A pro-Kremlin military blogger was killed by a bomb hidden inside a figurine at a cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia’s interior ministry said. Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, supported the war in Ukraine.
(Bloomberg) — A pro-Kremlin military blogger was killed by a bomb hidden inside a figurine at a cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia’s interior ministry said. Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, supported the war in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by telephone with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov about Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested by Russia last week and charged with spying. In a call that Russia said was initiated by the US, Blinken demanded the release of Gershkovich and a second American.
Russia is boosting its production of conventional and high-precision ammunition, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Saturday, days after visiting munitions factories in two regions to inspect the production of artillery and missiles.
Key Developments
- Blinken Demands Russia Free US Journalist in Lavrov Call
- Bulgaria Votes Again With End to Political Deadlock Unclear
- Finland’s Voters May Unseat Sanna Marin in Tight Election
- A Grain Glut Is Straining the Goodwill That Ukraine Badly Needs
- Russia Extends Pledged Oil Output Cuts Through 2023, Novak Says
(All times CET)
St. Petersburg Blast Kills Pro-War Blogger (6:45 p.m.)
An explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg killed a military blogger who supported the war in Ukraine. Russia’s Investigative Committee said it opened a criminal probe into Sunday’s blast, which officials blamed on an improvised bomb hidden inside a statuette that was presented to Vladlen Tatarsky.
Tatarsky is a pseudonym for Maxim Fomin, 40, according to state-run news agency Tass. He became widely known after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by espousing goals including the complete destruction of the Ukrainian state.
Russia Extends Pledged Oil Output Cuts Through 2023 (4:20 p.m.)
Russia has decided to keep its oil production at a reduced level through 2023 amid high volatility in the global market, said Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
Russia had previously pledged to cut its crude-only output by 500,000 barrels per day in March in response to Western sanctions, including price caps on its oil and petroleum production, and to keep those curbs in place through June.
The cuts of 500,000 barrels a day will be implemented from “the average production level as assessed by secondary sources” for February, according to Novak.
Read more: Russia Extends Pledged Oil Output Cuts Through 2023, Novak Says
Blinken Demands Russia Free US Journalist in Lavrov Call (5:19 p.m.)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by telephone with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov about Evan Gershkovich, demanding that Russia free the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested last week and charged with spying.
Blinken conveyed the United States’ grave concern over “Russia’s unacceptable detention of a US citizen journalist” and called for his immediate release, according to a statement from the State Department .
The call also comes as Russia takes over the rotating leadership of the UN Security Council for the month of April. Lavrov, who’s under US sanctions, intends to spend part of the month in meetings at UN headquarters in New York.
Civilian Death Toll in Kostyantynivka Rises to Six (2 p.m.)
Russian troops used multiple rocket launchers and cluster munitions to shell the city of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region overnight, killing at least six civilians, said Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukraine’s presidential office.
Eight others were wounded in the rocket and artillery attacks on the town, less than 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of Bakhmut. At least 16 apartment buildings were damaged along with private houses, a kindergarten, and a government tax office.
Moscow Suspends Operations at Anglo-American School for 90 Days (2 p.m.)
A court suspended operations at the Anglo-American School of Moscow for 90 days, saying it had violated certain rules that govern how education activities can be conducted in Russia, RBC news outlet reported, citing the press office of the Tushinsky district court of Moscow.
The determination was based on an inspection made in February and concerned documents needed by some teachers to confirm their qualifications, among other things, according to the RBC report.
The school, founded in 1949, teaches students from over 30 countries, including the children of many diplomats and international business leaders.
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.
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 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 said it has no legal option to block Russia’s presidency.
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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