Ukraine latest: Russian sentenced to life in first war crimes trial

The Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24 continues, with casualties mounting on both sides.

Ukrainian forces are putting up resistance in the east, where the focus of the war has shifted, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regularly calls on the world to do more to help. Governments around the globe have imposed heavy sanctions against Moscow but have stopped short of direct intervention for fear of sparking a wider conflict.

Meanwhile, rising geopolitical risk and volatile energy and financial markets are rocking Asia.

For all our coverage, visit our Ukraine war page.

Read our in-depth coverage:

— Turkey blocks start of NATO entry talks for Sweden and Finland

— Mariupol mayor hails evacuated troops for defending Ukraine city

— Russian oil tankers turn to stealth shipments under sanctions

— Ukraine urges Japan to impose full embargo on Russian oil and gas

— West needs to accept India’s neutrality on Ukraine war

Entries include material from wire services and other sources.

Note: Nikkei Asia on March 5 decided to temporarily suspend its reporting from Russia until further information becomes available regarding the scope of the revised criminal code.

Here are the latest developments:

Tuesday, May 24 (Tokyo time)

12:00 p.m. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says the Indo-Pacific region should avoid acts of aggression similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, opening a Quad nations meeting in Tokyo. At the outset of the summit attended by U.S. President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Kishida said, “There is great significance in demonstrating the four countries’ solidarity and our strong commitment to the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

11:19 a.m. A veteran Russian diplomat to the U.N. Office at Geneva says he handed in his resignation before sending out a scathing letter to foreign colleagues inveighing against the “aggressive war unleashed” by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. Boris Bondarev, 41, confirmed his resignation in a letter delivered Monday morning after a diplomatic official passed on his English-language statement to The Associated Press. “For twenty years of my diplomatic career I have seen different turns of our foreign policy, but never have I been so ashamed of my country as on Feb. 24 of this year,” he wrote, alluding to the date of Russia’s invasion.

9:21 a.m. A captured Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a civilian was sentenced by a Ukrainian court Monday to life in prison — the maximum — amid signs the Kremlin may, in turn, put on trial some of the fighters who surrendered at Mariupol’s steelworks. In the first of what could be a multitude of war crimes trials held by Ukraine, Russian Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, was sentenced for the killing of a 62-year-old man who was shot in the head in a village in the northeastern Sumy region in the opening days of the war.

Shishimarin, a member of a tank unit, had claimed he was following orders, and he apologized to the man’s widow in court. His Ukraine-appointed defense attorney, Victor Ovsyanikov, argued his client had been unprepared for the “violent military confrontation” and mass casualties that Russian troops encountered when they invaded. He said he would appeal.

9:00 a.m. The European Union will likely agree an embargo on Russian oil imports “within days,” according to its biggest member Germany. Many of the EU’s 27 member states are heavily reliant on Russian energy, and Hungary stuck to its demands on Monday for energy investment before it agrees to such an embargo. “We will reach a breakthrough within days,” Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck told broadcaster ZDF.

Monday, May 23

7:30 p.m. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells a meeting of global business leaders in Davos that the world is at a critical juncture, and must ratchet up sanctions against Russia as a warning to countries contemplating the use of brute force.

“History is at a turning point… This is really the moment when it is decided whether brute force will rule the world,” Zelenskiy tells the conference, Reuters reports.

1:45 p.m. Japan, the U.S. and five other countries condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a statement after Asia-Pacific trade ministers failed to agree on a stance on Russia at a meeting held in Bangkok over the weekend, the Japanese Foreign Ministry says. Accusing Moscow of an “unprovoked war of aggression,” the statement said the seven countries “strongly urge Russia to immediately cease its use of force and completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine.” The seven nations — which also include Australia, Canada, Chile, South Korea and New Zealand — also expressed “grave concern” about the impact of the Russian actions on food and energy security.

12:50 p.m. Ukraine has ruled out a ceasefire or any territorial concessions to Russia. Moscow has stepped up its pounding of the Donbas and Mykolaiv regions with airstrikes and artillery fire, in what Ukraine has described as a “scorched earth” strategy to win control of the eastern front. “The war must end with the complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff said in a Twitter post on Sunday.

10:03 a.m. More than 100 million people have been driven from their homes around the world, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) says, citing new data about those escaping violence, conflict, persecution and human rights violations. The war in Ukraine has been one of the factors propelling millions of people to flee, the UNHCR said, adding that protracted conflict in places like Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo were other factors behind the high numbers.

6:00 a.m. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have discussed Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s shipping port Odesa, a Downing Street spokesperson says. Johnson resolved to redouble efforts to provide vital food and humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine and ensure the country was able to export to the rest of the world, the spokesperson added.

5:42 a.m. Ukraine’s parliament has banned the symbols “Z” and “V,” used by Russia’s military to promote its war in Ukraine, but agreeing to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call to allow their use for educational or historic purposes. Yaroslav Zheleznyak, an opposition member, announced the decision on the Telegram messaging app, saying 313 deputies had voted in favor in the 423-member Verkhovna Rada assembly.

Sunday, May 22

11:13 p.m. Polish citizens in Ukraine will be granted the same rights that Ukrainian refugees in Poland are receiving, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says during a visit to Kyiv by his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda. Poland has granted the right to live and work and claim social security payments to over 3 million Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

11:01 p.m. Only Ukraine has the right to decide its future, Polish President Andrzej Duda tells lawmakers in Kyiv, as he becomes the first foreign leader to give a speech in person to the Ukrainian parliament since Russia’s invasion. Duda also says he will not rest until Ukraine becomes a European Union member.

“Worrying voices have appeared, saying that Ukraine should give in to Putin’s demands,” Duda says. “Only Ukraine has the right to decide about its future … nothing about you without you.”

10:05 p.m. The Russian-appointed head of the occupied Ukrainian town next to Europe’s largest nuclear plant was injured in an explosion on Sunday, a Ukrainian official and a Russian news agency say. Andrei Shevchuk, appointed mayor of Enerhodar following the Russian army’s occupation of the town, was in intensive care following the attack.

Many residents work at the two power plants next to the town, one of which is the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the attack.

5:15 a.m. Ukraine rules out agreeing to a ceasefire with Russia and says Kyiv would not accept any deal with Moscow that involved ceding territory. Admitting Kyiv’s stance was becoming more uncompromising, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak says making concessions would backfire because Russia would hit back harder after any break in fighting. “The war will not stop” after any concessions, he tells Reuters. “It will just be put on pause for some time.”

Podolyak describes as “very strange” calls in the West for an urgent ceasefire that would involve Russian forces remaining in territory they have occupied in Ukraine’s south and east. Russian “forces must leave the country and after that the resumption of the peace process will be possible,” he says.

12:12 a.m. While in South Korea, U.S. President Joe Biden signs a bill to provide nearly $40 billion in aid for Ukraine, the White House says.

Saturday, May 21

11:35 p.m. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has objected to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, holds phone calls with the leaders of the two countries and discusses his concerns about terrorist organizations. The two Nordic countries are seeking to join the alliance over concerns of Moscow’s aggression as Russia wages a war with Ukraine.

Turkey says Sweden and Finland harbor people linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group and followers of Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt. Erdogan tells Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson that Ankara expected concrete steps to address its concerns, Reuters reports.

During his call with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Erdogan says failing to deal with terrorist organizations that posed a threat to a NATO ally would not suit the spirit of alliance.

4:12 p.m. Representatives of five economies, including Japan and the U.S., walked out of a meeting by trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on Saturday, the opening day of a two-day conference in Bangkok, in protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Japanese officials say. Ministers from Japan, the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand exited the room when Maksim Reshetnikov, Russia’s economic development minister, started delivering his remarks during a morning session.

2:00 p.m. Russia’s Gazprom has halted gas exports to neighboring Finland, the Finnish gas system operator says, the latest escalation of an energy payments dispute with Western nations. Gazprom Export has demanded that European countries pay for Russian gas supplies in rubles because of sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but Finland refuses to do so. “Gas imports through [the] Imatra entry point have been stopped,” Gasgrid Finland said in a statement. Imatra is the entry point for Russian gas into Finland.

8:00 a.m. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a formal deal with the country’s allies to secure Russian compensation for the damage its forces have caused during the war. Zelenskyy, who says Russia is trying to destroy as much of Ukraine’s infrastructure as it can, said such a deal would show nations planning aggressive acts that they would have to pay for their actions.

“We invite partner countries to sign a multilateral agreement and create a mechanism ensuring that everybody who suffered from Russian actions can receive compensation for all losses incurred,” he said in a video address. Under such a deal, Russian funds and property in signatory nations would be confiscated, and would then be directed to a special compensation fund, he said.

7:15 a.m. Russia claims to have captured Mariupol in what would be its biggest victory yet in its war with Ukraine, after a nearly three-month siege that reduced much of the strategic port city to a smoking ruin, with over 20,000 civilians feared dead. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin the “complete liberation” of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol — the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance — and the city as a whole, spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. There was no immediate confirmation from Ukraine.

4:00 a.m. Wimbledon is stripped of its ranking points by the ATP and WTA tours over its decision to exclude players from Russia and Belarus at the 2022 Championships due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The governing bodies of tennis have banned Russia and Belarus from international team competitions but let players from the two countries compete as neutrals.

Separately, 51 Ukrainian athletes have died since Russia’s invasion began, the International Olympic Committee reported at a meeting in Switzerland. They include a promising female gymnast in her teens.

2:30 a.m. Ukraine wants Japan to impose a total import ban on Russian oil and gas, and to more fully participate in the squeezing of funds that might otherwise flow into Moscow’s war chest

Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko also says Ukraine expects Japan and other developed nations to direct frozen Russian assets to the effort to rebuild his country.

“We need a full oil and gas embargo,” Marchenko says in an interview with Nikkei. “Russia receives money [from oil and gas exports] and can spend this money on military aggression toward Ukraine.” Read more.

12:20 a.m. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has resigned as chairman of the board of Russian state-owned oil group Rosneft, the latest development in the controversy over his close relationship with Moscow.

Former German intelligence officer Matthias Warnig has also stepped down from the board, German and other media report, citing a statement from Rosneft.

Friday, May 20

10:24 p.m. Russia’s Gazprom will halt flows of natural gas to Finland starting Saturday, after Finnish state-owned gas wholesaler Gasum refused to pay its Russian supplier in rubles.

Gasum, which had warned Wednesday that Russian supplies could be cut, says it will continue to supply gas to Finnish customers from other sources through the Balticconnector pipeline linking Finland with Estonia. Most supply contracts are denominated in euros or dollars, but Gazprom Export has demanded that European countries pay in rubles because of sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Natural gas accounts for only a small part of Finland’s household energy use but a larger share of industrial power.

5:31 p.m. In a sign of Russia’s urgent need to bolster its war effort in Ukraine, its parliament says it will consider a bill to allow Russians over the age of 40 and foreigners over 30 to sign up for the military. The website of the State Duma, parliament’s lower house, said the move would enable the military to utilize the skills of older professionals. “For the use of high-precision weapons, the operation of weapons and military equipment, highly professional specialists are needed. Experience shows that they become such by the age of 40-45,” it said. Previously only Russians aged 18 to 40 and foreigners aged 18 to 30 could enter into a first contract with the military.

2:30 p.m. Russian shelling in Ukraine’s eastern region of Luhansk has killed 13 civilians over the past 24 hours, the regional governor, Serhiy Gaidai, says. Twelve were killed in the town of Sievierodonesk, where a Russian assault has been unsuccessful, he said. The town and the city of Lysychansk are in an area where Russian troops have launched an offensive.

2:26 p.m. Russia is likely to reinforce operations in the industrial Donbas region once they secure the city of Mariupol, British military intelligence says. As many as 1,700 soldiers are likely to have surrendered at the Azovstal steel factory in Mariupol, the report added. Moscow also said on Thursday that 1,730 Ukrainian fighters had surrendered from the steel factory so far, including 771 in the past 24 hours.

9:01 a.m. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accuses Russia of using food as a weapon in Ukraine by holding “hostage” supplies for not just Ukrainians, but also millions around the world. Addressing the United Nations Security Council, Blinken appealed to Russia to stop blockading Ukrainian ports. “The Russian government seems to think that using food as a weapon will help accomplish what its invasion has not — to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people,” he said. “The food supply for millions of Ukrainians and millions more around the world has quite literally been held hostage.”

5:56 a.m. The U.S. Senate approves roughly $40 billion in new assistance for Ukraine — the largest American aid package yet for the country — by a lopsided 86-11 vote, clearing the way for President Joe Biden to sign it into law. All of the “no” votes come from Republicans.

1:08 a.m. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto pledges to commit to Turkey’s security if his country joins NATO and says Finland is willing to discuss all of Ankara’s concerns over its membership “in an open and constructive manner.”

“Finland has always had broad and good bilateral relations to Turkey,” Niinisto said at the White House, where U.S. President Joe Biden was hosting the leaders of Finland and Sweden following their formal applications for NATO membership. “As NATO allies, we will commit to Turkey’s security, just as Turkey will commit to our security. We take terrorism seriously. We condemn terrorism in all its forms, and we are actively engaged in combating it.”

Discussions to address Turkey’s concerns have already taken place and will continue in the coming days, Niinisto said.

12:55 a.m. McDonald’s says it has agreed to sell its restaurant portfolio in Russia for an undisclosed sum to Alexander Govor, who since 2015 has been a licensee and operated 25 restaurants in Siberia.

The world’s largest burger chain owns about 84% of its nearly 850 restaurants in Russia.

The announcement comes days after McDonald’s said it would leave the country, while retaining its trademarks, in light of the Ukraine war. In March, the company had decided to temporarily close all its restaurants in Russia and pause all operations there.

For earlier updates, click here.