March 30, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Kathleen Magramo, Sophie Tanno, Aditi Sangal, Matt Meyer, Elise Hammond and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 0038 GMT (0838 HKT) March 31, 2023
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3:20 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

45 countries to investigate Russia's alleged human rights violations

From CNN’s Sugam Pokharel and Jennifer Hansler

The United States and 44 other countries in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) invoked a special mechanism Thursday to investigate alleged human rights violations by Russia during its war in Ukraine, “particularly with regard to the forced transfer and deportation of children by the Russian Federation.”

According to the US and several European governments, Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration forcibly deported thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, often to a network of dozens of camps where the minors underwent political reeducation. 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) earlier this month issued arrest warrants for Putin and another Russian official related to the reported forced deportation.

In a joint statement, the group of OSCE countries said the so-called Moscow Mechanism, which is a serious step taken to look into allegations of human rights abuses, was invoked “as we continue to have concerns regarding violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law following Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine."

The statement noted that recent reports from OSCE’s independent expert missions confirmed the group’s shared concerns about Russia’s “violations of international humanitarian law in Ukraine, and, in particular, credible reports of forced transfer and deportation of Ukrainian civilians, including unaccompanied children.” 

“Some of the violations may amount to crimes against humanity or war crimes,” the statement read. 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the move, saying in a tweet, “we need resolute joint actions to stop this genocidal practice, return children back to Ukraine, and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.” 

The OSCE does not have the authority to legally punish Russia if it finds evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but the organization's findings can be given to other bodies that do. 

Both Russia and Ukraine are members of the 57-nation OSCE. 

3:31 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

US Embassy in Moscow has requested official notification of WSJ reporter's arrest, state department says

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Christian Sierra

The US Embassy in Moscow has requested official notification of the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, according to the State Department.

“Russia is required to provide that under our bilateral consular convention,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said.

Patel also said the US has requested consular access to Gershkovich, but noted that “due to Russia's administrative procedures and security requirements, it will likely be several days before that happens.”

He said consular access is the "number one priority" for the State Department so that officials can access Gershkovich's well-being and gather information.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration is also "fighting for" consular access, adding the president was briefed on the case Thursday morning.

The administration has said there is a process that must be completed before they can officially call a situation a wrongful detention case.

Asked if the State Department would designate Gershkovich as wrongfully detained, Patel said “the Department regularly reviews the circumstances surrounding the detentions of US nationals overseas for indicators that these detentions are wrongful.”

“I'm not going to get ahead of that process as this just happened yesterday. Of course, I'm seeing the same public reporting that you are seeing as it relates to these charges, and I don't think that there is any truth to them. But again, I'm going to let this process play out and not, not get ahead of this process,” he said at a briefing.

Patel urged Americans not to travel to Russia and said that Americans residing in Russia should leave “immediately.”

CNN's Sam Fossum contributed reporting to this post.

2:57 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

State Department says not to make comparisons between Whelan and Gershkovich cases

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler

US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel on Thursday said it was important “that we not make comparisons” between the cases of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.

Whelan, a former Marine who is a US, Irish, British and Canadian citizen, was detained in December 2018 by Russian authorities who alleged he was involved in an intelligence operation. He was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison in 2020 after a trial US officials called unfair.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of "espionage," according to a Moscow court.

“The US government continues to engage with the Russian Federation through the established channel to bring Paul Whelan home. His release continues to be an absolute priority, and we have and will continue to engage the Russian government on his case,” Patel said at a State Department briefing.

Patel said the US Embassy will speak with Whelan Thursday, and consular officers last visited him in person in late January. Embassy officials regularly speak by phone with Whelan.

“Our family is sorry to hear that another American family will have to experience the same trauma that we have had to endure for the past 1,553 days,” Paul’s brother David Whelan said in an email to the press earlier Thursday.

7:31 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

US has trained more than 7,000 Ukrainian troops since Russia's invasion began, Pentagon says

From CNN's Haley Britzky

Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC on Thursday.
Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC on Thursday. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

More than 7,000 Ukrainian troops have received training by United States forces since the beginning of Russia’s invasion last year, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Thursday. 

This week, 65 Ukrainians who were training on the Patriot air defense system at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, returned to Europe after completing that training.

Ryder also said that more than 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers will have completed combined arms training in Germany at the end of this month, including two brigades — one equipped with Bradley Fighting Vehicles and the other with Stryker vehicles. 

“Additional combined arms training is currently underway at Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas in Germany, with two motorized infantry battalions consisting of 1,200 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel,” Ryder said.

1:40 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Russia may send a delegation to North Korea as it seeks more weapons from Pyongyang, White House says

From CNN's Sam Fossum

Russia aims to send a delegation to North Korea as part of the Kremlin's ongoing effort to acquire more weapons from Pyongyang, according to a spokesperson for the United States National Security Council.

"We have new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire additional munitions from North Korea," said John Kirby, the NSC strategic communications coordinator. "We also understand that Russia is seeking to send a delegation to North Korea. And that Russia is offering North Korea food in exchange for munitions."

Alleged arms dealer Ashot Mkrtychev is at the center of this latest effort by Russia to circumvent unprecedented Western sanctions and export controls over its brutal invasion of Ukraine, Kirby said Thursday.

The US Treasury Department issued sanctions against Mkrtychev earlier Thursday morning, accusing him of trying to facilitate an arms deal between Russia and North Korea.

"With this new pariah status also comes risks for those who provide support to him, as we will not hesitate to target such malign actors in the future," Kirby said, vowing to "continue to identify, expose and counter Russian attempts to acquire military equipment from North Korea or any other state that is prepared to support its war in Ukraine."

Some background: The US says Russia started purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea last year, as CNN has earlier reported. And toward the end of 2022, North Korea supplied infantry rockets to the private military company Wagner Group for use in the war in Ukraine.

US officials have characterized the purchases as a sign that Moscow's military has dwindling stocks of the weapons it needs to sustain the invasion.

1:22 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

White House says it was surprised at WSJ reporter's detention as State Dept. looks into whether it’s wrongful

From CNN's DJ Judd

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday, March 29, in Washington, DC.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday, March 29, in Washington, DC. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

The Biden administration was not given any advance warning ahead of the Russian detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich Thursday, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said

“We were just as surprised by this as all of you were, and it’s too soon to know or to be able to indicate that this is some sort of larger movement afoot here,” Kirby said, adding the administration is “single-mindedly focused” on getting consular access to Gershkovich so they can assess his condition on their own.

Kirby wouldn’t say if he believes if Gershkovich, who was credentialed to practice journalism in Russia, has been wrongfully detained, deferring to the State Department, which is tasked with officially determining if Americans are detained wrongfully abroad.

“As you know, the State Department has a process for that, whereby they look at the circumstances for each individual — they’re doing that right now, and I certainly wouldn’t want to get ahead of that process,” Kirby said, later repeating the State Department is “looking at this detention.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Thursday the department is in contact with the Wall Street Journal.

1:20 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

US sanctions alleged arms dealer for attempted weapons deal between Russia and North Korea

From CNN's Sam Fossum

The US Treasury has sanctioned a man accused of trying to facilitate an arms deal between Russia and North Korea, as the Kremlin looks for new avenues to circumvent Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

Thursday's announcement, leveled against Slovakian national Ashot Mkrtychev, is particularly notable since it's rare for the Treasury to publicly acknowledge efforts to disrupt a deal that's still underway.

“Schemes like the arms deal pursued by this individual show that Putin is turning to suppliers of last resort like Iran and the DPRK," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement, using an abbreviation for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"We remain committed to degrading Russia’s military-industrial capabilities, as well as exposing and countering Russian attempts to evade sanctions and obtain military equipment from the DPRK or any other state that is prepared to support its war in Ukraine."

The alleged scheme: Starting at the end of 2022, Mkrtychev has been working with North Korean officials to secure "over two dozen" types of weapons and munitions for Russia, according to the Treasury. In exchange, Russia would provide items like commercial aircraft, raw materials and commodities.

Moscow had prepared its end of the deal and was ready to make the exchange, according to the Treasury, which cited the accused dealer's correspondence with the countries.

Dwindling supplies? The US says Russia started purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea last year, as CNN has earlier reported.

The purchases suggest Russia's military has suffered from severe supply shortages in Ukraine, due in part to export controls and sanctions, a US official said at the time.

The Treasury repeated that narrative with Thursday's announcement.

“Russia has lost over 9,000 pieces of heavy military equipment since the start of the war, and thanks in part to multilateral sanctions and export controls, Putin has become increasingly desperate to replace them,” Yellen said in the statement. 

The US has accused North Korea of trying to conceal its weapons shipments to Russia, making it appear as if the ammunition is being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa, according to declassified US intelligence.

12:35 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

White House condemns WSJ journalist arrest and says State Department is in "direct touch" with Russia on topic

From CNN's DJ Judd

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre talks to reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 27 in Washington, DC. 
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre talks to reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 27 in Washington, DC.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Biden administration is “deeply concerned" over reports Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained in Russia on charges of espionage, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. 

“Last night, White House and State Department Officials spoke with Mr. Gershkovich’s employer, the Wall Street Journal. The Administration has also been in contact with his family. Furthermore, the State Department has been in direct touch with the Russian government on this matter, including actively working to secure consular access to Mr. Gershkovich,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

“The targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest terms," she added.

The press secretary also noted the State Department's advise for Americans to not travel to Russia, and added that if they are currently residing or traveling there, then they should "depart immediately."

12:28 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

US "deeply concerned" over Russia’s detention of American journalist, Blinken says

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler

The United States government is “deeply concerned over Russia’s widely-reported detention of a U.S. citizen journalist,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Thursday following the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Blinken said the department is in contact with the Wall Street Journal, according to the statement which did not directly name Gershkovich.

“Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained abroad, we immediately seek consular access, and seek to provide all appropriate support," Blinken said.

“In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the Kremlin’s continued attempts to intimidate, repress, and punish journalists and civil society voices,” the statement added.

Gershkovich is the first journalist to be accused of spying by Russia since 1986, when reporter Nick Daniloff was detained on a similar charge while working for the US.