The fighting continues and the Ukrainian authorities still deplore civilian casualties, nearly six months after the start of the Russian invasion. Many observers have their eyes on the shipment of Ukrainian grain from Odessa, which is a test case for the international agreement on exports. Washington does not relax the pressure on Russia and announces new sanctions.
Azov regiment designated “terrorist organization” in Russia
The Russian Supreme Court has classified the Ukrainian Azov regiment, famous for defending Mariupol in Ukraine, as “terrorist organization”. This could be worth very heavy prosecution to its fighters taken prisoner by Russia, whereas they are today considered prisoners of war. This decision comes into force immediately, said a Supreme Court judge quoted by the Tass agency, following “at an administrative request from the public prosecutor’s office”.
Most of the trial took place behind closed doors. According to TASS, witnesses had been called to the stand and spoke about alleged crimes committed by the Azov regiment in Ukraine. Under Russian law, the leaders of a terrorist organization risk 15 to 20 years in prison, their simple members between five and ten years. Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, replied that “Russia will bear direct legal responsibility for the mistreatment of prisoners of war”.
A first Ukrainian grain cargo ship off Istanbul
It is carrying the first authorized load of Ukrainian grain since the start of the war in Ukraine. the Razoni, a freighter under the Sierra Leonean flag, arrived off the northern coast of Istanbul on the Black Sea on Tuesday August 2. Departing from Odessa with 26,000 tons of corn destined for Lebanon, the ship must spend the night anchored off the coast of Turkey. It will then be inspected on Wednesday morning by an international team at the entrance to the Bosphorus, said the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
This is the first export authorized under the agreement signed on July 22 in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by Turkey and under the auspices of the United Nations, to unblock Ukrainian ports and relieve agricultural markets. The inspection will be carried out by a delegation composed of Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian and UN representatives.
Ukraine deplores new civilian casualties
The Ukrainian Air Force Command announced that Russian forces had fired eight cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea into the territory of Ukraine. Seven were intercepted, according to this source, but another was “hit an air defense complex in the Lviv region”in the west of the country.
Mykolaiv, a town near the front in southern Ukraine, was once again “massively bombarded” on the night of Monday to Tuesday, for its part announced the presidency. In the neighboring region of Kherson, the first major city to fall into the hands of the Russian army, on March 3, “the situation remains tense”, she noted. But Ukraine, which is currently leading a counter-offensive in the south, announced on Tuesday that it had taken over 53 occupied localities there.
Also in the Kherson region, the head of the military administration of Kryviy Rih, Oleksander Vilkul, reported the death of two civilians who were on board a minibus trying to leave the village of Starosillya, at the hands of the Russians. Five other people were evacuated, two of whom were seriously injured and hospitalized.
The United States sanctions new Russian personalities
Washington announced new economic sanctions against Russian companies and oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin, including Andrey Guryev, who owns the largest private property in London behind Buckingham Palace. “Putin’s allies got rich and funded opulent lifestyles”said US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
The steelmaker Magnitogorsk (MMK) is also on the Treasury list, as it is considered “one of Russia’s largest taxpayers, providing a substantial source of government revenue”. Ditto for two subsidiaries and its main shareholder, the oligarch Viktor Rachnikov. Ex-gymnast Alina Kabaeva, head of a “pro-Kremlin” media group, and to whom the media lend a relationship with Vladimir Putin – which the latter denies -, also sees her assets frozen in the States -United.
The State Department, for its part, also announced visa restrictions against 893 Russian officials and 31 foreign officials for their role in the war in Ukraine. Also targeted are three oligarchs, Russian state-owned companies, and “24 Russian entities related to defense and technology”.