It is day 424 of the war in Ukraine. Follow the latest news about the war and all its aftermath in this live blog.
France and the Baltic states denounce the Chinese question
10:22 am | France, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have expressed their dissatisfaction with the way Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye spoke about Crimea in Paris. For example, he allegedly asked whether the Ukrainian peninsula really belongs to Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Lu said Crimea belonged to Russia and was only offered to Ukraine by former Soviet leader Nikite Khrushchev.
In response to the Chinese attitude, France argued that Crimea was in full solidarity and had been fighting free from decades of oppression.
Russian Council: ‘Don’t go to Canada’
10:19 am | Russia advises its citizens not to travel to Canada due to “serious discrimination against Russia”. For example, Canadians would use violence against Russians, writes the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Canada is one of Ukraine’s biggest vocal supporters in the war, according to Reuters, and has therefore sanctioned hundreds of Russian politicians and businesses. In addition, there are trade bans on Russian goods.
Russia is recruiting again
10:11 am | The Russian Defense Ministry has launched a new recruitment mission to recruit “real men” for roles in the military. The British Ministry of Defense writes it in its daily intelligence update.
The Russians appeal primarily to the masculinity and pride of Russian men, in an ever-shrinking group of civilians qualified to go to the front. Also, the Russian military is trying to persuade people with the financial benefits that a role in the military would bring.
However, the British Ministry of Defense does not expect the campaign to be successful and that Russia will fall short of the expected number of 400,000 volunteers.
Belgorod residents return to their homes
10:08 am | More than 3,000 residents of the Russian city of Belgorod returned to their homes yesterday after being evacuated following an explosion in the city. This was stated by Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram.
According to Reuters, the Russians mistakenly bombed the Russian city two days earlier, damaging some homes. The displaced people live in the same area.
The military explosive was neutralized by experts at a military training area, Gladkov added in his message.
Moscow and Berlin send diplomats to each other out of the country
22-04-2023 – 17:28 | Russia is expelling more than 20 German diplomats from the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry reports. The country announced the move shortly after accusing Germany of the “massive expulsion” of Russian diplomats.
The German foreign ministry said only that talks were being held with Russia on the presence of diplomats, “with the aim of reducing the presence of Russian intelligence services in Germany”, and that Russian embassy staff departed on Saturday.
Germany and Russia have repeatedly expelled diplomats in the past. Relations between the two countries deteriorated dramatically after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
