Ukraine-Russia battle newest: British troops have to be able to battle Putin’s forces, Zelensky aide says

Russia has convicted 23 Ukrainians on terror charges, including former fighters as well as cooks and support personnel in a trial Kyiv denounced as a sham.

A Russian court announced the verdict for 24 Ukrainian prisoners of war from the ‘Azov’ battalion, who were all charged with staging a coup and organising terrorist organisation activities.

The defendants were sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony for a term of 13 to 23 years.

In-person verdicts were issued to 12 defendants, and 11 defendants were sentenced in absentia – they had been returned to Ukraine in organised prisoner swaps.

Eight of the convicted were women. The criminal case against one defendant was closed due to his death.

A senior Ukrainian official says no preconditions were discussed for a Black Sea ceasefire during negotiations with the US.

Ihor Zhovkva, speaking on national television, also said Russia has attacked at least eight energy facilities since March 18 – the date on which Moscow said it halted any such strikes.

While the Kremlin said it won’t begin the Black Sea ceasefire until certain conditions are met, including the lifting of some sanctions on its payment systems, the EU says that cannot occur without a full withdrawal of troops.

An EU Commission spokesperson said an “unconditional withdrawal” of Russian forces from Ukraine was key to any changes to sanctions.

“The end of the Russian unprovoked and unjustified aggression in Ukraine and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces from the entire territory of Ukraine would be one of the main preconditions to amend or lift sanctions,” the spokesperson said.

In lengthy talks in Saudi Arabia this week with the US, Russia agreed to halt attacks on the Black Sea in exchange for the US helping to restore its access to global agricultural and fertiliser exports, and improve access to ports, maritime insurance and international payment systems.

The Kremlin says conditions agreed to by the US must be met before it will activate the Black Sea ceasefire.

After days of talks in Saudi Arabia the US reached separate agreements with both Russia and Ukraine to halt attacks on vessels in the Black Sea.

While Ukraine agreed to begin the ceasefire immediately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it wanted to see sanctions lifted first, including restrictions on its access to international payments systems.

“As for the Black Sea grain initiative, it can be activated after a number of conditions are implemented,” Mr Peskov told reporters.

Without access to the thousands of children abducted by Russia or their data, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister said it was “very difficult” to find them and bring them home.

“Russia uses forced Russian documentation. Russia changes their names, Russia changes their data, and it’s very difficult to find them,” Mariana Betsa told a UK committee.

“The critical issue is to get verified information from [Russia] regarding the deported children from Russia. We don’t have any access to them at the government level.

“So basically, this is a very complicated and complex operation, and each child is truly a unique operation in terms of their rescue.”

Ms Betsa said a few countries were acting as mediators to help return children, but the process was not going as fast as Ukraine would like.

As part of the negotiations in Saudi Arabia this week, the US agreed to help Ukraine get its children back, and Ms Betsa said it would also be great to get more help from the UK.

More than a dozen Ukrainian children are injured or killed in Russian missile strikes each week, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister says.

Mariana Betsa said nearly 600 children have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, and more than 1700 have been injured in attacks.

“All in all, every week, at least 16 Ukrainian children either being killed or being injured by missile attacks,” she told a UK committee.

The founder of Save Ukraine Mykola Kuleba said many of the children Ukraine has been able to rescue have spoken about being drafted or seeing their friends drafted into the Russian army.

“Of that more than 600 kids who [have] been stolen and rescued, together with our partners … 40 per cent of all boys rescued over the past year, received draft notice for the Russian army, or had friends who did,” he told a UK parliamentary committee.

“25 per cent of all rescued children or their classmates were forced to march and handle weapons and shoot. Every fifth rescued child had a gun pointed at them.”

Mr Kuleba said 70 per cent of the children were made to listen to Russian military personnel or security service members at school, who urged the children to sign contracts with the Russian military.

Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Mariana Betsa says nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia during the war.

“So far, we identified almost 20,000 Ukrainian children who were forcefully deported by Russia in grave breach of international law to the Russian territory,” she told a UK parliamentary committee.

“This is a massive crime that Russia commits.”

Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Mariana Betsa will shortly address a UK parliamentary committee.

Ms Betsa will be appearing before the International Relations and Defence Committee, alongside the founder of Save Ukraine Mykola Kuleba, and Daria Zarivna, the advisor to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine and operations director of Bring Kids Back UA.

The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin’s order to halt strikes on energy infrastructure is being adhered to by Russian forces.

Kremlin spokesman Dmirty Peskov said on Wednesday that the moratorium on attacking energy infrastructure has been in force since March 18 and was being fulfilled by Russia.

Moscow said yesterday that oil refineries, energy pipelines and nuclear power stations would not be targeted for 30 days in a deal struck with Ukraine.

Overnight Russia carried out drone attacks on Ukraine, and Volodymyr Zelensky said civilian infrastructure was hit.