live blog
Status: 04/02/2023 04:18 am
The Wall Street Journal calls for the immediate release of its Russia correspondent Gershkovich. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has criticized the Russian presidency of the UN Security Council. The developments in the live blog.
4:15 a.m
“Wall Street Journal” calls for release of reporter
The newspaper “Wall Street Journal” demands the immediate release of its Russia correspondent Evan Gershkovich. “Evan’s case is a blow to the free press and should alarm all free people and governments around the world,” the newspaper said in a statement.
The 31-year-old was arrested in Russia by the domestic secret service FSB on charges of espionage. Gershkovich is a US citizen and has been reporting on Russia since 2017. In recent months, the 31-year-old has mainly covered Russian politics and the Ukraine conflict.
4:14 a.m
Zelenskyy criticizes UN Security Council for Russian presidency
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the UN Security Council for letting Russia take over the presidency of the body on a rotating basis. The 15 members of the Security Council each hold the presidency for one month.
Zelenskyy said a five-month-old boy was killed in Russian artillery shelling in the Ukrainian city of Adiivka on Friday – “one of hundreds of artillery attacks” daily. The fact that Russia is now taking over the presidency of the Security Council “proves that such institutions are completely bankrupt.”