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Monday that the U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has been fined 20 million rubles ($325,000) in Russia for failing to delete what Moscow calls "fake" news about its military operation in Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.
According to Interfax, Radio Liberty refused to delete reports that included a tally of deaths among civilians and Russian service personnel "as well as extremist statements about Russians." Russia has not provided military casualty figures since March. RFE/RL said in March that it had been targeted for telling the truth, and that it planned to continue reporting on Russia from outside the country.
RFE/RL, which also runs a news website, has been given a slew of fines in recent months and said in March that it was suspending operations in Russia after it was declared bankrupt and police pressure against its journalists intensified. A hearing on its appeal against the bankruptcy ruling is scheduled for Wednesday.
Russia’s ambassador in Rome has been summoned to the Italian foreign ministry following anti-Italy remarks by Russian government officials, The Associated Press reported. The foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday that Ambassador Sergey Razov was summoned on instructions on Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and “in concert” with the office of Italian Premier Mario Draghi. Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov derided Di Maio’s peace plan, which had been relayed to the United Nations. Lavrov described the plan, which called for incremental cease-fires as well as humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, as not serious. Lavrov also insinuated that Di Maio was out for “self-promotion” to gain votes.
"Sorry, that was the last bottle of Czech beer we had," said a waiter at a central Moscow restaurant, a month after Russia sent troops into Ukraine and the West imposed sweeping sanctions, . More than 100 days into what Russia calls a special military operation in Ukraine, foreign alcohol is still available in Moscow pubs, but the once ample reserves are dwindling.
Ukraine's harvested crops risk rotting in silos or on ships after Russia's February invasion, triggering fears of worsening global hunger, . Before the war, Ukraine exported more than 5 million metric tons of grain every month, most of it via its ports on the Black Sea. But now Russian warships block those ports, making such shipments impossible, and dealing a blow to global food supplies, not to mention Ukraine's agricultural sector.
Ukraine, its neighbors, and the EU, are now scrambling to find other routes to get Ukrainian grain to market, with rail emerging as a viable option despite a legion of logistical challenges. Ukraine also accuses Russia of looting its grain and trying to sell it to other countries, and the U.N. says there is anecdotal evidence backing that charge.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has proposed creating a naval mission involving a "coalition of the willing" to escort Ukrainian ships across the Black Sea. So far, that idea remains just that, amid fears of an escalation of the conflict.
The U.N. World Food Program on Monday tweeted a short video explaining how the conflict in Ukraine is affecting global food security.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Russian forces had the numerical advantage in the battle for the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, but that Ukraine's forces had "every chance" of fighting back, Reuters reported. Zelenskyy told reporters at a briefing in Kyiv that the situation would become very difficult for Ukraine if Russia breaks through in the eastern region of Donbas.
With Ukraine's capital squarely back in the sights of Russian missile launchers for the first time in weeks, many residents are bracing for more of the bombing that killed civilians and left hundreds of buildings damaged or destroyed before the Russians pulled back from the outskirts of Kyiv in April, .
Ukrainian military planners repeated warnings this week that the chances are "high" that Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces will launch a second assault on the city, as they reportedly grind out gains further east, especially in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told a Davos forum last week that at least 120 Kyiv residents had been killed and 300 wounded since the large-scale Russian invasion began on February 24.
The Ukraine Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees tweeted Monday that in 100 days of war in Ukraine, over 7.1 million have been forced to flee their homes as fighting continues.