UKRAINE WAR: April 17, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 418
Russian forces have launched what the Ukrainian military said were "unsuccessful attacks" against the Bakhmut suburbs, as heavy fighting continues inside the embattled eastern city - CNN
President Volodymyr Zelensky made a video address to Ukrainians on Orthodox Easter, saying Russia's all-out war "cannot erase us, our values, our traditions, and our holidays." He added: “Heaven sees our faith and firmness.”
Ukraine is reportedly examining captured Russian weapons to see where the electronic components originate. Sanctions have reduced the number of Western-made components but Chinese components appear to be taking their place
A court in Iran has sentenced 10 armed forces personnel to prison over the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in January 2020. The plane was hit by two missiles fired by a Revolutionary Guards air defence unit after it took off from Tehran. All 176 people on board were killed. The unit's commander was sentenced to 13 years for being an accessory to manslaughter and disobeying orders. Victims' families rejected the verdicts as "meaningless and unacceptable". They said the Iranian judiciary had prosecuted low-ranking officers and not the "main perpetrators of this crime” - BBC
Western allies have condemned the sentencing of British-Russian Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison after he publicly criticized the Ukraine war.
Slovakia joined Poland and Hungary in banning imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine. A glut of cheap imports has hurt local farmers and sparked protests - CNN
Li Shangfu, China’s newly appointed defense minister, visited Russia on his first official visit abroad on April 16 and met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin - Kyiv Independent
The US ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracey visited the Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich today at Lefortovo Prison - “the first time we've been permitted access to him since his wrongful detention more than two weeks ago. He is in good health and remains strong. We reiterate our call for his immediate release.”