Western governments struggle to agree on Russian oil price cap
This photo taken on May 13, 2022 shows a view of the fuel storage tank of the Russian oil company Lukoil in Brussels.
Kenzo Tribouillard | AFP | Getty Images
Western governments want to set a maximum purchase price for Russian oil on the world market to limit Moscow’s ability to raise money for its war against Ukraine.
The plan aims to punish Russia while keeping its large oil exports flowing to energy-hungry global markets to curb inflation.
But so far, countries have not agreed on what the price cap should be, reflecting divisions over how much the scheme should hurt Moscow.
If they cannot reach a deal by December 5, a total ban on Russian imports into the European Union will come into force, limiting supplies ahead of the peak winter heating season.
— Reuters
Russian opposition figure Yashin goes on trial
Russian opposition figure and Moscow city councilor Ilya Yashin, accused of “discrediting” the Russian military fighting in Ukraine, gestures in the dock during a hearing at Tverskoy District Court in Moscow on November 23, 2022.
Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images
A Moscow court has opened the trial of a prominent Russian opposition figure who faces charges stemming from his criticism of the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine.
Ilya Yashin, one of the few Kremlin critics who has remained in the country amid an intensified crackdown on dissent, has been detained since his arrest in July.
He was accused of spreading false information about the military, a new offense added to the country’s criminal law after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine. Yashin faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The charges against Yashin relate to a live YouTube video in which he spoke about the deaths of Ukrainians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. He rejects the politically motivated charges.
Speaking Tuesday during his trial in Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court, Yashin argued that his case has been fabricated and “has all the hallmarks of illegal political persecution.” He noted that in the video he quoted official Russian sources along with Ukrainian statements to give an objective view to his audience.
– Associated press
Italian lawmakers have overturned a vote to expand arms supplies to Ukraine
The president of Italy’s Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) party, Giorgia Meloni, alongside former prime minister and leader of the Forza Italia (FI) party, Silvio Berlusconi (L), addresses the media after ‘a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella for the first round of formal political consultations for the new government at the Quirinal Palace in Rome on October 21, 2022.
Ettore Ferrari AFP | Getty Images
ROME – Right-wing parties in Italy’s government withdrew an amendment that would have allowed the government to continue sending weapons to Ukraine throughout 2023, a parliamentary source said, after the opposition called for a separate decree on the issue.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, former Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s administration introduced measures that allowed arms to be sent to Kyiv without seeking parliamentary authorization for each shipment.
That deal expires at the end of the year, and the coalition backing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni initially sought to extend it until December 31, 2023, by amending a government decree currently going through Parliament.
However, the main opposition group — the center-left Democratic Party (PD) — complained that the decree in question was not specifically related to Ukraine and accused the government of breaking parliamentary rules.
— Reuters
Allegations of torture increase after the occupation of Kherson
Editor’s Note: This post contains graphic descriptions of torture in Ukraine.
Igor shows the remains of marks on his back after he was allegedly tortured by Russian forces in Kherson. The 22-year-old, accused of providing Ukrainians with Russian military positions, was tasered in the back for two-and-a-half hours and then forced to stay awake, sitting in a chair all night. He was released after two days, but not before writing a letter detailing a relative of his uncle’s that the Russians wanted information on.
Bernat Armangue AP
When a dozen Russian soldiers burst into Dmytro Bilyi’s home in August, the 24-year-old police officer said he was given a chilling choice: Hand the gun or his mother and brother would disappear .
Bilyi gave his weapon to the soldiers, who were carrying machine guns and had their faces hidden. But it didn’t matter. He was dragged from his home in the southern Ukrainian village of Chornobaivka to a prison in the nearby regional capital of Kherson, where he said he was locked in a cell and tortured for days, with his genitals and ears struck with electricity.
“It was like hell all over my body,” Bilyi recalled. “It burns so bad it’s like the blood is boiling … I just wanted it to stop,” she said.
More than two weeks after the Russians withdrew from the city, accounts like his are helping to uncover sites where torture allegedly took place in Kherson, which Kremlin forces occupied for eight months. Five such rooms have been found in the city, along with at least four more in the wider Kherson region, where people allege they were locked up, beaten, shocked, interrogated and threatened with death, he said the police.
Human rights experts warn that the accusations made so far are likely just the beginning.
– Associated press
An uneasy calm grips Ukraine as West prepares winter aid
People use the lights of their mobile phones to look at items at a sporting goods store during a power outage, after critical civilian infrastructure was hit by a Russian missile attack in Ukraine, as Russia’s invasion of ‘Ukraine, in Kyiv, on November 26, 2022.
Gleb Garanich | Reuters
An uneasy calm settled over Kyiv as residents of the Ukrainian capital did what they could to prepare for expected Russian missile strikes aimed at seizing more energy infrastructure as the winter
To ease that burden, NATO allies made plans to increase supplies of blankets, generators and other essential goods to ensure Ukraine’s 43 million people can keep their resolve in the 10th month of fighting against the invasion of Russia.
Ukraine’s first lady implored the West to show the same kind of firmness that Ukrainians had shown against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military campaign.
“Ukrainians are very tired of this war, but we have no choice,” Olena Zelenska, the wife of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in an interview with the BBC during a visit to Britain.
“We hope that the coming of Christmas will not make you forget our tragedy and get used to our suffering,” he said.
A two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest, Romania, is likely to see the 30-nation alliance make new pledges of non-lethal support for Ukraine: fuel, generators, medical supplies and winter gear, in addition to new military support.
– Associated press
Paul Whelan’s family are raising the alarm after days of no contact
Paul Whelan
Source: Marines | DoD
American diplomats in Moscow are trying to locate and find out the status of American detainee Paul Whelan, a former Marine currently imprisoned in Russia.
Embassy staff have been working “to understand Paul’s condition and why his family has not heard from him,” a senior administration official told NBC News.
In a statement, Whelan’s brother David Whelan said they became concerned after Paul missed a long-standing appointment to speak to his family on the phone, without explanation.
When the Whelans alerted the US Embassy, they learned that Paul had missed a second scheduled call, this one on Thanksgiving, also without explanation.
“It’s incredibly unusual for Paul to miss trying to call home on a holiday like Thanksgiving,” David said.
Whelan was convicted of espionage in a Russian court in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The White House says it has offered to swap prisoners with Russia, but talks stalled earlier this year.
– Christina Wilkie
US Announces Additional $53 Million in Power Grid Assistance to Ukraine
LYMAN, UKRAINE – NOVEMBER 27: View of damaged power lines after the Ukrainian army regained control from Russian forces in Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on November 27, 2022.
Methane Act | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new $53 million aid package from the United States to help repair Ukraine’s power grid, which has been decimated by Russian bombing.
The package will include distribution transformers, circuit breakers, surge protectors, disconnects, vehicles and other key equipment, according to a State Department fact sheet.
The announcement comes as millions of Ukrainians remain without power, and many without water, as a result of Russia’s coordinated bombing campaign.
The new US assistance is in addition to the $55 million already committed to emergency energy sector support.
— Christina Wilkie
Ukraine is ready to repel another attack with Russian missiles, according to the air force
Soldiers from Ukraine’s 10th Mountain Assault Brigade unload ammunition from a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher near the front lines in Donbas, Ukraine.
Laurel Chor | light rocket | Getty Images
Ukraine’s air force said it is ready to repel a new missile attack by Russian forces, adding to the country’s president’s warning yesterday that civilians should prepare for a new wave of bombings
“The Ukrainians are ready to repel another air strike,” Ukrainian Air Force Command spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on Telegram on Tuesday.
“Ukrainians experienced the worst between February and March, when hundreds of rockets flew at our heads every day, Russian planes flew over many regions and active air battles took place. Is it possible to scare us with something else?”, says the statement. .
Ihnat said that Russia did not have “therefore…