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The Kremlin is threatening retaliatory action after authorities arrested Artyom Uss, the son of a top Russian official, at the United States request, for allegedly participating in a sanctions evasion and money laundering scheme.

Uss, who was detained in Milan, was charged in relation to a scheme to unlawfully obtain U.S. military technology and sanctioned Venezuelan oil in order to support Russias war effort in Ukraine, according to charges unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice this week.

We are categorically against this and we condemn the practice of these kinds of arrests of Russian citizens, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Uss father, the governor of Russias Krasnoyarsk Krai region, Alexander Uss, has suggested the arrest is politically motivated, according to TASS.

Another Russian government spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Moscow would not leave the United States search for Russians unanswered and accused the U.S. of taking hostages for political purposes, TASS reported.

These Top Putin Cronies Vowed to Fight in Ukraine Themselves. So Where Are They?

Uss wasnt the only one charged in the money laundering and smuggling scheme. Uss co-owned a trading company called Nord-Deutsche Industrieanlagenbau GmbH (NDA GmbH) which he and co-conspirators allegedly used as a front to ship U.S. defense technology to Russia.

Uss and co-conspirators are accused of using NDA GmbH to ship advanced semiconductors and microprocessors for fighter aircraft, missile systems, smart munitions, radar, and satellites to Russiasome have been found in weapons used in the war in Ukraine.

Some of the same electronic components obtained through the criminal scheme have been found in Russian weapons platforms seized on the battlefield in Ukraine, the Department of Justice said in an announcement, adding that the accused developed a sophisticated network of schemes that undermined security, economic stability and rule of law around the world.

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The group of co-conspirators also allegedly shipped hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from Venezuela to Russian and Chinese entities, including at least one sanctioned oligarch.

The 12-count indictment charged five Russian nationals in total, including Yury Orekhov, Svetlana Kuzurgasheva, Timofey Telegin, and Sergey Tulyakov. Juan Fernando Serrano Ponce and Juan Carlos Soto were also charged with setting up illegal oil deals for Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.

One of the co-conspirators openly acknowledged that NDA GmbH was working for a sanctioned oligarch, according to court documents.

He [the oligarch] is under sanctions as well, Orekhov said. Thats why we [are] acting from this company [NDA GmbH]. As fronting.

Russia has long helped Venezuela evade sanctions around the globe. But the latest charges expose the multiple layers of sanctions the United States has imposed on both Russia and Venezuela.

The United States has been sanctioning Venezuela for more than 15 years, and in recent years has imposed restrictions on Venezuelas state oil company and other entities in order to try to pressure Venezuelan dictator Nicols Maduro to leave power.

Sanctions on Russian banks in recent months, which the United States and other nations have levied in an attempt to try to isolate Moscow on the world stage while it assaults Ukraine, have likely hurt Venezuelas ability to access its assets, according to the Congressional Research Service. But higher oil prices from Russias invasion of Ukraine appear to be driving a semblance of economic recovery for Venezuela, according to the CRS.

Task Force KleptoCapture, the Department of Justice group established earlier this year with the aim of punishing Russia for the war in Ukraine and enforcing sanctions on Russian oligarchs, announced the charges alongside other DOJ entities.

Stamping out evasion of export controls on military technology is among the Task Forces highest priorities, Andrew Adams, the director of Task Force KleptoCapture, said in a statement. Webs of shell companies, cryptocurrency and an international network of fraudsters failed to shield Orekhov and his cronies from apprehension by U.S. law enforcement.

Its not clear what Russia will be doing in response to Uss arrest.

When asked Thursday if Uss arrest is related at all to the negotiations to release Brittney Griner from Russia, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to speculate.

The President is willing to take extraordinary lengths to bring Americans home, Jean-Pierre said in a briefing with reporters.

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Russia Rages After Son of Putin Official Is Nabbed on U.S. Charges

As the world's largest country in total area, Russia showcases a wide diversity of landforms. In general terms, it is divided into some very specific geographical zones.

The broad European Plain, or Volga River Plain extends from the Ural Mountains to its western borders with Europe.

The central and southern areas of Russia include large fertile areas, marsh, steppes (plains without trees) and massive coniferous forests.

Siberia is a combination of frozen tundra, with rolling hills rising to plateaus, punctuated by scattered mountain ranges.

Mountains Mountain ranges are found across Russia, with many of the major ones stretching along its southwestern, southeastern and eastern borders

In the far southwest the Caucasus Mountains slice across the land. The country's highest point, Mt. Elbrus at 18,481 ft. (5,633 m), is located there. It has been marked on the map above by a yellow upright triangle.

Making up the natural border between European Russia and Asia, the Ural Mountains extend from the Arctic Ocean to Kazakhstan's northern border.

The Kolyma Mountains in far northeastern Russia extend about 1,126 km (700 mi) north and south to the east of the Kolyma River and roughly parallel to the coast of Siberia. Some rise to over 6000 feet (1830 meters).

Rivers Russia has more than 100,000 rivers with a length of 7 miles, or greater. Some of the world's longest rivers flow through the vast lowland plains that dominate the Russian landscape.

Significant rivers include the Volga, Dnieper and Dvina (west), the Lena, Ob, and Yenisey (central) and the Amur in the far east.

At 1,642 m (5,387 ft), Lake Baikal (marked on the map) is the deepest and among the clearest of all lakes in the world. Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world.

Steppe Long characterized as the typical Russian landscape, the steppe region displays a broad range of treeless, grassy plains punctuated by mountain ranges, and provides the best conditions for human settlement.

Taiga Accounting for over 60% of Russia, this forested region extends from its western borders then east towards the Pacific Ocean. Russia contains the world's largest reserve of coniferous wood, however, due to extensive logging the supply is steadily on the decrease; as well, to make way for agriculture, much of the forested zone has been cleared.

Tundra Stretching 4,349 miles (7,000 km) from west to east, the Russian Arctic is a vast treeless and marshy plain, and is well-known for its white nights (dusk after midnight, and dawn fairly soon after) through summer and days of near total darkness through winter.

Russia has 46 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respubliki, singular - respublika), 4 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnyye okrugi, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 9 krays (kraya, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (goroda, singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast (avtonomnaya oblast')

The oblasts are:Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl';

The 21 republics are: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan (Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya (Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas), Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk), Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola), Mordoviya (Saransk), North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz), Sakha [Yakutiya] (Yakutsk), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk);

Autonomous okrugs: Chukotka (Anadyr'), Khanty-Mansi-Yugra (Khanty-Mansiysk), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard);

Krays: Altay (Barnaul), Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm', Primorskiy [Maritime] (Vladivostok), Stavropol', Zabaykal'sk [Transbaikal] (Chita);

Federal cities: Moscow [Moskva], Saint Petersburg [Sankt-Peterburg];

Autonomous oblast: Yevreyskaya [Jewish] (Birobidzhan)

Russia, the world's largest country by area, stretches from Northern Asia to Eastern Europe. The Arctic Ocean borders Russia to the north and the Pacific to the east. The country also has a short coastline on the Baltic Sea in the northwest. The exclave of Russia, Kaliningrad also borders the Baltic Sea as well as Lithuania and Poland. The southern borders of Russia are with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, North Korea, and Mongolia. The western and southwestern borders of Russia are with Finland, Norway, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Latvia.

Russia Bordering Countries: Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Estonia, Finland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Azerbaijan, North Korea, China.

Regional Maps: Map of Asia

The above map represents the largest country in the world, Russia. The map can be downloaded, printed, and used for coloring or map-pointing activities.

The above map represents Russia, the world's largest country.

This page was last updated on February 24, 2021

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Provided by The Associated Press People queue up to wait a ration food from World Central Kitchen organisation in the center of Mykolaiv, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. As Ukraine crosses the mark of eight months anniversary since the start of full-scale war, the residents of southern Mykolaiv, who suffer shelling almost every night, are determined to fight as long as it takes to liberate all the regions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraines president said Monday that Kyiv has been able to defend the independence of the country in the eight months of the war waged by Russia.

In his nightly address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the eight-month anniversary of the invasion and noted that the Ukrainian forces are advancing in the partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions and also intend to retake the Zaporizhzhia region and the annexed Crimea.

Ukraine is breaking the so-called second army of the world, Zelenskyy said. Now Russia can only be a beggar. It is begging for something in Iran, trying to squeeze something out of Western states, inventing various tales about Ukraine, intimidating, deceiving.

Zelenskyy warned that the coming winter will be the most difficult in history.

We have no right to relax. We still have to go the way to the Ukrainian victory. It is a difficult road, the president said.

____

KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

Ukraine reports success in shooting down 70% of drones launched by Russia

Ukraine hospitals staff fight dark memories of occupation

Ukrainian womans quest to retrieve body of prisoner of war

Macron: Ukraine to decide time, terms of peace with Russia

EXPLAINER: What would retreat from Kherson mean for Russia?

___

ZAGREB, Croatia -- U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Iran is making a big mistake by supplying Russia with drones that are targeting Ukraines infrastructure.

Weve been trying for a while now to have a nuclear agreement with Iran so that we can make the world a safer place and now theyre going off aiding the Russians and making the world a less safe place, Pelosi said in Zagreb, Croatia.

The United States and key Western allies have accused Russia of using Iranian-made drones to attack civilians and power plants in Ukraine. Iran has denied it is supplying Russia with the explosive-laden missiles but the distinctive triangle-shaped drones have been seen.

First of all, we have to be able to counter the drones, Pelosi said at a joint press conference with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. It is a dangerous technology and it must be stopped.

Pelosi was in Croatia to attend an international forum aimed at supporting Ukraines independence in the face of the Russian aggression.

___

MOSCOW A senior Russian official says that authorities have taken steps to boost weapons production amid the fighting in Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russias Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said he visited the countrys top tank factory in the Ural Mountains city of Nizhny Tagil on Monday to discuss ways of increasing output.

Medvedev noted that foreign observers have predicted that Russia would run out of its weapons stockpiles soon, adding that such forecasts were bound to fail.

He said that production of weapons and equipment from tanks and cannons to precision missiles and drones is increasing many fold.

You just wait, he said.

___

MOSCOW Russia's military says it has discussed with its British counterparts the alleged threat of Ukraine using a dirty bomb.

According to a statement Monday by Russias Defense Ministry, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, discussed the situation related to the possible use of a dirty bomb by Ukraine with Britains Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Tony Radakin.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu first made the claim over the weekend in phone calls with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Shoigu voiced concern about possible Ukrainian provocations involving a dirty bomb, a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste. It doesnt have the devastating effect of a nuclear explosion, but could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination.

The U.S., Britain and France responded by saying in a joint statement that our countries made clear that we all reject Russias transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory.

___

NICOSIA, Cyprus Hungarys foreign minister says his counterparts in other European Union countries are seized by a rhetoric of war thats pushing the prospect of peace in war-torn Ukraine farther away.

Pter Szijjrt says his country has been calling for an immediate ceasefire and for peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials as soon as possible. Europes security, economy and energy supply will increasingly suffer the longer the war continues, he said Monday.

Szijjrt said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart that the EUs sanctions on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine have failed, driving up inflation and bringing extremely high energy costs in Hungary because of reduced gas supply.

The top Hungarian diplomat urged the EU to embark on a search for new sources of energy and to harness newly found gas deposits off Cyprus, building new pipelines, new routes to make sure that the gas which is being found here can be available for the European market.

___

MOSCOW The Russian military says it has readied its forces for the possible use of a dirty bomb by Ukraine in a false flag attack to be blamed on Russia. That claim that has been strongly rejected by the U.S. and its allies.

Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian militarys radiation, chemical and biological protection forces, said Monday that Russian military assets already had been prepared to operate in conditions of radioactive contamination.

Kirillov charged that Ukraine has abundant stock of radioactive waste accumulated at its nuclear power plants and waste storage facilities, as well as the necessary expertise to build a dirty bomb.

Speaking at a briefing, Kirillov claimed that a dirty bomb explosion could spew deadly radiation at distances of up to 1,500 kilometers (900 miles).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seconded the militarys allegations, saying Monday that the information has been checked via corresponding channels.

Its not an unfounded suspicion, we have serious reasons to believe that such things could be planned, he said at a news conference Monday.

Ukraine has rejected Moscows claims as an attempt to distract attention from its own plans to detonate a dirty bomb, and its Western allies also dismissed the Russian claims as transparently false.

___

MOSCOW Russian authorities say Ukrainian troops fired rockets at a major hydroelectric power plant in the southern Kherson region.

Russian news agencies carried a statement from regional emergency services saying Monday that the Ukrainian military fired 19 rockets at the Kakhovka plant and scored three hits.

There was no immediate information about the casualties, and the damage was still being assessed.

Vladimir Rogov, a senior member of the Kherson region administration, said that the Kakhovka plant hadnt sustained serious damage and was still operating.

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of plotting to blow up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plants dam to flood the mostly flat terrain as Ukrainian forces press their offensive on Kherson, which was captured by the Russian troops in the early days of the conflict.

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KYIV, Ukraine Ukraines top diplomat is urging the U.N. nuclear watchdog to immediately send an inspection team to the country to counter Moscows claim that Kyiv is preparing a provocation involving a dirty bomb.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Monday he made the request in a call with Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Kuleba said Grossi agreed to send a team of inspectors, adding that unlike Russia, Ukraine has always been and remains transparent. We have nothing to hide.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu alleged in phone calls with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey that Ukraine was preparing a provocation involving a dirty bomb a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive material.

The U.S., Britain and France said in a joint statement that they reject Russias transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory.

___

BERLIN German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says rebuilding Ukraine will be a task for a generation that no country, donor or international institution can manage alone.

Scholz spoke at a German-Ukrainian business forum on Monday, a day before he and the head of the European Unions executive Commission host a gathering of experts to help mobilize international support for Ukraines reconstruction.

The chancellor pointed to the EUs decision in June to make Ukraine a candidate to join the bloc. He said that this decision also sends a signal to private investors: anyone who invests in rebuilding Ukraine today is investing in a future EU member country that will be part of our legal community and our single market.

Scholz said its important not just to repair destroyed energy plants and networks, but to make them more efficient ultimately allowing an expansion of Ukrainian electricity exports to the EU and a step-by-step transition to climate neutrality.

He stressed the need for more transparency and an even more determined fight against corruption as Ukraine strives ultimately to join the EU.

Ukraines Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told the forum that rebuilding will be a forward-looking process. He added that in the process of transformation, incredible opportunities for European companies will open up in the energy sector, in agriculture, in the military sector, in IT and all other (areas).

___

MOSCOW The Kremlin is standing by its allegation that Ukraine may be preparing to detonate a so-called dirty bomb, which disperses radioactive material, though Ukraine, the United States, Britain and France have dismissed Moscows claim.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the claim in phone calls with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Shoigu voiced concern about possible Ukrainian provocations involving a dirty bomb, a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive material.

Such a device doesnt have the devastating effect of a nuclear explosion, but could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination.

The Russian Defense Ministry and the Kremlin didnt publicly offer any specific information to back up its claim.

But speaking during Mondays call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that Shoigus warning reflected a real threat.

Their distrust of the information that has been provided by the Russian side doesnt mean that the threat of using such a dirty bomb doesnt exist, Peskov said. Such a threat exists, and the defense minister has given the information about it to his interlocutors. Its up to them whether to trust it or not.

Western allies said they reject Russias transparently false allegations and warned they would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.

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Live updates | Russia-Ukraine War

Ships carrying agricultural products could not leave Ukraine due to a suspicious mine-like object near port

An aerial view of the Turkish-flagged ship "Polarnet" carrying grain from Ukraine is seen at the Derince Port, Kocaeli, Turkiye on August 08, 2022.

Omer Faruk Cebeci | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The organization overseeing the export of grain from Ukraine said that no vessels were approved to leave the besieged country due to a "suspicious mine-like object."

The Joint Coordination Center said that it halted departures from Ukraine until an inspection of the suspicious object was completed. The group said that eight vessels will leave Ukrainian ports Thursday.

Since the inception of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal announced in July among Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, more than 390 vessels have left Ukraine carrying a total of 8.8 million metric tons of grain and other crops.

Read more about theBlack Sea Grain Initiative here.

Amanda Macias

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby holds a press briefing at the Pentagon on May 09, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.

Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images

The U.S. is "not taking sanctions off the table" in response to Iranian arms transfers to Russia, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Kirby declined to detail potential diplomatic or economic actions Washington would take.

Moscow has carried out several devastating missile and drone strikes against what Ukraine said were civilian targets and critical infrastructure such as energy facilities.

Iran and Russia's representatives at the United Nations havesharply denied reportsthat Tehran supplied Moscow with a fleet of drones for use in Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that it uses Iranian-made drones to target residential and other high civilian areas.

Amanda Macias

US' Women's National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, waits for the verdict inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022.

Evgenia Novozhenina | AFP | Getty Images

U.S. officials are still talking with their Russian counterparts about the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

"The conversations with the Russians continue, they haven't stopped," Kirby told reporters at the White House. He added that the Biden administration is working on the immediate release of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

Whelan was arrested in 2018 on charges of acting as a spy for the United States. At the time he was arrested, Whelan was visiting Russia to attend a wedding, according to his brother, David Whelan.

On Tuesday,a Russian court upheld Griner's nine-year prison sentence, a decision that will send the U.S. athlete to a penal colony.

Griner, who plays professional basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason, was arrested in February after Russian authorities found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.

Amanda Macias

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier meet, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 25, 2022.

Jesco Denzel | BPA | via Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country's forces have downed nearly 250 Russian helicopters.

"Russia will not be able to restore these losses. I thank all our fighters for such a gradual and irreversible demilitarization of the enemy," Zelenskyy said in a nightly Telegram address, according to an NBC News translation.

He also said that there is "fierce fighting" in the Donetsk region. He called Ukrainian troops holding positions in the area "simply heroes."

Amanda Macias

A war crimes prosecutor examines the damage in a destroyed building, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, following shelling in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on July 31, 2022.

Press Service of the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office | Via Reuters

A number of efforts are underway to investigate Russian crimes committed in Ukraine, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general.

"The SecretaryGeneral believes that, in all conflicts, there needs to be accountability," Dujarric told reporters at the United Nations. "And so, there are a number of processes underway, including the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Human Rights Council."

"We also know that the International Criminal Court has had prosecutors on the ground to collect information. We believe that these processes should move forward," he said.

The Kremlin has previously denied that its forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.

Amanda Macias

This photograph taken on April 26, 2022 shows the New Safe Confinement at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant which cover the number 4 reactor unit, on the 36th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster.

Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images

Russian state media claimed that Ukraine has made a dummy rocket to deploy a "dirty bomb" near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

The U.S. and its allies have previously denied Russian allegations that Ukraine is planning to use a "dirty bomb" in order to escalate the conflict.

The report in Russia's RIA Novosti alleges that Ukrainian forces are planning to fill the rocket with radioactive material and blame an explosion on Russian forces.

Amanda Macias

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about US policy towards China during an event hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2022.

Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. and its allies will continue to hold Russia accountable despite some concerns from lawmakers over the mounting financial burden.

"You can't simply go in and seize territory from another country, you can't change the borders of another country by force, you can't try to erase its independence and sovereignty from the map," Blinken said during an event hosted by Bloomberg.

"If we allow that to go unchecked, if we allow them to proceed with impunity, it opens Pandora's box around the world for the would-be aggressors," he added.

Blinked added that in his conversations with "members of Congress, Republicans, Democrats, House and Senate, there's a shared conviction" to stick with Ukraine.

Amanda Macias

The Russian Navys Kilo-class submarine Rostov-na-Donu B-237 enters the Bosphorus Strait en route to the Black Sea on Feb. 13, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Dia Images | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The Ukrainian navy said that Russian forces have approximately 19 vessels on combat duty in the Black Sea and Azov Sea off of Ukraine's coast, as well as the surrounding Mediterranean Sea.

In a Facebook post, the country's navy said that there are about eight Kalibr cruise missile carriers also in the waters, according to an NBC News translation.

Amanda Macias

Russia returned the body of an American citizen who died fighting for Kyiv to Ukrainian forces, the State Department confirmed.

"Out of respect for the privacy of the family, we will not release further details," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

Price reiterated that U.S. citizens should still not travel to Ukraine and urged all Americans currently in the war-weary country to "depart immediately."

"U.S. citizens who travel to Ukraine, including to participate in the fighting there, face significant risks and the United States cannot guarantee their safety," Price added.

Ukraine identified the American citizen as Joshua Jones, a former U.S. service member, who went to Ukraine with his friends to join the fight against Russian forces.

Amanda Macias

This photograph taken on September 25, 2022, shows empty graves after exhumation of bodies in the mass grave created during the Russian's occupation in Izyum, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Yasuyoshi Chiba | AFP | Getty Images

About 1,000 bodies have been exhumed from mass graves in recently liberated territories of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian forces.

Of those, about 450 bodies were exhumed in Izium in what was described as one of the largest mass graves.

"The shocking facts of the atrocities committed by the occupiers are revealed: there are not only military personnel but also civilians adults and children among the dead," said Ukraine's Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, according to an NBC News translation.

The ministry said that it was still investigating the mass graves.

Amanda Macias

Mariya, 77, whose daughter and son-in-law died under the rubble of a building destroyed by Russian shelling, cries, amid Russia's invasion on Ukraine in Borodyanka, in Kyiv region, Ukraine April 8, 2022.

Gleb Garanich | Reuters

Ukraine's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization report that at least 10 million people will need psychosocial support due to the trauma from Russia's conflict in Ukraine.

"This includes women and girls suffering sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence, children hearing warning sirens daily, families who have been separated, or people just trying to survive every day," said Denise Brown, the U.N. Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, in remarks before the United Nations Security Council.

Brown added that civilians in recently liberated areas of Ukraine are particularly vulnerable as they have "witnessed or experienced terrible violations" committed by Russian forces.

Amanda Macias

Russian President Vladimir Putin seen during the plenary session of the Commonwealth of the Independent States (CIS) Summit, on October 14, 2022 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said it is unlikely that Russian President Vladimir Putin will deploy a nuclear weapon in his fight with Ukraine, but called the Kremlin's recent rhetoric concerning.

"There is a lot of concern given how Putin has escalated [the conflict]," Wormuth told CNBC's Morgan Brennan when asked about Western fears that Russia could resort to nuclear warfare in its armed conflict with Ukraine.

"Certainly there is a concern," Wormuth said, adding that despite Putin's threats to use such a weapon against its ex-Soviet neighbor, it is "still an unlikely event."

President Joe Biden told reporters yesterday that Russia would be making "an incredibly serious mistake" if Moscow used a tactical nuclear weapon in its fight with Ukraine.

"I'm not guaranteeing that it's a false flag operation," Biden said, referencing Russian allegations that Ukraine is planning to use a "dirty bomb" in order to escalate the conflict.

"It would be a serious serious mistake," Biden added.

The United States and Russia hold the lion's share of the world's nuclear weapons.

Amanda Macias

A man holds his child as families, who fled Ukraine due to the Russian invasion, wait to enter a refugee camp in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on March 3, 2022.

Nikolay Doychinov | Afp | Getty Images

More than 7.7 million Ukrainianshave become refugees and moved to neighboring countries since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, the U.N. Refugee Agency estimates.

Nearly 4.4 million of those people have applied for temporary resident status in neighboring Western European countries, according to data collected by the agency.

"The escalation of conflict in Ukraine has caused civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcing people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection and assistance," the U.N. Refugee Agency wrote.

Amanda Macias

U.S. President Joe Biden pictured in London on September 18, 2022. Biden said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, his most explicit statement so far on the issue.

Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images

President Joseph Biden congratulated Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on her appointment as Italy's first woman leader.

"The leaders underscored the strong relationship between the United States and Italy and expressed their readiness to work together within the transatlantic alliance to address common challenges," a White House readout of the call said.

The two spoke about additional ways to offer aid to Ukraine in its months-long fight against Russia. Biden and Meloni discussed the importance of holding Russia accountable for its aggression.

Amanda Macias

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a closing press conference during the second of two days of defence ministers' meetings at NATO headquarters on October 13, 2022 in Brussels, Belgium.

Omar Havana | Getty Images

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear rhetoric "dangerous," adding that "it is reckless and irresponsible."

Stoltenberg, speaking from the U.S. aircraft carrier U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, said that Russia "falsely claims Ukraine is preparing to use a radiological dirty bomb on its own territory."

Stoltenberg said NATO allies reject the false allegation.

Link:

Live updates: Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

1. Putin says risk of world conflict is 'high'; Moscow official calls for 'de-Satanization' in Ukraine  CNBC
2. Putin Repeats Unsupported Dirty Bomb Claim, Fueling Fears of Escalation  The New York Times
3. WATCH LIVE: State Department holds news briefing as Russia continues dirty bomb rhetoric  PBS NewsHour
4. Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 246 of the invasion  The Guardian
5. Putin Ally Shuts Down Russia's Claim Ukraine Plans to Unleash Dirty Bomb  The Daily Beast
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Putin says risk of world conflict is 'high'; Moscow official calls for 'de-Satanization' in Ukraine - CNBC