Kremlin denies gas blackmail after cutting off Poland and Bulgaria
Russia denied that it was using its gas supplies to blackmail European countries after accusations by European leaders.
“This is not blackmail," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday. "Russia has been and remains a reliable supplier of energy resources to its consumers. And Russia has been and remains committed to its obligations under the contracts.”
Last month Russian President Vladimir Putin said that gas must be paid for in rubles and that countries could be cut off if they refused.
"This necessity was dictated by the fact that, as it is known, a fairly significant amount of our reserves was blocked, or speaking in Russian, stolen," said Peskov.
"All these new conditions were brought to the attention of buyers in advance."
Gas supply to countries that have been cut off would resume if their payment conditions were met, he said. He also confirmed that Gazprom could suspend deliveries to other countries in May if they don’t pay in the Russian currency.
Biden confirms U.S. marine release, says negotiations 'required difficult decisions'
President Joe Biden has confirmed that former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed has been released from Russian detention.
“I heard in the voices of Trevor’s parents how much they’ve worried about his health and missed his presence. And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor’s freedom,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden thanked Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation John Sullivan and many others across the U.S. government “to ensure that Trevor came home safely.”
“The negotiations that allowed us to bring Trevor home required difficult decisions that I do not take lightly,” Biden said. “His safe return is a testament to the priority my Administration places on bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad. We won’t stop until Paul Whelan and others join Trevor in the loving arms of family and friends.”
Russia releases U.S. Marine vet Trevor Reed as part of prisoner exchange
Russia has released former Texas Marine Trevor Reed in a prisoner exchange with the United States, according to his family.
“Today, our prayers have been answered and Trevor is safely on his way back to the United States,” Joey, Paula, and Taylor Reed said in a statement.
Russia and the U.S. carried out the surprise exchange on Wednesday, trading Reed, who was jailed in Moscow, for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long prison sentence in America, according to Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova.
Moscow sanctions 287 British lawmakers, banning them from Russia
Russia on Wednesday sanctioned 287 British lawmakers, banning them from entering the country, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The members of Parliament came from both the ruling Conservative Party as well as the opposition Labour Party, and included Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, but not the prime minister or many other senior government figures.
According to the statement, the lawmakers named were those that “took the most active part in the establishment of anti-Russian sanctions instruments in London.”
Many of the lawmakers expressed pride in being listed, with some calling it a "badge of honor."
The move was made “on the basis of reciprocity,” and was likely to be followed by further measures given the U.K.’s “consistent strengthening of anti-Russian sanctions,” the ministry said.
Railway bridge in Odesa collapses after multiple rocket strikes, Ukraine says
A railway bridge in the Odesa region of Ukraine collapsed on Wednesday after it was hit by multiple rocket strikes, said local administration spokesman Serhiy Bratchuk.
The head of Ukrainian Railways, Oleksandr Kamyshin, said Tuesday that the railway bridge across the Dniester Estuary sustained damage from a rocket strike on Tuesday afternoon.
While the bridge held up for a few hours, it collapsed from a second rocket strike which occurred on Wednesday morning, Bratchuk said.
There were no injuries, Kamyshin said Wednesday.
U.S. embassy in Kyiv says operations to resume "as soon as possible"
Russian attacks on Mariupol steel plant continue despite Russian denials, Ukrainian official says
Russian air attacks on the Azovstal steel plant in the southern port city of Mariupol have continued despite denials from Russian officials that there is fighting there, according to an aide to Mariupol’s mayor.
“No silence, but attempts to storm again and again,” the aide, Petro Andriushchenko, wrote on Telegram. Street fights were also taking place in the area, he said.
According to the British defense ministry, the majority of Russian airstrikes in Mariupol are likely being conducted using unguided free-falling bombs, increasing the risk of civilian casualties.
The steel works has become the last stand for Ukrainians in the port city against Russia’s advance. Mariupol has been under heavy Russian bombardment since the war began in late February, leaving residents trapped with little food, clean water or medical care.
Bulgaria vows it won't give in to Russian gas 'racket'
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov called the suspension of gas deliveries blackmail and said it was “a gross violation of their contract.”
“We will not succumb to such a racket,” he added.
The Kremlin helped make Dmytro Firtash rich. Now, he’s denouncing Putin.
A Ukrainian oligarch who made his fortune with help from the Kremlin is now denouncing Vladimir Putin, even as he fights extradition to the U.S. on corruption charges.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News while under house arrest in Austria, billionaire Dmytro Firtash said the Russian president cannot win in Ukraine.
If he could, Firtash said, he would tell Putin: “It’s time to stop. There will be no victory."
Firtash, who became rich selling Russian natural gas to Ukraine with the help of powerful Russian interests, said: "The longer this war takes, the worse it will be for the Russian people. Not just for the Ukrainian people.”
'Karma is a cruel thing,' Ukrainian presidential adviser says after fire at Russian armory
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said that “karma is a cruel thing,” after a fire at an armory in Belgorod, Russia, and reports of drones in two other areas near the border with Ukraine.
In a post on Telegram, Podolyak mentioned bases providing fuel to the Russian army in Belgorod, as well as in Kursk and Voronezh near Ukraine that increasingly “burn and ammunition depots explode.”
“If you [Russians] decide to massively attack another country, massively kill everyone there, massively crush peaceful people with tanks, and use warehouses in your regions to ensure the killings, then sooner or later the debts will have to be repaid,” he wrote in a post on Telegram.
Earlier this month, Russia accused Ukraine of attacking a fuel depot in Belgorod with helicopters and opening fire on several villages in the province. A massive fire also broke out this week at a fuel depot in nearby Bryansk. Ukraine didn’t confirm responsibility for the reported incidents on Russian territory.
Russian intelligence said Wednesday that it arrested two Russian citizens for acts of sabotage in the Belgorod region.