China’s defence minister will go to Moscow subsequent week for conferences along with his Russian counterpart and different navy officers, Beijing mentioned on Friday, a day after Russia claimed its forces had encircled Ukrainian troops within the battleground metropolis of Bakhmut – a declare disputed by Kyiv. Follow our dwell weblog for the newest updates on the battle in Ukraine. All occasions are Paris time (GMT+2).
11:15am: China defence minister to go to Moscow subsequent week
Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu will go to Russia subsequent week for conferences with counterpart Sergei Shoigu and different navy officers, China’s Defence Ministry has mentioned.
Li’s go to underscores China’s strengthening engagement with Russia, with which it has largely aligned its international coverage in an try and reshape the world order to decrease the affect of the United States and different Western democracies.
China has refused to criticise Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and blamed the US and NATO for frightening Moscow. During a 2022 go to to Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese chief Xi Jinping issued a joint assertion declaring a “no limits” relationship between the 2 nations.
Li can even go to Russia’s navy academy throughout his April 16-19 journey, Defence Ministry spokesperson Col. Tan Kefei mentioned.
The journey follows an official go to to Moscow final month by Xi that emphasised how China is more and more changing into the senior companion within the relationship because it gives Russia with political cowl and an financial lifeline throughout its battle on Ukraine.
10:50am: Russia places Pacific Fleet on excessive alert in shock inspection
Russia has put its Pacific naval fleet on excessive alert as a part of a shock inspection aimed toward constructing its defensive capabilities, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has mentioned.
“The main objective of this inspection is to increase the ability of the Armed Forces to repel the aggression of a probable enemy from the direction of ocean and sea,” Shoigu mentioned on state tv.
The drill can even simulate an enemy touchdown on Russia’s Sakhalin island and on its southern Kuril Islands, a few of that are claimed by Japan in a territorial dispute relationship again to the tip of World War Two.
Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov mentioned Russia’s naval forces can be deployed to coaching areas and would perform fight workout routines as a part of the drill.
10:25am: Russian oil exports leap regardless of sanctions
Russian oil exports jumped to their highest degree in virtually three years in March regardless of Western sanctions, however revenues had been down sharply from final yr, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has mentioned.
The West has imposed a slew of sanctions in opposition to Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, together with worth caps on its crude and oil merchandise and EU embargoes.
Russia retaliated by slashing its manufacturing by 500,000 barrels per day, and its companions on the OPEC+ oil cartel shocked the markets by saying their very own output cuts earlier this month.
The IEA mentioned whole oil shipments from Russia rose by 600,000 bpd to eight.1 million bpd final month. While Russia’s oil revenues rebounded by $1 billion to $12.7 billion, they had been nonetheless down 43 p.c in comparison with a yr in the past.
9:45am: Ukraine bans its nationwide groups from competing with athletes from Russia, Belarus
Ukraine has banned its nationwide sports activities groups from competing in Olympic, non-Olympic and Paralympic occasions that embody rivals from Russia and Belarus, the sports activities ministry has mentioned in a decree.
The resolution, criticised by some Ukrainian athletes, comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) angered Kyiv by paving the way in which for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals regardless of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine had beforehand warned its sports activities federations that it could strip them of their standing as governing our bodies if their athletes competed on the worldwide stage with Russians and Belarusians.
Some Ukrainian athletes, together with Olympian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, have criticised the ban, saying it’ll result in the destruction of Ukrainian sports activities.
“If Ukrainian representatives are not present at competitions, then we completely vacate the international sports grounds and give the Russian/Belarusian representatives the opportunity to promote their narratives and propaganda,” he wrote on Twitter.
4:09am: Russia claims Bakhmut has been surrounded
Russia mentioned Thursday it had reduce off Ukrainian forces inside Bakhmut, whereas Kyiv insisted provide traces had been nonetheless open into the city, scene of probably the most brutal battle of the battle.
AFP was unable to confirm the standing on the bottom within the jap city, which has was the longest and bloodiest struggle since Russia invaded Ukraine final yr.
The Russian military mentioned its airborne troops had been “blocking the transfer of Ukrainian army reserves to the city and the possibility of retreat for enemy units”. It additionally mentioned that Wagner mercenary models had been advancing in Bakhmut.
But the Ukrainian military informed AFP it had communication with its troops inside Bakhmut and was capable of ship them munitions. “This does not correspond to reality,” Sergiy Cherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine’s jap forces mentioned, referring to Russia’s claims. “We are able to … deliver food products, ammunition, medicines, all that is necessary, and also to recover our wounded.” The Ukrainian normal employees nonetheless acknowledged a “difficult” state of affairs in Bakhmut.
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Key developments from Thursday, April 14:
The European Union added Russia’s Wagner mercenary group to its sanctions record for “actively participating in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine” as US authorities made an arrest in reference to the leak of confidential paperwork.
A Ukrainian military spokesman rejected Moscow’s claims of “blocking” Kyiv’s forces from getting in or out of the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut, whereas Russian paramilitary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin additionally mentioned it was untimely to assert Russia had encircled Ukrainian forces within the war-torn metropolis.
>> Read our dwell weblog for all of yesterday’s developments as they unfolded
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
Originally revealed on France24