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The UK’s foreign secretary Liz Truss said she is “very concerned” about the whereabouts of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and has urged Russia to release him after reports he was moved to a notorious high-security prison.Navalny, 46, an outspoken opponent of Vladimir Putin, was earlier this week apparently transferred to the maximum security IK-6 prison in the Vladimir region village of Melekhovo, about 155 miles east of Moscow.The facility is known for its strict inmate routines, which include standing at attention for hours, and has a notorious reputation within the Russian penal system, with allegations of torture and rape of inmates rife. There has not yet been any confirmation of where Mr Navalny is being held and on Wednesday said it was “not concerned” for his safety.In comments on Thursday, Ms Truss said: “We wholeheartedly support Navalny and we are very, very concerned about the reports we have heard and we urge Russia to release him as soon as possible.”Navalny wrote on the Telegram messaging app that he was confined in a “strict regime” and in quarantine, but did not elaborate further.He added: “My space travel continues. I’ve moved from ship to ship.”The opposition leader has been a target for an increased Kremlin crackdown on dissidents and critics of the Russian president in recent months.Navalny was arrested in January 2021 upon returning from Germany, where he had been recuperating from nerve-agent poisoning he blamed on Russian authorities.He received a two-and-a-half-year sentence for allegedly violating the conditions of his parole while outside Russia.In March, Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of fraud and contempt of court, allegations he rejected as a politically motivated attempt by Russian authorities to keep him behind bars for as long as possible.As well as calling for Navalny to be released, the UK government passed yet further sanctions on Putin allies and those who have brought “untold suffering to Ukraine”.The measures include the sanctioning of Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for her alleged involvement in the forced transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children.Lvova-Belova has been accused of enabling 2,000 vulnerable children being violently taken from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and orchestrating a new policy to facilitate their forced adoptions in Russia.Ms Truss said: “Today we are targeting the enablers and perpetrators of Putin’s war who have brought untold suffering to Ukraine, including the forced transfer and adoption of children.“We will not tire of defending freedom and democracy, and keeping up the pressure on Putin, until Ukraine succeeds.”The sanctions also hit Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Sergey Savostyanov, the deputy of the Moscow city Duma and member of Putin’s political elite, and four military colonels from the 64th Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade, a unit known to have killed, raped, and tortured civilians in Bucha.Additional reporting by agenciesThe Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page. More

Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were supposed to receive the protection of the Geneva Convention as members of the armed forces of a sovereign country, Ukraine.They have been sentenced to death after a show trial in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), a “state” recognised only by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.The fact that Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner are British citizens and a third defendant at the trial, Saadoun Brahim, is a Moroccan national, does not affect their status as prisoners of war.Prosecutors in the DPR have repeatedly accused the three men of being foreign mercenaries. But all three are signed-up members of the Ukrainian armed forces, and many countries across the world have foreign nationals in the ranks.This includes Britain, where recruitment is largely restricted to those from the Commonwealth. Russia is among the most welcoming to foreigners in its forces. Citizens of any country, aged between 18 and 30 and with a knowledge of the Russian language can join and they become eligible for Russian citizenship after serving three years.DPR forces also include foreigners. During a visit there after the separatist war of 2014, I met a Scot (who advocated an independent Donbas but had voted against Scottish independence) and an American from Texas, as well as French, Finnish, Portuguese and Spanish nationals and others from eastern Europe.Russian news agency Tass reported that the men’s guilt had been proven “based on the analysis of the totality of the evidence”.What the “evidence” consists of is unknown because the trial took place behind closed doors. Mr Pinner and Mr Brahim allegedly pleaded guilty to “actions aimed at the violent seizure of power”, it was claimed, and Mr Aslin to “illegal use of weapons and explosives”.In reality, the trial and sentencing in Donetsk is a political rather than a legal issue and the two Britons will undoubtedly be regarded as bargaining counters.Boris Johnson is “appalled” by the death sentences and “has asked ministers to do everything in their power to try and reunite them with their families as soon as we can”, according to his spokesman. Britain is “prioritising” talking to Ukraine rather than Russia because “we don’t have regular interaction with the Russians”.The Kremlin holds that it is not Russia that Britain needs to talk to, but the separatists. Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described the British reaction as “hysterical”.Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters: “The trials  are being held on the basis of the legislation of the Donetsk People’s Republic because the crimes in question were committed on the DPR’s territory. I will not comment on the Donetsk People’s Republic judiciary.”It would be astonishing if Britain were to negotiate directly with an administration it does not recognise, let alone one that is at war with an ally.  So any talks over the release of the two men will be between Volodymyr Zelenesky’s government of Ukraine and the Russians, who regularly liaise on prisoner swaps.Russian state media has reported that more than 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners who surrendered in Mariupol have been transferred to Russia for “investigation”. Politicians in Moscow and the separatist republics have threatened to carry out “Nuremberg-type” trials of prisoners from the Azov battalion, whom they accuse of being neo-Nazis and fascists.Ukraine, too, has put Russian servicemen on trial. Courts in Kyiv and near Kharkiv have handed out lengthy sentences – life imprisonment in one case – on war crimes charges. Iryna Venediktova, the country’s prosecutor general, said on Wednesday that she had filed eight more cases for trial.The Russians and their DPR allies may offer to exchange the two Britons and the Moroccan – as well as others they might put on trial and convict in the future – for detainees held in Ukraine.Moscow is in a strong position when it comes to negotiations on the exchanges. The total number of Russian soldiers being held by Ukraine has fallen to 550 from 900 in April after a series of exchanges. Russia has more than 5,600 Ukrainian troops in captivity, the figure enlarged by the surrender of 2,500 in Mariupol.However, Moscow might have someone else in mind for a swap with Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner rather than soldiers. Both the Britons appeared on the state-run Rossiya 24 channel asking Boris Johnson to get them home in exchange for Viktor Medvedchuk, an oligarch with pro-Moscow sympathies who is under arrest in Ukraine.In the footage, Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner could be seen watching a video of Mr Medvedchuk’s wife Oksana making an appeal for her husband to be exchanged for the two Britons. Mr Aslin says to camera “we look to exchange myself and Aiden Aslin for Mr Medvedchuk. Obviously I would really appreciate your help on this matter.”The Russians and their proxies had gone to some lengths to orchestrate this. But Mr Medvedchuk is no ordinary pro-Moscow oligarch. Mr Putin is godfather to his daughter Daria and the pair’s friendship goes back two decades. They have holidayed together.After Mr Medvedchuk was accused of treason and placed under house arrest, and his television station seized by authorities, Mr Putin delivered one of his most aggressive condemnations of Ukraine, accusing it of turning “slowly but steadily into an antipode of Russia, an anti-Russia”. More

As he battles for his political survival in the UK, prime minister Boris Johnson has been honoured in Kyiv by having a cake named after him.Zavertailo Cafe, one of Kyiv’s top bakeries, came up with the idea to thank him for the UK’s military donations to Ukraine. Since the start of the Russian invasion, Britain has given Ukraine hundreds of millions of pounds and on Monday pledged to give it long-range weapons systems.The puff pastry confection is designed to resemble the British prime minister’s hairstyle, which is depicted in cascading meringue. The cake, whose filling contains apple and cinnamon, costs the equivalent of £2.60.Mr Johnson, who faces a no-confidence vote on Monday evening due to his party’s dissatisfaction with his leadership, held a phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.The British leader confirmed a new package of support for Ukraine, according to Mr Zelensky, who added that Mr Johnson was helping him to look for “ways to avoid the food crisis and unblock (Ukraine’s) ports”.Millions of tonnes of wheat and other cereals remain in silos at ports across Ukraine as a result of a Russian blockade, aggravating the global food crisis.The cake naming is not the first time that Mr Johnson has been singled out for praise by Ukrainians. In April, a small town near Odesa in southern Ukraine decided to rename one of its roads after him.For his support in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion, the council of Fontanka ordered Mayakovsky Street to be changed to Boris Johnson Street.“The prime minister of the United Kingdom is one of the most principled opponents of the Russian invasion, a leader in sanctions on Russia and defence support for Ukraine,” the council said.To express his solidarity with Ukraine, Mr Johnon visited Mr Zelensky in Kyiv in mid-April on an unannounced trip. During his visit, a Ukrainian woman thanked him by giving him a ceramic cockerel – a symbol of defiance after one was discovered intact in the besieged town of Borodyanka earlier in the war.“The UK and others [will] supply the equipment, the technology, the knowhow, the intelligence, so that Ukraine will never be invaded again,” Mr Johnson said at the time.“So Ukraine is so fortified and protected – so that Ukraine can never be bullied again. Never be blackmailed again. Never be threatened in the same way again,” he added.A cake may not be the most appropriate present given to the British PM however, after he was “ambushed” by cake at a Downing Street lockdown party, which got him into so much trouble.In Monday’s vote of no confidence, Mr Johnson needs the support of at least 180 Tory MPs to retain his position. Scandals including Partygate have dented his reputation at home, leading to fears among some Conservatives that his party will lose the next general election if he remains in power. More

Brexit could lead to a significant shortage of potatoes for Irish consumers by 2023, experts have warned.Prior to the UK’s departure from the EU, the majority of potato seed used by Irish farmers for varieties such as Kerr Pinks, Golden Wonders and British Queens had been imported from Scotland.But under post-Brexit rules and following the UK’s departure from the single market, exports of seed potatoes – those not consumed but used to plant other potatoes – from Scotland to Ireland are no longer allowed.While many in Ireland are hopeful that the changes will spark a revival of home-grown Irish seed potatoes, experts warned this week that there is likely to be some disruption in the years ahead.“It’s a bit of a conundrum to be honest; we’ve limited seed crops growing here and UK potato seed imports aren’t approved,” Shay Phelan, a potato specialist at Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority, told the Irish Times.“A derogation was sought to import seed but it wasn’t successful and that will have a big impact on some farmers. If we got access to a derogation for seed growers we could fill the gaps but even that would take a year or two.”Most growers should have enough seed for this year following a strong crop yield, meaning that consumers are unlikely to see a significant impact until 2023, Mr Shay said. John Carroll, a grower in County Louth, warned that “it will be a big issue unless something is done with the seed industry”, telling the paper: “We don’t save seed because it’s completely different, that’s why there’s so few seed growers in Ireland because it’s hard to get right.”Ireland’s agriculture minister Charlie McConalogue has pledged to help revive Ireland’s own seed potato industry, with these efforts heavily reliant on production at the research farm, Tops Farm. But Mr Carroll warned it will take several years to fill the gap left by Brexit.“We need to get foundation stock and I don’t know when Tops Farm will have tonnes of seed to give out and sell. This thing takes years to get right,” he said.Similarly, the Irish Farmers Association’s (IFA) former national potato chairman Thomas McKeown told the Irish Times that Brexit provides “a great opportunity here for seed growers, but it will take about three years and it’s going to be a bit of a pain”, adding: “There’s no quick fix.”While exports of seed potatoes from Great Britain to Northern Ireland have also been banned, the DUP has previously cited potatoes as a food whose strong domestic production means it should be safe from shortages.Meanwhile, the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) warned that “the loss of the European market was significant” north of the border.The immediate seed potato export ban caused by Brexit “disproportionately affected Scotland”, because a significant portion of Scottish potatoes are grown as seed potatoes and are exported worldwide,” NFUS spokesperson Bob Carruth told The Independent.While he said the “door isn’t completely closed” to a deal allowing trade to resume, Mr Carruth said: “There aren’t too many major casualties of the Brexit deal, but seed potatoes is undoubtedly one of them because there’s no trade.“So it’s not even an issue with regards to paperwork or transport times, there is no opportunity to export seed potatoes, so that’s certainly something we continue to try and work on at a European level.”Prior to Brexit, Britain exported around 30,000 tonnes of seed potatoes – worth £13.5m – to mainland Europe each year, the majority of which were high-health stocks grown in Scotland, according to NFUS.Mr Carruth said that most farmers who grow seed potatoes will have other elements to their business, potentially growing different crops and keeping livestock. “Very few of them will only grow seed potatoes, so I haven’t heard of any Scottish potato growers who have gone out of business because of the loss of the European market,” he said.But he warned that, “like all Scottish farmers”, potato growers will “be struggling to cope with the unprecedented increase in input prices”, with the cost of fertiliser having soared 300 per cent in 18 months and the price of plant protection products having doubled.Spiralling costs are also feared to have been hampering Ireland’s effort to revive its domestic potato seed industry, according to IFA potato committee chair Sean Ryan, who warned last month that less potatoes were likely planted as a result.Speaking of the cost of refrigerating potatoes while they are harvested, he told Agriland: “One example is a farmer in Wexford, his costs for the cold room three years ago was €1,800 (£1,532) for two months, this year it was €9,120. So there’s a serious cost increase there in keeping the potatoes ripe. The consumer doesn’t always realise that.”But last week, Mr Ryan welcomed the Irish government’s announcement of a €3m support scheme for the seed potato sector – funded by the EU’s Brexit adjustment reserve fund – as a “positive first step”. More

The son of a Conservative MP has been filmed helping to blow up a Russian armoured vehicle in an operation in Ukraine, according to footage obtained by the i. Ben Grant can reportedly be heard shouting “shoot it now” and “mind the back blast” before an anti-tank missile is launched on a Russian BTR in a woodland in northeast Ukraine.Mr Grant, 30, son of of former minister Helen Grant, Conservative MP for Maidstone and The Weald, is among group of Western volunteer fighters supporting Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion.The footage captures one member of his platoon, made up of special forces, emerge from the trees and aim a Matador missle at a vehicle about 100 metres away, the i reported.The 15-hour US-British operation, supported by a further 14 Ukrainian troops, reportedly succeeded in blowing up the armoured vehicle.About eight Russian soldiers were allegedly killed in the attack.It follows a second round of footage, obtained by The Daily Telegraph, which shows Mr Grant and his comrades helping to save a fellow British fighter injured by a landmine in a Kharkiv forest.Battling relentless machine gun fire, the Tory MP’s son can be heard shouting “we’ve got to move now or we’re gonna die” as he helps drag ex-Grenadier Guardsman Dean Arthur to safety, the newspaper reported.After treating the barely-conscious Mr Arthur’s leg, Mr Grant can allegedly be heard saying: “You’ve got to try and walk or we’re going to die mate.”The fomer Royal Marine told The Telegraph that his platoon – made up 15 foreign fighters – had been ambushed by Russia after their whereabouts had been determined by drones ahead of their operation.As they headed to a key Russia-held target near Kharkiv, the group got caught up in a “mass firefight”, Mr Grant said.He also claims a remote-controlled mine went off near Mr Arthur, blowing “half of his leg off.”“My God it was unreal,” he said, adding: “I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life. We extracted him for 5km through dense woodblock and awful terrain and then get him medevac-ed out of there.”Mr Grant spent more than five years as a commando in the Royal Marines. He was part of group of seven ex-servicemen who arrived in Ukraine in early March to fight invading Moscow forces.Speaking to media following his arrival in Lviv, he said he chose to head to the eastern European country after watching a video of Russian forces bombing a house where a child could be heard screaming. He said at the time: “I thought, I am a father of three, and if that was my kids I know what I would do, I would go and fight. Then I thought I would want another load of people who might be skilled enough to help me come and help me, come and help me, save my family.” More

Vladimir Putin is holding “the world to ransom” over food, Britain’s foreign minister Liz Truss has claimed.Speaking on a trip to Bosnia, she also accused the Russian leader of “weaponising hunger” across the world.Responding to a question about whether she supported lifting sanctions in exchange for grain exports from Ukraine, the foreign minister responded: “It is completely appalling that Putin is trying to hold the world to ransom, and he is essentially weaponising hunger and lack of food amongst the poorest people around the world,.”She added: “We simply cannot allow this to happen. Putin needs to remove the blockade on Ukrainian grain.”Her claims came amid growing concern about a looming global food crisis. The UN has warned millions could starve starve and lead to civil unrest in hunger-prone countries.Russia has been accused of blockading Ukrainian ports, stopping exports from one of the world’s biggest grain producers and sending food prices skyrocketing around the world.More than 20 million tonnes of grain are stuck in silos around Ukraine. Several of the world’s most insecure countries, such as Lebanon and war-torn Yemen, are highly dependent on Ukraine for food supplies.Western allies of Ukraine have been discussing ways to break the Russian blockade without military intervention.Ukraine said Thursday that it has no chance of hitting its targets unless Russia’s blockade of its Black Sea ports is lifted, a government official said.Before Russia sent troops into Ukraine on 24 Feb, the country had the capacity to export up to six million tonnes of wheat, barley and maize a month but exports collapsed to just 300,000 tonnes in March and 1.1 million in April.While the government wants to lift that to 2 million, it is hitting logistical bottlenecks that could take years and billions of dollars to overcome.At the moment, Ukraine has at least 20 million tonnes of surplus grain in silos and the APK-Inform agricultural consultancy estimates another 40 million could be available for export once the next harvest comes in this summer.“There is hunger in Africa and in other countries. We have seen the dynamics of a population missing that food from year to year,” said Roman Rusakov, a senior official at Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry. “I just cannot imagine what might happen without Ukraine shipping next season’s exportable surplus.”However, the Kremlin on Thursday rejected claims that Russia had blocked grain exports from Ukraine, and accused the West of creating such a situation by imposing sanctions.“We categorically do not accept these accusations. On the contrary, we blame Western countries of taking actions that have led to this,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters on Thursday.Moscow called for the West to remove the sanctions which it says are blocking grain exports from Ukraine.European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is among those who have accused Moscow of using food exports as a weapon, while Kyiv has said Russia has stolen hundreds of thousands of tonnes of grain in areas their forces have occupied.Truss said that “we cannot have is any lifting of sanctions, any appeasement, which will simply make Putin stronger in the longer term”. More

Britain has announced more Russian sanctions, with President Vladimir Putin’s ex-wife, family members and inner circle hit in the latest tranche of measures designed to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “We are exposing and targeting the shady network propping up Putin’s luxury lifestyle and tightening the vice on his inner circle.“We will keep going with sanctions on all those aiding and abetting Putin’s aggression until Ukraine prevails.”Mr Putin’s official assets are modest, according to the Foreign Office, with his lifestyle “funded by a cabal of family, friends and elites”.Ukraine news — latest updatesThose newly placed on the sanctions list, which has grown to more than 1,000 individuals and 100 entities, include former first lady of the Russian Federation and ex-wife of Mr Putin, Lyudmila Ocheretnaya.Mikhail Shelomov, a Russian business owner and the leader’s first cousin, once removed, has been targeted.Also on the list is Alina Kabaeva, a retired Olympic gymnast who has risen to become Chair of the Board of the National Media Group, reportedly the largest private Russian media company. She is alleged to have a close personal relationship with Putin, and previously sat as a Deputy in the Duma for Putin’s United Russia party. The Foreign Office said: “Official records list modest assets for President Putin including: a small flat in St Petersburg, two Soviet-era cars from the 1950s, a trailer, and a small garage. In reality, Putin relies on his network of family, childhood friends, and selected elite who have benefited from his rule and in turn support his lifestyle. Their reward is influence over the affairs of the Russian state that goes far beyond their formal positions.”The new sanctions list also includes Putin’s first cousin Igor Putin, who is director of Pechenga International Sea Port, and Mikhail Putin, who is on the management boards of SOGAZ Insurance and Gazprom. The list announced by the Foreign Office on Friday includes:Alina Kabaeva, a retired Olympic gymnast. Kabaeva has risen to become Chair of the Board of the National Media Group, reportedly the largest private Russian media company. She is alleged to have a close personal relationship with Putin, and previously sat as a Deputy in the Duma for Putin’s United Russia. Anna Zatseplina, grandmother of Alina Kabaeva and associate of Gennady Timchenko – a longstanding Putin associate, sanctioned by the UK on 22 February 2022, from whom she has reportedly received a luxury flat in Moscow. Lyudmila Ocheretnaya, former First Lady of the Russian Federation and ex-wife of Putin. Since her divorce from Putin in 2014, Ocheretnaya has benefited from preferential business relationships with state-owned entities.Igor Putin, first cousin of President Vladimir Putin, and a Russian businessman. Igor Putin is Director of Pechenga International Sea Port. Mikhail Putin, a Russian businessman and relative of President Vladimir Putin. Mikhail Putin is Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of SOGAZ Insurance and Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Gazprom. Roman Putin, first cousin once removed of President Vladimir Putin. Roman Putin is publicly open about his relation to Putin and emphasises how this family connection enabled his company, Putin Consulting, to help foreign investors in Russia.Mikhail Shelomov, a Russian business owner and Putin’s first cousin, once removed. Shelomov’s company Akcept LLC has allegedly shared employees with Binom JSC, the firm registered as owning ‘Putin’s Palace’. Shelomov, through his firm Akcept LLC, is also a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, a bank with close Kremlin links, and run by key Putin lieutenants, sanctioned by the UK on 22 February 2022. Alexander Plekhov, a close friend of Putin. He has benefited from his relationship with Putin and his company Vital Development Corporation has benefited from significant state patronage.Mikhail Klishin, an Executive in Bank Rossiya, and a member of the Board of Directors at SOGAZ. Vladimir Kolbin, the son of Putin’s childhood friend and alleged business associate, Peter Kolbin. Vladimir has benefited from and supported the Government of Russia acting as General Director of Gelendzhik Seaport LLC. Yuri Shamalov, son of Nikolai Shamalov (sanctioned by the UK in 2014), and brother of Putin’s former son-in-law, Kirill (sanctioned by the UK on 24 February 2022). Yuri is a member of the new elite of children of Putin’s closest associates, and has risen rapidly to become President of Gazfond, and Member of the Board of Directors of Gazprombank. Viktor Khmarin is a Russian lawyer and businessman, who is a friend and relative-by-marriage of Putin. Khmarin has owned a number of businesses including LLC NefteProduktServis, which operated in the Russian energy sector. More