The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine completed a half-century today, as 50 days passed since the Russian troops invaded Ukraine. However, Ukraine today claimed that it struck the Russian warship Moskva, the Black Sea fleet with missiles, and one official said Thursday that the vessel sank, reported the news agency AP.
Russia did not acknowledge any attack but said a fire aboard the ship, which would typically have 500 sailors on board, forced the entire crew to evacuate. It later said the fire had been contained and that the ship would be towed to port with its guided missile launchers intact.
Here are some important points:
- Russia accused Ukrainian forces of launching airstrikes on the Russian region of Bryansk which borders Ukraine, the latest in a series of allegations of cross-border attacks by Kyiv on Russian territory.
- French President Emmanuel Macron declined to use the term “genocide” to describe Russia’s Ukraine war, arguing against an “escalation of words.”
- Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Western countries’ attempts to phase out Russian gas imports will have a negative impact on their economies. Speaking Thursday, Putin said European attempts to find alternatives to Russian gas shipments will be “quite painful for the initiators of such policies.”
- The French government froze 33 properties on the French Riviera, Paris and elsewhere that belong to Russian oligarchs targeted for sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said the fire at the Moskva cruiser, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, has been contained. It says the vessel remains afloat and will be towed to the port.
- The United Nations (UN) task force warned in a new report that Russia’s war against Ukraine threatens to devastate the economies of many developing countries that are now facing even higher food and energy costs and increasingly difficult financial conditions.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he’s “sincerely thankful” to the U.S. for the new round of $800 million in military assistance.
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