Russia Aims Again At Kharkiv, 15 Civilians Killed
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city with a population of 1.4 million, had repelled Russian advances in the early weeks of the war, but has again become the leading target of Moscow outside of the southern Donbas region.
Russian Soldiers Threaten Residents Of Occupied Region With Public Executions
Melitopol, Ukraine
The mayor of Melitopol, a city in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, said that occupying Russian troops are systematically threatening locals with public executions.
Mayor Ivan Fedorov told Ukrainian media Novoye Vremya that the threats were meant to quell Ukrainian protests and maintain Russian power in the occupied territories. "The opposition only grows, and the peaceful protests grow and the opposition to the armed forces grows,” said the mayor. “That is why they want to go to the next stage.”
Fedorov believes that this is also revenge for the refusal of local officials in the city of 155,000, to surrender.
"For me, it is absolutely obvious why they are doing it. They have not received support from us for three months, they have not received support from the population, and they have not received support from the authorities. That is why today they are committing genocide against our population," he said.
After Kremlin Threats, U.S. Stands By Lithuania In Stand-off With Russia
Freight trains stand at Kaliningrad-Sortirovochny station.
The United States has reaffirmed its support of Lithuania and other NATO member states afterthe Kremlin promised to retaliate for transit restrictions through the Baltic state. Lithuania restricted the transit of certain goods through its territory from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave that is surrounded by Lithuania and Poland.
Lithuania said the move was in line with European trade sanctions against Russia. Moscow considers any restrictions on goods between the mainland and the enclave to be illegal, and promised to respond.
Tensions have been high between Moscow and Vilinus since the invasion of Ukraine, with Russia recently proposing to reconsider Lithuania’s independence.
U.S. State Department spokespersonNed Price said Washington “welcomed” the economic measures and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to NATO members in the case of an attack on their soil.
Suspected Ukrainian Drone Attack On Oil Refinery In Russia
A fire broke out Wednesday morning at an oil refinery in a Russian region bordering Ukraine. Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, reported on Telegram that the fire was possibly caused "by a drone attack on the plant's technical facilities. Fragments belonging to two drones were found on the territory of the refinery.”
Golubev added that the fire was put out and no one had been injured. The oil refinery has suspended all operations for the time being.
It is the latest incident near the border that risks escalating the war if Ukraine strikes inside Russian territory.
Russian Ruble Strongest Major World Currency
Ruble bills
The Russian ruble is, by all accounts, currently the strongest major world currency. It now stands at its highest level in seven years against the U.S. dollar, gaining over 35% this year and trading at 55.78 to the dollar.
While Western sanctions against Moscow have disrupted key parts of Moscow’s economy, the Russian currency has only gotten stronger since the beginning of the war, with exchange rates plummeting. Despite U.S. and Europe cutting Russian energy imports, Moscow has been able to compensate with record oil and gas exports to Asia.
Moscow Changes U.S. Embassy Address To Honor Ukraine Separatists
Square now named Donetsk People's Republic
Moscow City Hall announced Wednesday a change in the official address of the U.S. embassy in Moscow to honor pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, and denounce the U.S. support to Kyiv.
The embassy is now located on the square of the People's Republic of Donetsk, referring to one of the two separatist territories of Ukraine's Donbas, whose independence Russia recognized in February, just before the invasion of Ukraine.
Dagestan Sheep Marked Z As Symbol Of Russian Army
In the southwestern Russian republic of Dagestan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food reported on the moving of cattle to summer pastures, and accompanied the report with a video of a flock of sheep with the letter Z (the symbol of the Russian war in Ukraine) painted on their fleece.
As a musical accompaniment, the unusual propaganda video featured the composition of the pro-Putin singer "Forward, Russia!" The animals are marching in time, notes Novaya Gazeta.Europe, among the many ironic and sarcastic reactions to the video, which was taken offline after only two hours.
