Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again requested to address the African Union (AU), Moussa Faki Mahamat, AU Commission Chairperson said on Friday. … Zelensky's renewed request comes as African countries were divided on voting during last month's UN resolution adopted to deplore Russia's invasion on Ukraine.

[…] “High-precision, long-range air-based weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces have destroyed the production buildings of the Artyom missile and space enterprise in Kyiv,” the ministry said in its daily briefing on the conflict in Ukraine.

[…] This decision follows the lack of consensus at the OSCE Permanent Council on 31 March 2022 to extend the Mission’s mandate. … Minister Rau assured that the Organization will seek to continue its engagement in the country in line with existing OSCE commitments. “The Polish Chairmanship will continue to engage with participating States in order to explore alternatives on the OSCE’s future role in Ukraine,” he stressed.

Washington on Tuesday (26 April) said it would hold talks on a roughly monthly basis in Germany with allies inside and outside NATO to coordinate bolstering Ukraine’s defence capabilities as it battles Russia’s invasion.

Four OSCE national staff members have been arrested in Donetsk and in Luhansk in eastern Ukraine by Russian forces, the SHR Monitor has learned from sources familiar with the matter. The charges brought against them include alleged treason, spying and illegal activities.

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Friday condemned the “horrors” committed against civilians in Ukraine as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that it feared the worst in devastated areas of the country's east and south. 

[…] OAS action today sends a message to Russia that it must end hostilities, withdraw its forces, and abide by international law.

In efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Secretary-General António Guterres has written separate letters to the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to request meetings with them in their respective capitals, the United Nations said on Wednesday. 

Ukraine has completed a questionnaire which will form a starting point for the European Union to decide on membership for Kyiv, Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, said.

An expert report from the OSCE found “clear patterns” of Russian forces in Ukraine violating international humanitarian law. … The OSCE report is the first independent expert analysis from an international organization that identifies potential war crimes committee by Russia in Ukraine.