(WASHINGTON) — Top members of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s team are pressing U.S. officials to pursue sanctions against 6,000 Russians who they say are among the “next tier” of those enabling Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.
Members of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation met Thursday with members of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, as well as officials with the Department of Justice and the Treasury Department, the group’s executive director, Vladimir Ashurkov, told ABC News.
Navalny has been held in a Russian jail since January of 2021, while his anti-corruption foundation is based outside of Russia.
Thursday’s meetings were part of a four-day trip to push the U.S. to take action against thousands of Putin supporters who Ashurkov said are outside of the super-rich, multi-billionaire class — and who still have time to decide what they want the future of Russia to look like.
“It’s a lot of officials, not necessarily at the top, but the next tier,” Ashurkov said.
“The average age for them is 45 years old, so they still have a life after Putin,” he said. “And they have to think hard about where they stand on this war and on Putin’s regime.”
Ashurkov said the 6,000 names have already been made public, which “creates for them motivation to step away and distance themselves from Putin’s regime.”
“And that’s what we want to achieve,” Ashurkov said.
Among the Justice Department officials the group met with were members of the department’s Kleptocapture Task Force, which was formed in March to target the assets of Russian oligarchs.
“We’re helping [the task force] with asset tracking for sanctioned individuals,” Ashurkov told ABC News. “We are arguably the most professional investigative outfit in Russia — so I think they benefit from our experience and from our work.”
Ashurkov also said he met with a group of Republican senators that included Lindsay Graham, Marco Rubio and Jim Risch, who Ashurkov said were “generally receptive.”
In addition, Ashurkov said his group was scheduled to meet with the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control, which handles sanctions programs. But he said there were no meetings scheduled with the White House.
Saying that sanctions alone are not “silver bullets” powerful enough to stop the war in Ukraine, Ashurkov said they’re one of the options available to Western allies to make an impact.
“They all have been really receptive to this,” Ashurkov said of the U.S. officials he had met.
“I think, really, people support the idea,” he said of the proposed sanctions. “I think during this trip we at least got the important lawmakers to be aware of our proposals and to support them.”
(NEW YORK) — Two Secret Service employees — an agent and an armed physical security specialist — in South Korea to prepare for President Joe Biden’s impending arrival are being sent home after an alleged alcohol-fueled incident that ended with a report being filed with local police, according to two sources briefed on the situation.
The personnel were assigned to help prepare for the presidential visit when they went out for dinner and then stopped at several bars, the sources told ABC News. As the evening progressed, the two Secret Service staffers became apparently intoxicated and the agent wound up in a heated argument with a cab driver, according to the sources.
Police were called and a report detailing the “altercation” was filed, one source said.
“The Secret Service is aware of an off-duty incident involving two employees which may constitute potential policy violations,” agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to ABC News. “The individuals will be immediately returned back to their post of duty and placed on administrative leave. There was no impact to the upcoming trip. We have very strict protocols and policies for all employees and we hold ourselves to the highest professional standards. Given this is an active administrative personnel matter, we are not in a position to comment further.”
The agent who allegedly got into the argument with the cab driver is scheduled to be interviewed by local police before boarding a flight back to the U.S. The decision to send them home was made while the president was still en route to Asia.
The latest episode in the Far East carries echoes of the 2012 scandal in which Secret Service employees were investigated for drinking heavily and hiring prostitutes while preparing for a trip by then-President Barack Obama to Cartagena, Colombia.
Of the 13 agents first suspected of soliciting prostitutes in Cartagena, three were cleared of wrongdoing and returned to duty, six resigned or retired, and four had their security clearances revoked or were removed, according to a report by the Homeland Security Department inspector general issued in December 2013. According to the report, the agents in Colombia consumed as many as 13 alcoholic drinks “before engaging in questionable behavior.”
“The Secret Service conducts thousands of advances for protectees each year, including for the president overseas,” said retired senior Secret Service agent Don Mihalek, an ABC News contributor. “Through it all, the president has been kept safe and few incidents have arisen. Despite that, the Secret Service is made up of people, some who make mistakes. When they do though, the response has been thorough to ensure that the integrity of the mission is always maintained.”
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, attempting to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol to secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 19, 8:29 am
ICRC registers hundreds of prisoners of war from Mariupol steel plant
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday that it has registered hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war from a besieged steel plant in war-ravaged Mariupol this week, after the Ukrainian city fell into Russian hands.
A team from the ICRC began on Tuesday to register combatants leaving the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant, including the wounded, at the request of the parties to the conflict. The operation continued Wednesday and was still ongoing Thursday. The ICRC is not transporting prisoners of war to the places where they are held, according to a press release from the organization.
“The registration process that the ICRC facilitated involves the individual filling out a form with personal details like name, date of birth and closest relative,” the organization said. “This information allows the ICRC to track those who have been captured and help them keep in touch with their families.”
The ICRC noted that it “maintains a confidential dialogue with the parties to the conflict on their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
“In accordance with the mandate given to the ICRC by States under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the ICRC must have immediate access to all POWs in all places where they are held,” the organization added. “The ICRC must be allowed to interview prisoners of war without witnesses, and the duration and frequency of these visits should not be unduly restricted. Whenever circumstances permit, each party to the conflict must take all possible measures to search for and collect the dead.”
For weeks, Ukrainian fighters and civilians were holed up inside Mariupol’s vast Azovstal plant as the remaining pocket of Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s relentless bombardment of the strategic southeastern port city. Russia claimed Thursday that 1,730 Ukrainian fighters had surrendered in Mariupol over the previous three days, while Ukraine confirmed Tuesday that more than 250 had yielded in the initial hours after it ordered them to do so.
Mariupol is the largest city that Russian forces have seized since launching an invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24. Its complete capture gives Russia total control of the coast of the Sea of Azov as well as a continuous stretch of territory along eastern and southern Ukraine.
May 19, 7:30 am
Russia has fired top commanders over Ukraine war failures, UK says
Russia has fired senior military commanders in recent weeks “who are considered to have performed poorly during the opening stages of its invasion of Ukraine,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Thursday in an intelligence update.
According to the ministry, Lt. Gen. Serhiy Kisel, who commanded Russia’s elite 1st Guards Tank Army, has been suspended for his failure to capture Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv. Vice Adm. Igor Osipov, who commanded Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, has also likely been suspended following the sinking of the fleet’s flagship, Moskva, in April. Gen. Valeriy Gerasimov, the Russian military’s chief of the general staff, likely remains in his post, but it was unclear whether he retains the confidence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the ministry.
“A culture of cover-ups and scape-goating is probably prevalent within the Russian military and security system,” the ministry said. “Many officials involved in the invasion of Ukraine will likely be increasingly distracted by efforts to avoid personal culpability for Russia’s operational set-backs.”
“This will likely place further strain on Russia’s centralised model of command and control, as officers increasingly seek to defer key decisions to their superiors,” the ministry added. “It will be difficult for Russia to regain the initiative under these conditions.”
May 19, 6:30 am
Russia puts two Ukrainian commanders on wanted list
Russia has placed two Ukrainian commanders on a wanted list.
Serhiy Velychko and Kostiantyn Nemychev, commanders of the Azov Regiment, a far-right group now part of the Ukrainian military, have been added to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ database of wanted fugitives in connection with a criminal case.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee, Velychko and Nemychev are accused of attempted murder of at least eight Russian servicemen who sustained multiple injuries in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. Criminal charges were brought against the pair in absentia, and Russian authorities are working to track down and apprehend them.
May 18, 10:41 pm
Senate confirms new US ambassador to Ukraine
The Senate on Wednesday night unanimously confirmed the new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, a career foreign service officer.
The vote took place on the same day the U.S. officially resumed operations at its embassy in Kyiv.
May 18, 3:46 pm
Google’s Russian business to file for for bankruptcy
Google Russia has published a notice of its intention to file for bankruptcy, a spokesperson told ABC News in a statement.
“We previously announced that we paused the vast majority of our commercial operations in Russia. The Russian authorities’ seizure of Google Russia’s bank account has made it untenable for our Russia office to function, including employing and paying Russia-based employees, paying suppliers and vendors, and meeting other financial obligations,” a Google spokesperson said.
Adding, “People in Russia rely on our services to access quality information and we’ll continue to keep free services such as Search, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Android and Play available.”
-ABC News’ Rashid Haddou-Riffi
May 18, 3:34 pm
US, European allies ‘will not tolerate any aggression against Finland or Sweden,’ Biden adviser warns
U.S. and European allies “will not tolerate any aggression against Finland or Sweden” as their applications to join NATO are being considered, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Wednesday.
President Joe Biden said the U.S. would “remain vigilant against any threats to our shared security, and to deter and confront aggression or the threat of aggression.”
Sullivan was asked to clarify if that meant the U.S. was extending NATO security protections to Finland and Sweden during this time, and he said Article 5 only kicks in when all 30 allies ratify the accession.
“But the United States, is prepared to send a very clear message, as are all of our European allies, that we will not tolerate any aggression against Finland or Sweden during this process, and there are practical measures that we can take along those lines that Secretary [of Defense Lloyd] Austin will coordinate with his counterparts about Finland and Sweden,” Sullivan told reporters.
With Turkey opposed to this move, Sullivan told ABC News’ MaryAlice Parks that the White House is “confident at the end of the day” that Finland and Sweden “will have an effective and efficient accession process” and that “Turkey’s concerns can be addressed.”
Biden will host the leaders of Sweden and Finland at the White House Thursday.
“Two nations with a long tradition of neutrality will be joining the world’s most powerful defensive alliance, and they will bring with them strong capabilities and a proven track record as security partners and President Biden will have the opportunity to mark just what a historic and watershed moment this is when he meets with them tomorrow,” Sullivan said.
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez and MaryAlice Parks
May 18, 3:15 pm
Blinken meets with Turkish counterpart at UN ahead of NATO summit
Ahead of a meeting at the United Nations, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday.
Blinken told reporters he was grateful for the solidarity Turkey has shown against Russian aggression.
While Cavusoglu said he would work with Blinken to “overcome the differences through dialogue and diplomacy,” he signaled that Turkey still had significant reservations about Sweden and Finland joining NATO, complicating their path to membership.
“Turkey has been supporting the open door policy of NATO even before this war, but with regards to these possible candidates—already candidate countries—we have also legitimate security concerns that they have been supporting terrorist organizations, and there are also export restrictions on defense products,” Cavusoglu said.
Then adding, “We understand their security concerns, but Turkey’s security concerns should be also met.”
Turkey has expressed concerns about Finland and Sweden joining NATO over the countries’ support of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which the Turkish government considers a terrorist organization.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 18, 2:21 pm
Russian offensive effort shrinking, incremental progress toward Black Sea: Pentagon
Russian offensive operations in Donbas are becoming more modest, shrinking both in size and scale, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
The Russians are making little progress so far in Donbas, with lots of back-and-fourth between both sides, according to the official.
“We see them hew very closely to their doctrine of artillery fire then a font of frontal attack by formations that are small, and in some cases, not fully resourced, fully manned, fully strong. And they get rebuffed by the Ukrainians,” the official said.
Russian forces are also still suffering from poor communication between commanders and are having other coordination issues, according to the official.
To the northeast of Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces continue to push Russian troops back toward their border, according to the official.
Russian forces are making some progress pushing closer toward the Black Sea from between Kherson and Mykolayiv, according to the official. The official said it is not clear what the intent is for this line of advance, but the U.S. sees no signs of an imminent naval assault at this time.
The U.S. believes Russia is “certainly trying” to disrupt to flow of military aid moving through Ukraine, but there have been no indications that it has had any success, according to the official.
Three of the eleven Mi-17 helicopters, more than 200 of the 300 Switchblade drones and nearly 10 Phoenix Ghost drones that the U.S. has promised Ukraine have been delivered, according to the official. The Ukrainians have told the Pentagon that 79 of the 90 U.S. howitzers that were delivered are now being used in combat.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
May 18, 9:53 am
Finland, Sweden formally submit applications to join NATO
Finland and Sweden formally submitted their applications to join NATO to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Wednesday morning at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters.
Stoltenberg welcomed the requests, saying, “This is a good day, at a critical moment for our security,” according to NATO.
“Every nation has the right to choose its own path. You have both made your choice, after thorough democratic processes. And I warmly welcome the requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO,” Stoltenberg said Wednesday.
Adding, “You are our closest partners. And your membership in NATO would increase our shared security.”
May 18, 9:25 am
Russian soldier pleads guilty to killing civilian
Russian Sgt. Vadim Shyshimarin pleaded guilty Wednesday to shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian man on Feb. 28. The guilty plea carries a life sentence.
It’s the first trial Ukraine has conducted for an act that could be considered a war crime.
Asked by the presiding judge whether he accepted his guilt, Shyshimarin said: “Yes. Fully yes.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov dismissed the proceedings on Wednesday, telling reporters that accusations leveled against Russian soldiers by Ukraine were “simply fake or staged.”
May 17, 6:26 pm
State Department ‘confident’ in NATO expansion
As Turkey becomes more vocal about its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, the State Department said it is still assured of the alliance’s unified support for the two prospective members.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a briefing Tuesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken came away from meetings with NATO allies with a “sense of confidence there was strong consensus for admitting Finland and Sweden into the alliance if they so choose to join, and we’re confident we’ll be able to preserve that consensus.”
Price said that assessment came from what Blinken heard in conversations behind closed doors.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has publicly said that both candidates are untrustworthy because he perceives them as being supportive of groups Ankara views as extremist.
There is speculation that Turkey’s opposition is an attempt to leverage the moment to achieve its own policy goals or concessions from the U.S. Price said Tuesday that Turkey has not made any specific requests.
Price confirmed that Blinken will meet with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the U.N. on Wednesday, adding that “other conversations are ongoing between and among current NATO allies and potential aspirant countries.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 17, 2:22 pm
Finland, Sweden to jointly submit applications for NATO membership on Wednesday
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s office announced Sweden and Finland will jointly submit an application for NATO membership on Wednesday, after she met with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in Stockholm.
“It is a message of strength and a clear signal that we stand united going into the future,” Andersson said in a joint press conference with the Finnish president.
The two leaders are set to meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday.
The two countries have stepped away from nonalignment in the wake of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, and fears for their own security.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 17, 2:11 pm
ICC sends 42 investigators to Ukraine
The International Criminal Court deployed a team of 42 investigators forensic and support personnel to Ukraine to advance investigations into crimes falling under ICC jurisdiction and provide support to Ukrainian authorities.
“This represents the largest ever single field deployment by my office since its establishment,” ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said Tuesday.
Khan said 21 countries have offered to send national experts to his office and 20 states have committed to provide financial contributions.
“I look forward to working with all actors, including survivor groups, national authorities, civil society organisations and international partners, in order to accelerate this collective work moving forward,” Khan said.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 17, 1:33 pm
US commerce secretary says export controls on Russia are working
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters Tuesday that the export controls the U.S. and other countries have put on Russia are working, including compliance from China.
“These export controls are having a strong and significant effect,” Raimondo said Tuesday.
Raimondo returned from Paris where she co-chaired the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Ministerial Meeting. She said there was consensus and partnership amongst countries with respect to cutting off Russia’s access to “critical technologies.”
“We’ve had extensive discussions on export controls,” she said.
The Commerce Department and 37 other countries have limited semiconductor chips that can be exported to Russia, which help not only everyday Russian carmakers, but the Russian military build and use military equipment.
“You’ve all heard the anecdotal stories of Russia’s inability to continue to produce tanks and auto companies shutting down but overall U.S. exports to Russia have decreased over 80%, between February and a week ago,” she said. “So we essentially stopped sending high tech to Russia, which is what they need for their military.”
Even China, Raimondo said, stopped shipping tech products such as laptops to Russia by 40% compared to a year ago.
Asked whether she trusts the Chinese data, Raimondo said it is “consistent” with what the Ukrainians are seeing on the ground.
“We are not seeing systematic efforts by China to go around our export controls,” she said. “So yes, I think this is probably quite accurate.”
-ABC News’ Luke Barr
May 17, 9:20 am
Biden to meet with leaders of Sweden, Finland as they seek to join NATO
President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland at the White House on Thursday as the two countries seek to join NATO, the White House announced Tuesday.
The three leaders will “discuss Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications and European security,” according to a statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, attempting to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol to secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 18, 10:41 pm
Senate confirms new US ambassador to Ukraine
The Senate on Wednesday night unanimously confirmed the new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, a career foreign service officer.
The vote took place on the same day the U.S. officially resumed operations at its embassy in Kyiv.
May 18, 3:46 pm
Google’s Russian business to file for for bankruptcy
Google Russia has published a notice of its intention to file for bankruptcy, a spokesperson told ABC News in a statement.
“We previously announced that we paused the vast majority of our commercial operations in Russia. The Russian authorities’ seizure of Google Russia’s bank account has made it untenable for our Russia office to function, including employing and paying Russia-based employees, paying suppliers and vendors, and meeting other financial obligations,” a Google spokesperson said.
Adding, “People in Russia rely on our services to access quality information and we’ll continue to keep free services such as Search, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Android and Play available.”
-ABC News’ Rashid Haddou-Riffi
May 18, 3:34 pm
US, European allies ‘will not tolerate any aggression against Finland or Sweden,’ Biden adviser warns
U.S. and European allies “will not tolerate any aggression against Finland or Sweden” as their applications to join NATO are being considered, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Wednesday.
President Joe Biden said the U.S. would “remain vigilant against any threats to our shared security, and to deter and confront aggression or the threat of aggression.”
Sullivan was asked to clarify if that meant the U.S. was extending NATO security protections to Finland and Sweden during this time, and he said Article 5 only kicks in when all 30 allies ratify the accession.
“But the United States, is prepared to send a very clear message, as are all of our European allies, that we will not tolerate any aggression against Finland or Sweden during this process, and there are practical measures that we can take along those lines that Secretary [of Defense Lloyd] Austin will coordinate with his counterparts about Finland and Sweden,” Sullivan told reporters.
With Turkey opposed to this move, Sullivan told ABC News’ MaryAlice Parks that the White House is “confident at the end of the day” that Finland and Sweden “will have an effective and efficient accession process” and that “Turkey’s concerns can be addressed.”
Biden will host the leaders of Sweden and Finland at the White House Thursday.
“Two nations with a long tradition of neutrality will be joining the world’s most powerful defensive alliance, and they will bring with them strong capabilities and a proven track record as security partners and President Biden will have the opportunity to mark just what a historic and watershed moment this is when he meets with them tomorrow,” Sullivan said.
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez and MaryAlice Parks
May 18, 3:15 pm
Blinken meets with Turkish counterpart at UN ahead of NATO summit
Ahead of a meeting at the United Nations, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday.
Blinken told reporters he was grateful for the solidarity Turkey has shown against Russian aggression.
While Cavusoglu said he would work with Blinken to “overcome the differences through dialogue and diplomacy,” he signaled that Turkey still had significant reservations about Sweden and Finland joining NATO, complicating their path to membership.
“Turkey has been supporting the open door policy of NATO even before this war, but with regards to these possible candidates—already candidate countries—we have also legitimate security concerns that they have been supporting terrorist organizations, and there are also export restrictions on defense products,” Cavusoglu said.
Then adding, “We understand their security concerns, but Turkey’s security concerns should be also met.”
Turkey has expressed concerns about Finland and Sweden joining NATO over the countries’ support of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which the Turkish government considers a terrorist organization.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 18, 2:21 pm
Russian offensive effort shrinking, incremental progress toward Black Sea: Pentagon
Russian offensive operations in Donbas are becoming more modest, shrinking both in size and scale, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
The Russians are making little progress so far in Donbas, with lots of back-and-fourth between both sides, according to the official.
“We see them hew very closely to their doctrine of artillery fire then a font of frontal attack by formations that are small, and in some cases, not fully resourced, fully manned, fully strong. And they get rebuffed by the Ukrainians,” the official said.
Russian forces are also still suffering from poor communication between commanders and are having other coordination issues, according to the official.
To the northeast of Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces continue to push Russian troops back toward their border, according to the official.
Russian forces are making some progress pushing closer toward the Black Sea from between Kherson and Mykolayiv, according to the official. The official said it is not clear what the intent is for this line of advance, but the U.S. sees no signs of an imminent naval assault at this time.
The U.S. believes Russia is “certainly trying” to disrupt to flow of military aid moving through Ukraine, but there have been no indications that it has had any success, according to the official.
Three of the eleven Mi-17 helicopters, more than 200 of the 300 Switchblade drones and nearly 10 Phoenix Ghost drones that the U.S. has promised Ukraine have been delivered, according to the official. The Ukrainians have told the Pentagon that 79 of the 90 U.S. howitzers that were delivered are now being used in combat.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
May 18, 9:53 am
Finland, Sweden formally submit applications to join NATO
Finland and Sweden formally submitted their applications to join NATO to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Wednesday morning at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters.
Stoltenberg welcomed the requests, saying, “This is a good day, at a critical moment for our security,” according to NATO.
“Every nation has the right to choose its own path. You have both made your choice, after thorough democratic processes. And I warmly welcome the requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO,” Stoltenberg said Wednesday.
Adding, “You are our closest partners. And your membership in NATO would increase our shared security.”
May 18, 9:25 am
Russian soldier pleads guilty to killing civilian
Russian Sgt. Vadim Shyshimarin pleaded guilty Wednesday to shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian man on Feb. 28. The guilty plea carries a life sentence.
It’s the first trial Ukraine has conducted for an act that could be considered a war crime.
Asked by the presiding judge whether he accepted his guilt, Shyshimarin said: “Yes. Fully yes.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov dismissed the proceedings on Wednesday, telling reporters that accusations leveled against Russian soldiers by Ukraine were “simply fake or staged.”
May 17, 6:26 pm
State Department ‘confident’ in NATO expansion
As Turkey becomes more vocal about its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, the State Department said it is still assured of the alliance’s unified support for the two prospective members.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a briefing Tuesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken came away from meetings with NATO allies with a “sense of confidence there was strong consensus for admitting Finland and Sweden into the alliance if they so choose to join, and we’re confident we’ll be able to preserve that consensus.”
Price said that assessment came from what Blinken heard in conversations behind closed doors.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has publicly said that both candidates are untrustworthy because he perceives them as being supportive of groups Ankara views as extremist.
There is speculation that Turkey’s opposition is an attempt to leverage the moment to achieve its own policy goals or concessions from the U.S. Price said Tuesday that Turkey has not made any specific requests.
Price confirmed that Blinken will meet with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the U.N. on Wednesday, adding that “other conversations are ongoing between and among current NATO allies and potential aspirant countries.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 17, 2:22 pm
Finland, Sweden to jointly submit applications for NATO membership on Wednesday
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s office announced Sweden and Finland will jointly submit an application for NATO membership on Wednesday, after she met with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in Stockholm.
“It is a message of strength and a clear signal that we stand united going into the future,” Andersson said in a joint press conference with the Finnish president.
The two leaders are set to meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday.
The two countries have stepped away from nonalignment in the wake of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, and fears for their own security.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 17, 2:11 pm
ICC sends 42 investigators to Ukraine
The International Criminal Court deployed a team of 42 investigators forensic and support personnel to Ukraine to advance investigations into crimes falling under ICC jurisdiction and provide support to Ukrainian authorities.
“This represents the largest ever single field deployment by my office since its establishment,” ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said Tuesday.
Khan said 21 countries have offered to send national experts to his office and 20 states have committed to provide financial contributions.
“I look forward to working with all actors, including survivor groups, national authorities, civil society organisations and international partners, in order to accelerate this collective work moving forward,” Khan said.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 17, 1:33 pm
US commerce secretary says export controls on Russia are working
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters Tuesday that the export controls the U.S. and other countries have put on Russia are working, including compliance from China.
“These export controls are having a strong and significant effect,” Raimondo said Tuesday.
Raimondo returned from Paris where she co-chaired the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Ministerial Meeting. She said there was consensus and partnership amongst countries with respect to cutting off Russia’s access to “critical technologies.”
“We’ve had extensive discussions on export controls,” she said.
The Commerce Department and 37 other countries have limited semiconductor chips that can be exported to Russia, which help not only everyday Russian carmakers, but the Russian military build and use military equipment.
“You’ve all heard the anecdotal stories of Russia’s inability to continue to produce tanks and auto companies shutting down but overall U.S. exports to Russia have decreased over 80%, between February and a week ago,” she said. “So we essentially stopped sending high tech to Russia, which is what they need for their military.”
Even China, Raimondo said, stopped shipping tech products such as laptops to Russia by 40% compared to a year ago.
Asked whether she trusts the Chinese data, Raimondo said it is “consistent” with what the Ukrainians are seeing on the ground.
“We are not seeing systematic efforts by China to go around our export controls,” she said. “So yes, I think this is probably quite accurate.”
-ABC News’ Luke Barr
May 17, 9:20 am
Biden to meet with leaders of Sweden, Finland as they seek to join NATO
President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland at the White House on Thursday as the two countries seek to join NATO, the White House announced Tuesday.
The three leaders will “discuss Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications and European security,” according to a statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
(KYIV, Ukraine) — Russian Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin pleaded guilty on Wednesday to killing an unarmed Ukrainian civilian. The guilty plea carries a life sentence.
Shishimarin, 21, is accused of shooting a 62-year-old man on Feb. 28. The man was a resident of Chupakhivka who was riding a bike on the roadside when he was shot, according to Iryna Venediktova, Ukraine’s prosecutor general.
This is the first trial Ukraine has conducted for an act that could be considered a war crime.
Asked by the presiding judge whether he accepted his guilt, Shishimarin said: “Yes. Fully yes.”
Shishimarin is charged with murder and two counts of robbery. He surrendered to Ukrainian law enforcement and has been a prisoner of war since, Ukrainian prosecutor Andriy Syniuk said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the proceedings on Wednesday, telling reporters that accusations leveled against Russian soldiers by Ukraine were “simply fake or staged.”
(WASHINGTON) — The China Eastern Airlines plane crash that killed 132 people is believed to have been caused by an intentional act, according to U.S. officials who spoke to ABC News.
The Boeing 737-800 passenger jet was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21 when it plunged into a mountainous area in Guangxi, China. All 123 passengers and nine crew members were killed.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news.
The officials who spoke to ABC News point to the plane’s flaps not being engaged and landing gear not put down. The near-vertical descent of the plane, they believe, would’ve required intentional force.
The plane slammed into the ground with such force that it created a 66-foot deep hole in the ground, according to Chinese officials.
Investigators also looked into the pilot’s personal life and background and believe he may have been struggling through certain issues right before the crash, ABC News has learned.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said all information on the investigation will come from their counterparts in the Civil Aviation Administration of China, but regulators and Boeing have not flagged any mechanical issues. Sources said Chinese investigators also haven’t flagged any mechanical issues.
“The NTSB will not be issuing any further updates on the CAAC’s investigation of the China Eastern 5735 crash,” the NTSB said in a statement. “When and whether CAAC issues updates is entirely up to them. And I haven’t heard anything about any plans for them to do so.”
The first black box, the cockpit voice recorder, was found on March 23, while the flight data recorder was found March 27.
ABC News’ Mark Osborne contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Hundreds of Iranians have taken to the streets in cities across the country, protesting against the crippling political and economic situation. Unofficial reports say security forces have killed at least four people.
Coming from all walks of life, protestors shout slogans that target the top officials of the clerical system, including the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Ebrahim Raisi.
The internet in the cities with ongoing protests is either cut or partially throttled by the government in an attempt to control the spreading of the news.
The unrest started after the government cut subsidies on essential food items such as cooking oil, eggs and milk last Wednesday. For example, the price of cooking increased more than 400% overnight from 336,700 rials, or nearly US$8, to 1,420,000 rials, or US$33 — US$1 is about 42,350 rials.
However, dominant slogans in the protests like “Down with Khamenei, Down with dictator” and “We don’t want mullah’s ruling” indicate that protesting the ailing economy follows another primary demand: overthrowing the system.
“The establishment suffers from lack of legitimacy,” Mohammad Mosaed, a dissident journalist in exile, told ABC News. “It has failed to fulfill the promises it made 43 years ago like freedom and justice.”
Mosaed had to leave Iran after another series of protests in November 2019.
With hundreds of people killed and thousands arrested, the nationwide protests in 2019 were the deadliest since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The exact number of killings still remains unknown due to the strict censorship of the media and cutting off the whole country’s internet for 10 days. Those protests also started after fuel went up three times its cost and soon spread all around the country, especially in small cities.
“The current protests are similar to those in 2019 as they are not bound to Tehran that has a bigger middle-class population, but are rather spread all over the country, especially in smaller towns which are economically deprived,” Mosaed said.
Iran’s state media has repeatedly blamed the West’s economic sanctions for the hardship the country faces. They are the sanctions that mainly aim to restrict Iran’s nuclear program.
In 2015, Iran committed to restricting its nuclear program in return for the West’s commitment to easing the sanctions in a deal with the world powers known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, in May 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled out of the pact, leaving it a matter of renegotiation. Four years later, after rounds of talks, the process of reviving the JCPOA is still stalled due to disagreements among the negotiation parties — the U.S., France, Germany, the U.K., Russia and China.
However, unlike the Islamic Republic’s blame narrative, many believe Western sanctions are not the only reason or even the main reason for the situation.
“The recent crippling situation resulted from having totally incompetent leaders for years, widespread corruption, and then the sanctions,” Mosaed said.
After four decades of giving several chances to different parties to lead the country, Mosaed believes that more and more people are coming to the understanding that the incompetency and corruption of the leaders must be the main subject of the protests.
“These people used to form up the main body of the establishment’s loyal patrons, and now the former patrons have turned to fierce protestors,” he added.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, attempting to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol to secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
May 17, 6:26 pm
State Department ‘confident’ in NATO expansion
As Turkey becomes more vocal about its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, the State Department said it is still assured of the alliance’s unified support for the two prospective members.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a briefing Tuesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken came away from meetings with NATO allies with a “sense of confidence there was strong consensus for admitting Finland and Sweden into the alliance if they so choose to join, and we’re confident we’ll be able to preserve that consensus.”
Price said that assessment came from what Blinken heard in conversations behind closed doors.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has publicly said that both candidates are untrustworthy because he perceives them as being supportive of groups Ankara views as extremist.
There is speculation that Turkey’s opposition is an attempt to leverage the moment to achieve its own policy goals or concessions from the U.S. Price said Tuesday that Turkey has not made any specific requests.
Price confirmed that Blinken will meet with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the U.N. on Wednesday, adding that “other conversations are ongoing between and among current NATO allies and potential aspirant countries.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 17, 2:22 pm
Finland, Sweden to jointly submit applications for NATO membership on Wednesday
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s office announced Sweden and Finland will jointly submit an application for NATO membership on Wednesday, after she met with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in Stockholm.
“It is a message of strength and a clear signal that we stand united going into the future,” Andersson said in a joint press conference with the Finnish president.
The two leaders are set to meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday.
The two countries have stepped away from nonalignment in the wake of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, and fears for their own security.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 17, 2:11 pm
ICC sends 42 investigators to Ukraine
The International Criminal Court deployed a team of 42 investigators forensic and support personnel to Ukraine to advance investigations into crimes falling under ICC jurisdiction and provide support to Ukrainian authorities.
“This represents the largest ever single field deployment by my office since its establishment,” ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said Tuesday.
Khan said 21 countries have offered to send national experts to his office and 20 states have committed to provide financial contributions.
“I look forward to working with all actors, including survivor groups, national authorities, civil society organisations and international partners, in order to accelerate this collective work moving forward,” Khan said.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 17, 1:33 pm
US commerce secretary says export controls on Russia are working
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters Tuesday that the export controls the U.S. and other countries have put on Russia are working, including compliance from China.
“These export controls are having a strong and significant effect,” Raimondo said Tuesday.
Raimondo returned from Paris where she co-chaired the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Ministerial Meeting. She said there was consensus and partnership amongst countries with respect to cutting off Russia’s access to “critical technologies.”
“We’ve had extensive discussions on export controls,” she said.
The Commerce Department and 37 other countries have limited semiconductor chips that can be exported to Russia, which help not only everyday Russian carmakers, but the Russian military build and use military equipment.
“You’ve all heard the anecdotal stories of Russia’s inability to continue to produce tanks and auto companies shutting down but overall U.S. exports to Russia have decreased over 80%, between February and a week ago,” she said. “So we essentially stopped sending high tech to Russia, which is what they need for their military.”
Even China, Raimondo said, stopped shipping tech products such as laptops to Russia by 40% compared to a year ago.
Asked whether she trusts the Chinese data, Raimondo said it is “consistent” with what the Ukrainians are seeing on the ground.
“We are not seeing systematic efforts by China to go around our export controls,” she said. “So yes, I think this is probably quite accurate.”
-ABC News’ Luke Barr
May 17, 9:20 am
Biden to meet with leaders of Sweden, Finland as they seek to join NATO
President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland at the White House on Thursday as the two countries seek to join NATO, the White House announced Tuesday.
The three leaders will “discuss Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications and European security,” according to a statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Photo by Russian Defense Ministry/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Ukraine’s military has ended its combat mission in the city of Mariupol and hundreds of Ukrainian fighters are being taken by bus to Russian-controlled territory after nearly three months of heavy fighting in the port city. Russia began its attacks on the city in early March.
The Ukrainians and Russians struck a deal to exchange badly injured soldiers from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol for Russian prisoners of war, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar told a Ukrainian TV station.
Mariupol’s mayor confirmed that a cease-fire remains in place in the port city.
The Ukrainian military ordered remaining troops who had been sheltering beneath the Azovstal steel factory to focus on efforts to save the lives of their personnel.
More than 260 Ukrainian soldiers were evacuated through a humanitarian corridor, some of whom were injured, according to Ukraine’s defense minister.
Malyar said that 53 wounded soldiers are being transported from Azovstal to Novoazovsk where they will receive immediate medical attention.
“About Azovstal, we hope that we’ll manage to save their lives. There are seriously injured among them. I want to stress that we need our defenders alive. The operation to rescue them was launched by our military. We work on getting them home and this work demands delicacy and time,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address.
Another 211 Ukrainian fighters were accompanied by Russian forces from Azovstal to Olenivka in rebel-held Donetsk, where they will be part of the exchange for Russian prisoners of war.
“As a part of an exchange deal, 50 wounded were evacuated from Azovstal to Novoazovsk. Negotiations are underway for them to be transferred to Zaporozhzhya,” another source told ABC News, confirming the exchange.
Russia’s state-run TASS reported that Russia’s defense ministry confirmed an agreement was reached on Monday to evacuate wounded Ukrainian troops from the plant and transport them to a medical facility in Novoazovsk to “provide them with all the necessary assistance.”
The Russian defense ministry on Tuesday said 265 Ukrainian militants have laid down arms and surrendered, including 51 who are seriously wounded. All those in need of medical assistance were sent for treatment to a hospital in Novoazovsk, Donetsk People’s Republic.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, attempting to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol to secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
May 17, 9:20 am
Biden to meet with leaders of Sweden, Finland as they seek to join NATO
President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland at the White House on Thursday as the two countries seek to join NATO, the White House announced Tuesday.
The three leaders will “discuss Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO applications and European security,” according to a statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
