Live blog: 64 Ukrainians, US citizen released in prisoner swap with Russia

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Kiev secures release of 64 Ukrainians, US citizen in prisoner swap with Russia

Ukraine has secured the release of 64 Ukrainian members of the military and one US citizen in its latest prisoner swap with Russian forces.

Ukraine presidency's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on social media that the soldiers fought in Donetsk and Luhansk - in particular participated in the defence of the city of Bakhmut.

The lone American was identified as Suedi Murekezi, who Russia said was arrested in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine in June and was charged with attending anti-Russian protests and inciting "ethnic hatred." 

Citing his lawyer, TASS said Murekezi was born in Rwanda and moved to the United States with his family in 1994. The lawyer said Murekezi worked in a nightclub in Kherson city and denied his client was a combatant. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby later confirmed that an American was released by Russia, although he did not mention his name.

Ukraine tells IOC chief it opposes Russian athletes at 2024 Olympics

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that his country opposes the idea of Russian athletes taking part in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, the presidential office said.

Zelenskyy, noting that 184 Ukrainian athletes had died in the war with Russia, spoke to IOC President Thomas Bach, who last week said the participation of Russian and Belarusian sportsmen and women at the 2024 Olympics was still unclear.

"One cannot try to be neutral when the foundations of peaceful life are being destroyed, and universal human values are being ignored," Zelenskyy's office quoted him as saying.

New Red Cross chief says ready to go to Russia for POWs

The new head of the International Committee of the Red Cross says she was prepared to go to Moscow to discuss access to prisoners of war (POWs).

Mirjana Spoljaric, who took the ICRC reins in October, told reporters in Geneva she had personally been "speaking with Russian counterparts."

Speaking at ICRC headquarters just days after returning from Ukraine, she said the organisation was intent on gaining access to POWs taken by both sides since the conflict started.

READ MORE: How drone strikes deep inside Russia can change Ukraine conflict

Pope Francis calls for donation to Ukraine during Christmas

Pope Francis has called on people to spend less on Christmas presents and celebrations, and donate the money saved to those in war-ravaged Ukraine.

"It is nice to celebrate Christmas. But let's lower the level of Christmas spending a bit," Francis said in his weekly general audience at the Vatican.

"Let's have a more humble Christmas, with more humble gifts. Let's send what we save to the Ukrainian people, who need it," he said.

French TV regulator urges Eutelsat to stop broadcasting three Russian channels

French broadcasting authority Arcom is calling on the satellite company Eutelsat to stop carrying three Russian TV channels.

Arcom said it notified Eutelsat it needed to stop broadcasting Rossiya 1, Perviy Kanal and NTV, whose programmes on the war in Ukraine "include repeated incitement to hatred and violence and numerous shortcomings to honesty of information."

France's top administrative court last week ordered the regulator to review its initial decision over the distribution of the three channels in a win for Reporters Without Borders.

Ukraine to increase bonuses for staff at nuclear plant who remain loyal

Ukrainian atomic energy agency Energoatom has announced it would offer higher bonuses to the staff at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station who remain loyal to Kiev.

The plant in southern Ukraine, Europe's largest, has been under Russian control since shortly after February 24 operation in Ukraine, but is still operated by its Ukrainian staff.

Energoatom also dismissed as "another shameless lie" the statement from Russia that Ukrainian workers would not be paid after January 1 if they did not sign contracts with Russia's nuclear energy company, Rosatom.

Security forces raid Ukrainian Orthodox Church monasteries in 9 regions

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has reported that it raided monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in nine different regions of the country as a crackdown continues on churches allegedly loyal to Russia.

The statement posted on Facebook said the raids were "carried out with the National Police & the National Guard … to curb the subversive activities of the Russian special services in our country."

The statement added that investigators are trying to identify persons “who may be involved in illegal activities to the detriment of the state sovereignty of Ukraine."

Ukraine shot down 'all' 13 drones in Kiev attack: Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukrainian air defence systems had shot down 13 Iranian-made kamikaze drones that targeted the capital Kiev earlier in the day.

Russia "started this morning with 13 Shaheds... all 13 were shot down by our Ukrainian air defence systems," Zelenskyy said in a video address on social media, referring to Iranian-made suicide drones that Moscow has been accused of deploying against Ukraine targets.

Two admin buildings damaged in drones attack on Kiev

Two administrative buildings in Ukraine's capital Kiev have been damaged in a drone attack, the city's administration said, adding that there was still no information about potential injuries or fatalities.

Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko said that air-defence systems shot down 10 Iranian-made Shahed drones and that there were explosions in the city's central Shevchenkivskyi district, a cluster of universities, galleries and restaurants.

The capital and the Kiev region remained under air raid sirens at 0600 GMT, more than two hours after they first went off.

"Weaklings," Ukraine's presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on the Telegram messaging app after the explosions in Kiev. 

Ukraine secures $1.1B in aid 'to get through winter'

Ukraine's Western allies pledged an additional one billion euros ($1.1 billion) in emergency winter aid, responding to pleas from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to help the country withstand Russia's onslaught against its energy grid.

Around 70 countries and international organisations gathered in Paris for a meeting aimed at enabling Ukrainians "to get through this winter", said French President Emmanuel Macron.

In a video message, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needed assistance worth around 800 million euros in the short term for its battered energy sector.

Zelenskyy: Mines cover area roughly size of Cambodia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for long-term help in clearing his war-ravaged nation of mines and other unexploded ordnance, which he said now cover an area roughly the size of Cambodia.

In a video address to New Zealand's parliament, Zelenskyy described Russia's nearly year-old offensive as an "ecocide" that would have lasting impact and implored Wellington and others to step up aid.

"As of now, 174,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory are contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance," Zelenskyy told lawmakers. 

Zelenskyy urged New Zealand — whose military has extensive experience in mine clearing — to help lead the clean-up effort.

US finding grid equipment for Ukraine at home and abroad

As Washington sends Ukraine US-sourced power equipment to help the country's grid recover from Russian attacks, it is also scouring for those supplies worldwide, US officials have said.

The Biden administration this week shipped the first portion of $53 million in power equipment aid it announced last month. The open market value is likely to be higher because utilities and manufacturers provided many items at cost and paid transportation costs.

"They were really quite forthcoming," an Energy Department official said about the suppliers, but noted that not all US equipment is compatible with Ukraine's grid.

"Some of the stuff we have here is not like plug and play with Ukraine, so we have to look and see what is available and what will work," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Zelenskyy shuts court, says Ukraine can fight graft, Russia at same time

President Zelenskyy has hailed his dissolution of a Kiev court as evidence Ukraine can fight to end a history of corruption and Russia's offensive at the same time.

"This story has drawn to a close," he said as he announced he had signed a law liquidating the Kiev District Administrative Court, which Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities had compared to a criminal organisation and whose chairman was hit with US sanctions December 9.

"But the story of reforms continues – it continues, even in the time of such a war," Zelenskyy said.

He signed the law the same day it was passed by Ukraine’s parliament, in a nod to extensive judiciary and other reforms needed for Ukraine to join the European Union.

For live updates from Tuesday (December 13), click here