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Russia has raised the tone of criticism of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against the head of state, Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, the 393rd day of the war, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that Putin’s detention abroad would be a “declaration of war” on Russia.

The day was also marked by the visit of the Ukrainian president to the town of Possad-Pokrovské (Kherson region), which was in the hands of the Russian Army until its withdrawal in autumn last year. The day before, Volodymyr Zelensky had already been with Ukrainian fighters near the city of Bakhmut and in Kharkiv.

These are The main events that marked this Thursday:

What happened during the night?

• The Ukrainian leader revealed that Russian forces have again shelled the Kherson region, hitting the local administration, houses and even a museum in Beryslav. “Even the historical museum in Beryslav is a threat to Russia, for some reason.”
• The founder of the Wagner group responded to an article published by Bloomberg, in which he pointed out that the private company plans to reduce operations in Ukraine and return to betting on Africa. “As long as our country needs it, we will fight for the territory of Ukraine,” he stressed.
• The head of South African diplomacy confirmed that the country invited the Russian president to the BRICS summit, despite the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against him. Naledi Pandor admitted that the arrest warrant is cause for “concern”, leaving criticism of “double standards” in global affairs.
• The Spanish Ministry of Defense has revealed that the tests of the Leopard-2 main battle tanks that will be sent to Ukraine have already been completed. According to Margarita Robles, the six teams should arrive in kyiv by the end of next week.
• In the afternoon, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that Russian forces had withdrawn from the city of New Kakhovka in the Kherson region. Hours later, he corrected the report, stating that it was a “mistake.”
• The ICC signed an agreement with kyiv to establish a judicial office in Ukraine in order to maintain cooperative relations with parties involved in war crimes investigations.

What happened during the afternoon?

• The Ukrainian president addressed the leaders of the European Union meeting this Thursday in Brussels. He joined the meeting via video call while traveling by train. He called on the partners to send long-range missiles and fighter jets, reinforcing calls for more sanctions against Russia.
• A Turkish parliamentary committee gave initial approval to Finland’s NATO membership, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave the “green light” for the process to move forward.
• The 27 member states of the European Union supported the plan for the joint procurement of one million ammunition to support Ukraine over the next year. The proposal had already been approved this week by the EU foreign and defense ministers.
• The Hungarian prime minister’s chief of staff said authorities would not detain the Russian leader if he entered the country, an obligation of the countries that signed the ICC’s statutes. According to Gergely Gulyas, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that Putin has individual criminal responsibility.
• The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has declared that Russian or Belarusian athletes who publicly express their support for the war with Ukraine will not be allowed to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
• The West continues to deliver more weapons to Ukraine. This Thursday, Slovakia delivered the first four fighter jets, out of a total of 13, to kyiv. The remaining aircraft, MiG-29, will be delivered in the coming weeks. Finland has announced, however, that it will send three more Leopard 2 tanks to Ukrainian territory.
• Portugal will contribute 75,000 euros to support the collection of evidence of war crimes in Ukraine and admits the participation of experts from the Judicial Police and the Institute of Legal Medicine in the forensic teams.
• Finnish President Sauli Niinisto ratified the country’s NATO membership legislation, already approved almost unanimously by parliament, concluding the last step in the national approval process for joining the Atlantic Alliance.

What happened in the morning?

• The prime minister was in Brussels this Thursday, for the European Council again marked by the war in Ukraine and where the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, will be. António Costa drew attention to the need to protect against collateral damage from sanctions against Russia for African and Latin American countries.
• A Ukrainian commander admitted that the Russian “aggressor” does not lose hope of taking the city of Bakhmut “at any cost.” ”Without saving anything, they are making considerable losses. Very soon we will seize this opportunity, as we have already done near kyiv, Kharkiv, Balaklia and Kupyansk, ”he said.
• The Ukrainian emergency services have already completed the rescue work after the Russian attack in the kyiv region on Tuesday night. There are at least nine confirmed deaths.
• The kyiv School of Economics published a I estimated of the costs of more than twelve months of war in the Ukraine. The conflict has already caused losses of more than 138,000 million dollars (126,400 million euros).
• The situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant “remains precarious,” warned Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The official warns that in a scenario where the plant can no longer supply power, Ukraine might have to turn to generators again.
• The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) states in the latest report that the Russian offensive in Bakhmut “seems to be slowing down”, at a time when Russian forces allegedly “attempt to launch offensives in other directions”.