Disconcerting news from London. We'll have more details for you as they come in.
London Police Fire Shots After Person Rams Car Into Ukrainian Embassy Vehicle
London police have fired gunshots at a man who rammed into a diplomatic car parked outside Ukraine's Embassy, and then tried to drive into officers.
Metropolitan Police said on April 13 that officers also fired Taser stun guns at the man, who was then arrested without injury.
Police said the incident was not considered terrorist-related, and that several other cars parked on the street near the embassy, in London's Holland Park neighborhood, had also been hit.
In a statement, Ukraine's Embassy said the car belonged to the ambassador and that no embassy staff were injured.
The embassy identified the car as the ambassador's official vehicle, and said it had been parked in front of the diplomatic post.
The Evening Standard newspaper reported that the street leading to the embassy, in the Holland Park neighborhood of London, had been cordoned off
Another item from our news desk:
Poroshenko Says He Will Head For Stadium Debate Tomorrow
His challenger Volodymyr Zelenskiy may not be there, but Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced he will be at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv on April 14 for a presidential election debate.
Poroshenko is to face Zelenskiy in Ukraine's presidential runoff on April 21.
Zelenskiy won the first round late last month by a large margin, and most, if not all, opinion polls put him well out in front of the incumbent ahead of the final vote.
Both candidates have agreed to hold a debate, but not when.
Zelenskiy insists the debate take place on April 19 while Poroshenko wants it held on April 14.
The stadium has confirmed it has received requests to hold debates on both April 14 and April 19, leaving open the possibility that each candidate will show up on his preferred date and speak to supporters alone.
The campaign has been marked by theatrics on both sides, including public moves by both candidates to be tested for drugs and alcohol.
According to a statement on April 13 on the Ukrainian presidential website, press will be admitted to the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv on April 14 starting at 1 p.m., local time, one hour before what it says is the start of the scheduled debate.
Here's an item that was issued overnight by our Washington desk:
U.S. Lobbyist Sentenced To 3 Years' Probation In Ukraine-Linked Case
A U.S. political lobbyist has been sentenced to three years of probation and no prison time after pleading guilty to charges related to his work for a Ukrainian political party.
The sentence, announced April 12 by U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson, came after Samuel Patten asked the court for leniency and prosecutors said that he had provided substantial assistance.
Patten was charged with illegal lobbying as well as conspiring to circumvent the U.S. law that bans foreign donations to election campaigns and presidential inaugurations.
Patten last year had admitted to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act for lobbying on behalf of the Opposition Bloc, a Ukrainian political party.
The party is widely seen as the successor to Party of Regions, which was headed by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych until he fled the country in 2014 amid mass protests.
Patten also admitted to orchestrating a scheme to purchase tickets for U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration on behalf of a wealthy Ukrainian client.
U.S. law bars such committees from accepting foreign donations and Patten admitted that he knew that when he violated the law.
In court papers, prosecutors also said Patten had helped with the investigation into Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign chairman and a former lobbyist for Yanukovych and the Party of Regions.
Both Patten and Manafort worked closely with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian whom the FBI suspects has ties to Russian intelligence.
Kilimnik himself was indicted in U.S. court on charges of witness tampering but has not appeared in a U.S. court. He’s believed to be in Russia.
Manafort is currently serving a 7 1/2 prison sentence after being convicted of bank and tax fraud, and pleading guilty to other foreign agent registration charges.