Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 427

By William On Apr 26, 2023

As the war enters its 427th day, we review key developments.

This is the state of affairs on Wednesday, April 26, 2023:

Diplomacy

A senior Ukrainian official has said improving and extending a deal on the export of its grain can only succeed if the international community puts pressure on Russia. Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin proposing a “way forward aimed at improving, expanding and extending” the agreement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has blamed the West for a standoff over the Black Sea grain deal, claiming that Moscow had seen “virtually no results” from the pact for its grain and fertilizer exports.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser has accused Russia of “hypocrisy” after Lavrov chaired a UN Security Council meeting on Monday about upholding the principles of the UN Charter.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa has decided to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC) because of the court’s alleged unfair treatment of certain countries. His call comes a month after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin on charges that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has expelled a Moldovan diplomat in retaliation for the removal of a Russian diplomat from Moldova last week.
Sweden said it will expel five Russian diplomats who allegedly violated rules on diplomatic relations.
The United Kingdom and France have demanded a ban on Russian and Belarusian state-funded athletes.

Russian troops struck a museum in the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, killing at least two people and injuring 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Russia has started using its new T-14 Armata main battle tanks to fire on Ukrainian positions, state news agency RIA reported.
Ukrainian forces on the west bank of the Dnieper River have regularly launched attacks on Russian troops on the east bank of the river near the city of Kherson, a regional official said.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the world is “probably” on the brink of another world war, with risks of nuclear confrontation rising.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a close ally of Putin, has said those Russians who have not served their country are “internal enemies”. invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian news agency TASS reported that the country could lift the moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and short-range missiles.