August 2, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Five foreigners who sided with Ukraine in the defense of the southern city of Mariupol are to stand trial in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), accused of being foreign mercenaries.

Among the five are one Swede, one Croat and three Britons.

"The Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of the DPR has received a criminal case against foreign citizens Mathias Gustavsson, Vjekoslav Prebeg, John Harding, Dylan Healy, Andrew Hill, who are accused of mercenarism," the court said in a statement on Tuesday.

A date and time for the hearing has not yet been set, Russian state news agency reported on Tuesday. 

CNN has reached out to the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development office for comment but has yet to hear back. 

Two other Britons and a Moroccan national were convicted and sentenced to death by a court in the so-called DPR on June 9. The trio was captured in the Donbas and also accused of being mercenaries fighting for Ukraine.

Both the UK and Ukraine condemned the sentences, saying they were in violation of international law.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has accused the US of "destabilization" over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s expected visit to Taiwan. 

"Washington is bringing destabilization to the world. Not a single resolved conflict in recent decades, but many provoked ones," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram on Tuesday. 

It comes after Moscow’s ally Beijing warned against the "egregious political impact" of Pelosi's planned visit to the self-governing island that China claims as a part of its territory and reiterated that its military "won't sit by idly" if it feels its "sovereignty and territorial integrity" is being threatened.

Some background: Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan as part of her tour of Asia, according to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, despite warnings from US President Joe Biden administration officials, who are worried about China's response to such a high-profile visit.

The stop -- the first for a US House speaker in 25 years -- is not currently on Pelosi's public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low point.

Humanity is just "one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation," the United Nations Secretary-General has warned.

Geopolitical threats including the climate crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and armed conflicts are putting the globe at risk of a nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War, according to Antonio Guterres.

On Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken were among those gathered for the 10th annual review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

"The climate crisis, stark inequalities, conflicts and human rights violations, and the personal and economic devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, have put our world under greater stress than it has faced in our lifetimes," Guterres said.

"Humanity is in danger of forgetting the lessons forged in the terrifying fires of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

Guterres added that "geopolitical tensions are reaching new highs," and "distrust has replaced dialogue."

"States are seeking false security in stockpiling and spending hundreds of billions of dollars on doomsday weapons that have no place on our planet."

He listed five "areas of action" that are central to the treaty. This includes a steadfast commitment to reinforce and reaffirm the 77-year-old norm against the use of nuclear weapons, working toward the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons, addressing simmering tensions in the Middle East and Asia, promoting the peaceful use of nuclear technology for medical and other uses and fulfilling all outstanding commitments in the treaty itself.

"We need the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as much as ever. That’s why this review conference is so important. It’s an opportunity to hammer-out the measures that will help avoid certain disaster."

The first ship loaded with grain to leave Ukraine since Russia began its invasion has been delayed because of bad weather, according to the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul.

The JCC said the MV Razoni had been moving slower than expected and is now due to reach Istanbul on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.

No further grain ship departures from Ukraine are scheduled yet, the JCC added.

Food crisis: The Razoni departed from the Black Sea port of Odesa on Monday under a UN-brokered export deal, raising hopes that a global food supply crisis caused by Russia's invasion can be eased.

Since the war began, Ukraine's southern ports had been blocked by Russia, preventing Ukrainian grain from reaching the many countries that rely on it.

Some 20 million metric tons of wheat and corn have been trapped at Odesa port, US Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Samantha Power said last week.

Ukraine and Russia are both significant suppliers of food to the world. In normal times, Ukraine would export around three-quarters of the grain it produces. According to data from the European Commission, about 90% of these exports were shipped from Black Sea ports.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has arrived at Khimki court, in the Moscow region, for her seventh hearing as her trial continues on Tuesday. 

The previous hearing on July 27 ended without a verdict. Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges early last month in an attempt to mitigate her sentence.

The hearing on Tuesday, which has just begun, will see the defense presenting witnesses to testify in the case. No verdict is expected Tuesday.

Some context to the case: The 31-year-old Olympic medalist has been held in Russia since February on allegations of attempted drug smuggling, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in Russia. 

During the trial, Griner has testified that she has a doctor's prescription for medical cannabis and had no intention of bringing the drug into Russia. Following her detention in February, she was tested for drugs and was clean, her lawyers previously said.

Charge d’Affaires of the US embassy Elizabeth Rood is also attending Tuesday’s hearing.

The prisoner swap: Amid growing pressure and after months of internal debate, the Biden administration proposed a prisoner swap with Russia, offering to release a convicted Russian arms trafficker in exchange for Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Russian officials countered the US offer, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, requesting that in addition to arms dealer Viktor Bout, the US also include a convicted murderer who was formerly a colonel with the Russian spy agency, Vadim Krasikov.

Russian forces shelled the southern city of Mykolaiv overnight, hitting a university dormitory, according to Ukrainian officials.

A shop also caught fire due to the fall of ammunition. 

“According to preliminary information, one of the districts was hit by MLRS Smerch, the other one by S-300 missiles,” Kim said. The S-300 is a surface-to-air missile usually used to target aircraft or incoming missiles. 

Some context: Russian shelling of the strategically important port of Mykolaiv has intensified since Friday, with attacks over the weekend described by the city's mayor as the "strongest" since the start of the war.

Russian forces have been continuing their offensive toward the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, according to the Ukrainian military.

Russia "led assaults in the Avdiivka area, was unsuccessful, withdrew,” the General Staff added. “Fighting continues near Pisky.”

The Ukrainian military also reported intense shelling across the entire eastern front line, accusing Russia of targeting both military and civilian infrastructure. 

Elsewhere, both in the northern and southern flanks, Ukrainian forces say Russian troops have focused mainly on maintaining their positions, using artillery to prevent Kyiv’s advance and carrying out some reconnaissance missions. 

The Russian trial of WNBA star Brittney Griner will continue Tuesday as US officials attempt to negotiate a prisoner swap for her release.

The scheduled appearance in a courtroom near Moscow will mark Griner's seventh hearing as Russian prosecutors accuse her of trying to smuggle less than 1 gram of cannabis oil in her luggage while traveling through a Moscow airport in February.

During the trial, Griner has testified that she has a doctor's prescription for medical cannabis and had no intention of bringing the drug into Russia. Following her detention in February, she was tested for drugs and was clean, her lawyers previously said.

Griner pleaded guilty last month, a decision her lawyers hope the court will take into account and potentially result in a less severe sentence. She faces up to 10 years in prison.

The proposed prisoner swap: Amid this pressure and after months of internal debate, the Biden administration proposed a prisoner swap with Russia, offering to release a convicted Russian arms trafficker in exchange for Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Russian officials countered the US offer, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, requesting that in addition to arms dealer Viktor Bout, the US also include a convicted murderer who was formerly a colonel with the Russian spy agency, Vadim Krasikov.

US officials did not accept the request as a legitimate counteroffer, the sources told CNN, in part because the proposal was sent through an informal FSB backchannel. Krasikov's release would also be complicated because he is currently in German custody.

Read the full story here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed the first shipment of grain from the port of Odesa since the Russian invasion began in February.

"The port started working, the export traffic started, and this can be called the first positive signal that there is a chance to stop the development of the food crisis in the world," Zelensky said in his daily video address.

Zelensky said that 16 ships are waiting their turn for shipment, and "we are ready to make a proper contribution to the stabilization of the world food market."

He also said that more than a million jobs in Ukraine rely on traffic resuming.

Zelensky said he'd spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron about agricultural exports and defense issues and also about financial support for Ukraine.

He said he'd asked Macron "to help us to unblock macro-finance, which has stalled in Europe. I want to remind all the leaders that it is 9 billion euros. These are not trifles for us, but important social things — these are our pensions, these are our salaries, support for immigrants."