1. “Kaboom”: Ukraine regains control of Snake Island
Russia announced on Thursday that its forces had withdrawn from Snake Island, a strategic position in the Black Sea that it had previously captured. However, the Ukrainian army said it drove the Russians out of the islet after a successful strike.
“KABOOM! tweeted Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. “No more Russian troops on Snake Island. Our armed forces have done a great job.”
A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, made the withdrawal public early Thursday morning, saying it was a “sign of goodwill” that would help Ukraine’s grain export through the black Sea.
The takeover of Snake Island drew praise from Western leaders, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the announcement showed it was “impossible” to subjugate Ukraine.
“If you wanted proof of the incredible ability of the Ukrainians to fight back to overcome adversity and repel the Russians, look at what happened today on Serpents’ Island, where once again Russia has had to give ground,” he said.
The tiny Snake Island, located in the northwest of the Black Sea, attracted international attention when, on the first day of the Russian offensive, a small Ukrainian garrison tried to resist the Russian flagship Moskva.
The island was quickly captured but came under repeated Ukrainian attacks. Moskva has since been sunk by Ukraine in an apparent torpedo strike.
2. Moscow starts sending Ukrainian grain to “friendly states”
A first ship carrying grain left Ukraine on Thursday escorted by the Russian navy.
Loaded with thousands of tons of wheat, the ship left the Ukrainian port of Berdyansk, occupied by Russia, according to local authorities supported by Moscow.
“7,000 tons of grain are going to friendly countries,” the head of the pro-Russian administration in the region, Evgeny Balitsky, said on Telegram.
Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of stealing its grain and other crops from areas captured by the Russian military in southern Ukraine and illegally selling them internationally.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – a major global breadbasket – created a global food crisis, as it was unable to export its crops from ports under Moscow’s control.
Prices have risen in the west, while many developing countries face starvation.
3. 16 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid, says UN
Some 16 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance and more than six million are internally displaced, according to the United Nations.
‘Water, food and health services’ are needed by nearly half of Ukraine’s pre-war population, UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine Osnat Lubrani said during a briefing. a press conference on Thursday.
While some five million people have managed to return home, Lubrani said “more than six million people are still internally displaced”, adding that “many know they may be forced to flee to new”.
Lubrani detailed how the war, which recently entered its fifth month, is taking a heavy toll on civilian populations.
“What we do know is that the number we have of almost 5,000 civilians killed and over 5,000 injured is only a fraction of the chilling reality,” she said.
“I can’t speak to the specific number of damaged hospitals, schools and homes, but we know there are thousands. We just can’t verify the exact numbers yet,” she said. added.
4. Russia issues ultimatum over Bulgaria’s decision to expel Kremlin diplomats
Bulgaria’s outgoing prime minister on Thursday called on Russia to withdraw a diplomatic ultimatum sent after Sofia expelled 70 Russian diplomatic staff, which included a threat to close the Russian embassy in the Balkan nation.
EU and NATO member Bulgaria said on Tuesday it was expelling 70 Russian diplomatic staff on spying grounds and set a cap on the size of Moscow’s representation amid tensions between the two formerly close countries fractured following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian Embassy on Thursday asked Sofia to reverse the deportation decision on Friday at noon. If not, the embassy said it would ask Moscow to consider ending Russia’s physical diplomatic presence in Bulgaria.
Petkov, in a statement, urged Russia to keep diplomatic channels between Moscow and Sofia open despite the expulsions which he said would still leave Russia with 43 diplomatic staff to Bulgaria’s just 12 in Moscow.
“We believe in the need for dialogue, for which diplomatic channels are essential,” Petkov said.
“For this reason, we ask the Embassy of the Russian Federation to withdraw the note submitted today. For the past and for the future, we must be able to move forward with mutual respect,” he said. .
5. Sanctions could be cause for war, says Russian official
A senior Russian official warned on Thursday that Moscow could interpret Western sanctions as a cause for war.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council, denounced the Western restrictions as “crude and cynical”, noting that they border on “economic warfare”.
“In certain circumstances, such hostile measures could be perceived as an act of international aggression, or even as a casus belli,” Medvedev said in a speech to a legal forum.
Casus belli is a Latin term for a cause, or a pretext, for declaring war, which can be interpreted as creating a right of individual and collective defense.
He stressed that Western sanctions against Russia’s military action in Ukraine “have a clear objective – to inflict as much suffering as possible on as many of our country’s citizens as possible.” […] ordinary citizens, not the country’s rulers or business elites.
“The main goal is to punish the Russian people by trying to reduce economic activity and cause hyperinflation,” he added, in a rare admission that Western sanctions were hurting Russia.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, Western countries have imposed sanctions on the Russian economy and political elite. Their intention is to deprive Russia of funds for its war effort and to prevent further attacks.
euronews Gt