Ukraine approves sanctions against Iran +++ Lavrov criticizes implementation of grain agreement More than 1,500 arrests during protest by climate activists in The Hague

The Ukrainian parliament approved the measures demanded by President Volodymyr Zelensky 50 years of sanctions imposed on Iran. This was reported by the media in Kiev on Monday. Should be banned on the Trade in military equipment and so-called dual-use goods, that can be used for civil and military purposes.

Ukraine wants to end its economic and financial obligations to Iran and stop exporting capital to the Islamic Republic. Zelenskyj had also spoken out in favor of a ban on technology transfers and investments in Iran. The National Security Council previously approved the decision.

The background to the tensions between Kiev and Tehran is ongoing Russian drone attacks on Ukraine. According to Ukrainian information, Moscow mainly uses so-called kamikaze drones of the Iranian type Shahed-136/131. Iran denies this. It was only announced on Sunday that Iranian exports to Russia in the past Persian calendar year (until the end of March) have increased by 30 percent compared to the same period last year, to about 744 million dollars (about 693 million euros).

Members of Parliament also introduced May 8 as a non-working holiday to commemorate victory in World War II. In the past, as in Russia, the day was celebrated on May 9. With this, Ukraine wants to underline that it is turning away from the Soviet legacy and focusing on the West. (sda/dpa)

In southern Ukraine, a woman in the Black Sea region of Odessa has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for raising money for the Russian occupiers, the verdict said. The Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU announced this on Monday and published evidence on its Telegram channel.

The woman organized an appeal on social networks for funding for the fighters in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. She was arrested in December during an operation against saboteurs. The court sentenced her to 11 years and four months in prison for supporting the aggressor state, it said.

The woman supported two relatives who joined separatists in the Donetsk region in 2016 to fight against Ukrainian forces. Fighting in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after the fall of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began more than 15 months ago, the woman’s relatives joined Moscow forces to occupy the city of Mariupol and parts of the Kherson region, it said. The SBU secret service repeatedly reports arrests of collaborators who support Russia. (sda/dpa)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized the implementation of the recently expanded agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea as inadequate. “If everything stays as it is (…), you have to assume that it no longer works,” Lavrov said Monday during a visit to the Kenyan capital Nairobi, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. On the other hand, Ukraine repeatedly accuses Russia of obstructing the shipment of its grain despite the agreement.

In particular, Lavrov lamented continued restrictions on Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports, which Moscow expects to ease in exchange for Ukrainian grain exports. In addition, Moscow is demanding an end to sanctions against its state agricultural bank in order to process payments more easily.

Russia blocked grain exports from the neighboring country for months after the attack on Ukraine in February last year. In the summer of 2022, with the mediation of the United Nations and Turkey, an agreement was reached between the two warring parties, as a result of which Ukrainian grain was shipped again. Most recently, it was extended for a further two months in mid-May – coupled with Moscow’s demand to now facilitate its own exports as well. (sda/dpa)

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has completed Russia’s withdrawal from the CFE (Conventional Armed Forces in Europe) treaty. The law he signed, which he had already approved by parliament in mid-May, was published online on the Russian legal portal on Monday. Years ago, however, Russia had largely suspended the 1990 agreement that sets upper limits for the stationing of heavy weapons on the European continent. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has now said the termination of the contract will have “no direct consequences”.

The weapons whose deployment is regulated by the CFE treaty include main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers, heavy artillery, combat aircraft and helicopters. Moscow was one of the signatories to the agreement in 1990, but largely suspended its implementation as early as 2007. Since 2015, one year after Ukraine’s annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, Russia has also stopped attending meetings of the Advisory Group. In the course of the offensive war against Ukraine that Putin ordered in early 2022, Moscow’s relations with the West have once again deteriorated dramatically. (sda/dpa)

According to British intelligence experts, Russian camouflage and deception maneuvers have so far been largely ineffective in the offensive war in Ukraine.

On May 24, Russia conducted a security exercise around the Crimean Bridge, which connects the Russian mainland to the Black Sea peninsula illegally annexed in 2014, the defense ministry’s daily intelligence update in London said on Monday. Part of the exercise was the installation of a smoke screen using truck-mounted TDA-3 smoke generators, which partially obscured the bridge.

“Russian doctrine considers smoke to be part of ‘Maskirovka’ (camouflage and deception) – to which it attaches great importance,” the intelligence report said. “In practice, however, Russia’s Maskirovka has generally been ineffective in the war in Ukraine, probably due to the lack of strong central planning and poor combat discipline at low levels.”

The Ministry of Defense in London has been publishing information on the course of the war on a daily basis since the beginning of the Russian offensive war against Ukraine, citing information from intelligence services. Moscow accuses London of a disinformation campaign. (sda/dpa)

In protest of alleged Russian-phobic statements, Russia has placed US Senator Lindsey Graham on its wanted list. This is evident from an entry published Monday in the database of the Russian Ministry of the Interior. The Russian Commission of Inquiry had previously launched a criminal investigation into the alleged statements, but there were serious doubts about their authenticity. Since Graham is outside Russia, Moscow’s legal action is likely to be mostly symbolic.

Republican Graham visited Selenskyj in Kiev last Friday. There was also a video of the meeting which consisted of several edited sequences in which Zelenskyj thanked the US for helping to defend against the Russian offensive war, among other things. At one point, according to Russian media, Graham also said, “And the Russians died. The best money we ever spent” (e.g., “And the Russians died. Our best investment ever”).

However, the word “die” is not heard clearly. The network is therefore arguing whether or not he instead said that the Russians were ready (“ready”). There is also a pause between the two sentences because the video was cut at exactly this point. (sda/dpa)

The Ukrainian capital Kiev has again been shaken by heavy Russian air strikes – and that in broad daylight. Until now, most air raids have usually taken place at night or in the early hours of the morning. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke on Telegram Monday afternoon about explosions in central parts of the city. According to the military administration, the air defense was active. A reporter from the German news agency on the scene also reported loud explosion sounds and an air raid siren. The sky in the city center showed how many anti-aircraft missiles took off to defuse flying objects.

Several parts of Ukraine – including Kiev – were heavily shelled by the Russian army only at night. According to its own statements, the Ukrainian Air Force has deflected 29 combat drones and 37 cruise missiles nationwide. According to preliminary information, there were no fatalities or injuries. (sda/dpa)