The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the missile cruiser "Moskva" - the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet - sank while retreating to port in stormy weather after today's explosion and fire, Russian news agencies reported, citing Reuters.
The Defense Ministry said earlier Thursday that the Soviet-era ship was badly damaged in a fire that Ukraine says was the result of its missile strike.
The US State Department announced that the expansion of the defense alliance would promote stability in Europe, reports Reuters.
The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) announced that the Russians continued to shell the Kharkiv region. According to them, six civilians were injured, among them two children aged 9 and 11.
They also add that many houses were damaged.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu "suddenly suffered a severe heart attack, he could become disabled if he survives," Leonid Nevzlin announced on his Twitter account and Facebook page.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that European countries that continue to buy Russian oil are making money with other people's blood.
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Russian aviation has destroyed seven military facilities in Ukraine over the past 24 hours, including a warehouse of artillery rockets, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday, reports the Interfax agency, as reported by Reuters.
Kirill Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, said that infrastructure reconstruction works are underway in the Kyiv region.
"Gas supply was restored in 54 settlements, and more than 500 explosive devices were destroyed during the day," Tymoshenko said, as reported by "Verhovna Rada" - the Ukrainian Parliament.
The United States believes that the Russian warship "Moscow" is still fighting a fire and that the cruiser is believed to be heading for Sevastopol, a senior US defense official said, according to Reuters.
"Our assessment is that they are still fighting the fire on board," the official said, adding that the ship is believed to have sustained significant damage.
Russia said the warship's crew had been evacuated and measures were being taken to tow the stricken ship back to port, after an ammunition explosion on board, which Ukraine said was caused by a missile strike.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that if Sweden and Finland join NATO, there can no longer be any question of the non-nuclear status of the Baltics.
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Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said that a new exchange of prisoners has been agreed with Russia and that a total of 30 Ukrainians will go home.
Vereshchuk added that the 30 Ukrainians include five officers and 17 soldiers, plus eight civilians, reports Reuters.
The United States now does not have enough information to confirm what caused the explosion on a Russian warship that Ukraine claims was caused by one of its missiles, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said, according to Reuters.
"We don't know what caused that explosion," Kirby said in an interview with MSNBC.
“We've seen social media reports that this may have been a Ukrainian coastal defense missile (that) hit her. We can't rule it out, we just don't have enough information right now," he said.
It is quite possible that the Russian banking sector will lose half of its capital, said the first deputy governor of the central bank Dmitry Tulin, reports Reuters.
Russia's financial sector and economy have been hit by unprecedented Western sanctions designed to punish Moscow for what it says is a "special military operation" in Ukraine that began on February 24.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia should start building infrastructure for eastern oil and gas exports as the country needs to diversify its energy supply away from Europe, Reuters reports.
Speaking at a televised cabinet meeting, Putin also said Russia should replace imports of oil and gas production equipment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has never refused to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, but before that it is necessary to prepare a draft agreement between the two countries, the Kremlin announced today.
Spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said that there is no news on this matter yet, agencies report.
"We have already said that, in principle, the Russian president has never refused such a meeting, but before it happens, certain conditions must be met, that is, the text of the document must be completed," said Peskov.
Earlier today, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu said that Putin's meeting with Zelensky is not far off and that everything depends on the agreement and attitude of the Russian leader.
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The governor of Russia's southern Bryansk region said residential buildings in the village of Klimovo were hit after coming under fire from the Ukrainian army.
"Today, the village of Klimovo was under fire from the Ukrainian armed forces. Two residential buildings were damaged in the shelling, and there are also victims among the locals," Governor Aleksandar Bogomaz said on his Telegram channel, Reuters reports.
Ukraine's defense ministry and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment after Russia earlier said mortars fell near a border facility in the Bryansk region.
Payment of Russian gas in rubles by buyers from the European Union would violate the EU sanctions regime against Moscow, according to an internal note of the European Commission, reports Reuters.
The memo, which it clearly states is technical, preliminary and based on an unofficial translation of a March 31 Russian presidential decree, said the law added several new levels of obligations for EU gas buyers, effectively removing the completion of purchases from their hands.
"This mechanism would lead to the violation of existing EU restrictive measures adopted in relation to Russia, its government, the Central Bank of Russia and their representatives; as well as general broad bans on circumvention and restrictive measures of the EU," the internal note read.
Ukraine's central bank said the economy could shrink by at least a third in 2022 and inflation could top 20%, reflecting the impact of the Russian invasion.
The central bank said in a statement that it would postpone a decision on its key interest rate for the second time since the start of the war on February 24.
It added that maintaining a fixed exchange rate is still important for now, but that it will return to a floating exchange rate as soon as the currency market balances, reports Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron said using the word "genocide" in connection with Russia's actions in Ukraine would be a verbal escalation that would complicate his efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, Reuters reports.
"Words have meaning and you need to be careful because my role is to help bring peace or at least stop this war," Macron said in an interview with France Blé radio, adding that he wanted to avoid verbal escalation.
The Kremlin announced yesterday that it categorically disagrees with US President Joe Biden's description of Russian actions in Ukraine as "genocide".
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