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

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