What is happening in Ukraine today and how do countries around the world react? Read live updates about Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
BERLIN – German authorities say they have captured a massive superyacht in Hamburg after finding it belonged to the sister of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
The Federal Criminal Police Service said on Wednesday that after “thorough investigations” and despite “offshore hiding”, it had managed to establish that the owner was Gulbahor Ismailova, Usmanov’s sister.
The Dilbar superyacht is branded in the Cayman Islands and registered with a holding company in Malta, two bank havens where global super-rich often park their wealth. It was launched in 2016 at a reported price of over $ 648 million.
German police say German authorities have worked in Brussels to ensure that European Union sanctions are applied to the owner. It says that the yacht can no longer be sold, rented or loaded.
The United States and the EU last month announced economic sanctions against Usmanov, a metal tycoon over his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.
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PRAGUE – Three Czech deputies from the upper house of parliament, the Senate, are visiting Kyiv with their Polish counterparts. Led by President Milos Wistrcil, they were invited by Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s unicameral parliament.
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UNITED NATIONS – A UN task force warns in a new report that Russia’s war against Ukraine threatens to devastate the economies of many developing countries, which now face even higher food and energy costs and increasingly difficult financial conditions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the report on Wednesday, stressing that the war was “fueling” the food, energy and financial crisis in poorer countries, which are already struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the lack of access to adequate funding for their economic recovery.
Rebecca Greenspan, secretary-general of the United Nations Trade Promotion and Development Agency, which co-ordinates the working group, said 107 countries were “seriously exposed” to at least one dimension of the food, energy and financial crisis and 69 countries were severely exposed to the three. and face “very difficult financial conditions without fiscal space and without external financing to mitigate the impact”.
The report calls on countries to ensure a steady flow of food and energy through open markets and calls on international financial institutions to do their utmost to provide more liquidity immediately.
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ODESSA, Ukraine – The governor of Ukraine in the Odessa region Maxim Marchenko said that the forces hit the Russian missile cruiser Moscow with two missiles and caused “serious damage”.
Moscow is the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the ship was damaged on Wednesday, but not that it was hit by Ukraine.
The ministry says the ammunition on board was detonated as a result of a fire, the cause of which is being “established”, and the entire crew of “Moscow” was evacuated. The cruiser usually has about 500 on board.
Odessa is the largest port in Ukraine.
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Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “sincerely grateful” to the United States for a new round of $ 800 million in military aid.
In his daily late-night address to the nation, Zelenski also said he was grateful for the visit of the presidents of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia on Wednesday.
He said that these leaders “helped us from day one, those who did not hesitate to give us weapons, those who did not doubt whether to impose sanctions.”
In a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden Zelensky, they said they discussed the new arms supply, even tougher sanctions against Russia and efforts to bring justice to Russian soldiers who have committed war crimes in Ukraine.
Zelensky also said work to clear tens of thousands of unexploded ordnance, mines and cables left in northern Ukraine by retreating Russians continues.
He called on people returning home to these cities to watch out for any unfamiliar items and report to police.
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