A former deputy who switched allegiance from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the occupying Russian forces in the southern region of Kherson has been shot dead, Russian investigators said Monday.
Alexei Kovalev, "the deputy head of the military and civil administration in the Kherson region was killed by bullets," the investigators said on Telegram.
The attack took place in his home on Sunday, they said, adding a young woman who lived with him was also a victim.
They did not give any further details.
In the past months, several Ukrainian officials named by Russian forces in occupied territory have been killed or wounded in attacks.
Kovalev, 33, was elected a deputy in 2019 in Kherson and joined Zelensky's group in the Ukrainian parliament.
After the Russian offensive on Ukraine at the end of February and the occupation of Kherson by Russian troops, Kovalev joined the invading forces and became a senior official.
He survived an assassination attempt in June.
Russian forces seized Kherson, a town of 280,000 inhabitants, on March 3.
It was the first major city to fall following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The US pop singer also made a surprisingly big announcement of her new album coming in October.
Taylor Swift accepts the award for Video of the Year for “All Too Well” at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark in the US.
(Reuters)
Taylor Swift has won the top honor at MTV's annual Video Music Awards for a 10-minute version of her 2012 breakup song "All Too Well".
The singer also made a surprise announcement during Sunday's ceremony of a new album coming in October.
She thanked fans from the stage at the Prudential Center in New Jersey as she accepted the honor. "All Too Well" is one of the past hits Swift re-recorded after a dispute with her former record label.
"We wouldn't have been able to make this short film if it weren't for you, the fans," Swift said, before revealing that she will release her next album on October 21.
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny was named artist of the year and was handed his Moon Person statue at New York's Yankee Stadium, where he was playing a concert in front of a sold-out crowd.
Former Disney Channel star Dove Cameron, singer of hits "Breakfast" and "Boyfriend," was named best new artist. "This year has been so wild," she said, and dedicated her award "to all the queer kids out there."
READ MORE: Songwriters Hall of Fame welcomes Mariah Carey, Eurythmics, Pharrell
Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight.
Other winners
Other winners included Harry Styles, who received the album of the year trophy for "Harry's House" and accepted via video from nearby Madison Square Garden, where he was about to perform.
Actor Johnny Depp, who had been shunned by the entertainment business during a defamation fight with ex-wife Amber Heard, appeared briefly throughout the show, his face digitally inserted inside the helmet of a floating astronaut.
"I need the work," joked the actor.
Nicki Minaj was celebrated with the Video Vanguard award for her career of hits. The singer performed a medley of "Anaconda," "Super Bass" and other songs before paying tribute to artists who inspired her.
"I wish that Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were here," Minaj said. "I wish that people understood what they meant, what they were going through (and) took mental health seriously."
Snoop Dogg and Eminem rapped “From the D 2 the LBC” as animated images inside "Otherside," an upcoming metaverse platform from NFT and cryptocurrency company Yuga Labs.
Other performers included K-pop band Blackpink and global icon honoree the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who were introduced by comedians Cheech and Chong.
READ MORE: Beyonce to release new album 'Renaissance' by end of July
Source: Reuters
National Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto showed how border visits are usually a "dog and pony show" Thursday on "Your World."
US SOUTHERN BORDER SAW NEARLY 200,000 MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN JULY AS BORDER CRISIS ROLLS ONART DEL CUETO: A lot of times what you see during these visits is it's a dog and pony show. And you have - the leadership will take them down there. They'll show them around. They'll say, "This is what we're doing. This is … the facilities that we have." But it's very rarely a one-on-one conversation with the actual boots on the ground where they can speak freely and say, "Hey, this is the problem." … Usually it's just a dog and pony show for the leadership down there. Probably showed them around, gave them some good gadgets. They took a couple good pictures in front of some of the equipment. And they said, "Well, he came down" and that's it. It's over. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APPWATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:
US court decision offers the disgraced former Hollywood mogul a slim chance of being granted a new trial.
Weinstein is jailed in California, where he was extradited last year and awaits trial on 11 charges of misconduct toward five women between 2004 and 2013.
(Mark Lennihan / AP)
New York state's highest court has agreed to allow Harvey Weinstein to appeal his rape and sexual assault conviction, offering the disgraced former movie executive a chance of being granted a new trial.
Chief Judge Janet DiFiore "granted leave to appeal" on August 19, the court wrote in a letter dated on Monday that was sent to Weinstein's lawyers and reviewed by the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.
The letter did not detail what grounds may have led to the decision and it has no bearing on further rape charges against him in California.
Upon weighing arguments from Weinstein's lawyers and prosecutors, the court can uphold the conviction or order a new trial. Last June, a lower appeals court upheld the conviction, rejecting arguments that the Manhattan trial judge made several errors that tainted the trial.
The bar for ordering a new trial is high, but Weinstein was "relieved at this decision," said one of his lawyers, Arthur Aidala, after speaking with his client in prison.
"He's hopeful that the court is going to find that he did not receive a fair trial and reverse his conviction. And, as he has consistently, he maintained his innocence," Aidala said.
READ MORE:Harvey Weinstein to be extradited to California to face rape charges
Weinstein, 70, a Hollywood power broker who produced "Pulp Fiction," "Shakespeare in Love" and "Gangs of New York," became one of the most prominent targets of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that alleged sexual abuse at the highest levels of corporate America, entertainment and the media.
In February 2020, a Manhattan jury found Weinstein guilty of raping a former aspiring actress and sexually assaulting a production assistant. A judge sentenced him to 23 years in prison.
Weinstein is jailed in California, where he was extradited last year and awaits trial on 11 charges of misconduct toward five women between 2004 and 2013.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles.
Source: Reuters
Indian golfer Amandeep Kaur started with a bogey but finished with a birdie as she carded an even par 72 to be placed tied 10th on the first day of the inaugural Simone Asia Pacific Cup at the Pondok Indah Golf Course here on Thursday. Amandeep, who is partnering Vani Kapoor (78), was lying T-10 in individual standings. In team standings, Amandeep and Vani at six-over are T-12th in the USD 750,000 event.
India’s other two players Diksha Dagar (74) and Gaurika Bishnoi (77) are T-14th at seven-over. In individual standings, Diksha is T-18, Gaurika is T-30 and Vani is T-32India is fielding two teams with Diksha partnering Gaurika, while Amandeep and Vani have been put together.
South Korea’s seasoned campaigner So Yeon Ryu fired a seven under-par 65 to grab a one-shot lead. The 32-year-old Ryu had seven birdies in a bogey free round.Former world No. 1 and currently No. 4, Lydia Ko of New Zealand, the highest-ranked player in the field, had a brilliant birdie-eagle finish for a bogey-free 66 to join Philippines’ Princess Mary Superal in second spot. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NuoYAMn4pU[/embed] Korea’s Team 2 with Ryu and Bo Mee Lee (67) led the team standings with -12 while Philippines (Princess and Pauline Rosario) and Japan 2, comprising Kokona Sakurai (70) and Maria Shinohara (71), were three-under and tied second nine shots behind the leaders. Lydia Ko and Momoka Kobori (76) were fourth at two-over.Overall Amandeep had three birdies against three bogeys, while Diksha, the second best Indian at T-18, seemed to be going fine till the 16th at which point she was even par for the round. She then dropped shots on Par-3 17th and Par-5 18th to finish two-over.
Gaurika, who started the day with a double bogey, had no birdies but dropped shots on three other holes for a 77, while Vani started the day with a birdie but slid thereafter. She bogeyed fifth and double bogeyed eighth to turn in two-over. On the back nine she had four more bogeys for a card of six-over 78.
As Ryu and Lydia and Princess stood out, another South Korean Bo Mee Lee ended the opening day in outright fourth place, two off the pace after trading five birdies against a lone bogey on the par-three fifth.Thailand’s Patcharajutar Kongkraphan, the 2012 Indonesian Ladies Open champion, also enjoyed a solid start by carding a 70 to share the fifth spot with Japan’s Kokona Sakurai. World no. 8 Hyo Joo Kim could only card an opening 72 to sit in a four-way tie for 10th.
British author Salman Rushdie poses behind some copies of his book "Joseph Anton" on October 1, 2012 in Berlin. Author Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" topped several Amazon's bestsellers lists on Tuesday, days after he sustained serious injuries in a stabbing at a lecture in New York.
Johannes Eisele | Afp | Getty Images
Author Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" topped several Amazon bestsellers lists on Tuesday, days after he sustained serious injuries in a stabbing at a lecture in New York.
His agent Andrew Wylie said the author could lose an eye after the attack, which also damaged his liver and severed nerves in one arm. Since then, the award-winning novelist was taken off a ventilator on Saturday and was able to talk again, according to Wylie.
Rushdie has dealt with more than 30 years of death threats and a $3 million bounty on his head over "The Satanic Verses." Former supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death following the 1988 publication of "The Satanic Verses," which some readers found blasphemous for its depiction of Islam.
"The Satanic Verses" over the span of the weekend after Rushdie's stabbing skyrocketed to the top of several Amazon's bestselling books lists on Monday and Tuesday.
The title also claimed 27th place in the overall Amazon Best Sellers list on Tuesday, where it also had not made the top 100 last week, as seen in Wayback Machine's archive of Amazon's Best Seller page.
Police have not confirmed the motive of the individual arrested following the attack on Rushdie.
Amazon was unable to provide proprietary sales data when asked if sales of Rushdie's books were more robust after Friday's incident. Amazon has also directed CNBC to Rushdie's publisher, Random House, who were also unavailable for comment.
US federal agents who searched ex-US president Donald Trump's Florida home this week removed 11 sets of classified documents including some marked as top secret, says Justice Department.
Receipt for property that was seized during the execution of a search warrant by the FBI at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.
(AP)
FBI agents recovered records marked "top secret" during their search of former president Donald Trump's Florida estate, according to documents made public in an investigation that includes possible violations of the US Espionage Act.
The warrant and related materials, unsealed by a Florida judge on Friday, showed agents took away with them a significant amount of classified files after the raid, which ignited a political firestorm in an already bitterly divided country.
The extraordinary search was partly based on suspicions of violations of the US Espionage Act related to the illegal retention of sensitive defence documents, the warrant showed.
Some of the papers were marked "top secret" and were "meant to be only available in special government facilities," said the unsealed seven-page federal court filing.
The filing contained a list of items removed from Mar-a-Lago, including information about the "President of France," and the warrant to search the palatial estate in Palm Beach.
Trump: FBI may have 'planted' docs
The Wall Street Journal said within the 20 boxes of items carted away by FBI agents were binders of photos, a handwritten note and the grant of clemency made by Trump to Roger Stone, an ally of the former president.
The Washington Post on Thursday cited anonymous sources close to the investigation as saying classified documents relating to nuclear weapons were among the papers sought during the raid.
Trump himself appeared to deny the claim, posting that the "nuclear weapons issue is a hoax" and even suggesting that the Federal Bureau of Investigation might have been "planting information" at his home.
He claimed that the documents seized by agents were "all declassified," and argued that he would have turned over the documents to the Justice Department if asked.
While incumbent presidents have the power to declassify information, that authority lapses as soon as they leave office and it was not clear if the documents in question have ever been declassified.
Trump also kept possession of the documents despite multiple requests from agencies, including the National Archives, to turn over presidential records in accordance with federal law.
Political storm
The highly unusual move to unseal the search warrant was announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland –– the country's top law enforcement officer –– who said he had "personally approved" the raid on Trump's home.
Leading Republicans have rallied around Trump and some members of his party have accused the Justice Department and FBI of partisanship in targeting the ex-president.
In addition to investigations into his business practices, Trump faces legal scrutiny for his efforts to overturn the results of the November 2020 election, and for the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.
Trump was impeached for a historic second time by the House after the Capitol riot –– he was charged with inciting an insurrection –– but was acquitted by the Senate.
Dr Alexander Shiplyuk, director of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Siberian Branch, is the third Russian scientist this summer to be arrested on suspicion of treason.
The institute's scientific director Vasily Fomin told the Russian news agency TASS that Shiplyuk was sent to the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center in Moscow.
His detention comes after the arrest on June 27 of the chief researcher of the institute, Anatoly Maslov, who is suspected of transferring state secret data related to hypersonic missiles.
According to the institute's website, Shiplyuk heads a technology lab with unique wind tunnels purpose-built for simulating hypersonic conditions.
On June 30, the Sovetsky District Court of Novosibirsk arrested another scientist, Dmitry Kolker, a researcher at the Institute of Laser Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Kolker was detained on state treason charges for allegedly collaborating with China's security services, Reuters reported.
Kolker, who was diagnosed with stage four cancer, died while being transferred from the pre-trial detention center.
Military powers in Russia, China, and the United States are working to develop hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) weapons.
These are highly maneuverable weapons that can theoretically fly at hypersonic speeds while adjusting course and altitude to fly under radar detection and around missile defenses.
Experts say such weapons are incredibly hard to defend against.
Russia is thought to have an HGV in its arsenal, the Avangard system, which Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 claimed was "practically invulnerable" to Western air defenses.
Biden said US intelligence officials tracked Zawahiri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family.
This frame grab shows Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al Zawahiri in a video issued Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006.
(AP)
President Joe Biden has announced that Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul, an operation he said delivered justice and hopefully “one more measure of closure” to families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The president said on Monday's evening address from the White House that US intelligence officials tracked Zawahiri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family.
Zawahiri and the better-known Osama bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks that brought many ordinary Americans their first knowledge of Al Qaeda.
Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, in an operation carried out by US Navy SEALs after a nearly decade-long hunt.
As for Zawahiri, Biden said, “He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we’re going to make sure that nothing else happens.”
“This terrorist leader is no more,” he added.
The operation is a significant counterterrorism win for the Biden administration just 11 months after American troops left the country after a two-decade war.
The strike was carried out by the CIA, according to five people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. Neither Biden nor the White House detailed the CIA's involvement in the strike.
Biden, however, paid tribute to the US intelligence community in his remarks, noting that “thanks to their extraordinary persistence and skill” the operation was a success.
Zawahiri's death eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped Al Qaeda, first as bin Laden’s deputy since 1998, then as his successor.
Together, he and bin Laden turned the movement’s guns to target the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil — the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings.
The house Zawahiri was in when he was killed was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. The official also added that a CIA ground team and aerial reconnaissance conducted after the drone strike confirmed Zawahiri’s death.
A senior administration official who briefed reporters on the operation on condition of anonymity said “zero” US personnel were in Kabul.
The Taliban "grossly" violated the Doha Agreement by hosting and sheltering Al Qaeda's top leader Ayman al Zawahiri, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
"In the face of the Taliban’s unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls," Blinken said in a statement.
Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the US targeted and splintered Al Qaeda, sending leaders into hiding. But America’s exit from Afghanistan last September gave the group the opportunity to rebuild.
US officials speaking on condition of anonymity say that CIA carried out a drone strike in Afghanistan's capital Kabul against a “significant Al Qaeda target.”
This frame grab from video shows Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al Zawahiri in a video issued Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006.
(AP)
A US air strike has killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri in Afghanistan, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Current and former officials began hearing on Sunday afternoon that Zawahiri had been killed in a drone strike, but the administration delayed releasing the information until his death could be confirmed, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.
White House officials declined to confirm that Zawahiri was killed but noted in a statement that “the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan. The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties.”
Drone strike
The Central Intelligence Agency carried out a drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, two US officials told Reuters on Monday.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike took place in Kabul on Sunday.
They did not give details on the target or whether there were any casualties.
The CIA declined to comment.
Biden to speak
Separately President Joe Biden was set to address the nation on Monday following what the White House says was a “successful” counterterrorism operation against a “significant Al Qaeda target” in Afghanistan over the weekend.
The White House said there were no civilian casualties.
Biden planned to speak from the balcony of the White House Blue Room as he remains in isolation in the residence while he continues to test positive for Covid-19.
The helicopter was on a rescue and relief mission in the flood-affected southwestern Balochistan province, Pakistan's military says.
The fate of its six-member crew, including a top commander, was not immediately known.
(Reuters)
A Pakistani army helicopter flying in a rescue and relief mission in the country's flood-stricken southwest has lost contact with a regional control tower and was missing, the military said.
The fate of its six-member crew, including a top commander, was not immediately known.
The military said on Monday a search was under way for the aircraft, without saying whether it had crashed.
The regional commander on board, Lt. Gen. Sarfraz Ali, was supervising relief operations in the flood-affected southwest.
The development came hours after authorities said flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed 140 more people over the past week.
The fatalities raised the overall death toll from rain-related incidents since June to 478 in Pakistan.
Rescue workers backed by the military have evacuated thousands of marooned people, including women and children, from the southwestern Balochistan province, in the northwest and elsewhere since last week, when the government deployed helicopters to expand ongoing relief and rescue operations.
Deluges have completely destroyed or damaged nearly 37,000 homes in the flood-hit areas since June 14, according to a report released by the National Disaster and Management Authority.
On Monday, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited Balochistan, and in a televised speech promised financial support to those who have lost their homes in the floods.
More rains are expected this week in Pakistan, where the monsoon season runs from July through September.
President Zelenskyy visits one of Ukraine’s main Black Sea ports to oversee grain being loaded for export as deadly strikes on a prison spark a blame game on the 156th day of fighting.
Russia's foreign ministry, in a statement on the call, said that relations between the two nations "are in strong need of normalisation."
(Reuters)
Friday, July 29, 2022
US, Russia top diplomats hold first talks since Ukraine conflict
The top diplomats of the United States and Russia spoke for the first time since the Ukraine conflict, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken describing a "frank" exchange as he pushed to free two Americans.
Blinken initiated the call with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whom he had shunned as early as a few weeks ago, as he pressed Russia to accept an offer to free prisoners.
Lavrov told Blinken that Washington was not living up to promises regarding the exemption from sanctions for the supply of food from Russia, Moscow said.
A Russian foreign ministry read-out of the call also cited Lavrov as telling Blinken that Russia would achieve all the goals of its "special military operation" in Ukraine and said western arms supplies would only drag out the conflict.
US sanctions two Russians for malign influence operations
The US Treasury Department said it had imposed sanctions on two individuals and four entities that support the Kremlin's global malign influence and election interference operations.
"The individuals and entities designated today played various roles in Russia’s attempts to manipulate and destabilise the United States and its allies and partners, including Ukraine," the Treasury said in a statement, naming the individuals as Russian citizens Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov and Natalya Valeryevna Burlinova.
Ukraine opens investigation into attack that killed Ukrainian prisoners of war
The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office opened a pre-trial investigation into an attack that killed about 40 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
It said "the occupying state struck the territory of correctional colony No. 120" in an attack in which 130 people were also injured.
Each side accused the other of carrying out the attack in territory held by Russian-backed separatists.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready to ship grain, awaits signal to start
Ukraine's president visited a Black Sea port to show his country is ready to start exporting grain under a Türkiye-brokered deal aimed at easing global food shortages, and said Kiev was awaiting the signal for the first shipment.
"We are ready to export Ukrainian grain. We are waiting for signals from our partners about the start of transportation," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app after visiting the port of Chornomorsk near the southern city of Odessa.
Russia's FM Lavrov discusses with his American counterpart Blinken, says:
- Russia to meet targets of special military operation in Ukraine - Global food situation complicated by US sanctions - Suggestion to Blinken two sides return to quiet diplomacy pic.twitter.com/YKD1H5ufJJ
Zelenskyy visits Ukraine port to oversee first grain export
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited a port in southern Ukraine to oversee grain being loaded for export onto a ship, the presidency has said, following a Türkiye-brokered deal with Russia.
"The first vessel, the first ship is being loaded since the beginning of the war. This is a Turkish vessel," Zelenskyy said, according to a statement from the presidency. Video footage from the Chornomorsk port released by the presidency showed him in front of a ship called Polarnet.
The statement said exports could start in "the coming days" under the plan aimed at getting millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain stranded by Russia's naval blockade to world markets.
Macron, bin Salman to work to ‘ease effects’ of Ukraine conflict
French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have agreed to work "to ease the effects" of the conflict in Ukraine during talks in Paris.
The French presidency said in a statement that the leaders highlighted "the need to bring an end to this conflict and intensify their cooperation to ease the effects in Europe, the Middle East and the wider world".
The statement made no explicit reference to oil or gas, but said Macron had "underlined the importance of continuing the ongoing coordination with Saudi Arabia with regards to the diversification of energy supplies for European countries."
Lavrov: Moscow will propose time for Blinken call on prisoners
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow would soon propose a time for a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which Blinken has said he wants to discuss an exchange of prisoners held in Russian and US jails.
Blinken said on Wednesday that Washington had made a "substantial offer" to obtain the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan, both detained in Russia.
A source said that Washington was willing to exchange convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, jailed in the United States, as part of such a deal.
Kremlin: Russia is in solidarity with Beijing over Taiwan
Russia is in solidarity with Chinese President Xi Jinping over China's sovereignty on the issue of Taiwan, the Kremlin has said.
"No country should call it into question," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
Russia supports Beijing's "One China" policy on the issue of Taiwan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier, after Xi warned US President Joe Biden not to "play with fire" over the island.
Germany to send Ukraine 16 bridge-layer tanks
Germany's defence minister has decided to deliver 16 BIBER bridge-layer tanks to Ukrainian forces, the ministry said.
"The BIBER will enable Ukrainian troops to cross waters or obstacles in combat," the ministry said in a statement. "The delivery of the first six systems will take place this year, starting in autumn. Ten more systems will follow next year."
Ukrainian court lowers Russian soldier's sentence
An appeals court in Kiev has reduced to 15 years the life sentence of a Russian soldier convicted in the first "war crimes" trial since Russia began its military intervention in Ukraine.
Critics said the sentencing of Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old contract soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a civilian and was convicted in May, was unduly harsh, given that he confessed to the crime, said he was following orders and expressed remorse.
His defence lawyer, Viktor Ovsyannikov, had appealed to the court to reduce the sentence to 10 years. He said it was highly likely Shishimarin would be returned to Russia in a prisoner exchange.
North Macedonia donates tanks to Ukraine
North Macedonia has plans to donate an unspecified number of Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine as it seeks to modernise its own military to meet NATO standards, its defence ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said Ukraine will receive tanks belonging to the western Balkan country's tank battalion which is in the process of being upgraded.
Russia steps up its military campaign by carrying out deadly strikes across Ukraine. Our correspondent Aksel Zaimovic has the latest from Kiev pic.twitter.com/5moQ4wzZRg
At least 40 Ukrainian prisoners captured during the fighting for Mariupol have been killed by Ukrainian shelling, Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have said. Kiev has in turned blamed Russia for the deadly attack.
Daniil Bezsonov, a spokesperson for the separatists in the Donetsk region, said that at least 40 Ukrainian prisoners were killed and 130 were injured on Friday when Ukrainian shelling hit a prison in the town of Olenivka. There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian authorities to the report.
The Russian army accused Kiev's forces of striking the jail with US-made HIMARS rocket systems. "Forty Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed and 75 wounded," the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that eight employees of the detention centre were also injured.
UK: Russia is failing in many areas of Ukraine conflict
Britain's defence minister Ben Wallace has said that Russia is failing in "many areas" in its conflict in Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin might seek to change strategy again.
"The Russians are failing at the moment on the ground in many areas...Putin's plan A, B, and C has failed and he may look to plan D," Wallace told Sky News television.
Russian strikes kill several at bus stop in south Ukraine
Russian strikes on the heavily bombed Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv near the country's southern frontline killed four people and wounded seven more on Friday, the regional governor said.
"Today, they shot at another area near a public transport stop. According to the latest information, four people are dead and seven are injured," Vitaliy Kim said in a statement on social media.
UPDATE: Ukraine hits prison in Russia-controlled Donetsk region with Himars missiles, killing at least 40 of its own soldiers captured during clashes with Russian forces and wounding 75 others - Russian Foreign Ministry
Russia's Lavrov says Moscow will propose time for call with Blinken
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow will soon propose a date for a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken said on Wednesday he planned to hold a conversation with Lavrov to discuss an exchange of prisoners held in Russian and US jails.
Ukraine steps up its offensive in south, Russia bombs Kiev
Ukraine increased its counter-attacks against Russian forces in the south while Moscow bombed Kiev's outskirts for the first time in weeks as Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two dragged on with no end in sight.
Air raid sirens blared as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed parliament alongside visiting Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, as Ukraine marked its Day of Ukrainian Statehood with a public holiday for the first time on Thursday.
The attack shattered the sense of normalcy that has returned to life in Kiev since Russian forces abandoned attempts to capture the city in the first weeks of the conflict, in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance.
"This was Russia offering greetings on Ukraine’s Day of State Sovereignty"
Governor Vyacheslav Chausov
For live updates from Thursday (July 28), click here
Sophie Ecclestone and Sophie Devine have held on to their top spots in the bowlers' and allrounders' tables respectively
