Day 295 since the start of the war: Poland and the Baltic States block sanctions against Russia. Ukraine accuses Russian troops of abusing children. All information in the news blog.
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Poland and Baltic States block new sanctions package
1.30 p.m.: According to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Baltic States and Poland are opposed to the adoption of the new EU sanctions package against Russia. The reason for this is the exceptions for grain and fertilizer exports proposed by several Western countries. “If a political loophole were created on such a scale that all EU countries would agree to, I believe it would serve not only to solve these specific cases but probably also to circumvent sanctions,” Landsbergis said on Thursday According to agency BNS in Vilnius.
Lithuania and Poland have therefore suspended acceptance of the new sanctions package for the time being. “From our point of view, the planned exceptions actually reduce the importance of the ninth package very much,” said Landsbergis. This position is also supported by the other two Baltic states, Estonia and Latvia. According to the chief diplomat of the Baltic EU and NATO country, the discussion about the package could now possibly be shifted to the European Council.
The night at a glance: Kremlin threatens Washington
6 o’clock: In its fight against Russian drone and missile attacks, Ukraine is hoping for the speedy delivery of modern and effective anti-aircraft systems from the West. “This week we made significant progress on the issue of anti-aircraft defense,” said Zelenskyy in his video message distributed in Kyiv on Wednesday evening. He did not give details. According to media reports, the US government is considering supplying the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. If the reports about the delivery come true, then this will testify to a new “provocative step by the administration (by US President Joe Biden) that can lead to unforeseeable consequences,” the Russian embassy in Washington said. Read the full rundown of what happened that night here.
US supplies parts for smart bombs to Ukraine
1.12 a.m.: According to a newspaper report, the USA is providing Ukraine with precision military components. With the help of the special electronic equipment, unguided missiles can be converted into self-guiding missiles (“smart bombs”) and achieve a high degree of targeting accuracy, reports the Washington Post, citing US government officials familiar with the matter.
Ukraine: Child torture chamber discovered in Kherson
00:53: According to Ukrainian sources, children were also abused under Russian occupation in the recently liberated city of Cherson. “We found ten torture chambers in the Kherson region, four of them in the city of Kherson,” reports Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament’s human rights commissioner. “In one of the torture chambers we found a separate room, a cell, in which children were kept… even the occupiers called it that, a children’s cell.”
The only difference between the cell and the adjoining rooms is that the occupiers laid thin mats on the floor. “We documented that the children were not given water, they were only given water every other day. They were given practically nothing to eat.” Psychological pressure was put on the children. “They told them their parents had left them and weren’t coming back.” Lubinets initially provided no evidence to support his claims. Reuters was not immediately able to independently verify his statement. Russia denies ill-treatment of civilians.