live blog
Russia wants to hand over the victims of the January plane crash to Ukraine. France orders 2,000 kamikaze drones, some of which will be delivered to Ukraine. All developments in the live blog.
Ukraine exported a record eight million tons of cargo through its Black Sea corridor in February, including 5.2 million tons of agricultural products. This was announced by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Kubrakow, according to a report from the Reuters news agency. “These are record export figures not only through the Ukrainian corridor, but in general since the beginning of (Russia’s) large-scale invasion,” Kubrakov said in a statement.
France orders 2,000 kamikaze drones and wants to deliver some of them to Ukraine. “I have made the decision to order 2,000 pieces of remote-controlled ammunition for the needs of the French army as well as for Ukraine,” said French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu during a visit to the French drone manufacturer Delair in the Toulouse area. The first 100 drones are scheduled to be delivered to Ukraine by the summer.
According to the RIA news agency, Russia plans to hand over the bodies of the victims of a military plane crash in January. RIA quoted Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova. She told the agency that she was in contact with Ukrainian officials about the bodies.
Moscow accuses Kiev of shooting down the Ilyushin Il-76 plane in Russia’s Belgorod region, killing 74 people on board. These included 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers who were to be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied that it shot down the plane.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Tymoshenko warns President Zelensky not to distribute power unequally. Foreign Minister Baerbock sees parallels between Moldova and Ukraine. Thursday’s live blog for reading.