Russia will expand penalties for those who evade the military draft under a new package of legal changes.
(Bloomberg) — Russia will expand penalties for those who evade the military draft under a new package of legal changes.
Hungary’s top diplomat flew to Moscow for talks on energy, a rare visit by a European Union country that underscores Budapest’s schism with the rest of the bloc over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
US Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Key Developments
- Russia Wrongfully Detains WSJ Reporter, State Department Finds
- DOJ Is Probing Leaked Defense Documents on Ukraine, Allies
- What We Know About Alleged Leaks of US Spying Over Ukraine: Q&A
(All times CET)
Hungary’s Top Diplomat Visits Moscow in Defiance of EU Stance (11:26 a.m.)
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto’s meetings with two energy officials are part of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s effort to maintain his country’s dependence on Russian oil, gas and nuclear supplies even as EU partners move to break free.
After visiting Belarus in February in another rare trip to a Moscow ally under western sanctions, Szijjarto met Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Alexander Novak and Alexey Likhachev, the chief executive officer of state nuclear company Rosatom Corp.
Russia to Expand Penalties for Draft Evaders (8:28 a.m.)
The changes are part of a package of measures aimed at toughening rules as Russia moves to expand its armed forces by nearly 50% to 1.5 million people over several years.
The plan is aimed at rectifying the problems exposed in last year’s mobilization of 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine, a senior legislator said, according to Tass. That call-up triggered widespread public discontent.
Under the new plan, which is contained in hastily proposed amendments due for a vote in parliament Tuesday, draft evaders would be banned from leaving the country, getting drivers licenses, buying and selling property and taking loans. The changes would also remove the requirement that draft notices be delivered in-person, which those seeking to avoid service had long taken advantage of, and replace it with a new national on-line system.
World’s Top Uranium Miner Sees Clients Switching From Russia (8:13 a.m.)
Kazakhstan’s state-owned uranium miner is preparing reserves for production as demand increases, including from Eastern European power producers looking to cut their reliance on Russia.
Some nuclear plants in Eastern Europe, which previously sourced enriched uranium from Russia, are seeking contracts from 2025, Kazatomprom Chief Executive Officer Yerzhan Mukanov said in an interview in Astana.
Geopolitical uncertainties are reshaping flows of the nuclear fuel, prompting some power producers to build inventories, he said.
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Ukrainian Premier Visits Canada (6:52 a.m.)
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will meet with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland during his official visit there on Tuesday.
Morawiecki Will Meet Harris on US Visit (5:35 a.m.)
The pair will discuss security and energy issues — including Poland’s civil nuclear program, according to a White House official. Last year, Poland selected US-based Westinghouse Electric Company LLC to help construct three nuclear reactors after lobbying by Harris and other senior US officials.
The visit also comes as the Biden administration is seeking to shore up its international alliance to help Ukraine following the leak of classified documents that appeared to show intelligence gathered from US partners.
Blinken Makes Official Determination on Gershkovich (3:30 a.m.)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has formally determined that Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has been wrongfully detained by Russia, a finding that authorizes the US to negotiate on his behalf.
“Journalism is not a crime,” Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement on Monday. “We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth.”
Blinken had already assailed Gershkovich’s detention on espionage charges, telling reporters that “in my own mind, there’s no doubt that he’s being wrongfully detained by Russia.” But the State Department was still going through the process of making that finding official.
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