Russia preparing bomb shelters, occupiers seize museum with Scythian gold (LAST NIGHT'S HIGHLIGHTS)

In the south of Russia orders have been issued to start preparing bomb shelters, while in the occupied city of Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Russian military seized the city museum of local lore, which houses Scythian gold. Here is what you may have missed from the night of April 28.

Russia to be declared a sponsor of terrorism?

The United States is currently examining the possibility of including Russia in its list of sponsors of terrorism, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

He noted that decisions can be made precisely because of Russia's war against Ukraine. Blinken is convinced that Russia is terrorizing the Ukrainian population. Lawyers are currently studying the question of inclusion in the list.

Canada has recognized the genocide of Ukrainians

The lower house of the Canadian parliament has officially recognized Russia's actions as genocide during the invasion of Ukraine, with the decision passed unanimously.

Canadian lawmakers said Russia had committed mass atrocities, torture, physical and mental harm, rape, systematically deliberately killing Ukrainian civilians, desecrating corpses, and forcibly removing Ukrainian children.

Museum with Scythian gold

According to the Zaporizhzhia Oblast State Administration, there are reports that the Russian military seized the Melitopol City Museum of Local Lore. Collaborators informed the invading troops of the place where Scythian gold is stored, which was discovered by archaeologists back in the 1950s.

Maneuvers in the south

On April 27,  the Russian occupying troops tried to improve their tactical position in the Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts on Mykolaiv axis, but did not succeed. Ukrainian units, supported by artillery, repulsed an enemy attack near Novohryhorivka and two near Oleksandrivka.

The Ukrainian military double-shot destroyed enemy ammunition depots in the area of ​​the temporarily occupied Molodetske and Velyka Oleksandrivka in the Kherson Oblast, and disrupted enemy preparations for an attack in the direction of Mykolayivka.

Near ​​Hulyaipole of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Azov regiment captured several mobilized soldiers from the self-proclaimed "people's republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russian occupation forces continue their attempts to advance east of Huliaipole, seize Velyka Novosilka, and improve their tactical position on the Zaporizhzhia axis.

Rubles in Kherson Oblast

From May 1, the occupiers intend to introduce Russian rubles in the Kherson Oblast. According to them, "the transition period will take up to four months," during which both rubles and hryvnias will be accepted, with a subsequent "complete transition to the ruble".

The United States and Russia exchanged prisoners

The United States and Russia exchanged prisoners on April 27: Moscow released former US Marine Trevor Reed in exchange for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko. The exchange took place in Turkey.

US officials stressed that the exchange was not part of broad diplomatic talks with Russia and does not mean a change in the American approach to Ukraine.

Trevor Reed, an American, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2019 on charges of assaulting a Russian police officer, but the US government called the trial of the former Marine a "theater of  the absurd."

Russia's Konstantin Yaroshenko has been serving a 20-year sentence since 2010 for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States.

Grand theft grain

Deputies of the Krasnoyarsk Krai of the Russian Federation have officially decided to export grain from the occupied Kherson Oblast, forcibly confiscating it from farmers. The decision of the deputies stated that the shortage of vegetables and grain crops is "acutely felt" in the region due to sanctions.

The chairman of the Russian Committee on Agrarian Policy said that "such moves" could be "successfully implemented" by deputies from other regions of Russia. The post has already disappeared from the website, but remains in the archives of Waybackmachine.

Lend-lease vote

Voice of America journalist Ostap Yarysh said that the US House of Representatives plans to vote on the lend-lease bill for Ukraine on April 28. No exact time is indicated, but the vote is expected to take place by 10 pm Kyiv time. Find out what this means for Ukraine here.

Russian assets for Ukraine?

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would seize the assets of Russian sanctioned legal entities and individuals and contain provisions for the confiscated funds to be transferred to Ukraine. For the bill to take effect, it must be passed by the Senate and signed into law by US President Joe Biden.

"It is a framework that does not establish a mechanism, but clearly lays down the political will of Congress and is the first and very important step towards the future confiscation of Russian assets in favor of Ukraine," commented Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office.

Russia is preparing bomb shelters

The Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev called on the southern regions of Russia to ensure the reliable operation of the emergency notification system and bring the civil defence facilities in proper condition.