Two Russian journalists were arrested by their government on “extremism” charges and ordered by courts there on Saturday to remain in custody pending investigation and trial on accusations of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin both denied the charges for which they will be detained for a minimum of two months before any trials begin, reports the Associated Press (AP). Each faces a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of six years for alleged “participation in an extremist organization,” according to Russian courts.
Russian journalist Sergey Karelin appears in court in the Murmansk region of Russia, on 27 April 2024, after his arrest on ‘extremism’ charges, which he denied. Photograph: AP
They are just the latest journalists arrested amid a Russian government crackdown on dissent and independent media that intensified after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.
The Russian government passed laws criminalizing what it deems false information about the military, or statements seen as discrediting the military, effectively outlawing any criticism of the war in Ukraine or speech that deviates from the official narrative, writes the AP.
According to the AP’s report, Gabov and Karelin are accused of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which has been outlawed by Russian authorities. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony in February.
Gabov, who was detained in Moscow, is a freelance producer who has worked for multiple organisations, including Reuters, the court press service said. Reuters did not immediately comment on the ruling by the court.
Karelin, who has dual citizenship with Israel, was detained on Friday night in Russia’s northern Murmansk region. Karelin, 41, has worked for a number of outlets, including for the AP. He was a cameraman for German media outlet Deutsche Welle until the Kremlin banned the outlet from operating in Russia in February 2022.
“The Associated Press is very concerned by the detention of Russian video journalist Sergey Karelin,” the AP said in a statement. “We are seeking additional information.”
Additionaly, a journalist for the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, Sergei Mingazov, was detained on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military, his lawyer said on Friday.
Chinese president Xi Jinping is due to make a state visit to France on 6 and 7 May, Paris announced on Monday, with war in Ukraine and the Middle East expected to be high on the agenda, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The visit to France marks the Chinese leader’s first European tour since the coronavirus pandemic.
“Exchanges will focus on international crises, first and foremost the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, trade issues, scientific, cultural and sporting cooperation,” French president Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement.
China and Russia have ramped up economic cooperation and diplomatic contacts in recent years and their partnership has only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine, writes AFP.
Beijing says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict but has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.
Luke Harding reporting from Kyiv:
Russia has consolidated recent battlefield gains in the east of Ukraine, and is attempting to break through Ukrainian defensive lines before a long-awaited package of US military assistance arrives at the frontline.
On Sunday Russian troops advanced near the city of Avdiivka. They seized two villages and expanded a narrow corridor around the rural settlement of Ocheretyne, which the Russians entered a week ago. Ukrainian security officials described the situation in the Donbas region where Russia is attacking on multiple fronts as “very difficult”. It was “not critical or catastrophic”, they added.
The fighting in Ocheretyne followed a surprise Russian attack. The manoeuvre enabled Russian combat units to bypass a network of Ukrainian trenches and to establish a salient. They have since overrun neighbouring hamlets – Solovyove and Novokalynove – and are attempting to push farther west.
Ukraine’s eastern command said its forces controlled two-thirds of Ocheretyne, where there was fierce fighting.
Ukraine says resisting heavy attacks in east amid Russian advance
Ukraine said on Monday it had foiled 55 Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after it admitted to a worsening situation on the frontline, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Moscow over the weekend claimed another eastern village, Novobakhmutivka, as struggling Ukrainian forces await the arrival of crucial US weapons.
The Ukrainian army said it had “repulsed 55 attacks” in several villages north and west of Novobakhmutivka. These included Ocheretyne, where heavy fighting was reported on Sunday.
Anti-tank obstacles known as ‘dragon’s teeth’ line a hill in the Donetsk region. Photograph: Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters
The villages lie north of the hub of Adviivka, captured by Russian troops in February. Moscow’s forces have since pushed deeper into the Donetsk region.
According to the AFP report, Ukraine said its forces “continue to hold back the enemy” in several settlements west of the Moscow-held city of Donetsk, including the town of Krasnogorivka.
Ukraine said Russian forces had “with the support of aviation, tried 15 times to break through the defences of our troops.”
Krasnogorivka lies about 20 kilometres (32 miles) west of Donetsk and has served as a key stronghold for Kyiv.
It has become more vulnerable since the fall of nearby Marinka and Avdiivka, with reports of increased fighting in recent weeks, reports AFP.
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said on Sunday that his troops had retreated to new defensive lines further to the west in some areas.
Kyiv has also warned that Russia will try to bring home some victories ahead of its patriotic 9 May holiday, writes AFP.
Opening summary
It has gone 10am in Kyiv and in Moscow. This is our latest Guardian blog covering all the latest developments over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ukraine said on Monday it had foiled 55 Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after it admitted to a worsening situation on the frontline, reports the Agence France-Presse news agency.
Moscow over the weekend claimed another eastern village, Novobakhmutivka, as struggling Ukrainian forces await the arrival of crucial US weapons.
According to AFP, the Ukrainian army said it had “repulsed 55 attacks” in several villages north and west of Novobakhmutivka. These included Ocheretyne, where heavy fighting was reported on Sunday.
More on that in a moment, but first, here are the other latest developments:
Ukraine’s troops have made a tactical retreat westwards from the villages of Berdychi, Semenivka and Novomykhailivka on the war’s eastern front, according to Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s military commander in chief. “The most difficult situation is in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions, where fierce battles continue,” Syrskyi said, referencing two Ukrainian-held cities in the Donetsk region.
“The enemy has engaged up to four brigades in these directions, is trying to develop an offensive west of Avdiivka and Marinka, making its way to Pokrovsk and Kurakhove,” Syrskyi said, adding the retreat’s purpose was “preserving the lives and health of our defenders”. Syrski said Ukraine’s position on the battlefield had worsened. “In some sectors the enemy had tactical success, and in some areas our troops managed to improve the tactical position.”
It comes as Russia has consolidated recent battlefield gains and is attempting to break through Ukrainian defensive lines before new US military assistance arrives, Luke Harding reports from Kyiv. Ukrainian security officials described the situation on the battlefront in the Donbas region as “very difficult” but “not critical or catastrophic”.
Despite the developments, US-based thinktank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said Russia remains unlikely in the short term to make operationally significant gains west of Avdiivka. Ukrainian forces had so far reportedly been outnumbered three to one, but with limited resources had still prevented Russian forces from making the kinds of advances their greater combat power should allow. With Syrski having stated that refreshed Ukrainian units were being sent, this combined with additional weaponry would “force the Russian command to either accept that a near-term wider or deeper penetration is unlikely, or commit additional reserves to the area”, the ISW said.
There were unconfirmed reports that the Ukrainian military struck a Russian air defence unit at Cape Tarkhankut, on the western coast of occupied Crimea. Long-range Atacms missiles supplied this month by the US were used, Telegram channels said. Explosions were reported in the northern Crimean town of Dzhankoye after a previous attack there on an airfield and Russian missile launcher system.
Early on Sunday, Russian drones hit a hotel in the southern port city of Mykolaiv, said Vitaliy Kim, the region’s governor. A heat-generating plant was also damaged, he added.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, said on Sunday: “We are still waiting for the supplies Ukraine was promised. We are expecting those volumes and scope that can change the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine’s interests.”
After speaking with the US House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, about US aid approved last week, Zelenskiy said: “In my conversation with Mr Jeffries, I underscored that Patriot systems are needed, and as soon as possible.”
On entry to the European Union, Zelenskiy said Ukraine had met all conditions for accession talks to start, “and now the EU must meet its obligations”. On entry to the Nato military alliance – which the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has said Ukraine will join eventually – Zelenskiy said that every country that shares common values and is ready to defend them “deserves an invitation to the alliance”.
