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Reports: Kremlin critic detained. Earlier, he told CNN+ Putin regime will end over Ukraine

Reports: Kremlin critic detained. Earlier, he told CNN+ Putin regime will end over Ukraine
1 hr 21 min ago

Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza detained outside his Moscow home, according to reports

From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova

Vladimir Kara-Murza during the Oslo Freedom Forum 2019 on May 28, 2019 in Oslo, Norway.
Vladimir Kara-Murza during the Oslo Freedom Forum 2019 on May 28, 2019 in Oslo, Norway. (Julia Reinhart/Getty Images)

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent Kremlin critic who has survived two suspected poisonings, has been detained outside of his apartment building in Moscow on Monday, according to Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin and media reports.

“Vladimir Kara-Murza was detained by the police in Moscow near his home,” Yashin said on Twitter. “It is not yet clear what for.”

Yashin told CNN he learned about the detention from Kara-Murza’s lawyer. 

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti also reported Kara-Murza’s detention citing his lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov.  

“I just found out about his detention, so far I can’t say the details,” Prokhorov told RIA Novosti.

An interview with Kara-Murza aired on “Big Picture with Sara Sidner” on CNN+ earlier Monday. The opposition figure has condemned what he calls Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “aggression” in Ukraine. 

He told Sidner that he believes the war in Ukraine will ultimately end Putin’s regime.

“I have absolutely no doubt that the Putin regime will end over this war in Ukraine, doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen tomorrow. The two main questions are time and price and by price, I do not mean monetary — I mean the price of human blood and and human lives and it has already been horrendous, but the Putin regime will end over this and there will be a democratic Russia after Putin,” Kara-Murza told Sidner.

1 hr 30 min ago

White House: New Russian general overseeing Ukraine war will not erase the fact “this is a strategic failure”

From CNN’s DJ Judd

The White House said Vladimir Putin’s decision to appoint Army Gen. Alexander Dvornikov as theater commander of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine “is not going to erase the fact that this is a strategic failure.”

Dvornikov, 60, was the first commander of Russia’s military operations in Syria, after Putin sent troops there in September 2015 to back the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

During Dvornikov’s command in Syria from September 2015 to June 2016, Russian aircraft backed the Assad regime and its allies as they laid siege to rebel-held eastern Aleppo, bombarding densely populated neighborhoods and causing major civilian casualties.

“What we should all be aware of, and we are certainly aware of, is this is a general who was already responsible for overseeing atrocities in Syria, and that we would expect that it would be a continuation of the type of atrocities we’ve already seen take place in Ukraine,” Psaki told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Monday, “But again, they have not — it has not gone as President Putin has planned, and we don’t expect a change in personnel we’ll change that.”

Looking forward, Psaki said the Biden administration anticipates Russian forces “will seek to surround and overwhelm Ukrainian forces,” in Eastern Ukraine, where they’ve coalesced forces after unsuccessful efforts to capture Kyiv and the surround areas, while continuing “to launch air and missile strikes across the rest of the country to cause military and economic damage.”

“And we expect this stage of the conflict could last a long time, and we should have no illusions that Russia is going to adjust their tactics and make them less brutal, and certainly changes in leadership reflect a continuation of the type of atrocities we’ve seen, or the type of approach that we’ve seen, and we’ve also predicted from the beginning,” she added.

1 hr 50 min ago

White House not planning for Biden to visit Ukraine right now

From CNN’s Kevin Liptak

The White House is not planning for US President Joe Biden to travel to Ukraine right now after a high-profile visit to Kyiv by his British counterpart.

“We’re not currently planning a trip by the President of the United States to Ukraine,” press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Over the weekend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Kyiv and toured the capital’s streets with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also visited Kyiv and Bucha, the site of atrocities, last week.

During a last-minute visit to Europe last month, Biden told aid workers he would have liked to visit Ukraine to see the situation at close range.

“They will not let me, understandably, I guess, cross the border and take a look at what’s going on in Ukraine,” Biden said. The White House had said before the trip they had not explored any visit to Ukraine. 

Since then, Russian forces have withdrawn from the area around Kyiv.

Psaki said more important than a presidential visit was a continued supply of weapons and support.

“What is most important to the Ukrainian leadership is that we are expediting weapons and getting them the assistance and security systems they need and that is what our focus is on,” she said.

Psaki declined to say who at the White House makes the call on whether Biden can visit the war-torn country, “I’m not going to get into private conversations,” she said.

2 hr 11 min ago

Indian prime minister told Biden he suggested Putin and Zelensky hold direct talks

From CNN’s Manveena Suri

On Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US President Joe Biden he had suggested the leaders of Russia and Ukraine hold direct talks.

Modi’s comments came during his opening remarks ahead of a virtual meeting with Biden. His remarks were streamed on both his official Twitter account and the account of the Prime Minister’s Office.

“I have spoken on the phone several times with the presidents of both Ukraine and Russia. Not only did I appeal for peace but I also suggested President Putin to hold direct talks with the President of Ukraine,” said Modi.

Modi also spoke on the killing of civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, describing the incident as “very worrying.”

“We immediately condemned it and demanded a fair investigation. We hope the ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine will pave the way for peace,” Modi continued, adding that India would continue to support Ukraine through humanitarian aid. 

“We have also placed importance on the safety of the civilian population in Ukraine and the uninterrupted supply of humanitarian aid to them. On our behalf, we have sent medicines and other relief materials to Ukraine and its neighboring countries. And on the request of Ukraine, we are sending another consignment of medicines very soon,” he said.

1 hr 25 min ago

Biden was “candid” in conversation with India’s Modi, but didn’t make specific ask on energy, official says

From CNN’s Kevin Liptak 

From left: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US President Joe Biden, Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar listen as Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (on screen) speaks during a virtual meeting at the White House on April 11, in Washington, DC.
From left: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US President Joe Biden, Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar listen as Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (on screen) speaks during a virtual meeting at the White House on April 11, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

US President Biden shared his “candid” view on India’s neutral stance in the war in Ukraine during an hour-long virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, according to a senior administration official.

But he did not make a specific ask of the Indian leader to take a side, nor did he receive any firm commitment from Modi to back off energy purchases from Russia. 

Speaking afterward, the official said the two leaders were able to exchange their views in a “warm” fashion, even though India’s position has caused increasing concern in Washington.

“There was no concrete ask and concrete answer, but the leaders were able to step back and have a pretty detailed and candid exchange of views,” the official said.

India has not backed off purchases of Russian oil or gas, despite efforts by the United States to rally the world behind crippling economic sanctions on Moscow. The official said in their meeting, Biden did not specifically demand India halt its purchases.

“Other countries have to make their own choices,” the official said. “That said, we don’t think India should accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy.”

Instead of making demands, Biden sought to underscore areas where India could help “mitigate the destabilizing impacts of Putin’s war,” the official said, citing food supplies as one place India has already shown a willingness to help.

“There was discussion about what more India might be able to do,” the official said.

In the meeting, Modi expressed concerns about the close ties between Russia and China — a factor the official said could impact India’s thinking in its stance on the war in Ukraine.

2 hr 35 min ago

Austria’s Nehammer says he is not “particularly optimistic” from talks with Putin  

From CNN’s Amy Cassidy and Jorge Engels

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Monday that he was not “particularly optimistic” from his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

“At the moment I’m not particularly optimistic after my talks with Putin. The offensive (in Ukraine) is being prepared with determination,” Nehammer said in a briefing in Moscow following the meeting between the two leaders earlier in the day.  

Nehammer — the first European leader to have met with Putin face-to-face since the invasion of Ukraine began — said that he confronted the Russian president “with the facts.”

“I made it clear to Mr. Putin, his attitude, his view is not shared by anybody. He sees it as a kind of self-defense operation of the Russian federation. He calls it special military operations. I call it the war,” he said.  

Nehammer, however, noted that “it was also clear and recognizable that the Russian president still has confidence” in the ongoing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey.  

2 hr 26 min ago

It’s 8 p.m. in Kyiv. Here’s what you need to know

From CNN Staff

Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he raised alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine during a “tough” and unfriendly meeting Monday with Vladimir Putin. It was the first Western sit-down with the Russian President since he launched his invasion in February.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country is “ready” for a major Russian offensive in the east of the country, as he accused Moscow of lying to deflect the blame for the war.

Nine evacuation corridors were agreed for Sunday, as the death toll rose from a Russian missile strike last week on a train station packed with evacuees.

Here are more of the latest headlines from the Russia-Ukraine conflict:

  • Rescue mission drivers detained: Nine drivers working for “Help People,” a Ukrainian volunteer group that provides food and medicine for those in need and assists in evacuations, were detained by the Russian military and remain missing, a group official told CNN. A total of 10 minibus drivers had driven into the Donbas region to help evacuate civilians from the besieged city of Mariupol, operating private vehicles in a low-profile rescue mission. Russian soldiers stopped them and tried to get them to drive the buses into Russia. When the drivers refused, they were taken prisoner, said Alex Voronin, the head of the non-government organization.
  • Kramatorsk evacuations: Kramatorsk’s railway terminal remained closed and civilian evacuations were continuing from nearby Slovyansk as cleanup and repairs continue following a Russian missile strike Friday, according to the city’s mayor, Oleksandr Honcharenko.” Compared to Friday, the city is quite calm today,” Honcharenko said in remarks at a news conference Monday. “Yesterday we were allowed to go to the train station to start cleaning up after the terrible tragedy. Unfortunately, the evacuation from the Kramatorsk railway station is not happening today. There is no agreement on whether the railway station will be opened, as Ukrzaliznytsia [the Ukrainian state railway company] has to carry out some repair work.”
  • Austrian chancellor and Putin meet: A face-to-face meeting between Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow was ”not a friendly visit,” Nehammer said in a statement issued by an Austrian official after the meeting. “This is not a friendly visit. I have just come from Ukraine and have seen with my own eyes the immeasurable suffering caused by the Russian war of aggression,” he said in the statement.
  • Russia to resupply forces in Donbas: Russia is attempting to resupply and reinforce its forces in the Donbas, according to a senior US defense official, as evidenced by a convoy of vehicles approaching the Ukrainian city of Izyum from the north. The vehicle line includes a “command and control element, a support battalion, basically enablers, perhaps rotary-wing aviation support, and other infantry support,” according to the official.
  • UN warns of rape and violence against Ukrainian women and children: Increased reports of rape and sexual violence against Ukrainian women and children must be thoroughly and independently investigated to ensure accountability, Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, said Monday morning. “The combination of mass displacement with the large presence of conscripts and mercenaries, and the brutality displayed against Ukrainian civilians, has raised all red flags,” Bahous said.
3 hr 1 min ago

UN Women warns of rape and sexual violence against Ukrainian women and children

From CNN’s Laura Ly

Increased reports of rape and sexual violence against Ukrainian women and children must be thoroughly and independently investigated to ensure accountability, Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, said Monday morning. 

“The combination of mass displacement with the large presence of conscripts and mercenaries, and the brutality displayed against Ukrainian civilians, has raised all red flags,” Bahous said.

She later added that there is also an increased risk of human trafficking at border crossings, with young women and unaccompanied teenagers at particular risk. 

Bahous was addressing the UN Security Council in New York City upon her return from Moldova, where she observed the humanitarian response at temporary shelters erected for people fleeing Ukraine. There are an estimated 95,000 Ukrainians being hosted in Moldova to date, Bahous said.

UN Women, a United Nations entity dedicated to advancing gender equity and the empowerment of women, is working with refugee response teams and civil society teams on the ground in Moldova “to ensure that the gendered nature of this crisis is addressed with a gender sensitive response.”

Bahous stressed the imperative need to have a “gender-sensitive” humanitarian response, including “services to provide with a focus on protection and to address the increased trauma and psycho-social support needs.”

“Gender-sensitive and survivor-centered response must be at the heart of all humanitarian action,” Bahous said. She added that despite all of the violence, “women continue to serve and lead their communities and support the internally displaced.”

“Women make up 80% of all health and social care workers in Ukraine, and many of them chose not to evacuate,” Bahous said. “I heard from women in the shelters that they too, are taking on leadership roles, and supporting the refugee response in the host countries.”

Despite this, Bahous said women remain largely absent from any current negotiation efforts. She called for the UN Security Council and all UN member states to “to ensure the meaningful participation of women and girls, including from marginalized groups, in all decision-making processes, peace, diplomacy, and humanitarian. Without this, we will not have peace, development, or human security.”

3 hr 10 min ago

Nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have been displaced, UNICEF says

From CNN’s Laura Ly

Children play outside of a railway station in Przemysl, eastern Poland, on April 7, which has become a hub for refugees from Ukraine fleeing their country due to the conflict with Russia.
Children play outside of a railway station in Przemysl, eastern Poland, on April 7, which has become a hub for refugees from Ukraine fleeing their country due to the conflict with Russia. (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP/Getty Images)

Nearly two-thirds of Ukraine’s children have been displaced in just six weeks and nearly half of the children who remain in Ukraine may face food insecurity, Manuel Fontaine, director of emergencies for UNICEF, said Monday.

“Of the 3.2 million children estimated to have remained in their homes, nearly half may be at risk of not having enough food. Attacks on water system infrastructure and power outages have left an estimated 1.4 million people without access to water in Ukraine. Another 4.6 million people have only limited access,” Fontaine said in remarks to the UN Security Council. “In just six weeks, nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have been displaced. They have been forced to leave everything behind: Their homes, their schools, and often, their family members.”

Fontaine added that the situation for children in Ukraine is even worse in Mariupol and Kherson, “where children and their families have now gone weeks without running water and sanitation services, a regular supply of food, and medical care. They are sheltering in their homes and underground, waiting for the bombs and violence to stop.”

The UNICEF emergencies director also expressed his concerns about the presence of “explosive remnants of war” which can expose children to death and injury, as well as the disruption of education for children across the country. 

“Nationwide school closures are impacting the learning — and the futures — of 5.7 million school-age children and 1.5 million students in higher education. In the Donbas region, a whole generation of children have already seen their lives and education upended during the past eight years of conflict,” Fontaine said.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-04-11-22/h_e8e990de0b7c8cac78c920b2dc008aab