A Russian POW who could face life in prison after fatally shooting a Ukrainian civilian asked the victim’s wife for forgiveness Thursday. A day earlier, Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin pleaded guilty in the same Kyiv court, saying he was following orders from a Russian officer when he shot Oleksandr Shelipov, 62, through a window of a car the Russians had hijacked in Ukraine’s Sumy region.
Shishimarin, 21, said his group was fleeing a Ukraine advance and the officer feared the man could pinpoint their location to Ukrainian forces. He said he at first disobeyed his immediate commanding officer’s order but had to follow the order when it was repeated by another officer.
“I realize that you can’t forgive me, but I’m pleading for forgiveness,” Shishimarin said.
Kateryna Shelipova described her husband as “my defender” and said the soldier deserves a life sentence. But she added that he could be swapped with Russia for a Ukrainian POW.
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Latest developments
►Russia’s poor performance in Ukraine led to the firing of senior officers, including the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, according to British Defense Intelligence. He likely lost his job after the Ukrainians in April sank the cruiser Moskva, Russia’s flagship in the Black Sea, according to the assessment.
►Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke Thursday with his Russian counterpart, Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, according to Milley’s spokesman, Army Col. Dave Butler. The generals discussed several security-related issues, agreed to stay in contact and kept details of their conversation private, Butler said.
►French President Emmanuel Macron, meeting with officials from Ukraine neighbor Moldova, voiced his concerns that the war could spread to surrounding countries. “France remains particularly alert to the security situation in the region,” said Macron, who also said Moldova for helping refugees from Ukraine.
►The British government imposed new sanctions against Russia’s Aeroflot, Ural Airlines and Rossiya Airlines, banning them from selling unused landing slots at UK airports.
Senate approves $40B Ukraine aid bill, sends it to Biden
The Senate approved more than $40 billion of additional humanitarian and military assistance for Ukraine on Thursday, as the last aid package was expected to run out this week. The bill, which now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature, is triple the amount of aid the U.S. has already committed to the war-torn country trying to beat back Russia’s invasion. It passed 86-11 with most Republicans joining every Democrat in approving the bill.
Biden thanked Congress in a statement for swiftly passing the bill and added: “Together with the contributions of our Allies and partners, we will keep security, economic, food, and humanitarian assistance flowing to Ukraine, across the region, and around the world, and further strengthen Ukraine — both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.”
– Merdie Nzanga
Biden greets leaders of Sweden, Finland and backs their NATO bids
President Joe Biden on Thursday offered full support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO, saying they have the “full, total complete backing” of the U.S.
“Finland and Sweden make NATO stronger,” Biden said in remarks from the Rose Garden as the leaders of those countries stood behind him. “And a strong, united NATO is the foundation of America’s security.”
Biden, whose championing of NATO is a stark contrast to former President Donald Trump’s persistent complaints about the alliance, said any doubts raised in recent years about NATO’s relevance have been dispelled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After a long tradition of neutrality, Finland and Sweden on Wednesday applied to join NATO. All current 30 members must agree and Turkey has raised objections. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Finland and Sweden of supporting Kurdish militants and others whom Turkey considers to be terrorists and of imposing restrictions on military sales to Turkey.
Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland both said Thursday that they are open to discussing Turkey’s concerns. Niinistö said Biden’s encouragement to join was vital to the process and he thanked Biden “for making history with us.”
Said Andersson: “During dark times, it is great to be among close friends.”
– Maureen Groppe
‘Intimate’ fighting, stiff resistance stymie Russian advance
Close-quarter fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops continued Thursday in eastern and southern Ukraine, with little ground taken or given by either side, according to a senior Defense Department official.
The official described combat between the cities of Kherson and Mykolaiv in the south and in the Donbas region in the east as “intimate.” Russia’s invading forces have faced stiff and nimble resistance from Ukrainian troops in the confined geographic space, according to the official, who described battlefield developments on condition of anonymity.
There have been no major advances by Russia or Ukraine in the last 24 hours, the official said. However, Ukrainian troops continue to push Russian forces away from the city of Kharkiv in the north. A prolonged period of combat between the two sides seems likely, the official said.
– Tom Vanden Brook
Seizure of Russian-owned, $300 million superyacht prompts legal battle
The fate of a Russian-owned, $300 million superyacht seized by U.S. authorities in Fiji could soon be determined by an appeals court there.
The court heard arguments Wednesday from the U.S. Justice Department, two weeks after federal agents won a lower court order in Fiji to seize the 348-foot yacht from Fiji’s Lautoka harbor. U.S. officials say the vessel belongs to sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov.
When agents boarded the Amadea and ordered the crew of 20 to sail east, Russian lawyers got involved. Eduard Khudainatov, a former chairman of the state-controlled Russian oil and gas company Rosneft, filed an affidavit to say he owns the Amadea.
Several superyachts have been seized from sanctioned Russians around the world. Khudainatov isn’t on a sanctions list, and U.S. officials note that he is also the on-paper owner of another superyacht tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The U.S. says Khudainatov is attempting to shield the Amadea – and its lobster tank, swimming pool and helipad – from global sanctions.
“The fact that Khudainatov is being held out as the owner of two of the largest superyachts on record, both linked to sanctioned individuals, suggests that Khudainatov is being used as a clean, unsanctioned straw owner to conceal the true beneficial owners,” the FBI wrote in a court affidavit.
McDonald’s sells Russian restaurants to Siberian businessman
McDonald’s announced plans to Ukraine hopes for ‘decent harvest’ despite occupation, land mines
Almost 25 million acres of crops have been planted in Ukraine so far this spring and more is being planted every day, a Ukrainian agriculture official said Thursday. Taras Vysotsky, first deputy minister of agriculture and food, said that because of Russian occupation of some areas – and land mines in others – planting will take place on about 9 million fewer acres this year than last year.
Ukraine farms provide wheat, corn and sunflower seed to much of the world, and war-related struggles have helped drive food prices higher, particularly in the developing world. Vysotsky did say the weather conditions have been favorable thus far.
“There is potential for a decent harvest this year, which will begin in late June, early July,” Vysotsky said.
Senate confirms Bridget Brink as ambassador just as embassy reopens in Kyiv
The Senate confirmed Russian officials concerned about abuse in Mariupol: US intelligence
New U.S. intelligence revealed that some Russian officials are concerned their forces are carrying out abuses in Mariupol, a U.S official familiar with the findings said Wednesday. The alleged abuses include beating and electrocuting city officials and robbing homes, according to the intelligence finding.
The U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Russian officials are worried the abuse will further inspire Ukrainian residents in Mariupol to resist the Russian occupation and undermine Russia’s claim that it liberated the port city.
After holding out for weeks in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, most Ukrainian troops have abandoned the city. The soldiers are regarded as heroes in Ukraine, which hopes to negotiate their return home in a prisoner swap.
Contributing: The Associated Press