May 20, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

The war crimes trial of a 21-year-old Russian soldier in Ukraine has been adjourned until Monday.

Vadim Shishimarin appeared before a Kyiv court on Friday for a third day of hearings in the first war crimes trial since Russia invaded the country back in February.

A defense lawyer defended Shishimarin's actions saying the soldier "was not aware of what is going on in Ukraine."

Shishimarin and other Russian soldiers "were not aware that actions that will follow will result in mass deaths not only of servicemen, but civilians too," the lawyer said.

"Shishimarin was in a state of stress caused by the combat situation and the pressure from his commander. Analysis of those circumstances allows me to conclude that Shishimarin had no direct intent for the murder," the lawyer continued.

Some background: The soldier pleaded guilty Wednesday to shooting an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in Ukraine’s Sumy region on the fourth day of the war and is facing a life sentence.

Shishimarin told the man's widow on Thursday that he is sorry for killing her husband.

A social media video on Friday from the Russian-occupied town of Enerhodar showed a protest by much of the fire department after its chief was detained.

Enerhodar is close to Europe's largest nuclear power plant -- the Zaporizhzhia NPP -- which was taken over by the Russians in early March.

The mayor's office said that fire department employees were protesting against the "occupiers who abducted the chief of fire and rescue unit Vitalii Troyan."

It said the Russians had used force against the protest and that people had been beaten.

A previous protest in early April led to gunfire and explosions during the dispersal of protesters, while at least four people were injured, according to Ukrainian state nuclear power company Energoatom.

China is buying record amounts of cheap Russian coal, even as Western nations slam Moscow with sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.

In April, not only did the world's second largest economy buy more coal from Russia than ever before, it also eliminated import tariffs on all types of coal, a move analysts say will mainly benefit Russian suppliers.

China's coal imports from Russia nearly doubled between March and April, reaching 4.42 million metric tons, according to trade data from Refinitiv. Russia has overtaken Australia as China's second biggest supplier since last year and now accounts for 19% of its coal imports, up from the 14% share it had in March.

The booming coal trade boosts both sides. Despite bold pledges to tackle the climate crisis, China is now focused on getting its economy out of a slump and needs coal to fuel power stations and make steel for infrastructure projects. Russia desperately needs new customers for its fossil fuels as they are shunned by the West.

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A Russian soldier is back in a Kyiv court on Friday for a third day of hearings in his trial for war crimes.

Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old soldier, pleaded guilty Wednesday to shooting an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in Ukraine’s Sumy region on the fourth day of the war. 

Closing remarks by defence and the soldier's last statement to the court are expected during Friday’s hearing. 

Some background: The judges adjourned the trial on Thursday, saying that Shishimarin was not "ready" for a court "debate."

The prosecution team earlier asked for a life sentence for the soldier.

Shishimarin, the first Russian soldier on trial for war crimes in Ukraine since Russia's invasion began, told the man's widow on Thursday that he is sorry for killing her husband.

Ukrainian military officials say 12 people were killed in the eastern Luhansk region and 60 properties destroyed by Russian bombardments on Thursday.

But, they note, Russian forces do not appear to have made any headway on the main front lines in Luhansk and Donetsk in the past day. 

Civilian deaths: The 12 people were killed in the city of Severodonetsk, according to the head of the military administration in Luhansk, Serhii Hayday.

Hayday said many homes were destroyed throughout the area.

Lines holding: Despite the intense bombardment, the Ukrainians say their defensive lines are holding. "The assault on Severodonetsk was unsuccessful. The Russians suffered personnel losses and retreated," Hayday said.

State of the city: Oleksandr Striuk, head of the Severodonetsk city military administration, said there are up to 15,000 civilians still in the city, living in bomb shelters and basements. 

Russians push on: South of Severodonetsk, Russian forces tried to break through around the town of Toshkivka, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.

In their efforts to complete the seizure of Luhansk, the Russians have also tried to push toward the small town of Vyskryva. If successful, they would also be closer to another objective: the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk, which has become a hub for the Ukrainian military as it tries to resupply its defensive positions. 

On the Donetsk front, there was continued shelling of settlements north of Sloviansk.

Further north in the Kharkiv region, where Ukrainian forces have launched a counter-offensive in recent weeks, Russian shelling of areas retaken by Ukrainian forces continues, according to the Ukrainian military. The city itself has seen much less incoming fire.

When 25-year-old Maria Kozlovskaya gazes out of the window, she sees the green fields of the west of Ireland. It’s a far cry from the shelled apartment buildings of her home city of Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine. Forced into exile by conflict, the young mother has found an unlikely refuge in a 15th-century castle in County Galway.

Down south in County Cork, 31-year-old Vera Ruban finds herself in less regal surroundings. She was one of the first Ukrainian refugees to be placed in Irish government emergency accommodation after hotel rooms ran out. The interpreter from Hostomel, near Kyiv, now sleeps on a single bed inside the Green Glens Arena, an equestrian and entertainment venue in the small town of Millstreet.

Although their living situations could not be more different, both women have managed to settle quickly into life in Ireland. The smooth nature of the process has prompted questions from asylum-seekers fleeing conflicts in countries other than Ukraine who say they encountered an arduous asylum process that can take years to navigate.

Some context: Ireland, an island of just over 5 million people, has taken in more Ukrainian refugees than many of its larger Western European neighbors. Ukrainian refugees began arriving in early March and so far more than 30,000 refugees have arrived.

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There are "many dead" in a Russian missile strike near Chernihiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He has accused Russia of a "deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible."

Here are the latest developments on the war in Ukraine.

Donbas "completely destroyed": Zelensky said there are “constant strikes on the Odesa region, on the cities of central Ukraine, and the Donbas is completely destroyed." In the Chernihiv region north of Kyiv on Thursday, Russian missiles hit the village of Desna leaving many dead, Zelensky said. Desna is 40 miles from the border with Belarus.

Mammoth US aid bill: US President Joe Biden will sign a $40 billion emergency aid package to Ukraine into law while he is in South Korea, an official says. The package was approved by the US Senate on Thursday. The Biden administration also announced another $100 million security package for Ukraine. 

Food export crisis: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he discussed ways to "unblock" Ukrainian food exports with his UK counterpart, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. The blockade on Ukrainian exports was also discussed by Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a call Thursday. A failure to open closed ports in Ukraine to ship grain out will bring millions of people to the brink of starvation, according to the World Food Programme.

Some Azovstal defenders still fighting: While hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers left the Azovstal plant in Mariupol this week, there are likely still hundreds inside the besieged complex — and they appear to include some senior commanders. Maj. Bohdan Krotevych, chief of staff of the Azov regiment, suggested that he would not be surrendering, saying that "the fight continues." Russia's defense ministry said over 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered at the complex since May 16.

Biden offers "strong support" for NATO bids: The leaders of Sweden and Finland met with US President Joe Biden at the White House after they submitted their NATO membership applications on Wednesday. The Biden administration will submit reports to the US Congress on the applications. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again maintained that his country “will say no" to the entry.

More than 1,000 cars carrying Ukrainians have been prevented from crossing into Ukrainian-held territory in Zaporizhzhia, according to the regional military administration there.

The administration said on Friday that cars full of people trying to evacuate were stuck at a Russian checkpoint in the city of Vasylivka.

Several cars managed to break through to the city of Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, on Thursday.

"Business owners of Berdyansk are forced to buy goods from Crimea, and it is necessary to sign up for an escort convoy. Such registration helps local collaborators to collect information about who returns with the goods and from whom you can later collect 'tribute'," the regional administration said.

A video posted to Telegram by the Ukrainian government's Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security shows a long line of cars on the side of a road.

In the Chernihiv region north of Kyiv, the village of Desna was hit with Russian missiles Thursday left many dead, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Thursday. Desna is 40 forty miles from the border with Belarus.  

There are “constant strikes on the Odesa region, on the cities of central Ukraine, the Donbas is completely destroyed — all this has no and cannot have any military explanation for Russia,” he continued.  

“This is a deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible,” he said. 

The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to advance in the liberation of the Kharkiv region, Zelensky said. 

“In the Donbas, the occupiers are trying to increase pressure. There's hell, and that's no exaggeration. The brutal and absolutely senseless bombing of Severodonetsk ... There were 12 dead and dozens wounded in just one day,” he continued. 

“The bombing and shelling of other cities, the air and missile strikes of the Russian army — all this is not just fighting during the war.” 

“This is a deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible. Destroy as many houses, social facilities and enterprises as possible. This is what will qualify the genocide of the Ukrainian people and for which the occupiers will definitely be brought to justice,” he added. 

 “The first trial in Ukraine against a Russian war criminal has already begun. And it will end with the full restoration of justice within the international tribunal. I'm sure of it. We will find and bring to justice all those who give and carry out criminal orders,” he concluded.