Russia takes war to ‘different stage’ — EU official
Moscow has ratcheted up its invasion of Ukraine by making indiscriminate attacks on civilians and framing the conflict as a struggle against the West, according to a senior EU official.
Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European Union’s European External Action Service, said on Friday Russia has taken the war to “a different stage”, while defending Germany and the US’s decision to send tanks to Kyiv.
He criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for waging a war on NATO and the West, saying this had triggered this week’s move to supply Ukraine with heavy battle tanks.
Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, Sannino said Putin had “moved from a concept of special operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West.”
The EU foreign policy official said German and US tanks are meant to help Ukrainians defend themselves, rather than attack Moscow.
“I think that this latest development in terms of armed supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia started moving the war into a different stage,” Sannino said.
The EU is not moving the war into a different stage but is “just giving the possibility of saving lives and allowing the Ukrainians to defend [themselves] from these barbaric attacks,” he added.
Germany and the US announced on Wednesday they will send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine, offering what one expert called an “armoured punching force” to help Kyiv break a stalemate on the battlefield.
Washington will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks, while Berlin has agreed to give 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its own stocks.
Wagner mercenaries shot for fleeing, says ex-commander
A former commander of Russia’s Wagner group, who fled to Norway, witnessed comrades being shot as they tried to flee the frontline in Ukraine, according to his Norwegian lawyer.
Andrei Medvedev, who escaped Russia over the Russian-Norwegian border in January, said he fears for his life after witnessing the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners taken to fight for Wagner in Ukraine.
Speaking to Euronews in January, experts made similar accusations that Chechen troops have been used to execute deserting Russian soldiers.
Medvedev is living in a secret location in the Oslo area after he was released from detention on Wednesday following a «disagreement» with police about measures taken to ensure his safety.
His lawyer Brynjulf Risnes said he had seen some «incredibly horrible» situations while fighting last autumn and was «slowly coming to terms with what’s happening» in Ukraine.
«His life has been chaotic and dangerous and very stressful for a very long time,» Risnes said, «particularly, of course, during the autumn when he was in Ukraine with the Wagner group.»
«But of course, his life hasn’t been easy before that either.»
Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed, millions uprooted and cities reduced to rubble since Russian forces invaded Ukraine 11 months ago.
Kripos, Norway’s national criminal police service, which has responsibility for investigating war crimes, has begun questioning him about his experiences and wants to carry on, Risnes said.
Kripos is part of a project to investigate war crimes in Ukraine conducted by the International Criminal Court.
US lawmakers call for China to be sanctioned over Ukraine
US lawmakers on Thursday urged the Biden administration to take a tougher stance on China, accusing Chinese organisations of providing support to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We need to be much more robust” against China, said Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, citing “evidence that Chinese companies are providing dual-use technology including semi-conductors», which can be used to guide missiles.
«It seems to me that we shouldn’t give up the potential for sanctions against China if they provide crucial assistance and they shouldn’t be able to hide behind companies,» he said.
His Republican colleague James Risch felt China was acting «with impunity» and that the US needed to «strengthen the sanctions» on the country.
US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken is due to visit China next month.
In parallel, Washington announced on Thursday more sanctions against Wagner and its supporters, which included a Chinese company accused of helping them in Ukraine.
A Chinese space research institute, the Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute are among the organisations the US Treasury Department believes provided Wagner with satellite images in Ukraine.
China, an ally of Russia, says it is neutral towards the conflict in Ukraine, while strengthening ties with Russia, particularly in the energy field, on the side.
But US officials are increasingly concerned about the support provided to Russia through Chinese companies in the field of high technology in particular.
Ukraine grain harvest will nosedive — prediction
Ukrainian production of grain and other essential foodstuffs is expected to fall even further next year, according to new estimates.
Sown areas of grain and oilseed harvest are expected to drop to «53 million tonnes» in 2023, half of what they were in 2021, according to estimates by the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA).
«We are at war,» said Nikolay Gorbachov, UGA President, on Thursday. «We continue to produce grain but the harvests will drop. For farmers, it is no longer profitable to produce grain.»
In 2021, 106 million tonnes of grain were harvested, a historic record, this fell to around 65 million tonnes for 2022, while «53 million tonnes» is predicted for 2023, he outlined.
Prior to the Russian invasion, Ukraine was the world’s fourth largest corn exporter and the country was on the way to becoming the third largest wheat exporter.
Fighting in 2022 hampered the ability of farmers to sow crops, which was compounded by a lack of fuel and the destruction of agricultural machinery and storage infrastructure.
Gorbachov expressed concern about exports in the next season: «For Ukrainian national food security, it will be fine. But if Ukraine cannot export these 40 or 50 million [tonnes of grain]? Prices will increase. Europe can allow it, but not developing countries,» he said.
Disruptions to food exports from Ukraine have pushed many developing countries to the brink of starvation by sending prices into orbit.
Experts have warned the food crisis is causing increasing numbers of migrants to come to the European Union.