect the Serbian people, Serbian culture, Serbian history and commitment to traditional friends,” Lavrov told a group of Serbian journalists in a video conference. “We are confident that they will continue to make wise decisions in this situation.”
Despite Serbia voting for a UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion, Belgrade has refused to join the United States and the European Union in imposing sweeping sanctions on Moscow.
Lavrov called the sanctions “an attempt by the United States to impose its hegemony on the Balkan countries,” adding that the West is “trying to isolate Russia” in the region, which saw a devastating war in the 1990s.
Although Serbia formally aspires to EU membership, it has forged close political, economic and military ties with Russia.
___
MOSCOW – Russia’s leading independent newspaper, the Novaya Gazeta, edited by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov, will cease operations after receiving warnings from Russian authorities.
The newspaper reported that he was warned by Roskomnadzor, the official communications authority.
“After that, we will suspend the publication of the newspaper on the website, (social) networks and in print until the ‘special operation on the territory of Ukraine’ ends,” the newspaper said in a statement Monday.
Russia severely limits the description of events in Ukraine, which it calls a “special military operation.” Several Russian outlets have already opted to cease operations rather than face severe restrictions on what they can report, and the Kremlin has also blocked several foreign outlets.
___
BERLIN – The group of the world’s seven major economies has agreed to reject Russia’s demand to pay for Russian energy imports in rubles, Germany’s energy minister said on Monday.
“All G7 ministers agreed that this would be a clear and unilateral breach of existing treaties,” Robert Habeck told reporters.
A virtual meeting of G7 energy ministers noted that “payments in rubles are unacceptable and we will urge the companies concerned not to comply with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s request,” Habeck said.
Asked by journalists earlier Monday whether Russia could stop gas supplies to European customers if the requirement to pay for Russian gas in rubles was not met, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “we will clearly not supply gas for free.” .
___
BERLIN – German authorities are considering prosecuting those who use the “Z” symbol to express support for the Russian attack in Ukraine.
Russian troops in Ukraine have painted the letter Z on the side of some vehicles, and some people in Russia have adopted it as a symbol of support for what the Kremlin calls a “military special operation” in the neighboring country.
Security services are aware that it has also been used at marches in Germany, said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior on Monday.
Spokesman Marek Wede told journalists in Berlin that the text could possibly be interpreted as a gesture of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The Russian attack on Ukraine is a crime, and anyone who publicly approves of this war faces criminal consequences,” Wede said.
Federal authorities had welcomed the decision by some states to investigate whether certain instances of using the “Z” were punishable by law.
___
LEOPOLIS, Ukraine – About 160,000 people remain in the beleaguered port city of Mariupol and there will be a “humanitarian catastrophe” if further evacuations cannot take place, the city’s mayor said in a remark quoted by Ukrainian public television Suspilne.
Russian forces are preventing civilians from fleeing the city and have turned back some who tried to leave, Vadym Boychenko said on Monday.
The city, which had a population of more than 400,000 before the war, has been one of the hardest-hit places since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24. Russian forces have relentlessly shelled the city, and civilians who remain there are left without access to basic supplies and communications following attacks on TV, radio and telephone towers.
___
MOSCOW – The presidents of Russia and Ukraine could meet for negotiations, but only after key elements of a possible deal have been negotiated, Russia’s foreign minister hinted.
“The meeting is necessary as soon as we have clarity about solutions to all important issues,” Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
Lavrov made the remarks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine’s neutrality and security guarantees in order to reach peace “immediately”. Zelenskyy added that only a face-to-face meeting with the Russian leader could end the war.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were due to start another round of talks in Istanbul on Tuesday to seek a draft treaty.
In an interview with Serbian media, Lavrov explained that Ukraine only wants to “fake negotiations,” while Russia wants concrete results, which the leaders of the two countries would then guarantee.
___
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Eurojust, the European Union’s judicial coordination agency, said it helped Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine form a joint investigative team into war crimes, crimes against humanity and other crimes committed in Ukraine.
The three countries signed an agreement to set up the team on Friday, notes the Hague-based agency. Eurojust provides technical and legal support.
The team’s main objective is “to support the search for evidence and its rapid and secure transmission between staff, as well as the transfer of information and evidence,” according to Eurojust.
The team will help the three countries work with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, which has also launched investigations into Ukraine.
After a month of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Polish prosecutors say they have collected about 300 testimonies from refugees who have crossed the border.
Forming a joint investigative team helps pool resources and expertise in complex international investigations. The Netherlands and other countries formed a similar team to investigate the 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine.
___
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish military teams are working to disable a second sea mine discovered floating in the Black Sea off Turkey’s coast, according to Turkey’s Defense Ministry.
The ministry said on Monday that underwater defense teams sent to the coast of Igneada near the Bulgarian border had managed to secure the mine and were working to “neutralize” it.
Authorities suspended traffic on the Bosphorus – the iconic sea passage between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara – on Saturday as a precautionary measure as Turkish coastguards responded to reports of a floating object resembling a mine that was later “neutralized”. Afternoon.
The explosive devices were discovered after warnings that mines laid at Ukrainian port approaches could be released in bad weather and cross the Black Sea.
Turkey issued a Navtex warning on March 18, recommending ships remain vigilant and report any possible mines that may have been pulled from ports like Odessa.
___ GENEVA — The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says 1,190 civilians have been killed and 1,790 injured since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Most casualties were attributed to the use of large-area explosive weapons, the United Nations agency said, such as heavy artillery shells and multiple rocket launchers, as well as air and missile attacks. The UN said it believes the actual numbers are “considerably higher” given delays in gathering information and corroborating reports.
Of those who died, 224 were men, 168 women, 15 girls and 32 boys. Another 52 minors and 628 adults had not yet been sexed.
Claims of significant civilian casualties in the southern city of Mariupol and in Volnovakha, Izium, Popasna, Mezhove and Trostianets are still confirmed and are not included in the total, the report said.
___
LONDON — Russian forces have made no significant progress over the past 24 hours amid ongoing supply problems and aggressive resistance from Ukrainian fighters, British defense officials said.
Low morale and a lack of inertia have compounded the problems facing Russia’s armed forces, says the UK MoD’s latest intelligence report.
Heavy fighting continues around Mariupol, where Russian forces are attempting to seize the Sea of Azov port city linked to the Black Sea, the British statement shared on Twitter said.
The ministry had previously indicated that Russia is maintaining a blockade on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, cutting off maritime traffic with the country. The Russian Navy is also launching “sporadic” missile strikes on targets in Ukraine, according to the ministry.
Jamieth