Russian TV pundit charged over US sanctions violations

The US has charged a Russian TV pundit and his wife over two separate schemes to violate sanctions imposed after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Department of Justice alleges that Dimitri Simes, 76, and Anastasia Simes, 55, took part in a plot to violate sanctions “for the benefit of sanctioned Russian broadcaster Channel One Russia”, and to launder funds obtained through the scheme.

The couple have a home in the US state of Virginia but “remain at large and are believed to be in Russia”, the department said.

Both are charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, one count of violating the act, and a count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

More deaths confirmed two days after major Russian attack

The number of people killed in a Russian ballistic missile strike in central Ukraine has risen again as the rescue operation is completed.

Ukraine’s state emergency service said 55 people are now known to have died after the missiles struck a military institute and nearby hospital on Wednesday.

Some 328 people were wounded, it said on Telegram.

The attack was one of the deadliest carried out by Russian since the start of the war.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed that “Russian scum” would be held accountable for the strike and ordered an investigation.

Ukraine has achieved ‘a lot’ in Kursk offensive, NATO chief says

Ukraine has achieved “a lot” with its incursion into Kursk in Russia, according to NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. 

Unsurprisingly, his claim runs counter to that of Vladimir Putin, who this morning said the invasion had failed.

Speaking at a forum in eastern Russia, Mr Putin said it was designed to stall Moscow’s advance in the eastern Ukrainian Donbas region, but had only succeeded in weakening Kyiv’s defences.

Mr Stoltenberg has told reporters on a visit in Oslo that Ukraine’s invasion has been an achievement. 

But he did add that it’s hard to say how the situation will develop next.

“Only the Ukrainians can make the difficult choices that are needed, such as where to deploy their forces and what type of warfare is appropriate in this situation,” Mr Stoltenberg said. 

It comes in a critical, potentially pivotal, phase of the war. 

Ukraine is waiting to see whether its surprise gamble to invade Russia’s Kursk border region was worth it.

Meanwhile, outgunned Ukrainian soldiers are gradually being pushed backwards by Russia’s months-long push deeper into eastern Ukraine.