European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned what she called Russia’s “indiscriminate” missile attacks on Ukraine and said the Kremlin’s “deliberate targeting” of civilians and energy infrastructure is a war crime.
(Bloomberg) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned what she called Russia’s “indiscriminate” missile attacks on Ukraine and said the Kremlin’s “deliberate targeting” of civilians and energy infrastructure is a war crime.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia’s “massive” missile barrage had killed six Ukrainians Thursday. It also triggered temporary power, heat and water outages in some regions and cities, with Kharkiv in the east and Zhytomyr to the west of Kyiv facing “the most difficult situation,” he said in his evening address.
Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces shot down 34 of the 95 missiles fired over the past day, according to a morning update on Facebook. That was a lower proportion than usual because Russia’s latest strikes included a new mix of sophisticated weapons that mostly evaded air defenses.
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Key Developments
- Russia Shifts Tactics With Deadly Missile Strikes on Ukraine
- Turkey Links Swedish Anti-Terror Law to NATO Membership Approval
- UK Suspects Russians Using British Firms to Launder War Profits
- Biden Unexpectedly Stops By to Meet Once-Famed Putin Whisperer
- NATO’s Call for Weapons Offers Hope to Town That Armed the Enemy
(All times CET)
Russia Sanctions 144 Baltic Public Figures (10 a.m.)
Russia said it sanctioned 144 public figures from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania including ministers, lawmakers and journalists, in response to what the foreign ministry in Moscow said was “active lobbying” against Russia and “interference in our internal affairs.”
As well as helping arm Ukraine, the 144 people are involved in the “demolition” of Soviet-era monuments, the “persecution” of Russian-speaking citizens, the “rewriting of history” and “the glorification of Nazism,” the ministry said in a statement. It did not identify them by name.
US Sanctions Chinese Aerospace Companies (9:10 a.m.)
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on five Chinese companies, and one person, accused of supplying aerospace components to an Iranian maker of drones sold to Russia and used in attacks on oil tankers.
“Iran is directly implicated in the Ukrainian civilian casualties that result from Russia’s use of Iranian UAVs in Ukraine,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement, using an acronym for unmanned aerial vehicle.
Turkey Links Swedish Anti-Terror Law to NATO Bid (9 a.m.)
Turkey linked Sweden’s upcoming anti-terrorism law to ratification of its entry into NATO, and pushed back against a July deadline raised by allies for completing the enlargement.
Talks between Turkey, Sweden and Finland had resumed Thursday to break the impasse that has held up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s expansion since the two Nordic countries were invited to join in June.
Russian Tycoons Unload Alfa-Bank Stake (9 a.m.)
Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven have reached a deal to offload their stakes in Alfa-Bank, the country’s biggest privately owned lender, as they seek to ease European sanctions.
Under the agreement, which is subject to regulatory approval, the two would sell their stakes to longtime partner Andrei Kosogov, who hasn’t been sanctioned, for 178 billion rubles ($2.3 billion), according to people familiar with the situation. It wasn’t immediately clear where Kosogov, a lower-profile executive who had the smallest stake in the bank before the other partners were sanctioned amid the war, would get the money.
Putin Congratulates Xi (8 a.m.)
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated China’s Xi Jinping on his re-appointment to a third term as president, according to news agency Tass.
Putin said in a telegram he’s sure that Russia and China will increase their cooperation in certain spheres, Tass reported.
Zaporizhzhia Situation ‘Critical’: Zelenskiy (8 a.m.)
Zelenskiy described the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as “critical” after the latest missile strikes knocked out its supply for the sixth time before power was restored.
“This means that the sooner the Russian nuclear industry is subjected to sanctions, the safer the world will be,” Zelenskiy added.
UK Probes Ties to Russian Money Laundering (3:40 a.m.)
The UK government suspects Russian nationals have exploited lax checks by the companies register in attempts to launder war profits stolen from Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.
British law enforcement agencies have identified large numbers of sham companies incorporated in the UK by nationals from a range of countries in recent years, likely for the purposes of money laundering or tax evasion, the people said, asking not to be named discussing confidential matters.
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