Shelling continues near Zaporizhzhia power station; Brittney Griner sentenced to nine years in prison: update on Ukraine

Shelling killed civilians, damaged residential buildings and destroyed power lines in nine regions of Ukraine on Thursday, the country's presidential office said.

At least four people were killed and ten others injured in 24 hours in explosions that rocked towns, officials said, including frequently targeted Mykolaiv and Nikopol near Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia .

Bombings killed five civilians and injured six others in the eastern city of Donetsk, Russian-backed local authorities said. Separatist officials have blamed Ukrainian forces for the bombing, which Ukrainian authorities have denied. Mandatory evacuations in Donetsk province began on Wednesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram, as the first evacuation train arrived in Kropyvnytskyi.

About 50 residential buildings were damaged by Russian rockets in Nikopol, located across the river from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russian troops at the start of the war. The projectiles also hit power lines, leaving residents without electricity, Ukrainian officials said.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told The Associated Press this week that the power plant was “completely out of control” and urged Russia and Ukraine to allow experts to assess the situation.

“All the principles of nuclear security have been violated,” Grossi said. “What is at stake is extremely serious and extremely serious and dangerous.”

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Latest developments

►A ship that Ukraine says was carrying 10,000 tons of grain stolen by Russia left a Lebanese port after investigation, The Lebanese Minister of Transport said on Thursday. The Laodicea's departure, which risks angering Ukraine, comes as a ship carrying grain from Ukraine heads to Lebanon, the first ship to leave Ukraine's Black Sea ports since the start of the war.

►Canada is sending military trainers to the United Kingdom to teach Ukrainians how to fight invading Russian forces, Defense Minister Anita Anand said.

Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years in prison in Russia

WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was sentenced Thursday to nine years in a Russian penal colony for cannabis possession.

Griner, 31, who pleaded guilty a few weeks ago, apologized to his family and wife. “I made an honest mistake and I hope your decision does not end my life here,” Griner said, addressing the judge. His lawyers said they would appeal.

Griner was arrested in Russia on February 17 after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. She was convicted Thursday of drug possession and smuggling in a politically charged case.

President Joe Biden issued a statement condemning Griner's detention, saying: “This is unacceptable and I call on Russia to immediately release her so she can be with her wife, her loved ones, her friends and his teammates. My administration will continue to work tirelessly. and pursue all avenues possible to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.

Now that the trial is over, negotiations to release Griner are expected to continue between the United States and Russia, despite high tensions between the two countries.

The US State Department said last week it had offered a “substantial offer” to secure the release of Griner and Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia for espionage.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Russia made a counteroffer in “bad faith.” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for “discreet” talks, accusing the United States of “megaphone diplomacy” that will not advance negotiations.

AND AFTER: Brittney Griner convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia

Amnesty International says Ukraine puts civilians at risk

Ukrainian forces have violated international law by establishing bases and operating weapons systems in populated residential areas, thereby turning civilian areas into military targets, Amnesty International said in a report on Thursday.

The human rights organization's researchers found evidence that Ukrainian forces based themselves in buildings like schools and hospitals in 19 towns and villages, exposing populated areas to Russian strikes that killed civilians and destroyed infrastructure.

However, in cities like Kharkiv, Amnesty International found that Russia had illegally targeted civilian areas and committed war crimes. Ukraine's use of civilian areas as military bases “in no way justifies” Russia's use of indiscriminate weapons like internationally banned cluster munitions, the organization said.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak criticized the report, saying the only threat to Ukrainians is the Russian army.

The Russian state and pro-Kremlin media have widely cited this report, which to some extent aligns with Moscow's official narrative.

“We talk about it all the time, calling the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces a tactic of using the civilian population as a 'human shield,'” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.

Russia attempts to trap Ukraine in prison attack that kills 53, US says

U.S. intelligence officials say Russia is working to produce false evidence to accuse Ukrainian forces of being responsible for the attack on the Olenivka prison, which left 53 people dead and dozens injured.

“We anticipate that Russian officials will attempt to entrap the Ukrainian armed forces in anticipation of potential journalists and investigators visiting the attack site,” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the Ukrainian National Security Council. White House.

The UN announced plans to lead a fact-finding mission to investigate the killings.

Russia claimed the Ukrainian military used U.S.-supplied rocket launchers to strike the Olenivka prison, a settlement controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military denied launching rocket or artillery strikes in Olenivka. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's intelligence services claim to have evidence that local separatists and Russian agents mined the barracks and set them on fire.

A Western government official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said explosives experts who reviewed photos of the prison released by the Russians after the incident determined that the destruction was not probably not caused by “an explosive strike from outside.” » and that it was “much more likely that it was incendiary and came from inside the place”.

'For the good of America: rare near unanimity in the NATO vote in the Senate

In an equally divided and polarized U.S. Senate, where so much legislation is doomed to failure, the near-unanimous support for any measure is cause for astonishment, even celebration.

Indeed, the often antagonistic parties were jubilant Wednesday evening after a 95-1 vote in favor of NATO membership for Sweden and Finland, two Nordic countries that remained militarily non-aligned for decades until that Russia's invasion of Ukraine changes their position. .

“This historic vote sends an important signal of the United States' sustained, bipartisan commitment to NATO and to ensuring that our Alliance is ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” said President Joe Biden in a statement.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell referred to the well-funded and modernizing militaries of Sweden and Finland and their experience working with U.S. forces and weapons systems, calling their inclusion in NATO as a “sure hit for (US) national security.”

This is a departure from the isolationist policies espoused by former President Donald Trump, who disparaged NATO and reportedly considered withdrawing the United States from the alliance.

McConnell, a longtime supporter of NATO, went so far as to assure Finnish President Sauli Niinisto that the Senate would quickly ratify Finland's membership by encouraging him to apply, even if the Kentucky Republican no longer leads the majority in the upper house.

McConnell pressed his caucus for strong support — only Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri voted no — emphasizing that the United States' global leadership role “is not just militarily important, but also on the commercial level, which is all good for this country. This is not a charity that we are involved in here. It's in America's interest. »

Contributor: Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine Updates: Bombing hits near Zaporizhzhia; Griner sentenced