Live blog: Ukrainian NGO brings back over 30 children from Russia

Saturday, April 8, 2023

More than 30 children have been reunited with their families in Ukraine this week after a long operation to bring them back from Russia, where they had been taken from occupied areas during the war, a humanitarian group has said.

Kiev estimates nearly 19,500 children have been taken to Russia since Moscow began its offensive in February last year, in what it condemns as illegal deportations.

Moscow, which controls chunks of Ukraine's east and south, denies abducting children and says they have been transported away for their own safety.

"Now the fifth rescue mission is nearing its completion. It was special regarding the number of children we managed to return and also because of its complexity," said Mykola Kuleba, the founder of the Save Ukraine humanitarian organisation.

The group helped the Ukrainian relatives of children who had been taken to Russia with the logistics, transport and planning needed to embark on the long journey to fetch their children and bring them back.

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1621 GMT — Easter rallies in Germany push for peace in Ukraine

Demonstrators taking part in traditional Easter peace rallies in Germany have called for peace in Ukraine.

Thousands gathered in Berlin’s central Mitte district under the slogan “Let's Win the Peace, not the War.”

Demonstrators carried banners saying "Whoever wants peace must negotiate," "This is not our war - we do not want war," "Let's achieve peace without weapons," and "Stop the war.”

They also called on the German government to not give any more weapons to Ukraine and to make diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Leipzig, Lower Saxony and Bremen saw similar marches calling for an end to the war, which is over a year old.

1356 GMT — Hundreds turn out for funeral of Russian military blogger

Hundreds of supporters including Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of mercenary outfit Wagner, have turned out for the funeral of a high-profile Russian military blogger killed in a bomb attack.

Last week an explosion ripped through a cafe in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg, killing 40-year-old Vladlen Tatarsky and wounding dozens. Investigators have accused Ukraine and members of Russia's embattled opposition of being behind the blast.

Mourners, some carrying flowers, gathered at the prestigious Troyekurovskoye cemetery in western Moscow for the closed-casket funeral amid beefed-up police presence.

0953 GMT — Ukraine will disappear as no one needs it: top Russian security official

In a statement on Russian social network VK, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council, has said Europe does not need Ukraine because it is already experiencing "a financial and political hell" provoked by its support to Kiev.

According to Medvedev, influx of Ukrainian refugees, soaring inflation, "colossal" bills for heat and electricity, suffering European business, and unprofitable Russian sanctions led to discontent in both Western and Eastern Europe.

He also claimed Poland periodically "probes the idea" of annexation of Ukraine's western regions, leaks the relevant information to the media, and analyzes the reaction for such a possibility.

0850 GMT — Russia shoots down missile fired from Ukraine over Crimea

A missile fired from Ukraine has been shot down over the Black Sea town of Feodosia in Russian-occupied Crimea, the Russian head of Crimea's administration Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram.

Russia's TASS news agency quoted an adviser to Aksyonov, Oleg Kryuchkov, as saying that debris had fallen in a Crimean town, but no damage or casualties had been reported.

Reuters news agency could not immediately verify the battlefield reports.

Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Kiev has demanded that Moscow hand it back.

0836 GMT — Ukraine minister to visit India for talks

A Ukrainian minister will visit India from Sunday in the first face-to-face talks between the two countries since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began last year.

India imports much of its military hardware from Russia, and is walking a delicate balancing act between its increased security cooperation with Western countries and its reliance on Russia for defence and oil imports.

Its longstanding security ties with Russia have put New Delhi in an awkward diplomatic position, and while it has called for an end to hostilities in Ukraine, it has refused to condemn the offensive.

Emine Dzhaparova, Kiev's first deputy foreign minister, will "exchange views on the current situation in Ukraine" with a senior member of India's foreign ministry, according to an Indian government statement.

India shares "warm and friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation" with Ukraine and the visit will be an occasion to "further mutual understanding and interests", the foreign ministry statement added.

0351 GMT — US investigates accuracy of reported Ukraine war documents leak

The United States Justice Department has launched an investigation into the possible release of Pentagon documents that were posted on several social media sites and appear to detail US and NATO aid to Ukraine.

The documents, which may have been altered or used as part of a misinformation campaign, are labelled secret and resemble routine updates that the US military's Joint Staff would produce daily but not distribute publicly.

They are dated ranging from February 23 to March 1, and provide what appears to be details on the progress of weapons and equipment going into Ukraine. They are not war plans and they provide no details on any planned Ukraine offensive.

Some inaccuracies in the documents — including estimates of Russian troops deaths that are significantly lower than numbers publicly stated by US officials — have led some to question the documents' authenticity.

Separately, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, however, released a statement about a meeting with senior military staff, which noted that they “focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defense forces of Ukraine.”

0329 GMT — Russia likely behind military document leak, US officials say

Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind the leak of several classified US military documents, three US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity have told Reuters news agency. 

The Kremlin and Russia's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

“It is very important to remember that in recent decades, the Russian special services’ most successful operations have been taking place in Photoshop," Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, had also said on Ukrainian TV. 

2237 GMT — US Senate leaders demand release of journalist detained in Russia

US Senate leaders have asked for the immediate release of American citizen and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was recently detained in Russia.

Since his March 29 arrest, based on claims he was spying in the interests of the US government, "Russian authorities have failed to present any credible evidence to justify their fabricated charges," Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote in a statement.

The leaders blamed Russia for denying Gershkovich access to the US Embassy, which is against diplomatic practice and possibly in violation of international law.

2149 GMT — New 'classified US documents' on Ukraine conflict leaked online

A new batch of classified documents that appear to detail US national security secrets from Ukraine to the Middle East to China have surfaced on social media sites, the New York Times reported.

A senior intelligence official described the leak as the "nightmare for the Five Eyes", referring to the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Analysts say over sensitive 100 documents could have been obtained and that could be massively damaging.

The leak represents a "significant breach in security," said former senior Pentagon official Mick Mulroy, adding that this would downplay Ukrainian military planning. 

2146 GMT — Russia formally charges US reporter

Moscow has formally charged US journalist Evan Gershkovich with espionage, Russian news agencies reported on Friday, accusations rejected both by the reporter and his employer.

The charges against Wall Street Journal correspondent Gershkovich are the first of their kind in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, prompting an outcry from media outlets, rights groups and foreign governments.

Investigators from the FSB, the state security service that succeeded the KGB, "charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country," state-run agency TASS said, citing a law enforcement source.

2100 GMT — Russia spying charges against reporter 'categorically false'

Russia's charges of spying filed Friday against Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich are "categorically false," the newspaper has said.

"We've seen media reports indicating Evan has been charged. As we've said from the beginning, these charges are categorically false and unjustified, and we continue to demand Evan's immediate release," The Wall Street Journal said in a statement.

For our live updates from Friday (April 7), click here.