Russia acknowledges loss of “Saratov”, UN accuses Ukrainian Armed Forces of executions: today's highlights

Russia acknowledges the loss of the “Saratov”

For the first time, the Russian army has acknowledged the loss of the Saratov amphibious assault ship, which was destroyed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in occupied Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a year ago.

The loss of the ship was confirmed by the commander of the Crimean naval base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Feliks Menkov, during the unveiling of a memorial plaque to the sailors who died as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the ship's destruction, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, released a video about it.

“The myth of the invulnerability of the Russian Navy has been destroyed by the accurate strikes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This has once again proved the irrefutable fact that the enemy will not rest on Ukrainian soil: neither on land nor on water,” Zaluzhnyi said.

UN report

The United Nations Human Rights Office said it had documented executions and torture of prisoners of war by both the Russian occupiers and the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Ukrainian military has been accused of executing up to 25 Russian prisoners of war and people who had stopped participating in hostilities.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets responded that Ukraine adheres to the Geneva Conventions, and international law and is open to international organizations. He said that the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, and the UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, had never raised the issue of the treatment of Russian prisoners of war during their meetings with him.

“In addition, I would like to hear the indisputable facts and arguments on which the Mission's conclusions regarding alleged violations by the Ukrainian side are based,” he wrote.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War told us that they are currently studying this information. The head of the Armed Forces Public Relations Department, Bohdan Senyk, said that they “have no such information”.

Transfer of prisoners

On March 24, Ukraine unilaterally handed over to Russia 5 seriously wounded and seriously ill occupiers who could be transported. This is not an exchange of prisoners of war, but repatriation – the return of seriously wounded prisoners without any conditions, as provided for by international humanitarian law.

On March 24, the bodies of 83 fallen defenders were returned to Ukraine. At the same time, Russia continues to detain thousands of Ukrainian citizens, including seriously ill and wounded, civilians, children, women, the elderly, and those who were taken captive by Russia before February 24, 2022.

Other news

• The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine decided to leave the price of electricity for households unchanged until 30 April.
• The third participant in the parties where the girls were abused was taken into custody. However, he may be released on bail of UAH 402,000.
• The Security Service of Ukraine detained two Federal Security Service agents who were conducting reconnaissance and subversive activities in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts. In Zaporizhzhia, the enemy's accomplice was a design engineer at Motor Sich.
• The United States imposes new sanctions against Belarus. The list includes BelAZ and MAZ, as well as Lukashenko's plane.
• The government approves a pilot project for defense procurement of domestically produced unmanned systems. This will significantly speed up the creation and delivery of Ukrainian drones to the frontline.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine initiates sanctions against Romanian MP Diana Șoșoacă, who submitted a bill proposing to annex part of Ukraine to Romania.
• The Council of Europe publishes an assessment of the fight against corruption in Ukraine: it believes that the implementation of recommendations is “no longer unsatisfactory”.