Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the ship was damaged but not that it was hit by Ukraine – it said ammunition on board detonated as a result of a fire of as-yet undetermined causes. They met their counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, and visited Borodyanka, one of the towns near Kyiv where evidence of atrocities was found after Russian troops withdrew to focus on the country’s east. Russian troops are gearing up for a major offensive in the eastern Donbas region, where Moscow-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces have been fighting since 2014. “It is inevitable that the Russian troops will be held responsible. The United States and EU last month announced economic sanctions against Usmanov, a metals magnate, over his ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin and in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.

Source: Irish Independent April 14, 2022 08:01 UTC