July 13, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

"There is nothing to discuss" on the subject of peace talks with Russia, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Wednesday in an online briefing with reporters.

Ukraine's objective in this war is "to liberate our territories and restore our territorial integrity and full sovereignty in the east and in the south of Ukraine. This is the end point of our negotiating position," he added.

Kuleba also played down suggestions there might be "fatigue" abroad with the conflict.

He said the website created by the Ukrainian government had reached 600 million people around the world, including 91 million in June.

"Despite the narratives about war fatigue, our communications only improve and become stronger," he said.

The lawyer of 21-year-old Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin — who was sentenced to life in prison in Ukraine's first war crime trial since Russia's invasion — said that his client “had no intention of killing a man.” 

Shishimarin was found guilty of killing a 62-year-old civilian during his deployment with the Russian army in the early days of the war. He was sentenced to life in prison on May 23.

Shishimarin’s legal team asked the judges at the Kyiv Court of Appeals to reverse the verdict, arguing that Shishimarin “did not shoot accurately” and urging the court to consider that he refused to shoot several times and surrendered voluntarily. 

“He had no intention of killing a man,” said his lawyer, Viktor Ovsyannikov.

Ovsyannikov also said that it is “necessary to distinguish the one who tragically accidentally killed a man from those who deliberately shell residential areas with artillery.”

The court has asked Shishimarin’s lawyer to supplement the appeal. The next hearing is scheduled for July 25. 

Talks between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations have kicked off in Istanbul, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said in a statement Wednesday.

Some more context: Ukraine hopes to speed up grain exports through reopened Danube River routes amid Russia's blockade of key Black Sea ports.

The line of barges currently waiting to sail up the Danube River and load up on grain at one of Ukraine’s river ports will take several weeks to clear, first deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky said in a televised address Wednesday.

“A queue of about 90 barges has formed in the area of the Danube River for several months and will continue for several more weeks,” Vysotsky said. “Thanks to the release of Snake Island, the additional throughput is four to five vessels per day.”

About 80% of Ukraine’s grain exports were shipped from the country’s Black Sea ports before Russia's invasion.

The line of barges currently waiting to sail up the Danube River and load up on grain at one of Ukraine’s river ports will take several weeks to clear, first deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky said in a televised address Wednesday.

“A queue of about 90 barges has formed in the area of the Danube River for several months and will continue for several more weeks,” Vysotsky said. “Thanks to the release of Snake Island, the additional throughput is four to five vessels per day.”

Before Russia’s invasion, about 80% of Ukraine’s grain exports were shipped from the country’s Black Sea ports.

Vysotsky said that harvesting had already begun in Ukrainian-controlled territories, with winter barley the first crop to be picked. 

“It is already being harvested even in the northern regions,” he said. “The yield [for winter barley] is a little lower than last year, but last year's harvest was a record.”

“In general, the yield this year is higher than the five-year average,” he added.

The hearing of 21-year-old Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin at the Kyiv Court of Appeals has resumed after a brief pause following an air raid siren.

Shishimarin was earlier seen taken out of the courtroom by CNN teams on the ground.

Shishimarin is the first person to be convicted of a war crime since Russia’s invasion. He is expected to challenge the court decision handed to him in May. He was found guilty of killing a 62-year-old civilian during his deployment with the Russian army in the early days of the war.

He was sentenced to life in prison on May 23.

The Kremlin says an alleged purchase of Iranian drones by Russia will not be discussed when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Iran next week.

On Tuesday, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told journalists the US had information indicating that Iran is preparing to supply Russia with drones -- including weapons-capable drones -- and begin training Russian forces on how to operate them as early as this month.

When asked about the accusations during a conference call with journalists on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian presidency had “no comments on this matter.”

He later added the topic would not be discussed when Putin travels to Iran on Tuesday. 

The Kremlin also commented on US President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East, with Peskov saying that he hopes Biden's "oil diplomacy" will not turn Saudi Arabia against Russia.

“We appreciate the work we are able to do with our partners [within the framework of the OPEC+ agreements], including with leading partners such as Saudi Arabia,” Peskov said. 

“We highly value our interests and our interaction with Riyadh. Of course, we hope that the development of Riyadh's relations with other world capitals will not be directed against us,” he added.

Biden will meet with the Saudi leadership during his trip to Saudi Arabia this week with an aim to strengthen partnership between the countries, and he will also hold bilateral meetings with a number of other Middle Eastern leaders before closing the trip with the GCC+3 Summit, according to Sullivan.

If you're just joining us, here's what you need to know about the latest developments in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic opens embassy in Moscow: The flag of the Russia-backed separatist-held region was on display outside the embassy following the official opening in Moscow on July 12. The opening of the embassy took place without any senior Russian government figures in attendance. "We can't celebrate here when our countrymen are dying," DPR Ambassador Olga Makeyeva said.

The death toll in Chasiv Yar's building strike climbs to 47: The number has been steadily climbing since a Russian rocket struck a residential building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Chasiv Yar on Saturday. The rescue operation is still ongoing, according to authorities.

Hearing of convicted a Russian soldier is underway in Kyiv court: The 21-year-old Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin is expected to challenge the court decision handed to him in May. He was found guilty of killing a 62-year-old civilian during his deployment with the Russian army in the early days of the war, and he was sentenced to life in prison on May 23.

Here's a look at the Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine:

A close ally of President Vladimir Putin, businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, has asked Russia’s Investigative Committee to open a criminal case against two journalists of the independent Russian publication Meduza over its investigation into the involvement of Russian mercenaries in the war in Ukraine, Prigozhin-owned company Concord said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch known as Putin’s "chef," is thought to be the driving force behind the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries and was one of the members of Putin's elite sanctioned by the US in March after the invasion of Ukraine.

In the statement, Prigozhin says he asked the Investigative Committee to open a case against Meduza’s editorial director Tatiana Yershova, as well as journalist Lilia Yapparova, for disseminating "fake news" about the Russian army and treason, based on the questions they sent to him about the participation of the Wagner Group in the war in Ukraine.

UK and US officials said in March that the private Wagner Group was active in eastern Ukraine.

“The questions asked by the authors contain their initial information that a certain private military company Wagner is directly involved in the special operation carried out by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine,” Prigozhin said in an appeal to the Russian Investigative Committee.

“From them we can conclude that Lilia Yapparova, as well as employees of Meduza unknown to me, are preparing mass informational provocations against Russia, that is why I ask you to initiate criminal proceedings against the above persons,” he added.

Meduza published a deep dive into the inner workings of the Russian government on Wednesday, suggesting the relationship between Prigozhin and the Kremlin had allegedly soured shortly before the invasion of Ukraine. One of the questions submitted by Meduza to the businessman and released by his company Concord specifically addresses Prigozhin’s relationship with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. 

Meduza also published an investigation into a special military unit allegedly formed in Moscow to recruit mercenaries from Russian regions to participate in Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. According to Meduza, this unit is at least partially financed from the budget of Moscow and is often referred to as the “Sobyanin’s Regiment” -- a reference to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

When asked by CNN on a regular conference call Wednesday about that military unit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment, saying “We don’t know anything about it.”

Turkey is hosting talks on Wednesday to try and break the deadlock surrounding the export of grain shipments from Ukraine. 

Military representatives from Turkey, Russia and Ukraine are meeting with a UN delegation to discuss the “safe shipment of grain waiting in Ukrainian ports to international markets by sea," Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday.

Europe's breadbasket

While the conflict remains confined to within Ukraine’s borders, the impact it is having on food security is truly global. 

The Black Sea basin is one of the world’s most important areas for grain and agricultural production, according to the World Food Programme. As such the consequences of the conflict have increased pressure on resources and access to food for countries all over the world. 

Known as the “breadbasket of Europe," Ukraine was the fifth largest exporter of wheat onto the global market last year. According to a report published by the World Food Programme (WFP) earlier this month, Ukraine’s export capacity is now around a sixth of what it was before the war.

The WFP said it is “closely coordinating with key actors (EU member states and IFIs) on ways to optimize the export of grain from Ukraine using all options: road, rail, river and sea.”

Last month the WFP warned that the “ripple effects” of the conflict would “push millions of people in countries across the world into poverty and hunger.”

The crisis is having a devastating impact on impoverished countries such as Egypt and Somalia, which get around 80% and 90% respectively of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine and have seen huge price increases since the start of the conflict.

The report published by the WFP and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on June 6 said that “the war in Ukraine has exacerbated the already steadily rising food and energy prices worldwide, which are already affecting economic stability across all regions.”

The invasion

Russia’s invasion on February 24 came after the winter crop of wheat was planted, meaning it is now ready to harvest. But the agricultural industry has been crippled by numerous factors. 

Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced by the war, which has massive implications for manpower. Meanwhile the farmers that remain face numerous challenges. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of engaging in scorched earth tactics which have destroyed vast quantities of crops, storage and machinery, while there is also the danger of unexploded missiles and ordnance that scatter the fields. 

Dozens of silos and some of the biggest export terminals have been destroyed by Russian bombardment. One of the largest -- in the southern city of Mykolaiv -- contained some 250,000 tons of grain before being burned in June.

Additionally, some analysts say there are challenges in obtaining diesel fuel because of the destruction of refineries, meaning some crops cannot be harvested. 

Russia has blockaded Black Sea ports, meaning grain already harvested cannot be exported internationally. The UN has said that the blockade has already raised global food prices and threatens to cause a catastrophic food shortage in parts of the world.   

According to the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry, around 80% of Ukraine’s grain was exported from its Black Sea ports before the invasion. Now exports exit the country exclusively through the Danube River, access to which was made possible after Ukrainian forces retook Snake Island from Russian forces in June. Ukraine is hoping to speed up exports via this route.

Ukraine has also accused Russia of removing supplies by stealth and passing them off as Russian grain. Russian operators are transferring grain at sea in an apparent effort to disguise its origin, according to satellite imagery reviewed by CNN, and merchant ships are turning off their transponders. Russia has repeatedly denied stealing grain or blocking ports.

Some of what would have been Ukrainian produce is now in territory held by the Russians and their allies in the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). The leader of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said recently that the wheat harvest there would be much higher than in 2021.

What are the aims of the talks?

Specific details have not yet been released. However Reuters has spoken to unnamed diplomats who have suggested that elements of the plan under discussion include Ukrainian vessels guiding grain ships in and out through mined port waters; Russia agreeing to a truce while shipments move; and Turkey -- supported by the United Nations -- inspecting ships to allay Russian fears of weapons smuggling.

Ukraine's foreign ministry on Tuesday stressed the role of the United Nations in the talks and the need for "a solution that will guarantee the security of the southern regions of our country," spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko told Reuters.

Reporting from Tim Lister, Petro Zadorozhnyy, Vasco Cotovio and Isil Sariyuce