Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of bombing a prison
Russia and Ukraine on Friday accused each other of bombing a prison in separatist-held eastern Ukraine that killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian forces “fired on the prison where members of the Azov battalion are being held, using American projectiles from the Himars system”.
He reported that at least 40 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed and 84 others injured in the attack on Olenivka prison, while pro-Russian separatist authorities in the Donetsk region estimated the number of dead at 53.
The Ukrainian army claims to have “never carried out” strikes against civilian infrastructure or prisoners of war.
The Azov Regiment distinguished itself by resisting Russian troops at a steelworks in Mariupol, southeastern Ukraine.
After three long weeks of relentless siege, some 2,500 Ukrainian fighters surrendered in May. They were imprisoned in Olenivka, according to Russia.
“This outrageous provocation is aimed at scaring Ukrainian soldiers and deterring them from surrendering,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine has denied targeting civilian infrastructure or prisoners of war, stressing that its army “fully adheres to the principles and norms of international humanitarian law”.
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“We are waiting for the signal to start” – Zelenskyy overseas loading the first grain exports
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a port in southern Ukraine to oversee the loading of grain for export onto a Turkish ship, following a UN-brokered deal with Russia and Turkey.
“The first ship, the first ship has been loaded since the beginning of the war. It is a Turkish ship,” Zelenskyy said, according to a statement from the presidency.
Video footage from the port of Chornomorsk released by the presidency showed him in front of a ship called Polarnet.
The statement said exports could start in “the next few days” as part of the plan to bring millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain blocked by the Russian naval blockade to world markets.
“Our camp is fully prepared. We have sent all signals to our partners – the UN and Turkey, and our military guarantees the security situation,” the Ukrainian leader said.
“The Minister of Infrastructure is in direct contact with the Turkish side and the UN. We are waiting for a signal from them so that we can start.”
Zelenskyy said grain exports will begin with several ships that were already loaded during the Russian invasion in February but unable to set sail due to the outbreak of the conflict.
The deal to lift the Russian blockade – the first meaningful deal involving the two warring sides since the invasion began – aims to ease a global food crisis that has seen prices soar in some of the world’s poorest countries .
Ukraine – one of the world’s leading grain exporters before the war – said it was aiming to export some 20 million tonnes of produce, worth around $10 billion, as part of this plan.
Compensation for Russian soldiers elusive, despite Putin’s promise
Mutilated Russian soldiers – including those seriously injured – are struggling to obtain compensation, despite the Russian leader’s promises that they could claim thousands of dollars, according to Reuters.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said injured men could claim compensation of three million rubles, the equivalent of $50,000 or the amount a worker average Russian would win in four years.
However, as the number of servicemen injured increases, Reuters found that many were struggling to get what they owed from the Russian state.
This is based on interviews with four injured Russian servicemen, a relative of an injured soldier, two people involved in advocacy groups representing soldiers, and a lawyer.
“It is our duty to support the families of our fallen and injured war comrades,” Putin said when he announced it in early March.
Maxim Grebenyuk, a lawyer who heads a Moscow-based advocacy organization called Military Ombudsman which provides legal advice to military personnel in conflict with their employer, said he has received hundreds of requests for help from military personnel injured in the search for payments.
“There is a certain social tension between the military” towards the authorities in relation to these payments, he said.
North Macedonia donates tanks to Ukraine as part of modernization drive
North Macedonia has said it will donate an unspecified number of Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine as it seeks to modernize its own army, its defense ministry said on Friday.
In a statement, the ministry said Ukraine would receive tanks belonging to the Western Balkan country’s tank battalion, which is being upgraded to meet NATO standards.
“In view of this situation and the requirements of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the government has decided that a certain amount of these [tank] capabilities will be given to Ukraine, depending on its needs,” the statement said.
The ministry did not specify the number of tanks, but said they belonged to the so-called third generation of main battle tanks from the 1970s and 1980s.
These have composite armor and computer-stabilized fire control systems.
North Macedonia, a former Yugoslav republic, is a member of NATO and a candidate for membership of the European Union.
It has, like other Western countries, already donated military equipment to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February.
euronews Gt