A barrage of Russian missiles struck cities across Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, the Black Sea port of Odesa and the second city of Kharkiv, killing at least six civilians, according to officials.
Russia says the wave of attacks were in retaliation for a border incursion last week that Moscow blamed on Kyiv. Ukraine denied responsibility.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces, lost power amid Thursday’s assault, according to state nuclear operator Energoatom.
Several regions of Ukraine were also left without power.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military says its forces pushed back intense Russian attacks on the eastern mining town of Bakhmut.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Russia had “returned to their old scheme” after a barrage of missiles hit Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday morning and left six dead.
On Twitter, he wrote, “Russians returned to their old scheme – massive rocket attacks on Ukraine at night, while people are sleeping. Explosions have been recorded in most regions – infrastructure facilities & residential areas have been hit. ZNPP [Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant] is de-energized. Ukraine is partially without water & electricity.”
Ukraine to join EU’s gas procurement scheme
Ukraine will take part in the EU scheme to jointly buy gas to procure 2 billion cubic metres of the fuel ahead of next winter, the EU energy policy chief said.
EU countries plan to pool together and sign their first joint gas contracts in the coming months to help fill storage ahead of peak winter demand as countries swap out Russian gas.
“Ukraine has indicated that on top of their own domestic production, they might need, for a secure winter, another 2 billion cubic metres,” EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson told a news conference.
US privately urging traders to move Russian oil:
The Financial Times reports that the US has privately urged some commodity traders to let go of concerns about shipping price-capped Russian oil to keep supplies stable.
Treasury officials met executives and traders at Trafigura and Gunvor, among others, and offered reassurances over expanding their role in Russian crude and fuels trade without breaching Western restrictions, FT said, citing people familiar with the meeting.
EU ‘ignoring’ talks on Nord Stream investigation: Russia
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the EU is ignoring any talks on investigating the Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts.
Russia has repeatedly asked to be allowed to join the investigations into the blasts, which occurred last year and ruptured three of the four pipelines of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas links that connect Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
A New York Times report published Tuesday said that US intelligence reviewed by United States officials suggested that a pro-Kyiv group may have been behind the attacks.
Israel working to help Ukraine: Israeli minister
During a meeting with the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who arrived in Israel on Thursday, defence minister Yoav Gallant said Israel is doing its “best” to help Ukraine.
“We are doing our best efforts in coordination with the United States to help the Ukrainian government to protect its people and we are doing it under the understanding of what are the Israeli interest in the region,” Gallant said.
Russia war blunders show ‘fallibility of authoritarian governments’: Freedom House
While Russia’s invasion has tanked civil liberties and political rights in Ukraine, and prompted a backslide in Russian rights and press freedom, the last year has also showed the limits of President Putin’s power, according to a new report from the US-based Freedom House group.
The report noted that since the invasion, few of Putin’s “authoritarian allies have openly supported his war of aggression”. It particularly noted the lack of endorsement from China, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The report also cited equipment shortages plaguing Russia’s army and a generally poorer performance on the battlefield than expected, underscoring the “fallibility of authoritarian governments”.
“Corruption, criminality, and feckless leadership have made the Russian army far more deadly to soldiers and civilians on both sides of the front line, despite the force’s failure to achieve stated war aims,” the report said.
Ukraine has dropped 11 points in freedoms index: Freedom House
Political rights and civil liberties in Ukraine have dropped 11 points following the Russian invasion of the country in 2022, according to a new report from Freedom House.
Ukraine showed the second largest aggregate decline in the freedoms index of any country in 2022, according to the annual Freedom in the World report published by the US-based organisation.
The report laid the blame for the decline on Moscow.
The report said, “Putin has caused the deaths and injuries of thousands of Ukrainian civilians as well as soldiers on both sides, the destruction of crucial infrastructure, the displacement of millions of people from their homes, a proliferation of torture and sexual violence, and the intensification of already harsh repression within Russia.”
EU energy chief tells countries not to renew Russian LNG contracts
European Union countries and companies should not sign new contracts to buy Russian liquefied natural gas, the EU’s energy policy chief said.
“We can and should get rid of Russian gas completely as soon as possible, still keeping in mind our security of supply,” EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson told a meeting of EU lawmakers.
“I encourage all member states and all companies to stop buying Russian LNG, and not to sign any new gas contracts with Russia once the existing contracts have expired,” Simson said.
The EU has pledged to quit Russian fossil fuels by 2027 and replaced about two-thirds of Russian gas last year.
While Moscow cut pipeline gas flows, deliveries of Russian liquefied natural gas to Europe increased last year to 22 bcm, up from approximately 16 bcm in 2021, according to an EU analysis seen by the Reuters news agency.
Hyundai in talks to sell Russian plant to Kazakhstan
South Korean media reported that Hyundai Motor Co, which suspended operations last March, is in talks with a Kazakh company to sell its manufacturing plant in Russia.
Many factories in Russia have suspended production and furloughed workers due to equipment shortages and sanctions since Moscow invaded Ukraine last year.
Yonhap reported that negotiations to sell Hyundai’s plant in St Petersburg to an car-related company in Astana, Kazakhstan are in the final stage, citing an unnamed source.
The deal could be signed as early as June, it said.
