Category Archives: Ukraine

A city with a Russian history, proclaim billboards across the Ukrainian city of Kherson, occupied by the Russian army since the first days of March. Others display the Russian flag, or quotes from Vladimir Putin.

Over the past five months, Moscow has appointed an occupation administration to run the Kherson region and ordered schools to teach the Russian curriculum. Local people are encouraged to apply for Russian passports to access pensions and other benefits.

The next stage of the Kremlins plan is a referendum, to add a dubious sense of legality to these facts on the ground, and create a pretext for bringing Kherson and other occupied parts of southern Ukraine into Russia, using an updated version of the 2014 Crimea playbook.

In a series of telephone interviews, people in Kherson reported minimal enthusiasm for a referendum, and described a nervous, unpredictable atmosphere in the city.

Residents remain unsure about what the next few months might bring: a swift Ukrainian counteroffensive to regain control, a protracted battle that turns the city to rubble, or Russia carrying out its sham referendum and annexing the territory.

You have to remember there was never any talk in Kherson of a referendum; no one thought about it before the war. Now it will be a referendum at gunpoint, said Kostyantyn, who worked in the IT sector before the occupation.

Even those who described themselves as largely apolitical said they were firmly opposed to voting in a referendum or joining Russia.

I will not go to the referendum, of course. I dont know anyone who will. I am not a political person and dont have strong opinions on politics but it is clear to me that a referendum is not right, said Svitlana, a former beauty salon employee who is now selling food items on the street to make ends meet.

Russian authorities have used intimidation to crush public opposition to their rule. A series of pro-Ukraine rallies that took place in March and April petered out after Russian soldiers shot stun grenades into the crowd and began detaining organisers at their homes.

In late May, the citys internet was rerouted through Russian servers, and all local media has either been shut down or stuffed with pro-Russia content.

Now complaints about the Russians are reserved for whispered conversations in kitchens. Residents describe the formerly bustling city of 300,000 as a ghost town. The official curfew begins at 10pm, but few people go out after five.

The noisy protest rallies have been replaced by an underground partisan movement. Posters and flyers surreptitiously placed around the city under cover of darkness threaten death to those who collaborate with the occupiers. In June, an official from the puppet authorities was killed in a bomb blast while on his way to work.

Others help Ukraine by sharing information. One person with whom the Guardian spoke said he had responded to a Facebook post back in March, seeking people living in occupied areas, and now regularly shares information with a contact from the Ukrainian security services.

I am not involved in any way in any underground organisations. I just pass on the information I see which factories are working with the occupiers, troop movements, Russian banks I see opening, he said.

The Kremlin reportedly plans to hold the referendum on 11 September. In June, the Russian-language news outlet Meduza cited three sources close to the Kremlin detailing a plan to hold referendums in four Ukrainian regions Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson and subsequently turn them into one new region of Russia.

There is a possibility that Russia will stall, hoping for military victories that bring the four regions under full control. Ukraine still holds major cities in the Donetsk region, such as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, as well as Zaporizhzhia city.

According to some reports, however, ballots are already being printed. In late July, the Russian administration in Kherson invited people to put forward their candidacy as electoral officials.

In Zaporizhzhia, the chair of the regional parliament, Olena Zhuk, said she saw many signs that the Russians were preparing for a referendum soon in the occupied parts of the region. Lets start by saying any referendum would be illegitimate by Ukrainian law, by Russian law, by any law, she said in a telephone interview.

Formally annexing more Ukrainian territory may not have been in the Kremlins war plans from the beginning. Putins goal appears to have been a lightning march to Kyiv and the installation there of a pro-Russia puppet government, which would have kept Ukraine as a nominally independent state in Russias orbit.

That plan failed, and the focus moved to annexing larger chunks of southern and eastern Ukraine. In the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the Russians appointed Volodymyr Saldo and Yevhen Balytskiy, former Ukrainian MPs, as the nominal heads of their administrations.

Saldo fell ill a month ago, and was reportedly airlifted to Moscow in a coma, amid rumours of poisoning.

In Zaporizhzhia, Zhuk said she knew Balytskiy personally and was shocked that he had decided to collaborate. She predicted, however, that the Russians would soon have little use for him. Nobody likes betrayers. It is a rule of life, she said.

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These people are sent to the square in the first few days to say: Russia will help us. We are all brothers. But then in one or two months, when the people have been pacified a bit, other people will come and take real power.

Lower down the chain, the Russians have struggled to find Ukrainian officials to fill the ranks of their occupation administrations, particularly while the future is so uncertain.

No one wants to work for the Russians. They know it is a one-way ticket to hell, said Kostyantyn, the former IT worker. Russian television sometimes blurs the faces of officials to ensure they do not become targets for attacks.

One of the most visible figures of Russian rule in Kherson is Kyrylo Stremousov, a former anti-vaccine blogger who stood for mayoral elections in 2020 and received about 1.5% of the vote.

While there have been disappearances and reports of torture, the situation in the occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is different to the full-scale terror that Russian forces unleashed in Bucha and other occupied areas closer to Kyiv back in March. Here, the Russians have tried to launch something of a hearts and minds operation in parallel to the intimidation.

In one recent meeting in a park in the village of Mykilske, Stremousov told a crowd, most of whom were pensioners, that Russia was here to solve their problems, promising an improved economic situation and also using Kremlin rhetoric about so-called traditional values in opposition to the decadent west.

We want to return to the world where there is a real understanding of the word family and not a perverted form of it, where everyone can feel like part of one whole, he said.

The Russians want to open schools on 1 September using the Russian curriculum, and have placed adverts seeking teachers from Russia to retrain Ukrainian teachers.

The new administration has also renamed the Kherson National Technical University, dropping the word national, and has promised free tuition for anyone of any age who wants to study.

We are doing everything to make sure we can open our doors on 1 September and our first students can start their lives in comfortable surroundings, said the Russian-appointed rector, Halyna Raiko, in an interview for a pro-Russian television station in which she appeared visibly nervous and uncomfortable.

While nostalgia for the Soviet period and appeals to conservative social values may work on a segment of the older population, many people who remain in Kherson are hoping fervently for Ukraine to regain control over the city.

When we hear explosions, everyone rejoices it means Ukraine is coming closer, said Olena, a 45-year-old mother, but she conceded that this prospect also comes with its own set of fears.

We are waiting for the Ukrainian army, but of course we hope civilians dont die during the liberation. We love our city and dont want it to be turned into Mariupol, she said.

There is a fear, though, that if the Kremlin succeeds with its referendum plan and formally annexes the territory, a Ukrainian counteroffensive would become harder and more dangerous, and a Russian crackdown would be on the cards.

Everyone knows that Russia will fake the referendum results, said one person who runs an anti-Russia Telegram channel from inside Kherson, who asked not to use his name. They will feel even more empowered and start rounding up everyone who voted against.

See the rest here:

A referendum is not right: occupied Kherson looks to uncertain future - The Guardian

Workers at Zaporizhstal iron and steel works on July 22 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Jason Beaubien/NPR hide caption

Workers at Zaporizhstal iron and steel works on July 22 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine In this eastern Ukrainian city, a Soviet-era mural stands boldly in front of Zaporizhstal iron and steel works.

The mural shows muscular ironworkers handing a freshly forged sword to equally muscular soldiers who are rushing off to war. Today, however, Ukraine's iron industry is in rough shape because of war itself.

During much of the 20th century, a thriving industrial heartland churned in central and eastern Ukraine, fed by abundant coal mines and big, hulking steel mills. In several parts of the country, these plants still dominate the landscape, the local economy and even civic identity. Iron and steel production remains Ukraine's second-leading industry after agriculture. And prior to the Russian invasion this year, it was a major supplier of iron ore to Turkey, China and parts of the European Union.

While the war with Russia has raised serious international concern about getting Ukraine's vast production of wheat, corn and sunflower oil normally its top exports to global markets, the invasion has been even more devastating to the country's metalworks. Exports of bulk iron ore, for instance, that are shipped by the ton in massive cargo vessels have stopped entirely from Ukrainian ports.

Inside the sprawling Zaporizhstal industrial compound, the plant's giant blast furnaces normally convert tons of raw iron ore into a stream of molten orange pig iron.

But Serhiy Safonov, the manager of the blast furnace shop, says that only two of the factory's four blast furnaces are currently operational.

Employees secure and package rolls of sheet steel at the Zaporizhstal PJSC rolled steel plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on June 30. Julia Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

Employees secure and package rolls of sheet steel at the Zaporizhstal PJSC rolled steel plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on June 30.

The furnaces are designed to run constantly, he says, and normally would never be shut down over their 30-year life span. But earlier this year all four furnaces had to be dialed back to what Safonov calls a "low idle" as Russian troops threatened to advance on Zaporizhzhia. Moscow's forces never reached the area, but tens of thousands of people fled. Much of the city shut down, and the factory that used to employ 11,000 workers is now operating at less than 50% of capacity.

Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the CEO of Metinvest Group, which owns the Zaporizhstal plant, says they have enough raw materials inside Ukraine to keep pumping out rolls of sheet metal and bars of cast iron. The problem is they can't get those products to market. Metinvest and other Ukrainian steel producers now have huge backlogs of processed metal sitting in Ukrainian warehouses.

"The main difficulty is the logistics," Ryzhenkov says. Traditionally, all Ukrainian steel companies, of which Metinvest is the largest, export their products via the Black Sea ports or Azov Sea ports. "At the moment," Ryzhenkov says. "The ports have been blocked by the Russians."

While a few ships carrying grain have been allowed to leave Ukraine recently, there's still no agreement to allow vessels ferrying other goods to transit the Black Sea.

Some steel and iron ore is getting sent by rail to ports in Poland and Romania, but it's a slow and expensive process. Adding to the logistical challenges, Ukraine's railways operate on a different gauge track than the Western Europeans, meaning cargo has to get transferred at the border.

"This was never envisaged as the main export route for the steel industry in Ukraine," Ryzhenkov says.

As difficult as it is to get steel to customers in Turkey, Italy and North Africa, the Zaporizhzhia factory at least is still in Metinvest's hands.

Russian and Moscow-backed separatist forces seized the company's two steel mills in Mariupol. This includes the Azovstal plant, where Ukrainian soldiers made a final stand against the Russian occupation of the city. Russian forces blew apart the mill to capture it and finally take full control of the southern port city.

While Azovstal is now better known, it was actually the smaller of Metinvest's two steel plants in Mariupol. The other, Ilyich Iron and Steel Works, spread over more ground and, with 14,000 employees, had more workers than Azovstal. Ilyich was seized by Russian troops in April. Ukrainian fighters held out at Azovstal until mid-May.

A Russian serviceman patrols the destroyed part of the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in Ukraine's port city of Mariupol on May 18. Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A Russian serviceman patrols the destroyed part of the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in Ukraine's port city of Mariupol on May 18.

"At some point in time we'll come back to Mariupol and see what is the state of Azovstal and Ilyich mill and see if they can be restored," he says.

The plants were insured, "but insurance doesn't typically cover the wartime risks," he says. "And that's the big problem."

The company's lawyers are looking at ways to file a claim against the Russian Federation for billions of dollars in damages, Ryzhenkov says but making a shrug, as if it's a longshot.

There isn't a definitive tally of monetary damages in Mariupol, but the human suffering after months of bombardments has been extensive. Ukrainian officials say more than 20,000 civilians were killed in the Russian siege of the city. U.N. officials have documented a lower number of civilian casualties but still estimate the number killed in the city is in the thousands.

With the city under Russian control, Metinvest has urged customers globally not to buy steel from Mariupol. The company says there's a "high probability" that the occupying Russian forces are selling off some of the more than 200,000 tons of steel products Metinvest had stored at its two plants there.

Earlier this year, Metinvest was paying its idled employees two-thirds of their salaries, including at the Mariupol plants now controlled by the Russians. But in June the company had to lay off thousands of workers.

With limited revenue, two of its largest factories gone, and few options to export their industrial products to customers overseas, Ryzhenkov says the company right now is just focused on survival.

"We are making sure that whatever we still have control over we keep intact," he says.

"And we are waiting for Ukraine to kind of win the war and take back what belongs to it." But he's under no illusions that that is going to happen quickly.

The challenges facing Metinvest are similar for other Ukrainian steelmakers and industrial firms, particularly in the east of the country.

The Soviet-era mural in front of Zaporizhstal iron and steel works in Zaporizhzhia. The mural depicts iron workers handing a sword to soldiers. Jason Beaubien/NPR hide caption

The Soviet-era mural in front of Zaporizhstal iron and steel works in Zaporizhzhia. The mural depicts iron workers handing a sword to soldiers.

"There are a number of really problematic trends that will compound over time," says Andrew Lohsen, who up until last year was based in Ukraine as a monitor and an analyst for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

"One of them is the fact that these industries are highly dependent on coal that is mined behind enemy lines now or close to the fighting."

He says the industrial capacity of Ukraine right now is severely strained because so much of its manufacturing sector is in or near the intense fighting in eastern Ukraine.

This has been part of the problem for Metinvest. Prior to 2014, Metinvest was based in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. When Russian-backed separatists seized Donetsk in 2014, Metinvest relocated its headquarters to Mariupol, a city on the Sea of Azov. This year, when Russia grabbed Mariupol, the headquarters were displaced again, this time moving to the capital, Kyiv.

Ryzhenkov at times sounds weary talking about the impacts of the war, the export bottlenecks, the assets stolen by the Russians, the layoffs. But when asked if the company might be able to somehow restart operations in Mariupol or elsewhere near the fluctuating front lines, he answers quickly.

"The position of our shareholders is very clear on this," he says. "We will not operate in any occupied territory, under any occupational regime." He insists they'll operate only in areas under Ukrainian control.

Hanna Palamarenko contributed to this report.

See more here:

Ukraine's iron and steel industry is in rough shape because of war - NPR

In the months following Russias winter invasion of Ukraine, President Bidenannouncedthe U.S. would accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians and established Uniting for Ukraine, aprogramthat streamlines and expands thehumanitarian paroleprocess for Ukrainians to gain admittance to America.

The United Statess immediate action and strong commitment to help Ukrainians during a humanitarian crisis is truly commendable. Yet, one year after the U.S.s dramatic evacuation from Afghanistan, many Afghans who risked their lives to assist the U.S. in the fight against the Taliban and for democratic ideals are still looking for a pathway to the United States. And Afghans who were evacuated to the U.S. remain in limbo with no assurance they can stay or work when their humanitarian parole expires in 2023.

Correcting for this inaction is a matter of national security in future conflicts, why would anyone risk their lives by serving alongside our soldiers or providing critical translation services if the U.S. cant keep our promises to them when we depart? We cannot allow our enemies to claim that the U.S. cannot be trusted.

To do right by our Afghan allies and national security, Washington must streamline the pathway for Afghans to get to America and establish a program that leads to permanent resident status.

Humanitarian parole was used to allow both Afghans and Ukrainians to lawfully enter the U.S. While humanitarian parole brought more than 76,000 Afghan evacuees to the U.S. immediately after the fall of Kabul, the program is largely failing Afghans still living abroad.

The path for Ukrainians is much clearer andstreamlinedthan for Afghans. The Uniting for Ukraine program allows U.S. citizens to sponsor Ukrainians, agreeing to financiallysupportthem throughout the application process and their stay in the U.S.

Theprogramalso waives the application fee and in-person interview requirement.

In contrast, since July 2021, more than 45,000 Afghans haveappliedfor humanitarian parole. Fewer than 2,500 applications have beenprocessedand most have been denied. Only 270 wereapproved, and the vast majority of applicants have yet to be processed.

Afghans must also overcome bureaucratic hurdles to obtain humanitarian parole that Ukrainians do not. There is a $575 per person application fee more than the average Afghan typicallymakesin a year. Afghan applicants must be under a specific risk of serious harm and arerequiredto complete an in-person interview at a U.S. embassy, which is nearly impossible because there is no longer an operating embassy in Afghanistan.

Alternative options to enter the U.S. that provide a pathway to lawful permanent residency, such as theU.S. Refugee Admissions Program(USRAP), are currently backlogged. USRAP was nearlydismantledby the Trump administration. Despite President Bidens efforts toraisequotas fromhistoric lowsunder Trump, the still decimated infrastructure means applicants could wait years before receiving an answer.

TheSpecial Immigrant Visa(SIV) is also available to Afghans who worked directly with the U.S. government, but the difficulty in obtaining necessary verification documentation has only increased. The Biden administrationdid not increasethe ability to process these applications in anticipation of the influx of Afghans, and the application processremainscomplicated and slow.

Because permanent visas arent a realistic alternative, the U.S. must level the playing field to ensure Afghan allies have the same opportunities as Ukrainians. A program like Uniting for Ukraine would eliminate application barriers for overseas Afghans.

Additionally, Congress must pass an Afghan Adjustment Act toexpeditepathways for evacuated Afghans currently living in the U.S. to receive permanent resident legal status. The U.S. has a history of passing similar legislation after military conflicts, including after the rise of Fidel Castro in Cuba, the Vietnam War and conflicts in Iraq.

For 20 years, American forces worked hand-in-hand with Afghans. What was true a year ago, as the U.S. withdrew, remains true now: We must not turn our backs on our Afghan allies.

Margaret D.Stock, lieutenant colonel (retired), is an attorney with the Anchorage office of Cascadia Cross Border Law Group LLC. She transferred to the Retired Reserve of the U.S. Army in June 2010 after serving 28 years as a Military Police Corps officer in the Army Reserve. She is a member of theCouncil on National Security and Immigration.

Read more:

Time to treat Afghan allies with same respect as those fleeing Ukraine - The Hill

Key events

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Here is a summary of todays events:

Ukraine has said Russian soldiers who shoot at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant or use it as a base to shoot from would become a special target.

The oil giant Saudi Aramco has unveiled record profits of $48.4bn in the second quarter of 2022, after Russias war in Ukraine and a post-pandemic surge in demand caused crude prices to skyrocket.

Pope Francis said the war in Ukraine had diverted attention from the problem of world hunger and called for urgent food aid to prevent looming famine in Somalia.

The Ukrainian armys Operational Command South said the Russian bombardment of populated areas in the Dnipropetrovsk region continued overnight.

The chairman of Germanys conservative CDU party and opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, said he could not imagine Germany playing a mediating role in the Russian war against Ukraine.

Countries including Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Finland and the Czech Republic have called for the EU to limit or block short-term Schengen visas for Russian citizens, in protest at their countrys invasion of Ukraine. Poland is also considering restrictions for Russian tourist visas.

Ukraine has said Russian troops who crossed the Dnipro River during their offensive in the southern Kherson region were facing growing difficulties after strategic bridges were damaged, Reuters reports.

The UK Ministry of Defences update said Russia had probably prioritised reorganising its forces over the past week to reinforce southern Ukraine, but that in the Donbas region in the east, Russian-backed forces had continued to attempt attacks on the north of Donetsk city.

Hungary says Russia has started delivering additional gas to the country after a July visit to Moscow by its foreign minister.

Two more ships carrying grain left Ukraines Black Sea ports on Saturday, Turkeys defence ministry said, bringing the number of vessels to have departed the country to 16 since a UN- and Turkey-brokered deal was agreed in late July, aimed partly at easing a global food crisis.

The Razoni, the first ship to depart Ukraine two weeks ago since grain exports from the countrys Black Sea ports resumed under a UN-brokered deal, was approaching the Syrian port of Tartus on Sunday after the cargo was refused by its original Lebanese buyer, two shipping sources told Reuters.

People in the eastern Ukrainian town of Rubizhne have started exhuming bodies hastily buried in courtyards at the height of battle, to lay them to rest with dignity.

The US has expressed concern to India that it was used earlier this year to break economic sanctions imposed on Russia during a high-seas transfer of fuel made from Russian crude, according to a local central banker.

Updated at 11.58EDT

The chairman of Germanys conservative CDU party and opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, cannot imagine Germany playing a mediating role in the Russian war against Ukraine.

Regardless of who would be in charge, he said, the Federal Republic of Germany has no mediating role in this conflict.

He told the German Press Agency: We stand together with Europe on the side of Ukraine and are therefore not neutral in this conflict. Merz had been asked if he could imagine that former chancellor Angela Merkel, for example, could intervene to bring the war to an end.

The CDU leader accused Germanys coalition government of prolonging the war through its hesitant action in supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine.

It still applies that the Federal Republic of Germany could have done more earlier. The government should have quickly done what the German Bundestag decided on 28 April, namely to deliver heavy equipment on a larger scale, said Merz.

Even now, he stressed, not everything that Germany could contribute was being delivered.

In this respect, we are still not helping Ukraine to the extent that is necessary. And that is prolonging this brutal war, which is now becoming a gruelling war of attrition with hundreds of victims every day, Merz said.

The Ukrainian armys Operational Command South said on Sunday that the Russian bombardment of populated areas in the Dnipropetrovsk region continued overnight.

The Russian occupiers again shelled two districts - Nikopol and Kryvorizky, the military unit said in a Facebook post.

As a result of the shelling, a school, residential buildings and high-rise buildings, shops and cafes were damaged, the statement added, including gas pipelines and power lines, leaving reportedly almost a thousand subscribers without power supply.

In the Marhanets settlement, the unit said, a 69-year-old man was injured and had to have a partial amputation of his right arm, and remained in hospital on Sunday morning.

Russia, in a daily briefing, said it had taken control of Udy village in the eastern Kharkiv region.

The Guardian could not independently verify these reports.

Updated at 11.07EDT

Updated at 09.54EDT

Ukraine on Sunday said Russian troops who had crossed the Dnipro River during their offensive in the southern Kherson region were facing growing difficulties after strategic bridges were damaged, Reuters reports.

Moscows forces seized the city of Kherson on the Dnipro early in their invasion of Ukraine, the only regional capital they have conquered so far.

Their westward offensive in the region has made some progress, but the three bridges they control in the area - two for road traffic and another carrying a railway have been bombarded repeatedly in recent weeks.

The most important crossing is the Antonivskiy bridge in Khersons suburbs, which has been targeted by missiles since late July.

Sergiy Khlan, a regional lawmaker, told Ukrainian television that the only ways for Russian soldiers to cross the river were pontoons near the Antonivskiy bridge that cannot totally meet their needs.

Russia was moving its command centres to the left bank of the river, knowing that it would not be able to evacuate them in time if fighting escalated, he added.

But Khlan said the 20,000 Russian troops on the right bank could still cross the bridges on foot for now.

The Nova Kakhovka bridge, about 30 miles to the north-east of Antonivskiy bridge, was targeted this week.

Khlan on Saturday said Ukrainian forces struck the bridge, preventing the Russians from moving ammunition, equipment and food across it to resupply their troops.

A briefing by Britains defence ministry said the two road bridges leading to Russian-controlled territory on the west bank of the Dnipro were probably out of use.

Updated at 09.29EDT

Pope Francis said on Sunday that the war in Ukraine had diverted attention from the problem of world hunger and called for urgent food aid to prevent looming famine in Somalia.

The people of this region, who already live in very precarious conditions, are now in mortal danger because of drought, he said at his weekly address in St. Peters Square, referring to the Horn of Africa.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said this month that it could officially declare famine in eight regions of Somalia next month if livestock continue to die, key commodity prices rise further and humanitarian assistance fails to reach the most vulnerable.

Francis told pilgrims and tourists in the square that he wanted to draw attention to the grave humanitarian crisis that has hit Somalia and some areas of bordering countries.

The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said last week that about a million people have been internally displaced in Somalia since January, Reuters reports.

The country is one of the worlds most susceptible to climate vulnerability.

I hope that international solidarity can respond efficiently to this emergency, Francis said.

Unfortunately the war [in Ukraine] has distracted attention and resources but these are the aims that call for the utmost commitment - the fight against hunger, health care, education, he said.

Updated at 08.58EDT

The Razoni, the first ship to depart Ukraine two weeks ago since grain exports from the countrys Black Sea ports resumed under a UN-brokered deal, was approaching the Syrian port of Tartus on Sunday after the cargo was refused by its original Lebanese buyer, two shipping sources told Reuters.

Ukraine cut off diplomatic ties with Syria in June after Damascus recognised the independence of the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Earlier this week the ship was reported to have docked in Turkey, and was supposed to unload 1,500 tonnes of its 26,527 tonnes of corn in the country, before proceeding to Egypt with the rest of its cargo.

Updated at 07.48EDT

Oil giant Saudi Aramco on Sunday unveiled record profits of $48.4bn in the second quarter of 2022, after Russias war in Ukraine and a post-pandemic surge in demand caused crude prices to skyrocket.

The worlds biggest oil producer saw its net profits surge by 90% year-on-year, and posted its second straight quarterly record in strong market conditions - a rise of 22.7% from from the first quarter of 2022, for which the company had announced a net income of $39.5bn.

Almost entirely state-owned Aramco is just the latest oil giant to rake in eye-watering sums after ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni also revealed multi-billion-dollar profits in the second quarter, Reuters reports.

While global market volatility and economic uncertainty remain, events during the first half of this year support our view that ongoing investment in our industry is essential, said Aramco president and CEO Amin H Nasser.

In fact, we expect oil demand to continue to grow for the rest of the decade, he added.

Half-year profits were $87.9bn, up from $47.2bn for the same period of 2021.

Aramco will pay an $18.8bn dividend in Q3, the same as it paid in Q2. It continues to work on increasing crude oil maximum sustainable capacity from 12 million barrels per day to 13 million by 2027, its earnings announcement said.

Aramco shares are up 25% this year.

The company is the crown jewel and leading source of income for the conservative kingdom, and temporarily overtook Apple as the worlds most valuable company in March.

It is now in second place with a market valuation of $2.4tn.

Updated at 07.49EDT

People in the eastern Ukrainian town of Rubizhne have started exhuming bodies that were hastily buried in courtyards at the height of battle, anxious to be able to lay them to rest with dignity.

Rubizhne is part of the Luhansk region of Ukraine where Russian forces established full control in early July, more than four months after president Vladimir Putin launched what he called his special military operation in Ukraine.

Men with spades removed soil on Friday outside a damaged apartment block in the town of 50,000 people.

Lilia Ai-Talatini, 48, watched as the workers pulled out a blanket covering her mother, who had been quickly interred after attacks that started in March and divided the town in two, Reuters reports.

Ai-Talatini said the fighting at that time had prevented her for 10 days from reaching her parents apartment.

She said her mother was unwell, and when she died, she and her husband had no spades and therefore, as shells flew, had to drag the corpse to an open trench in the ground, burying her in what she described as inhuman conditions.

Now she is going to the cemetery, we have a plot there, she said.

The breakaway Russian-backed Luhansk Peoples Republic (LPR), one of Moscows proxies in eastern Ukraine, is coordinating the search for bodies.

Anna Sorokina, an LPR official, said a team had been working in Rubizhne for 10 days and exhumed 104 sets of remains.

Its clear that shrapnel wounds predominate but there are also bullet wounds, she said, estimating there were a total of 500 unofficial graves in the city.

Boris Kovalyov, 44, a forensic expert from the southern Russian region of Rostov, said examples of genetic material would be stored to help identify unknown corpses.

Updated at 06.51EDT

The US has expressed concern to India that it was used earlier this year to break economic sanctions imposed on Russia during a high-seas transfer of fuel made from Russian crude, according to a local central banker.

A Russian tanker on the open sea reportedly handed over oil to an Indian ship, which was then processed in India and finally exported to the United States, the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Michael Patra, said on Saturday at a financial conference in the state of Odisha.

You know there are sanctions against people who buy Russian oil. Heres what we were told by the US Treasury Department, Patra told his state and financial industry audience.

An Indian ship hit upon a Russian tanker in the open sea, picked up oil, called at a port in the state of Gujarat. The oil was in processed at this port and turned into a distillate used in the manufacture of single-use plastic, the central banker said.

The Indian ship took over the freight again, left the port and was only informed about its destination, New York, on the open sea.

Thats how war works, Patra summed up. He did not name the ship. The US Embassy did not comment, Reuters reported.

Countries including Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Finland and the Czech Republic have called for the EU to limit or block short-term Schengen visas for Russian citizens, in protest at their countrys invasion of Ukraine.

Now, Poland is now also considering restrictions for Russian tourist visas.

Poland is working on developing a concept that will make it possible not to issue visas to Russians, deputy foreign minister Piotr Wawrzyk told the PAP news agency on Sunday, adding that a decision would be made in the coming weeks.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected calls for visa restrictions, saying a blanket ban on visas for Russians was hard to imagine, my colleagues Andrew Roth and Pjotr Sauer report.

EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the measure at an informal meeting this month, although universal approval from the blocs 27 members would be needed to implement any such policy.

Two more ships carrying grain left Ukraines Black Sea ports on Saturday, Turkeys defence ministry said, bringing the number of vessels to depart the country to 16 since a UN- and Turkey-brokered deal was agreed in late July, aimed partly at easing a global food crisis.

Ukraines infrastructure ministry said on Saturday that 16 ships carrying 450,000 tonnes of agricultural products had departed from Ukrainian sea ports since early August under the deal, which ensured safe passage for vessels, Reuters reports.

The UN-chartered ship MV Brave Commander will depart Ukraine for Africa in coming days after it finishes loading more than 23,0000 tons of wheat in the port of Pivdennyi, a UN official said.

The ship, bound for Ethiopia, will be the first humanitarian food aid cargo to Africa since the start of the war, amid fears that the loss of Ukrainian grain supplies could lead to outbreaks of famine.

The blockage of Ukrainian ports has trapped tens of millions of grain in the country.

Zelenskiy said that in less than two weeks, Ukraine had managed to export the same amount of grain from three ports as it had done by road for all of July.

Ukraine hopes to increase its maritime exports to over 3 million tonnes of grain and other farm products per month in the near future.

Updated at 06.52EDT

Updated at 06.53EDT

In July, the Eastern Finnish city of Imatra began playing the Ukrainian national anthem at a prominent tourist site every evening, to protest the Russian invasion.

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Russia-Ukraine war live news: Zelenskiy warns Russian troops in nuclear plant; Kherson bridges likely out of use as it happened - The Guardian

Russia president Vladimir Putin is shown looking down and touching his nose while military salute in the background.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reacts during the Navy Day Parade, on July 31, 2022, in Saint Petersburg, Russia.Contributor/Getty Images

Putin likely realizes he's made a mistake invading Ukraine, a former NATO leader said.

"I think he knows it in his heart, he'll never admit it publicly," said James G. Stavridis.

Russia is "blowing through" military capability and can't keep it up, Stavridis said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely regrets invading Ukraine but will never admit it, said former NATO leader James Stavridis.

Stavridis, who was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013, spoke of the invasion in a radio show on Saturday.

Stavridis was a guest on "The Cats Roundtable" on WABC New York, a show hosted by grocery-store billionaire John Catsimatidis, who also owns WABC.

Asked whether Putin knew the invasion of Ukraine was a mistake, Stavridis said: "I think in the dark, quiet hours at two o'clock in the morning when he wakes up, he realizes he's made a mistake. Publicly, he'll never admit that. Never."

Stavridis said Putin would maintain the "fiction" that Neo-Nazis run Ukraine and that he was forced into the conflict by NATO, rather than choosing to invade.

But, he said, Putin knows he is responsible for the invasion, the sanctions, and the military pushback.

"I think he knows it in his heart, he'll never admit it publicly," he said.

Putin is "burning through capability" in Russia's military, per Stavridi.

"I'd say, six months from now, he's going to be in very dire straits," Stavridis said, at which point he speculated that negotiations could begin.

According to the Pentagon, Russia has suffered as many as 80,000 casualties. In the interview, Stavridis put that number closer to 70,000 killed and wounded.

His comments came as reports have highlighted seemingly desperate tactics from Russia to replenish its ranks, including offering freedom to prisoners who enlist, as well as substantial cash bonuses for others who join up.

Sanctions levied against Russia by Western countries have also taken their toll, sending its economy back to 2018 levels, Insider previously reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Putin knows he's made a 'grave mistake' invading Ukraine but will never admit it, says former NATO commander - Yahoo News

Five Europeans captured in eastern Ukraine have gone on trial in a court administered by Kremlin-backed separatists in the city of Donetsk, Russian media reported.

The five Mathias Gustafsson of Sweden, Vjekoslav Prebeg of Croatia, and Britons John Harding, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy all pleaded not guilty to charges of being mercenaries and undergoing training to seize power by force, according to Russian media reports.

They could face the death penalty under the laws of the self-proclaimed, unrecognised Donetsk Peoples Republic.

The next court hearing in their case is scheduled for October, Russian media reported.

Harding, Prebeg and Gustafsson were captured in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol and face possible execution for attempting to seize power by force and taking part in armed conflict as mercenaries, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Hill faces charges of being a mercenary, while Healy is being tried for taking part in the recruitment of mercenaries for Ukraine, the news agency said.

On 9 June, the supreme court of the self-proclaimed republic sentenced two Britons and a Moroccan, all of whom were captured by pro-Russian forces in Ukraines industrial east, to death for being mercenaries. All three have appealed against their verdicts.

There has been a moratorium on the death penalty in Russia since 1997, but it does not apply in the two separatist regions in Ukraine.

Ukrainian social media has been abuzz with speculation that the Kremlin may seek to use the foreign fighters to extract concessions from Ukraine or swap them for Russian prisoners.

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Five face trial on mercenary charges in separatist-controlled Ukraine - The Guardian

Moscow: Claiming that Russia is no longer dependent on Ukrainian engines to power its frigates, the head of Russian United ShipBuilding Corporation (USC) Monday said they are willing to invest in India as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

I dont know why India went in for a Ukrainian engine when we have now built our own capability and capacity. We are no longer dependent on Ukraine for engines, USC President Alexei Rakhmanov said, speaking on the sidelines of the Army 2022, Russias defence exhibition being held in Moscow.

The top Russian official, who is in charge of the countrys shipbuilding industry, was referring to the gas turbine engines that India bought from Ukraine to power the four stealth frigates that it is building with Russian help.

As reported by ThePrint earlier, India had procured gas turbine engines from Ukraine and handed over to Russia to install them on the Admiral Grigorovich-class guided-missile stealth frigates that are being made for the Indian Navy by a Russian shipyard as part of a $2.5 billion deal.

While two ships are being built in Russia, two others are to be built at the Goa shipyard with Russian help.

India had ordered Ukranian engines for the ones being built in Goa, but it is learnt that the delivery had not taken place yet. One of the targets of the Russian missile attacks on Ukraine was the production facility of these gas turbine engines.

It is not yet known what will happen to the two frigates that are to be built in Goa, with the engines being undelivered and the factory hit.

Speaking about the delivery schedule of the two frigates, Rakhmanov said the first would be delivered by November 2023 and the next within six months of it.

He said that the original delivery schedule was hit by the Covid pandemic as well as the ongoing war with Ukraine.

We are trying to fast track the delivery and fill up the gap, Rakhmanov said.

According to the original delivery schedule, the first ship was to be handed over by the end of this year.

Talking about further plans, the top Russian defence official said that the USC is keen on investing in India and are looking at possible shipyards for the same. He also said that Russia wanted to invest in the Pipavav shipyard but it has gone into an insolvency procedure.

We want to be part of the Make in India initiative, he said.

Also read: Drastic changes needed in P75I tender Russia on Indian Navys submarine plans

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Not dependent on Ukraine for engines, want to be part of Make in India initiative, says Russia - ThePrint

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A top Russian official on Tuesday warned Ukraine that any attempt to retake control over the illegally annexed peninsula of Crimea will be seen as a "declaration of war" by Moscow.

Despite international condemnation and the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained his invasion amounts to a "special military operation," not an official declaration of war.

"For us, Crimea is part of Russia. And it shall be forever. Any attempt to encroach on Crimea is a declaration of war on our country," Deputy Chairman of Russias Security Council Dmitry Medvedev told Russian media Tuesday.

Service members take part in a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, in the Chechen capital Grozny, Russia May 9, 2022. (REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov)

TOP AIR NATIONAL GUARD COLONEL: UKRAINIAN PILOTS '100%' CAPABLE OF FLYING FOURTH-GENERATION WARPLANES

Medvedev once again reiterated Russias objection to Ukraine joining NATO and suggested if it were to do so amid the ongoing conflict the result would be "catastrophic."

The Russian official said the push for Sweden and Finland to join NATO "does not threaten Russia with anything particularly new."

But added that if Ukraine were to try to enter the military alliance, it would be "much more dangerous due to the existence of unresolved territorial disputes."

Medvedev said if a NATO member encroached on Crimea it would mean "conflict with the entire North Atlantic Alliance. World War III. A total catastrophe."

While Sweden and Finland continue negotiations with Turkey on NATO admittance, no such moves have been made with Ukraine.

A woman wrapped in a Ukrainian flag attends the funeral of activist and soldier Roman Ratushnyi in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, June 18, 2022. Ratushnyi died in a battle near Izyum, where Russian and Ukrainian troops are fighting for control of the area. (AP)

TOP GUN UKRAINIAN PILOTS PUSH US FOR JETS, SENATOR SAYS LAWMAKERS WILL 'PRESS THE CASE' WITH WHITE HOUSE

In the lead-up to Russias February invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would work to regain the Crimean Peninsula after Moscow illegally annexed it in 2014.

Putin, who held a referendum on the annexation which the UN and international community have decried as illegitimate has said similar votes will be held in other parts of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy has vowed to keep fighting Russia until its forces are pushed out of Ukraine but acknowledged last month that removing Russian troops from Crimea militarily will likely not be an option.

A Ukrainian serviceman stands in an observation point near the frontline village of Krymske, Luhansk region, in eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

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"I do not believe that we can restore all of our territory by military means. If we decide to go that way, we will lose hundreds of thousands of people," he said.

Though Zelenskyy was adamant that "Ukraine will get everything back. Everything."

Caitlin McFall is a Fox News Digital reporter. You can reach her at caitlin.mcfall@fox.com or @ctlnmcfall on Twitter.

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Russia warns Ukraine attempts to retake Crimea will be seen as ...

Ukraine claimed responsibility for a rare attack on a Russian air base in the occupied Crimean Peninsula.CreditCredit...Reuters

ODESA, Ukraine A series of explosions rocked a key Russian air base on the Kremlin-occupied Crimean Peninsula on Tuesday, sending up huge plumes of smoke, killing at least one person and sowing confusion among local officials about what exactly had occurred.

As Russian and occupation officials scrambled to determine the cause, raising the terrorist threat level in the area, a senior Ukrainian military official with knowledge of the situation said that Ukrainian forces were behind the blast at the Saki Air Base on the western coast of Crimea.

This was an air base from which planes regularly took off for attacks against our forces in the southern theater, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters. The official would not disclose the type of weapon used in the attack, saying only that a device exclusively of Ukrainian manufacture was used.

A Ukrainian attack on Russian forces in the Crimean Peninsula would represent a significant expansion of Ukraines offensive efforts, which until now have been largely limited to pushing Russian troops back from territories occupied after Feb. 24, when the invasion began.

It would also be an embarrassment for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who often speaks of Crimea, which he illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, as if it were hallowed ground.

Ukraine possesses few weapons that can reach the peninsula, aside from aircraft that would risk being shot down immediately by Russias heavy air defenses in the region. The air base, which is near the city of Novofederivka, is nearly 200 miles from the nearest Ukrainian military position.

Videos verified and reviewed by The New York Times show that a plume of smoke was rising from the air base just before the explosions. There were at least three explosions: two in quick succession and a third a few moments later. It is unclear from the videos what caused the blasts. In addition, a video uploaded to social media shows at least one warplane, an Su-24M, completely destroyed on the tarmac at the base.

The senior Ukrainian official said the attack involved partisan resistance forces loyal to the government in Kyiv, but he would not disclose whether those forces carried out the attack or assisted regular Ukrainian military units in targeting the base, as has sometimes occurred in other Russian-occupied territories.

To reach targets deep behind enemy lines, Ukraine has increasingly turned to guerrillas in Russian-occupied territories, officials said. Partisans, for instance, have helped Ukrainian forces target Russian bases and ammunition depots in the Kherson Region, Ukrainian officials say.

Publicly, Ukrainian officials on Tuesday would not confirm the involvement of Ukraines military. Ukraines defense ministry said in a statement that it could not determine the cause of the explosion, and suggested that personnel at the base adhere to no-smoking regulations.

Other officials did not exactly deny that Ukraine was behind the explosion.

The future of the Crimea is to be a pearl of the Black Sea, a national park with unique nature and a world resort, not a military base for terrorists, Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, said in a tweet. It is just the beginning.

Russias Defense Ministry said in a statement that the explosion was caused by the detonation of stockpiled ordnance for warplanes at the base. While the ministry offered no speculation about whether Ukrainian forces might have been involved, the decision by Crimeas Kremlin-installed leader, Sergei Aksyonov, to raise the terrorist threat level to yellow suggested that officials were concerned about security on the peninsula.

This measure is exclusively prophylactic, because the situation in the region is under full control, Mr. Aksyonov said in a statement on Telegram.

In the eight years of Russias occupation of Crimea, the peninsula has transformed from a quiet southern Ukrainian beach destination into a major base of military operations. The Saki Air Base is home to Russias 43rd Separate Naval Attack Regiment, which is part of the Black Sea Fleet. Ukraines military intelligence service has accused pilots from the regiment of committing war crimes by bombing civilian areas during the war.

Shortly after the explosion occurred, Mr. Aksyonov arrived at the scene. Standing in front of a large black plume of smoke, he said that a three-mile perimeter had been erected around the site of the base to protect residents.

Unfortunately, one person died, he said. I express my most sincere sympathies to family and friends. Crimeas health ministry said that at least nine people had been injured.

Christiaan Triebert contributed reporting.

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Ukrainian Official Calls for U.N. Monitors to Visit a Nuclear Plant Occupied by Russia - The New York Times

U.N. chief condemns shelling of nuclear plant

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the weekend shelling of the Europe's largest nuclear plant in Southeastern Ukraine, calling any attack on nuclear plants "a suicidal thing."

Rockets have reportedly hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in recent days, and three radiation sensors were damaged, CNBC's Shepard Smith reported Tuesday. Ukrainian and Russian officials traded blame over the attacks.

Russia seized the plant five months ago in the early stages of the war after it invaded Ukraine.

The head of the United Nations watchdog called on both countries to let experts visit and assess the site. Guterres said on Tuesday that conditions there are "completely out of control."

Lee Ying Shan

Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich looks on from the stands during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on April 16, 2016 in London, England. Abramovich announced on in March 2022 that he was selling the club due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine. The UK government froze Abramovich's assets there days later due to his "close ties with (the) Kremlin."

Paul Gilham | Getty Images

U.S. authorities are investigating investment advisory firm Concord Management, which oversaw hedge fund investments worth billions of dollars for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

The investigation, being conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is partly focused on how Abramovich's associates used several offshore shell companies to invest $8 billion in hedge funds and private equity firms, the report added, citing people close to the firm.

Abramovich is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's allies and has been sanctioned by nations across the world over his support of Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

-- Reuters

Ukrainian bomb disposal workers carry unexploded ordnance during mine clearance work in the village of Yahidne, in the liberated territories of the Chernihiv region on June 7, 2022 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images

The State Department will provide $89 million to help clear land mines, improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordinances in Ukraine.

"Russia's forces have used explosive munitions in an irresponsible and brutal manner, causing civilian casualties extensive harm to vital civilian infrastructure and contaminating a massive amount of Ukraine's territory with unexploded ordnance and landlines," a State Department official told NBC News.

The official added that Ukrainian authorities have found Russian booby traps and improvised explosive devices hidden in cars, toys and in dead bodies.

The official told NBC News that an area of approximately 160,000 square kilometers may be contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordinance.

Amanda Macias

A destroyed classroom inside a school damaged by shelling russian army in the Kukhari village, Ukraine, Kyiv area, Ukraine, April 16, 2022.

Maxym Marusenko | Nurphoto | Getty Images

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine said that approximately 2,200 education facilities have been damaged across Ukraine since Russia's war began.

The ministry estimates that about 220 education facilities have been destroyed. The assessment comes as parts of Ukraine look to reopen the academic year next month.

"Due to ongoing hostilities, a back-to-learning campaign for the new academic year and university admissions may not be possible. In addition, if students continue to rely on online learning, additional equipment and services will likely be required," the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairswrote in a statement.

Amanda Macias

US President Joe Biden, center, welcomes Sauli Niinisto, Finland's president, left, and Magdalena Andersson, Sweden's prime minister, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., US, on Thursday, May 19, 2022.

Oliver Contreras | Bloomberg | Getty Images

PresidentJoe Biden signed ratification documents bringing Finland and Sweden one step closer to joining the NATO alliance.

"They will meet every NATO requirement, we are confident of that," Biden said before signing the documents.

Biden's signature follows a 95 to 1 Senate vote last week.

Following the U.S., the governments of the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey still have yet to sign the instruments of ratification. All 30 NATO allies must approve Finland and Sweden's ascension to the alliance.

Amanda Macias

A couple wounded in a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike hold hands in a hospital as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kremenchuk, in Poltava region, Ukraine June 27, 2022.

Anna Voitenko | Reuters

Since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the World Health Organization'sSurveillance System for Attacks on Health Careestimates that there have been at least 434 attacks on vital health services in the country.

The organization reports that health care facilities were damaged 366 times, ambulances were targeted in 65 cases and at least 104 attacks affected crucial medical supplies. The group also estimated that attacks on health services led to at least 85 deaths and 101 injuries.

The Kremlin has previously denied that it targets civilian infrastructure like hospitals, schools and apartment buildings.

Amanda Macias

U.S. President Joe Biden walks with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto (left) and Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson along the Rose Garden colonnade before making statements to the press at the White House on May 19, 2022.

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to sign the instruments of ratification for Finland and Sweden to join the NATO alliance at 2 p.m. ET.

Last week, the Senate voted 95 to 1 to ratify Finland and Sweden's entrance into the military group.

In May, both nations began the formal process of applying to NATO.

Biden welcomed leaders from both countries to the White House and pledged to work with the Senate which has to sign off on U.S. approval of NATO bids and the other 29 members of the world's most powerful military alliance to swiftly bring Sweden and Finland into the group.

Amanda Macias

Service members of pro-Russian troops stand guard on a road before the expected evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged Azovstal steel mill in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in Mariupol, Ukraine May 16, 2022.

Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters

The Pentagon estimates that Russia's military has suffered between 70,000 and 80,000 casualties since the invasion of Ukraine began in late February.

The rare estimate shared by the Pentagon's third-highest official comes as the U.S. prepares its largest security assistance package for Ukraine. Casualties include soldiers who were killed or injured.

On Monday, the Biden administration announced a $1 billion weapons package, the 18th such installment, bringing U.S. commitment to about $9.8 billion since the start of the war.

Amanda Macias

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks with members of the military before the Medal of Honor ceremony for US Army Sergeant Major Thomas Payne for conspicuous gallantry while serving in Iraq, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on September 11, 2020.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley met with the Pentagon's top general overseeing Europe during a visit to Germany.

The two also met with French Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. Thierry Burkhard and "discussed items of mutual interest and shared assessments regarding the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine," according to a Pentagon readout of the meeting.

"The long-standing alliance between the U.S. and French militaries plays a critical role in maintaining peace and stability in Europe and other regions around the world," the readout added.

The meeting between Milley, U.S. European Command Gen. Christopher Cavoli and Burkhard comes as the U.S. readies its 18th weapons package for Ukraine.

Amanda Macias

There hasn't been enough research on how much protection a fourth dose can offer, medical professionals told CNBC.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

The British Embassy in Ukraine said that it has donated 100,800 Covid shots vaccines to the war-weary country.

"We're protecting those most in need by ensuring Ukrainians impacted by Russia's invasion are able to access essential healthcare and get vital vaccinations," the British Embassy wrote in a statement.

Amanda Macias

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia September 9, 2021.

Mikhail Voskresensky | Kremlin Sputnik | via Reuters

The State Department is imposing visa restrictions on 100 people affiliated with the Alexander Lukashenka regime for their involvement in undermining the presidential election in Belarus in 2020.

Lukashenka, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has previously said that Belarus would support Russian forces amid the Kremlin's so-called special military operation in Ukraine.

"When it was clear the election had been stolenby the Lukashenka regime, the Belarusian people bravely took to the streets, with reports of hundreds of thousands of people amassing to peacefully demand free and fair elections and a democratic transition," Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in a statement.

Amanda Macias

People stand amid newly-made graves at a cemetery in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the settlement of Staryi Krym outside Mariupol, Ukraine May 22, 2022.

Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters

The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner said that March was so far the deadliest month in Russia's war in Ukraine.

There were more than 3,100 civilian casualties and 2,400 injuries due to the conflict in March, according to data compiled by the UN.

Total civilian casualties from 24 February to 31 July 2022 as compiled by the United Nations.

U.N. Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner

In total, the United Nations has confirmed 5,401 civilian deaths and 7,466 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.

"Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes," the UN office wrote in a report.

The human rights office added that the majority of casualties and injuries were reported in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Amanda Macias

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense in Washington, U.S., May 3, 2022.

Win McNamee | Reuters

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley met with his counterparts from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden at the Arctic Chiefs of Defense meeting on Monday.

"The military leaders discussed lessons learned from ongoing Arctic operations, cooperation between nations and the shared commitment to the international rules-based order," according to a Pentagon readout of the meeting.

"In coordination with allies and partners, the U.S. seeks to preserve the Arctic region as a space free of conflict, where nations act responsibly and where economic and energy resources are developed in a sustainable, transparent manner," the readout added.

A meeting of the Arctic Council was postponed earlier this year due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia was previously slated to chair the international forum until 2023.

Earlier this year the Arctic Council's seven other member countries - Canada, Finland, Denmark, the United States, Iceland, Norway and Sweden - agreed to boycott any meetings in Russia.

Amanda Macias

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds a news conference with U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact group at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 15, 2022.

Yves Herman | Reuters

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin slammed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and warned that "autocracy is on the march around the world."

"A military exists to serve its people and not the other way around. Militaries must play their legitimate role. That means defending human rights and protecting the rule of law, not toppling civilian governments or wallowing in corruption," Austin said during a change of command ceremony in Germany.

"That's especially important now when autocracy is on the march around the world," he said, adding that Moscow has shown its willingness "to sow chaos and threaten the rules-based international order."

Amanda Macias

A Ukrainian boy walks past temporary beds at a refugee center in Warsaw on April 19.

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

More than 10.5 million people have crossed Ukraine's border and left the country since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, said.

Most are now elsewhere in eastern and central Europe, with Poland, Russia, Romania, Moldova, Hungary and Slovakia taking in some of the largest numbers of refugees.

Moscow says it has taken in many Ukrainians and claims none of the arrivals were forced, though Ukrainian and Western officials as well as some activist groups say that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, including children, were forcibly deported and taken into Russia against their will.

Natasha Turak

Pisky, a village on the outskirts of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, has been seized by pro-Russian forces, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

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Russia halts U.S. nuclear inspections; Biden ratifies Finland and Sweden's NATO membership - CNBC