Russia is boosting its production of conventional and high-precision ammunition, defense secretary Sergei Shoigu said on Saturday, days after he visited munitions factories in two regions in inspect the production of artillery and missiles. “Necessary measures” are being taking to ramp up output, Shoigu said.
(Bloomberg) — Russia is boosting its production of conventional and high-precision ammunition, defense secretary Sergei Shoigu said on Saturday, days after he visited munitions factories in two regions in inspect the production of artillery and missiles. “Necessary measures” are being taking to ramp up output, Shoigu said.
Bulgaria holds its fifth election in two years on Sunday, with the war in Ukraine a chaotic element for the EU’s poorest nation. Finland also votes, days after the Nordic nation got the go-ahead to join NATO in a total security-policy U-turn. Montenegro holds a run-off presidential election.
“Massive” Russian shelling of the town of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s east left at least three civilians dead and six injured. High-rise apartment buildings were among the targets.
Key Developments
- IMF Board Approves $15.6 Billion Loan for Ukraine Amid War
- Putin Signs New Russia Foreign Policy Against ‘Hostile’ West
- Bulgaria Votes Again With End to Political Deadlock Uncertain
- Finland’s Voters May Unseat Sanna Marin in Tight Election
- A Grain Glut Is Straining the Goodwill That Ukraine Badly Needs
(All times CET)
EU to ‘Stand Against Any Abuse’ of UNSC Presidency by Russia, Borrell Says (11:16 a.m.)
Ukraine and many of its Western allies have expressed concern or outrage about Russia holding the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of April.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia’s stint – which the US has said there are no legal means to stop – showed “the complete bankruptcy of such institutions.” Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, tweeted that the EU “will stand against any abuse” by Moscow of its month-long role.
Russia, one of five permanent members of the UNSC, is scheduled to preside over a council meeting on Monday. Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov is expected to be in New York for at least part of April.
Over 200 Miners Being Evacuated in Russian Rostov Region (11 a.m.)
The evacuation of more than 200 people is underway at the Obukhovskaya coal mine in Russia’s Rostov region after smoke was reported in the vicinity, Interfax reported, citing the press office of the regional unit of the emergencies ministry.
The unit received information about smoke in the mine’s central intermediate sub-station, located at a depth of 199 meters (653 feet) at 10:40 a.m. Moscow time, according to Interfax. There are no reports of injuries so far.
Civilians Killed in Heavy Russian Shelling in Kostyantynivka (10 a.m.)
Russian troops “massively” used Multiple Rocket Launch systems (MRLS) and cluster munitions to shell the city of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region overnight, killing at least three civilians, said Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukraine’s presidential office.
At least six other people were wounded in the town, less than 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of Bakhmut, with high-rise apartment blocks among the targets hit.
Exhibits From De-Occupied Regions On Display in Shadow of UN (9 a.m.)
An exhibition entitled “Ukraine. Crucifixion. Tribunal,” and focused on alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine, opened Friday steps from United Nations headquarters in New York, according to a post on the presidential website.
The display was organized by the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War with backing from Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.
More than 1,000 exhibits were collected during field expeditions to areas recaptured by Ukrainian forces. The exhibition opened to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the liberation of Bucha, the town northwest of Kyiv that endured a brutal weeks-long occupation by Kremlin troops — and a day before Russia take on the rotating presidency of the United National Security Council for the month of April.
Finland May Unseat PM Marin Days After Getting NATO Nod (8 a.m.)
Sanna Marin, Finland’s 37-year-old prime minister, is fighting to stay in power as voters head to polls on Sunday to decide on a nail-biter race.
The election comes days after the Nordic country got the go-ahead to join NATO in what’s been a security-policy U-turn for a nation that guards a border with Russia roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) long.
Russia’s War Adds to Chaos as EU’s Poorest Country Votes Again (6 a.m.)
Bulgarians vote Sunday in their fifth election in two years, seeking to end turmoil that has paralyzed the political system and put at risk European Union unity over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine has added to the chaos in the EU’s poorest country, which is on NATO’s eastern flank less than 300 miles (482 km) away from Crimea across the Black Sea. Parties led by former prime ministers Boyko Borissov and Kiril Petkov are running neck and neck with the backing of more than a quarter of voters, according to opinion polls.
Most power in the past two years has been in the hands of interim cabinets appointed by President Rumen Radev, a former fighter pilot who’s taken pro-Moscow stances, including saying Crimea is Russian and labeling opponents who support arming Ukraine as warmongers.
Grain Glut Strains Goodwill Ukraine Badly Needs (6 a.m.)
Poland and other neighboring states agreed to help get grain out of Ukraine and onto global markets after Russia’s invasion blocked exports. Part of that supply is now piling up in eastern Europe, and it’s threatening local livelihoods.
Many growers held on to their crop in anticipation of higher prices. Instead, a broader global downturn has instead pushed grain values down, leaving farmers in Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria facing lower revenue.
Read more here: A Grain Glut Is Straining the Goodwill That Ukraine Badly Needs
Zelenskiy Aide Calls Russia’s Presidency at UNSC ‘Symbolic Blow’ (1 p.m.)
Russia, one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, took over the rotating presidency of the body for the month of April. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who’s under US sanctions, intends to spend part of the month in New York.
On Twitter, Andriy Yermak, head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called the rotation “another symbolic blow to the rules-based system of international relations.” Russia last held the post in February 2022, the month its troops invaded Ukraine.
The US, which has said it has no legal pathway to blocking Russia from the role, this week called on Russia to conduct itself professionally for the month. Moscow takes on the presidency days after detaining a US citizen, Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, on charges of spying.
Russia Ammunition Output in the Rise, Shoigu Says (10:28 a.m.)
Russia has boosted its production of conventional and high-precision ammunition “many times over,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting at the headquarters of troops involved in its war in Ukraine.
Manufacturing volumes have multiplied “due to the expansion of production capabilities and increased labor productivity,” Shoigu said. Earlier in the week, the minister visited munitions factories in the Chelyabinsk and Kirov regions, watching “artillery, tank, mortar shells of various calibers and unguided aircraft missiles” rolled off the assembly lines.
Shoigu said that makes it possible to fulfill tasks in what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine. Earlier in the week, the defense ministry said the the production of certain types of products will increase by seven to eight times by year-end.
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