Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned in an interview with CNN that the international community should take seriously the threat that Russia could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

"Not only me -- all of the world, all of the countries have to be worried," Zelenskiy told the network on April 16.

The remarks follow comments by CIA Director Bill Burns, who said the threat of Russia potentially using nuclear weapons in Ukraine could not be taken lightly, although the U.S. spy agency had not yet seen any signs of specific concern.

SEE ALSO:

Is Russia About To Use Nuclear Weapons In Ukraine? Probably Not. 

Speaking in English, Zelenskiy said that human lives mean nothing to Moscow.

As to the possible use of chemical weapons by Russia, Zelenskiy stressed the importance of being prepared for any eventuality.

"But that is not a question for Ukraine, not only for Ukraine but for all the world, I think," he added.

In a speech on April 14, Burns said that "given the potential desperation of President [Vladimir] Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they've faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons."

The Kremlin said it had placed Russian nuclear forces on high alert shortly after it launched its unprovoked war on Ukraine on February 24, but the United States has not seen "a lot of practical evidence" of actual deployments that would cause more worry, Burns added.

"We're obviously very concerned. I know President [Joe] Biden is deeply concerned about avoiding a third world war, about avoiding a threshold in which, you know, nuclear conflict becomes possible," Burns said.

Based on reporting by Reuters, dpa, CNN, and AFP

Russia's state-run TASS news agency says that the head of the Russian Navy has met with the crew of the sunken missile cruiser Moskva and said members would continue their service in the navy.

SEE ALSO:

Analysis: Sinking Of Russia's Flagship Navy Vessel A 'Huge Psychological Boost' For Ukraine

The Russian Defense Ministry released a short video showing Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov and two other officers in front of some 100 sailors on a parade ground.

The ministry did not say when the meeting took place.

Russia acknowledged on April 14 that the Moskva had sunk, attributing the disaster to an ammunition explosion.

Ukraine said it hit the vessel, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, with at least one Neptune missile.

Moscow said all of the 500 crew members were rescued after the April 13 blast. Ukrainian officials said some of those on board the ship had died. Neither side has provided evidence to support the claims.

The U.S. military agreed with the Ukrainian version of the ship’s sinking.

"We assess that they hit it with two Neptunes," a senior Pentagon official said in a briefing with reporters on April 15, calling it a "big blow" for Moscow.

The strikes were believed to have caused casualties, but it was difficult to assess how many, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS

A Ukrainian court has ordered that Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of a pro-Russian political party, be held without bail following his recapture by Ukrainian special forces on April 12.

In the April 16 Lychakiv court proceedings, prosecutors noted that Medvedchuk had been arrested and placed under house arrest on January 10 but was discovered to have escaped on February 26.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on April 12 posted a photo on Facebook of a disheveled Medvedchuk -- who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin -- in handcuffs as he announced his capture.

SEE ALSO:

Family Of Sanctioned Ukrainian Politician Selling Refined Oil To U.S.

Zelenskiy later proposed swapping Medvedchuk for prisoners of war being held by Russian forces.

The Kremlin rejected Kyiv's offer, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters that "Medvedchuk is not a Russian citizen and has nothing to do with the special military operation [in Ukraine]." He added, though, that Moscow would "undoubtedly follow the fate of Medvedchuk."

Moscow refers to its unprovoked February 24 invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation.”

Medvedchuk, who led the Opposition Platform-For Life party, which advocated close ties to Russia, was arrested last year on charges of treason and terrorism financing.

The 67-year-old Medvedchuk denies the charges and calls them politically motivated.

Medvedchuk, who tapped Putin to be the godfather of his child, is one of the nation’s wealthiest individuals, with a fortune estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars, including energy assets in Russia.

Ukraine sanctioned Medvedchuk in February 2021, freezing his assets, and took off the air three television stations it said belonged to him for promoting Russian propaganda.

With reporting by Reuters

The German justice minister says the delivery of tanks and other heavy weaponry to Ukraine would not -- by international law -- constitute his country’s entry into the war against Russia.

Justice Minister Marco Buschmann told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper in an interview published on April 16 that international law does not label the delivery of weapons as an entry into war.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Therefore, if Ukraine “exercises its legitimate right of self-defense, supporting it by supplying weapons cannot lead to becoming a party to the war," said Buschmann.

The published comments come a day after the German government said it plans to release more than 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion) in military aid to Ukraine following complaints by Kyiv that it is not receiving heavy weapons from Berlin.

A government spokeswoman told AFP that Berlin has decided to raise its international aid globally in the defense sector to 2 billion euros -- with “the largest part being planned in the form of military aid in favor of Ukraine.”

The funds for Ukraine are to be used for Kyiv to make military purchases, German officials said.

Political tensions between Germany and Ukraine have risen in recent days after Kyiv rejected a proposed visit by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who acknowledged "errors" in a too conciliatory policy toward Russia in the past when he served as foreign minister.

Many German politicians and citizens have debated how deeply the country should get involved in assisting Kyiv with military aid in its battle against the unprovoked attack by Russia.

Western nations, led by the United States, have been stepping up the delivery of weapons to Kyiv’s forces amid desperate pleas by Ukrainian leaders.

Germany has already provided hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Ukraine during the conflict.

Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz has not yet made a definitive public comment on the possibility of sending heavier weapons such as tanks, helicopters, and planes to Ukraine, even as cries calling for such aid have grown from within his center-left coalition.

Scholz has come under criticism in Germany for his hesitancy to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine, although Berlin has participated in Western sanctions against Russia and has stopped certification on the $12 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline built to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany.

With reporting by Welt am Sonntag and dpa

BELGRADE -- A Serbian judge has ruled organized crime boss Darko Saric be remanded in custody for one month, canceling his house arrest over fears he may try to leave the country or tamper with evidence ahead of his retrial.

The judge said at a pretrial hearing on April 16 that Saric may "hide or flee and become inaccessible to the judicial authorities" as he awaits further court proceedings.

Saric is charged with organizing a group to smuggle drugs and launder money.

He was convicted in 2018 and handed a 15-year prison sentence for organizing the group. But a Supreme Court ruling in June 2021 allowed Saric to leave prison for house arrest because it found procedural issues in the handling of his case.

The criminal organization Saric organized was accused of smuggling almost six tons of cocaine from South America to Europe in 2008 and 2009.

The Supreme Court did not question the evidence brought against Saric at the original trial that convicted him, but the crime boss has maintained his innocence.

Russia says it has banned British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Minister Liz Truss, and several other cabinet ministers over British measures aimed at isolating Moscow over its unprovoked war against Ukraine.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on April 16 that the measures, which have been adopted in coordination with the United States, the European Union, and other allies, were "strangling" the domestic economy.

The statement lists 13 British officials in total, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, and warns it will be expanded "in the near future."

The Western sanctions, adopted since Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24, have been imposed on Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin and his family, as well as Russian companies and oligarchs who are seen as close to the country's leadership.

KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has threatened to break off talks with Moscow should Russian forces wipe out the remaining Ukrainian soldiers trapped in Mariupol as Moscow claimed it had taken control of the besieged and battered port city after a weeks-long battle.

The Russian Defense Ministry on April 16 said it had cleared the Mariupol urban area of Ukrainian troops and had trapped a few remaining fighters in the Azovstal steel plant, according to Russian state-run media.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman was quoted by Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency as saying that Ukrainian forces have lost a total of 4,000 troops during the long fight for the city -- a battle that has caught the world’s attention for its brutality.

Casualty figures from both sides have proved impossible to independently confirm during the conflict, which began with Russia's unprovoked invasion on February 24.

Ukraine has not commented on the latest Russian claims but in recent days has indicated the situation in Mariupol was desperate, with deaths mounting among the trapped civilian population and many experts predicting the city would soon fall to the Russians.

In an interview published earlier on April 16 with Ukrayinska Pravda, Zelenskiy warned Russia against committing atrocities against Ukrainian soldiers in the city.

"The elimination of our troops, of our men [in Mariupol] will put an end to any negotiations,” he said.

"That will bring an impasse as we don't negotiate on either our territories or our people," he added.

Peace talks have taken place between the two sides since Russia's invasion began, with little or no progress.

Ukraine says tens of thousands of people are believed to have been killed in Mariupol, a strategic city that has seen some of the worst fighting of the war.

Reports early on April 16 said heavy fighting continued in several parts of Mariupol as Ukrainian troops attempted to fend off Russian soldiers who have been bolstered by reinforcements in recent days.

"The situation is very difficult [in Mariupol]," Zelenskiy said early in the day. "Our soldiers are blocked, the wounded are blocked. There is a humanitarian crisis.... Nevertheless, the guys are defending themselves."

As the battle for the ruins of Mariupol appeared to be near its bloody end, air-raid sirens could be heard in many other parts of Ukraine on April 16, including in Kyiv, after Russia said it would seek revenge on the capital for what it claimed, without evidence, was Ukrainian targeting of Russian border towns.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said at least one person was killed and several others wounded in early morning attacks.

• RFE/RL

This is the equipment promised to Ukraine as part of an $800 million military-aid package that was announced by the White House on April 13.

"For those Kyivites who left and are already thinking of heading back to return to the capital, I ask you to refrain from this and stay in safer places," Klitschko said in a message on his Telegram channel.

Russian troops have faced tougher-than-expected resistance -- both from the Ukrainian military and from ordinary citizens -- forcing them to retreat from areas in the north and to focus on eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, including Mariupol.

In his nightly address to the nation, Zelenskiy said the success of Ukraine's military and that of international sanctions against Russia will determine how long the war will last.

"The success of our military on the battlefield has been really significant. Historically significant. But it's still not enough to clear our land from the invading forces," he said.

"The sanctions against Russia are very serious, economically painful. But it is not enough to starve Russia's military machine. We need to promote stronger, more destructive sanctions. This will determine how long this war will last," he added.

SEE ALSO:

Russian Soldier And Wife Discussing Rape Of Ukrainian Women Identified By RFE/RL

Russia's warning to inflict more damage on Ukraine came a day after it suffered a symbolic defeat with the loss of its Black Sea fleet flagship, the Moskva, which sank while being towed to port on April 14 after suffering heavy damage under circumstances that remain in dispute.

“The number and the scale of missile attacks on objects in Kyiv will be ramped up in response to the Kyiv nationalist regime committing any terrorist attacks or diversions on the Russian territory,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.

SEE ALSO:

Analysis: Sinking Of Russia's Flagship Navy Vessel A 'Huge Psychological Boost' For Ukraine

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (RNBO) has rejected Russia’s accusations about the attacks on Russian towns, calling them "an attempt to ignite anti-Ukraine hysteria in Russia."

Kyiv did claim, however, to have hit the Moskva with Neptune anti-ship missiles early on April 14, while Russia said a fire broke out on the ship, causing an explosion.

The U.S. military agreed with the Ukrainian version.

"We assess that they hit it with two Neptunes," a senior Pentagon official said in a briefing with reporters on April 15, calling it a "big blow" for Moscow.

The strikes were believed to have caused casualties, but it was difficult to assess how many, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official added that the United States had observed survivors being recovered by other Russian vessels in the area. Russia said the Moskva's crew was evacuated to nearby ships.

Meanwhile, the United States and its Western allies continued to pile pressure on Moscow over its campaign.

The German government said on April 15 that it plans to release more than 1 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine.

The move comes amid criticism from Ukraine and some EU partners such as Poland and the Baltic states that Germany has not done enough to send armaments to Kyiv.

Russia's Foreign Ministry on April 16 said it was banning British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Minister Liz Truss, and several other cabinet ministers over British measures aimed at isolating Moscow and crippling the country's economy.

WATCH: A Ukrainian woman has given RFE/RL a detailed account of how she was raped by a Russian Army soldier. To protect her privacy, we have pixelated her face and we are not disclosing her name. Ukrainian police have been informed of the case.

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In Russia, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has asked the government to increase funding for troop funeral services and tombstones.

The FSB asked for a 17 percent increase for funeral services, according to documents recently posted to a government website.

The UN refugee agency said as of April 16 that 4,836,445 million Ukrainians had left the country since the Russian invasion -- up by 40,200 from the previous day’s total.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Thousands of people waving Russian and Serbian flags and carrying pictures of Russian President Vladimir Putin marched through Belgrade on April 15 to protest Serbia's support for Russia's suspension from the UN Human Rights Council.

The demonstration, organized by the far-right anti-immigrant group the People’s Patrol, gathered at the monument to Russian Tsar Nikolai II in the center of Belgrade and from there walked to the Russian Embassy chanting, "Serbs and Russians -- brothers forever," "No NATO," and, "Crimea is Russia, Kosovo is Serbia.”

They lit torches and threw smoke bombs in front of the building of the Serbian presidency, shouting slogans against President Aleksandar Vucic. Law enforcement officers took no action.

The protest was also supported by the right-wing movement Dveri, which is entering the Serbian Parliament with 10 seats won in elections on April 3.

The organizers of the protest demanded that the government in Belgrade "immediately stop all proceedings against Russia in international organizations."

Serbia has voted against Russia three times in favor of UN resolutions condemning its invasion of Ukraine but has been explicit in supporting only decisions that do not relate to sanctions. Serbia voted to exclude Russia from the UN Human Rights Council on April 7, joining 93 members of the 193-member General Assembly voting in favor of suspension.

The protest on April 15 was the latest held in Belgrade in support of Russia’s war against Ukraine. A March 13 demonstration, also organized by the People's Patrol, featured several dozen vehicles marked with a Z -- symbol of the Russian Army in Ukraine -- and Serbian and Russian flags cruising the city's streets.

Protests in support of Russia were also organized on March 4 and March 24 in the center of Belgrade. They drew thousands of participants, who chanted slogans of support for Russia as they walked to the Russian Embassy.

A text co-written by a Ukrainian woman and a Russian woman and set to be included on April 15 at a Good Friday procession in Rome was scrapped after a Ukrainian archbishop called it incoherent and offensive.

The participation of the two women in the candlelight Way of the Cross service had already been criticized by Ukrainian officials, with no response from the Vatican, but a decision was made to replace the text they wrote -- a meditation speaking of death, loss of values, rage, resignation, and reconciliation despite the bombings.

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of Ukraine's Byzantine-rite Catholic Church, said the text was "incoherent and even offensive, especially in the context of the expected second, even bloodier attack of Russian troops on our cities and villages."

The traditional Way of the Cross procession at Rome's Colosseum became embroiled in controversy earlier this week when the program showed that the two women, who work together at a Rome hospital and are friends, would take part.

The candlelight service consists of the 14 stations of the cross that trace events leading to the condemnation, death, and burial of Jesus. Participants who carry the cross from one station to the next often reflect world events in their meditations.

Shevchuk initially complained about their inclusion, saying it was inopportune because it did not "take into account the context of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine."

Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See, Andriy Yurash, joined the archbishop in objecting to the Vatican’s plan to include them, saying it projected the idea of reconciliation at a time when Ukraine is being ravaged by a war unleashed by Russia.

Prior to the procession, the original text of their meditation of some 200 words was replaced with two sentences: "Faced with death, silence is the most eloquent of words. Let us all pause in silent prayer and each one pray in their hearts for peace in the world."

The crowd of several thousand people fell silent for about as long as it would have taken to read the original, longer meditation.

Francis, 85, watched the procession sitting on white chair. It was the first time the procession had been held since before the pandemic.

In his own final prayer, the pope asked God to allow "adversaries to shake hands so they can taste mutual forgiveness, to disarm the hand raised by a brother against a brother, so that concord can spring from where there is now hate."

Pope Francis, wearing red vestments to symbolize the blood of Jesus, presided earlier at a Good Friday service at the Vatican, recalling the last hours of Jesus’s life on Earth.

The service is one of the few events at which the pope does not deliver a homily, which was delivered by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa.

"This year, we celebrate Easter not to the joyful sound of bells, but with the noise in our ears of bombs and explosions not far from here," Cantalamessa said, referring to the war in Ukraine.

Paraphrasing the biblical peace call to "beat your swords into plowshares and your spears into pruning hooks," Cantalamessa spoke of beating "missiles into factories and homes."

Good Friday is the most solemn day of Holy Week, which culminates in Easter Sunday. The holiday falls on April 24 this year for Orthodox Christians.

Francis will lead an Easter Vigil Mass in the basilica on April 16 before saying Mass in St. Peter's Square on April 17, and then delivering his twice-yearly Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) message and blessing.

While Francis has denounced the February 24 invasion and attacks on Ukraine as a “sacrilege,'' he has refrained from naming Russia as the aggressor, although references to Russian Vladimir Putin have been clear.

The pope is pressing for negotiations to cease the fighting and bring peace and has offered to go to Ukraine if his presence could further the cause of peace.

Speaking to Italian television station RAI, the pontiff reiterated his pacifist stance.

"We live according to an idea where we kill each other because of the need for power, for security, for many things," Francis said. "I understand governments that buy weapons. I understand them, but I don't approve of it."

With reporting by Reuters and AP

The Russian Justice Ministry has added several journalists, including some who have collaborated with RFE/RL, and two LGBT rights activists to its registry of foreign agents.

Two prominent journalists -- Yury Dud, who has a popular YouTube channel, and Roman Dobrokhotov, editor in chief of the investigative website The Insider -- are among those added, the ministry said on April 15.

The Insider has already been added to the registry and fined for not labeling its content as produced by a foreign agent. Dobrokhotov has said the website would not mark its materials with the disclaimer because The Insider is registered in Latvia and is not obliged to follow Russian law.

The Justice Ministry on April 15 also added political cartoonist and satirist Sergei Yolkin, whose drawings have been published regularly by RFE/RL, and political analyst Yekaterina Shulman to the registry.

Journalists Karen Shainyan, Aleksei Semyonov, and Kirill Kruglikov were also added. Semyonov and Kruglikov have collaborated with RFE/RL’s Russian Service.

The two LGBT activists are Maria Sabunaeva, head of the Psychological Service of the Russian LGBT Network, and feminist Regina Dzugkoeva.

"The Kremlin's assault on the truth appears increasingly desperate," RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in a statement. "It is clear that the Putin regime is worried about their ability to continue to hide the truth. Despite these designations, we are redoubling our efforts to ensure the Russian people have access to independent information."

The registry now includes 142 entities and citizens. Those on the registry must meet several requirements, including financial reporting and an obligation to label all posts on social media with a disclaimer. Violations are subject to administrative and criminal liability.

The Justice Ministry, in keeping with its usual practice, did not report the reasons for adding the journalists and activists to its list. Many of them have recently spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Dud recently published the documentary film A Man In Time Of War about how Russians in Budapest are helping Ukrainian refugees.

Shulman said this week that she has left for Berlin on a scholarship from a German foundation. Yolkin, who has been known since 1999 for sharp and popular cartoons mocking Russian politics and targeting social problems in Russia and other former Soviet republics, said on April 13 that he is in Bulgaria.

"The future is foggy," he wrote on Facebook.

The identities of a Russian soldier and his wife who discussed the rape of Ukrainian women in a phone call have been revealed following an investigation by RFE/RL.

The investigation found that Roman Bykovsky, 27, and his wife, Olga Bykovskaya, whose maiden name is Pinyasovaya, were the couple behind the shocking call that has fed fears of mass rape of Ukrainian women by Russian soldiers.

During the call, which Ukrainian security services in the Kherson region in the country’s south said they intercepted before publishing it earlier this month, a woman can be heard giving permission to a man to rape Ukrainian women.

“Yes, I allow it. Just wear protection,” the woman says between laughs.

Reporters from RFE/RL's Russian Service and Schemes, a joint investigative project run by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, received the telephone numbers of the participants in the infamous call from sources in Ukraine’s security services and used the numbers to find the social media accounts of Bykovsky and his wife.

Born and raised in Oryol, Russia, a town about 350 kilometers southwest of Moscow, the Bykovskys moved to Crimea a few years after Russia seized the peninsula from Ukraine.

Social media posts by Bykovsky’s mother, Irina Bykovskaya, show that he is a member of Russia’s armed forces.

When contacted by RFE/RL, Bykovsky confirmed his identity and said he was in Sevastopol, the Crimean port where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based. However, he denied he was the man on the call.

Olga Bykovskaya confirmed her husband was in Sevastopol, saying he was wounded and being treated in a hospital when RFE/RL contacted her.

Neither would answer any more questions.

Despite Bykovsky's denial, his voice and that of his wife match those heard on the call intercepted by Ukrainian security services, RFE/RL and Schemes reported.

No one has accused Bykovsky of rape and no charges have been filed against the couple.

While they may have been joking during their call, the publication came amid a growing number of allegations by Ukrainian women that they had been raped by the invading Russian soldiers.

In a report published on April 3, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented the first reported rape allegations. Many more followed after Russian forces withdrew from towns around Kyiv.

SEE ALSO:

'Part Of Russia's Arsenal': Allegations Of Rape By Russian Forces In Ukraine Are Increasing

On the same day as the HRW report, U.K. Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons called rape an element of Russia's unprovoked war campaign.

"Though we don't yet know the full extent of its use in Ukraine, it's already clear it was part of Russia's arsenal," Simmons wrote. "Women raped in front of their kids, girls in front of their families, as a deliberate act of subjugation."

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Rape is a war crime and soldiers accused of such acts could face an international court if captured. Their commanders are also criminally liable if they knew acts of rape were happening and did nothing to stop them.

Russia has not responded to Ukrainian allegations about rape specifically. But Russian officials have denied that Russian forces in Ukraine have targeted civilians or committed war crimes, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

Moscow has expelled 18 employees of the European Union's delegation to Russia in retaliation for the expulsion of 19 Russians from Brussels earlier this month, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Eighteen employees of the EU Delegation to Russia have been declared 'personae non gratae' and will have to leave the territory of the Russian Federation in the near future," the ministry statement on April 15 said.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the EU ambassador to Russia, Markus Ederer, and informed him of the retaliatory measures.

"The Russian side declared that the EU is responsible for the consistent destruction of the architecture of bilateral dialogue and cooperation that had taken decades to form," the ministry said.

The EU diplomats must leave Russia as soon as possible, the ministry added.

The European Union decried the decision as unjustified.

"The European Union deplores the unjustified, baseless decision of the Russian Federation to expel 18 members of the Delegation of the European Union to the Russian Federation," the EU's diplomatic service said in a statement.

"There are no grounds for Friday's decision by the Russian authorities beyond being a pure retaliatory step. Russia's chosen course of action will further deepen its international isolation," it said.

The EU on April 5 declared the 19 Russian diplomats personae non gratae for "engaging in activities contrary to their diplomatic status" and ordered them to leave host nation Belgium.

Western nations have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats over Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and Russia has said that it will respond to all such expulsions.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

The mother of a British man who has been reportedly captured by Russian troops while fighting in Ukraine has called for him to be treated with "humanity" and released.

Russian television late on April 14 broadcast images of a young man handcuffed and with a cut on his forehead, saying that his name was Aiden Aslin.

Aslin's mother, Ang Wood, told the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph that she knew it was her 28-year-old son because of his distinctive tattoo.

"Aiden is a serving member of the Ukrainian armed forces, and as such is a prisoner of war and must be treated with humanity," she was quoted as saying by the newspaper. She holds Russian President Vladimir Putin "to the terms of the Geneva Convention," she added.

"It already looks like he has been beaten up. It is time now for the British government to get involved and help secure Aiden's release because he is still a British citizen," she said.

There was no immediate reaction from Britain's Foreign Ministry.

"I'm in bits. My son will be scared, just as we are," Wood told the Telegraph.

The newspaper reported that Aslin joined the Ukrainian military in 2018 and bought a house in Ukraine to start a family with his fiancee. The Telegraph said he previously fought alongside the Kurds against the extremist group Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa

Russia's communications regulator has blocked access to the Russian language website of The Moscow Times and the website of Radio France International (RFI).

The Moscow Times said on April 15 that its Russian-language website was blocked after it published what authorities call a false report on riot police officers refusing to fight in Ukraine.

The publication said Russian Internet providers had already started to block its Russian-language site. It published a notice from Russia's communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, which said its site was now blocked.

RFI also appeared in Roskomnadzor's database of blocked websites. The station's English, French, and Russian-language websites could not be accessed in Moscow, according to the AFP news agency.

The site has featured a series of hard-hitting reports about Russia's invasion of Ukraine this week.

France Medias Monde, a state-owned holding company in charge of French international broadcasting, said it will continue to look for ways to distribute RFI reports in Russia.

"We will continue our work, mobilizing all technical solutions to continue making our content accessible to the Russian people," France Medias Monde chief executive Marie-Christine Saragosse said in a statement.

Russian authorities have blocked a number of independent media outlets and publications in their attempts to control coverage of the country’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

After Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, state regulator Roskomnadzor ordered all media outlets to only use data and information provided by Russia's official sources when covering the war. It also directed media outlets to describe events in Ukraine as a "special military operation" and not a war or an invasion.

Several Russian media outlets have chosen to suspend operations rather than face heavy restrictions on what they can report. The Kremlin has also blocked multiple foreign news outlets, including RFE/RL.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

North Macedonia has declared six Russian diplomats personae non gratae for violating diplomatic norms and ordered them to leave the country, the Foreign Ministry said on April 15.

“These individuals were carrying out activities that are contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and will have to leave the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia in the next five days," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Russian Embassy said the allegations were "completely unfounded" and warned of "serious consequences."

"The Russian side will take measures, not necessarily symmetrical, but meaningful as an answer to this step," the embassy said on Twitter.

It is the second expulsion of Russian diplomats from North Macedonia since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Last month, five Russian diplomats were ordered to leave North Macedonia for what Skopje described as “inappropriate” diplomatic activities.

In 2021, North Macedonia expelled two Russian diplomats in separate incidents.

Two years before that, a Russian diplomat was expelled for "domestic security reasons" and in solidarity with Britain over the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.

With reporting by AFP

CIA Director William Burns said the threat of Russia potentially using nuclear weapons in Ukraine could not be taken lightly, but the agency had not seen much evidence reinforcing that concern.

During a speech on April 14, Burns spoke of the "potential desperation" and setbacks faced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces have suffered heavy losses and have been forced to retreat from some parts of northern Ukraine after failing to capture Kyiv.

"Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they've faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons," Burns said.

The Kremlin said it placed Russian nuclear forces on high alert shortly after it launched its unprovoked war on Ukraine on February 24, but the United States has not seen "a lot of practical evidence" of actual deployments that would cause more worry, Burns added, speaking to students at Georgia Tech university.

"We're obviously very concerned. I know President Biden is deeply concerned about avoiding a third world war, about avoiding a threshold in which, you know, nuclear conflict becomes possible," Burns said.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

Ukraine said on April 15 that seven people were killed and more than two dozen injured in a Russian attack on buses ferrying civilians from the war-torn east of the country.

"On April 14, Russian servicemen fired on evacuation buses carrying civilians in the village of Borova in the Izium district," the office of Ukraine's prosecutor-general said in a statement on social media.

"Preliminary data shows seven people died. Another 27 people were injured," the statement said.

A total of 2,557 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on April 14, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late in the day.

Of that, 289 people evacuated from the besieged southern port of Mariupol using their own transport, Vereshchuk said in a social media post.

Another 220 people were brought to safety from the Luhansk region in the east of the country.

Ukraine says tens of thousands of people are believed to have been killed in Mariupol and accuses Russia of blocking aid convoys attempting to bring relief to civilians who have been trapped in the city for weeks.

Ukrainian authorities have called on civilians in the eastern part of the country to leave ahead of an imminent, stepped-up offensive by Russian forces.

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Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine

The calls for civilians to flee have been given a greater sense of urgency by a missile attack on April 8 on a train station in the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region. The station was packed with women, children, and the elderly trying to escape the fighting.

Russia's unprovoked war has forced about one-quarter of Ukraine's 44 million people from their homes, reduced many cities to rubble, and killed or injured thousands.

With reporting by Reuters and dpa

Britain has sanctioned the director of the Chelsea soccer club and another associate of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich for their close association with the Russian tycoon.

Chelsea Football Club director Eugene Tenenbaum and another Abramovich business associate, David Davidovich, were targeted.

The government said it had imposed a freezing order on $10 billion worth of assets linked to the two men, saying it was the largest asset freeze ever imposed by the government.

"We are tightening the ratchet on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's war machine and targeting the circle of people closest to the Kremlin," British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said. "We will keep going with sanctions until Putin fails in Ukraine. Nothing and no one is off the table."

Davidovich will also face a travel ban, meaning he will be refused the right to enter or remain in Britain.

Abramovich, a billionaire businessman, was among several wealthy Russians added last month to British and European Union sanctions. He has denied having close ties to Putin.

On February 24, the day Russia invaded Ukraine, Tenenbaum took full control of Ervington Investments Limited, which has served as an investment vehicle for Abramovich for at least eight years.

The company invested in at least eight firms, including Russia's top search engine Yandex and Via, a ride-sharing app.

Tenenbaum last month told Reuters that his company had purchased Ervington Investments in compliance with all laws and regulations. The firm was transferred again last month to Davidovich. Reuters said it was unable to reach Davidovich immediately for comment.

The British government said when it sanctioned Abramovich that he had been a close ally of Putin for decades.

Based on reporting by Reuters

Russia's Defense Ministry warned on April 15 that it will intensify attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, after accusing Ukraine of targeting Russian border towns.

The statement came a day after Russia suffered a symbolic defeat with the loss of its Black Sea fleet flagship, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed his people for their resolve since Russia invaded in February and for making “the most important decision of their life -- to fight.”

Zelenskiy told Ukrainians late on April 14 that they should be proud of having survived 50 days under Russian attack when the invaders “gave us a maximum of five.”

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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Zelenskiy noted “those who showed that Russian warships can sail away, even if it’s to the bottom” of the sea in a reference to Russia's guided-missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, which sank in the Black Sea after being damaged in disputed circumstances.

“The number and the scale of missile attacks on objects in Kyiv will be ramped up in response to the Kyiv nationalist regime committing any terrorist attacks or diversions on Russian territory,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.

Kyiv claimed to have hit the Moskva with Neptune anti-ship missiles early on April 14, while Russia said a fire broke out on the ship, causing an explosion.

The U.S. military agreed with the Ukrainian version.

"We assess that they hit it with two Neptunes," a senior Pentagon official said in a briefing with reporters on April 15, calling it a "big blow" for Moscow.

The strikes were believed to have caused casualties, but it was difficult to assess how many, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official added that the United States had observed survivors being recovered by other Russian vessels in the area. Russia said the Moskva's crew was evacuated to nearby ships.

Natalia Humenyuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's southern military forces, said the Ukrainian side expects Russia to take revenge.

The strike on the Moskva "hit not only the ship itself, it hit the enemy's imperial ambitions. We are all aware that we will not be forgiven for this," she said during a briefing. "We are aware that attacks against us will intensify and that the enemy will take revenge," she added, citing ongoing strikes on cities in the south of Ukraine, Odesa, and Mykolaiv.

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Analysis: Sinking Of Russia's Flagship Navy Vessel A 'Huge Psychological Boost' For Ukraine

On April 15, Russian troops fired on almost all settlements in the Luhansk region, killing and injuring civilians, Ukrainian authorities said.

"Occupying Russian troops fired mortars, artillery, and rocket-propelled grenade launchers at the cities of Syevyerodonetsk, Rubizhne, Kreminna, Lysychansk, Popasna, Hirske, Zolote, Orikhove, and Novotoshkivka 26 times," Ukraine's national police agency said.

Powerful explosions were heard in Kyiv on April 15, according to local media, and fighting raged in the east.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian troops hit a "military" factory outside Kyiv late on April 14 using Kalibr sea-based long-range missiles.

The Ukrainian presidency says explosions were heard in the Vasylkiv area outside the capital.

The Russian ministry also said its S-400 missile system shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter, which carried out "an attack on civilians in the locality of Klimovo in the Bryansk region on April 14.”

On April 14, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (RNBO) rejected Russia’s accusations about the attacks on Russian towns, calling them "an attempt to ignite anti-Ukraine hysteria in Russia."

Explosions were also heard on April 15 in the southern city of Kherson, the eastern city of Kharkiv, and in Ukraine's western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, media reported.

The German government said it plans to release more than 1 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine.

Berlin has decided to increase its international aid in the defense sector to 2 billion euros, with the largest part planned for Ukraine, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Twitter.

The move comes amid criticism from Ukraine and some EU partners such as Poland and the Baltic states that Germany has not done enough to send armaments to Kyiv.

Ukrainian authorities continue to expect an imminent, stepped-up offensive by Russian forces in the eastern part of the country.

Some areas in the east have already felt the brunt of Russian attacks. An official in the Kharkiv region said at least 503 civilians have been killed since the invasion began. Regional Governor Oleh Synehubov said in a post on Telegram that the dead included 24 children.

The city near the Russian border has been on the eastern front line since the start of the war and has suffered massive destruction.

Efforts to evacuate people from the southern port city of Mariupol continued on April 15. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iyrna Vereshchuk said 363 people from Mariupol were among 2,864 people who were evacuated from conflict zones.

Ukraine says tens of thousands of people are believed to have been killed in Mariupol, a strategic city that has seen some of the worst fighting of the war.

Seven people were killed and more than two dozen injured in a Russian attack on buses ferrying civilians in the village of Borova in the Izyum district, the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office said in a statement on social media.

In Russia, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has asked the government to increase funding for troop funeral services and tombstones.

The FSB asked for a 17 percent increase for funeral services, according to documents recently posted to a government website.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and dpa

A Russian State Duma legislator and two aides have been charged in the United States with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions over an alleged international foreign influence and disinformation network to advance Russian interests.

The U.S. Justice Department said an indictment unsealed in New York City on April 14 charges the legislator, Aleksandr Babakov, and two of his staff members -- Aleksandr Vorobev and Mikhail Plisyuk -- with conspiracy.

Babakov, who currently serves as deputy chairman of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, the Justice Department said. All three men are based in Russia and remain at large.

The indictment alleges that the defendants used a nonprofit organization based in Russia -- the Institute for International Integration Studies -- as a front for the alleged foreign influence campaign.

The defendants worked to weaken U.S. partnerships with European allies, undermine Western sanctions, and promote Russia’s illicit actions designed to destroy the sovereignty of Ukraine, the Justice Department said.

They used staged events, paid propaganda, and tried to recruit at least one U.S. citizen to do their bidding in unofficial capacities, the indictment says.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the three are accused of orchestrating the campaign “to advance Russia’s malevolent political designs against Ukraine and other countries, including the U.S.”

The indictment “demonstrates that Russia’s illegitimate actions against Ukraine extend beyond the battlefield," Williams said.

The effort included requesting a meeting with a member of Congress to push Russia’s agenda and submitting phony visa applications under the false pretenses of a vacation when the applicants actually intended to hold meetings with U.S. political figures, the indictment said.

The specific charges include conspiracy to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and conspiracy to have a U.S. citizen act as an unregistered agent on behalf of Russia without notifying the U.S. attorney general, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The indictment is part of a Justice Department crackdown against Russia that includes a case against an oligarch accused of sanctions violations and a tycoon charged with illegal campaign contributions.

With reporting by AP

Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney visited Kyiv on April 14 to discuss his country’s support for Ukraine.

Coveney visited areas in the Ukrainian capital directly affected by the Russian invasion and met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.

He is the first foreign minister on the UN Security Council to visit Kyiv since Russia launched its war on Ukraine.

Kuleba expressed gratitude for the visit "as well as Ireland’s humanitarian, financial, and military aid."

Kuleba said on Twitter that he and Coveney spoke about coordinated steps with respect to an embargo on Russian oil and Ukraine’s "speedy accession to the EU."

A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) before Coveney's visit said his discussions would focus on "how Ireland can continue to provide political, security and humanitarian support to Ukraine, assist Ukraine in its application for EU candidate status, take forward further EU sanctions on Russia and hold Russia to account for its brutal and unjustified invasion."

Ireland has provided 20 million euros ($21.6 million) in humanitarian aid to the country and Ukrainian refugees in neighboring counties, and 33 million euros ($35.7 million) in nonlethal assistance for the Ukrainian military through the European Peace Facility.

The DFA statement added: "Ireland has been at the forefront of putting in place a robust EU sanctions regime and of supporting international mechanisms to hold Russia to account for grave violations of international humanitarian law, including referring the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court.

With reporting by dpa and AP

The U.S. Commerce Department has identified seven Boeing 737 Planes operated by Belarusian national carrier Belavia that are in apparent violation of U.S. export controls.

The aircraft are the first to be identified since restrictions on Belarus were tightened last week in response to Minsk’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The export controls bar companies around the world from providing any refueling, maintenance, repair, spare parts, or other services to the identified airplanes, effectively grounding them.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry Security (BIS) is also updating the tail numbers of 32 planes already listed as likely in violation of U.S. law to account for their purported reregistration in Russia, the department said on April 14 in a news release.

The aircraft have flown into Russia or Belarus in apparent violation of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the Commerce Department said.

The list of planes subject to restrictions -- imposed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- now includes 146 Russian-owned or operated aircraft and the seven Belarusian aircraft.

"By rejecting the international rule of law, Russia and Belarus have made it clear that they do not deserve the benefits of participating in the global economy, and that includes international travel," Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves said in the news release.

Based on reporting by Reuters