Putin news today: Zelensky sets peace terms as hundreds arrested in Russia protests

Five British nationals arrested in Ukraine and held by Russian-backed forces are being returned to their families, Prime Minister Liz Strauss has revealed.Jane Dalton Write).

“Very welcome news that five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine are returning safely, ending months of uncertainty and pain for them and their families,” she tweeted. .

His MP Robert Jenrick said British fighter Aiden Aslin, sentenced to death by a pro-Russian court, was among those freed.

He tweeted: “Aiden’s return has brought months of painful uncertainty to Aiden’s beloved Newark family, who have been subjected to Aiden’s false trial every day but never lost hope. When they are united as family again, they can finally live together in peace.”

Mr Aslin, 28, moved to Ukraine in 2018 and later joined the country’s armed forces.

Volodymyr Zelensky said it was impossible for Ukraine to remain neutral in the war with Russia because he set red lines for a negotiated end to the conflict.

Ukraine’s president said in a recorded speech to the United Nations that his country had committed crimes and that Kyiv wanted “just punishment” for Russia.

He offered what he called five non-negotiable peace terms. These include punishment for Russian aggression, restoration of security in Ukraine, and territorial integrity and security.

The British foreign secretary will denounce Moscow’s atrocities in Ukraine when he meets his Russian counterpart for the first time at a summit in New York tomorrow.

James Cleverley will confront Sergey Lavrov at a special meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday, when foreign ministers will discuss the war.

Mr Cleverley will be committed to working with allies to hold Russia accountable and bring justice to the victims.

He will also argue that Moscow plans to determine the outcome of a referendum on Russian-controlled eastern and southern Ukraine to become part of Russia.

Later on Thursday, Mr Cleverley will take part in a meeting focused on responsibility for Ukraine’s war crimes.

Security forces have detained more than 1,300 people in Russia during protests condemning the mobilization, a human rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since World War II.

The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said more than 1,311 people had been detained as of late night, including at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, based on information gathered from 38 Russian cities.

Unsanctioned gatherings are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest law. Irina Volk, a Russian interior ministry official, said in a statement cited by Russian news agencies that police had stopped so-called small protests.

“In many areas, there are attempts to conduct unauthorized operations, but there are very few actors involved,” Volker said.

“These were stopped. Those who violated the law were detained and brought to the police station to be investigated and held accountable.”

Here are some photos from the protests in St. Petersburg, we brought you earlier photos from Moscow [see here]

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has accused President Vladimir Putin of trying to “smear hundreds of thousands” in a “criminal war” after ordering a partial mobilization of Russian reserves.Emily Atkinson Write).

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny made the remarks through a video message recorded from prison released by his lawyer. He warned that Putin’s new military order would lead to a “massive tragedy”.

Mr Navalny, who has served more than 10 years in prison, said: “This would lead to a huge tragedy, a lot of deaths… To keep his personal power, Putin went into neighbouring countries and killed people there. A large number of Russian citizens are now being sent away into this war.

“It is clear that this evil war is getting worse and deeper, and Putin is trying to involve as many people as possible. He is going to smear hundreds of thousands of people in this blood.”

Some of the photos below are from Ukrainian troops en route to the Donetsk front.

Russia is continuing its attacks in Donetsk, one of the territories in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, after Russian land in Luhansk was taken by a Ukrainian counterattack last week.

Military analysts say Russia still intends to fully occupy Donetsk, a territory that Russia-backed separatists have partially claimed for years, like Luhansk.

One-way tickets from Russia sold out quickly after President Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilization of some of Moscow’s reserves to dramatically escalate the war on Ukraine (Emily Atkinson Write).

The Russian leader addressed the nation on Wednesday morning and said 300,000 additional military personnel would be called up to fight in Ukraine.

The announcement clearly raised concerns among those of fighting age that they would not be allowed to leave the country unless they fled quickly.

Google Trends data by Reuters Shows a surge in searches for Russia’s most popular airline ticket buying site, Aviasales.

Direct flights from Moscow to Istanbul, Turkey, and Yerevan, Armenia, both of which allow visa-free entry for Russians, were nearly sold out on Wednesday, website data showed.

Two U.S. veterans who went missing while fighting Ukrainian forces fighting Russia have been released after about three months in captivity, relatives said.

Alex Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, went missing on June 9 in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border. Both traveled alone to Ukraine and became friends because they were both from Alabama.

The families announced their release in a joint statement from Drucker’s aunt Diana Shaw.

“They were safely detained by the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia, and after medical screening and debriefing, they will return to the states,” the statement said.

Saudi Arabia has announced that Russia has released 10 detainees following a prisoner swap deal brokered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Of those, five British nationals have been identified, while Saudi Arabia says there are also nationals of the United States, Sweden, Croatia and Morocco.

Joe Biden and Liz Truss are currently meeting at the United Nations in New York, where they will discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis it sparked.

In a reception with reporters attending a private meeting, Mr Biden congratulated Ms Truss on becoming prime minister, adding: “I look forward to working closely with you. You are our closest ally in the world and we can continue to Do a lot of things together.”

Ms Truss told the president that the UK and the US were “staunch allies” as she thanked him for his support after the Queen’s death.

Biden said the “entire agenda” of their meeting included Ukraine’s defense of Vladimir Putin’s invasion, China and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. They will also discuss Northern Ireland.

Both leaders sat in silence, with Mr Biden stern and Ms Truss smiling. Details of their discussions have not been released.

Earlier in the day, Ms Truss and Ursula von der Leyen issued a joint statement condemning Russia’s war after a meeting with the EU president.

More than 800 Russians have been arrested during anti-war protests in 37 Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, according to the Associated Press.

Protests were held today against Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russia will partially mobilize its military reserves to bolster its forces in Ukraine after losing large swathes of territory in recent weeks.

Organizing or participating in protests could lead to up to 15 years in prison, the Moscow prosecutor’s office warned.