Valery Gergiev, the star Russian conductor fired in Germany last year for his refusal to condemn the invasion of Ukraine, was given a warm welcome in China this week as he started a three-day performance at the country's top art center.
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Sands United is a soccer club much like many others. They play on Sundays and they go through the motions of the sport -- the ups and the downs that fans of all teams are familiar with -- every weekend. They lace up their boots and seek out victories, then usually retire for a drink or two afterwards. http://dlvr.it/SlflHW
The Ukrainian military said it repelled 24 Russian attacks as heavy fighting rages in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Follow here for live updates. http://dlvr.it/SlfJtf
Russia begins exercises with Yars ICBMs, Defense Ministry says
From CNN's Josh Pennington and Mitchell McCluskey
Russia has deployed thousands of military personnel to start drills with the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system, its Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
The Novosibirsk missile formation is participating in the exercises and the Strategic Missile Forces are conducting a “comprehensive control inspection” of the Omsk missile association, the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
More than 3,000 servicemen and about 300 units of military equipment are involved in the exercise, the statement said.
"During the exercise there are plans to practice maneuvering actions of autonomous YARS rocket launchers which will cover the territories of three regions," the statement said. "The strategic missile specialists will also perform a series of measures to camouflage and counteract modern means of aerial reconnaissance in cooperation with formations and units of the Central Military District and the Airborne Forces."
Some context: Russian President Vladimir Putin has aimed to make the Yars missile system part of the country's "invincible" weapons and the mainstay of the ground-based component of its nuclear arsenal, according to Reuters.
26 min ago
Ukrainian shelling hits locomotive depot in Russian-occupied city of Melitopol, officials say
From CNN's Josh Pennington
A locomotive depot in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine was hit by Ukrainian shelling Wednesday morning, the city's administration said.
The Melitopol city administration reported damage to infrastructure, but no casualties.
“First responders are working at the site. We are clarifying information as it comes in,” the administration said.
3 min ago
Bakhmut situation remains "under control," Ukraine's military says. Here's the latest
From CNN staff
Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery in the direction of Bakhmut on Monday. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The situation in the contested eastern city of Bakhmut remains "under control," with the commander of the Ukraine's ground forces taking control of the city's defense, the Ukrainian military said.
The military also said in an update Tuesday that the heaviest combat is concentrated in several zones in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and its units have repelled the latest efforts by Russian forces to advance. Over the past day, the General Staff said it repelled 24 Russian attacks.
Here are the latest headlines:
Nuclear concerns in Belarus ...: US President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday he’s concerned about Russia's plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. "This is dangerous kind of talk, and it’s worrisome," he said. Moscow will complete the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by the beginning of July, Russian President Vladimir Putin told state media on Saturday.
... and in Ukraine: International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi told CNN that military action is increasing around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is held by Russian forces. Russia has said it is ready to discuss the safety situation at the plant with international observers after President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of "radiation blackmail."
International aid: Britain and Poland announced plans to build two temporary villages in Ukraine with housing for people who have been forced to flee their homes due to Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Kyiv will also receive an additional $2.5 billion from the US as a grant to help with state services such as salaries and benefits. The budgetary support is part of a US pledge of $9.9 billion to assist the Ukrainian economy in 2023 and is separate from military assistance.
Olympic controversy: The International Olympic Committee’s executive board issued a recommendation to international federations and sports event organizers that athletes “who actively support the war cannot compete.” But IOC president Thomas Bach defended plans to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions.
Russia munitions plan: The Russian Defense Ministry said the production of individual types of ammunition will increase seven to eight times by the end of the year. But Western analysts have expressed skepticism that Russia’s military-industrial capacity and supply chains can be accelerated so quickly. In Ukraine, the government announced that three new companies financed by donations are ready to deploy Ukrainian-made drones for combat.
Biden "concerned" about Russia's plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus
From CNN's DJ Judd
President Joe Biden briefly speaks with reporters as he returns to the White House on Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday he’s concerned about Russia's plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus.
“They haven’t done that yet, unless something happened while I was on the helicopter,” Biden said. “Sure, I’m concerned about that.”
“What’ve I been talking to you guys about for the last year? This is dangerous kind of talk, and it’s worrisome,” Biden added.
On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Moscow will complete the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by the beginning of July, Putin told state broadcaster Russia 1.
Former Vice President Mike Pence also weighed in Tuesday on Putin's plans.
"Every time he gets into a corner, he mentions nuclear weapons, and now the threat about moving tactical weapons is just the latest,” Pence said of Putin Tuesday during an interview with Newsmax.
He argued it's “absolutely essential that we continue to give Ukraine what they need."
"We don't allow Putin to distract the world or diminish support through his threats of moving tactical nuclear weapons," Pence said. "We just need to remain strong and stand with the Ukrainians.”
3 hr 59 min ago
Military action is growing near Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, IAEA director general says
From CNN’s Alex Hardie and Jaya Sharma
Military action is increasing around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Grossi said Tuesday.
Speaking from Dnipro in Ukraine ahead of a visit to the plant, Grossi said the situation “is not getting any better."
"Military action continues," he told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade. "In fact, it is increasing. There are growing numbers of troops, and military vehicles, heavy artillery, more military action around the plant.”
The plant has been “in blackout repeatedly,” Grossi added.
The director general's visit will be his second to the plant and his first since the IAEA established a permanent presence at the site in September last year, the agency said in a statement Saturday.
“I want to see what the situation is for myself, talk to the management there, which is the Russian management," Grossi told CNN.
Russia's state-owned nuclear energy monopoly, Rosatom, said Tuesday that Russia is ready to discuss the situation at the plant with Grossi.
“In a few hours myself and my team, we are going to cross the front line again — as we did last year,” Grossi said. “I am going to continue my consultations in order to try to establish a protection around the plant and spare us all from a nuclear accident with potential catastrophic consequences.”
The IAEA chief said the current risk level at the plant is “extremely high and it’s totally unpredictable, precisely because we are in a combat zone.”
On Monday, Grossi met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was visiting the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro regions. Later, in his nightly address on Monday, Zelensky thanked Grossi for his support.
CNN's Anna Chernova and Sarah Dean contributed reporting.
4 hr 1 min ago
US announces it supports creation of special tribunal to prosecute Russia for "crime of aggression" in Ukraine
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
The United States announced it supports the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression — a significant development in the push to hold top Kremlin officials accountable for the war in Ukraine.
“At this critical moment in history, I am pleased to announce that the United States supports the development of an internationalized tribunal dedicated to prosecuting the crime of aggression against Ukraine,” US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack announced Monday.
The announcement of US support for the development of such a body comes after Ukraine and other countries have for months pushed for the creation of the mechanism.
In that time, the US would not say whether it supported a special tribunal, with US officials instead saying there were reviewing the option and supporting other mechanisms like the International Criminal Court.
However, in her remarks Monday, Van Schaack said “there are compelling arguments for why” the crime of aggression “must be prosecuted alongside” crimes that are being investigated by the ICC.
She noted the past example of the Nuremberg trials prosecuting Nazi leaders after World War II, in which “the United States led the prosecution of the crime of aggression — deemed ‘crimes against the peace’ in the lexicon of the era.”
There are a number of different bodies like the ICC which can prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity, but they do not have the jurisdiction to prosecute the crime of aggression by Russia against Ukraine.
As such, Ukrainian Ambassador at Large Anton Korynevych in December argued that these existing mechanisms do not do enough to ensure that the decision-makers in Moscow face punishment for their war against Ukraine.
Russian man whose daughter made anti-war painting sentenced to 2 years in prison
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Tim Lister
A Russian man whose 12-year-old daughter drew an anti-war picture at school has been sentenced to two years in prison by a court for his own online posts critical of the invasion of Ukraine.
Alexey Moskalyov had been charged with “discrediting the Russian military” and was under house arrest in the Tula region after being accused of repeatedly publishing anti-war posts.
According to the indictment, Moskalyov, “using his personal computer, posted on his page in social networks statements in the form of text-graphic publications discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” reported Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
One of Moskalyov’s posts read: “Army of Russia. The oppressors around us,” according to the court, as quoted by Russian independent news site Mediazona.
In April last year, Moskalyov’s 12-year-old daughter Masha drew a picture of Russian missiles being fired at a Ukrainian family and wrote “No to war” and “Glory to Ukraine” during her art class, according to Mediazona.
US official says new drone routes over Black Sea "definitely limit" intelligence gathering
From CNN's Jim Sciutto
The US decision to fly its surveillance drones further south over the Black Sea after a Russian jet collided with a US drone earlier this month “definitely limits our ability to gather intelligence” related to the Ukraine war, a senior US military official tells CNN.
Flying drones at greater distances reduces the quality of intelligence they can gather, a US military official explained, noting that spy satellites can compensate to some degree but have shorter times over targets, again reducing effectiveness relative to surveillance drones.
After the Russian jet collided with a US Reaper drone earlier this month, the US began flying its surveillance drones further south and at a higher altitude over the Black Sea than previously, placing them further away from airspace surrounding the Crimean peninsula and eastern portions of the Black Sea.
When CNN first reported this change, one US official said the new routes were part of an effort “to avoid being too provocative,” as the Biden administration continues to be careful to avoid any incident that could escalate into a direct conflict with Russian forces. The official said the drone flights would continue this way “for the time being,” but added there is already “an appetite” to return to the routes closer to Russian-held territory.
Asked about the new routes’ impact on intelligence gathering, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told CNN, “We’re not going to discuss missions, routes, or timing of operations. We’re also not going to discuss intelligence operations other than to say we maintain a robust ISR capability in the region and beyond.” A spokesperson for the National Security Council referred questions to the Pentagon.
US replaces Russia as Europe's top crude oil supplier
From CNN's Anna Cooban in London
The United States is now the biggest supplier of crude oil to the European Union.
In December, 18% of the bloc’s crude imports came from America, EU data office Eurostat said Tuesday.
That is a big turnaround: Russia was until recently the bloc’s top supplier of crude, accounting for as much as 31% of total imports until the end of January 2022, according to Eurostat. The US, meanwhile, came a distant second, with a maximum 13% share.
But Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year led to an upheaval in Europe’s energy supplies. EU states slashed their imports of Russia’s energy, and the bloc imposed sanctions on the country’s oil and coal exports.
North Korea has been building up a ballistic missile arsenal on the stated premise that it needs to deter an attack on it by US and South Korean forces.
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Nashville shooting victim Mike Hill was father of seven and loved to cook and spend time with family
From CNN's Sharif Paget
Mike Hill (From Covenant Presbyterian Church)
Mike Hill, 61, who was killed in the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville where he worked, was the father of seven children and had 14 grandkids, his family said in a statement obtained by CNN affiliate WSMV. He loved to cook and spend time with his family, it added.
His family thanked those who sent their "thoughts and prayers" and asked for ongoing support as they "grieve and try to grasp any sense of understanding of why this happened."
"We pray for the Covenant School and are so grateful that Michael was beloved by the faculty and students who filled him with joy for 14 years," the family added in the statement.
Nashville parents have set up a GoFundMe for Hill to help his family with funeral expenses. He was known as "Big Mike" to his students, the GoFundMe said.
His daughter, Brittany Hill, said in a Facebook post on Monday that her dad "absolutely loved" his job.
"I have watched school shootings happen over the years and never thought I would lose a loved one over a person trying to solve a temporary problem with a permanent solution," she wrote. "I am so sorry for the loss of those children," she added.
"Please keep my family in your prayers tonight. Hug your parents and children a little tighter," she said in the post.
CNN's Taliah Miller and Jillian Sykes contributed reporting to this post.
17 min ago
Timeline: Here is how the deadly shooting at a Nashville elementary school unfolded
From CNN's Holly Yan
The sense of safety inside the Covenant School in Nashville was shattered Monday when a former student burst into the private Christian school wielding an assault-style rifle and killed three 9-year-old children and three adults.
The shooter, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, was killed by police. Authorities believe the six victims were targeted randomly.
Hale sends an ominous message to childhood friend Averianna Patton on Instagram, Patton told CNN on Tuesday. The direct message from Hale said, “I’m planning to die today” and that Patton would see it on the news.
Disturbed by the message, Patton contacted her father for advice. He suggested she call a suicide prevention line for assistance, which she did. But because Patton was not the person at risk of harming herself, the call recipient advised Patton to contact local law enforcement, she said.
Around 10:13 a.m.
Patton calls the Davidson County Sheriff's Office in Nashville but was on hold for “maybe like 7 minutes,” she said. By then, the deadly rampage at Covenant School had already started.
10:13 a.m.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department receives a call about an active shooter inside the school. Surveillance video shows the shooter entering the school by firing through glass doors and climbing through.
Broken glass is seen on the ground at the entrance that Hale used. (Metro Nashville Police Department)
10:18 a.m.
Timestamped surveillance footage from inside the school shows Hale armed with multiple weapons walking down a hallway.
Surveillance footage shows Hale inside the building. (Metro Nashville Police Department)
10:24 a.m.
Nashville officers arrive at the school, Police Chief John Drake said. Bodycam footage shows police entering the school amid wailing fire alarms and immediately going to several rooms to look for the shooter.
Officers hear gunfire on the second floor and rush up the stairs as the shots grow louder, the video shows.
Police move through The Covenant School. (Metro Nashville Police Department)
10:27 a.m.
Officer Rex Engelbert sees the shooter and fires about four rounds with an assault-style rifle. His bodycam footage shows the attacker collapsing.
Officer Michael Collazo then moved toward the shooter while it appeared a gun was still in the assailant’s hand. Collazo appeared to shoot the attacker on the ground four times with a handgun, yelling “Stop moving!” The officers finally approached the assailant, moved a gun away and then radioed “Suspect down! Suspect down!”
4 min ago
Sports teams honoring and raising money for Covenant School during games Tuesday
From CNN's Wayne Sterling
Sports teams are honoring the people killed in a shooting at a Nashville elementary school on Monday.
There will be a moment of silence observed before Tuesday night's NHL game between the Nashville Predators and the Boston Bruins, the Boston team announced. Players from both teams are also set to wear helmet decals with the Covenant School insignia.
Boston said its foundation will donate $10,000 to Nashville's foundation "to support their efforts in helping the victims’ families."
In its own statement, the Predators said the team is moving "forward with heavy hearts in preparation" for Tuesday's game.
"We will do our best to be mindful and respectful of the more important things in society today, continuing to pray for the shooting victims, their families and the entire Covenant School family, our hearts filled with love and hope for everyone affected," the team said in a tweet.
Vanderbilt Baseball announced that ticket proceeds from its game against Lipscomb Tuesday will go toward the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to benefit the Covenant School.
The money will be "supporting those affected by the tragedy that unfolded in the Nashville community on Monday," the team said on its website.
49 min ago
Police body-camera footage shows officers confronting the shooter
From CNN's Melissa Alonso
(Metro Nashville Police Department)
Editor's note: This post contains graphic descriptions of violence.
The Metro Nashville Police Department released body-camera footage of at least two police officers who responded to Monday's shooting at Covenant School.
The footage is from the body-worn cameras of officers Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo, who police said fatally shot the attacker on Monday at 10:27 a.m. local time.
At the start of the six-minute video, Engelbert is seen arriving at the school and exiting his vehicle. He grabs a long rifle from the car's trunk and heads toward one part of the building before heading toward a door. The officer approaches a woman outside the school who says the school is on lockdown but there are two children unaccounted for.
The woman, a school official, directs Engelbert to go upstairs.
Another school official is seen handing the officer a key to open an exterior door into the building. Engelbert yells to his fellow officers: "Let's go, I need three!"
Engelbert enters the school — about one minute after pulling up to the building — with other officers following and immediately getting into a tactical formation. About three minutes into the video, gunshots are heard in the distance and an officer is heard saying "It's upstairs, sounds like it’s upstairs."
The officers rush up a stairwell as the gunshots grow louder.
The flashes from the shooter's gunfire are seen in Collazo's bodycam footage, which leads the officers down a hall to the suspect's position.
The officers approach the sound of gunfire and Engelbert rounds a corner and fires multiple times at a person near a large window, who drops to the ground, the video shows.
Collazo then pushes forward and
22 min ago
Childhood friend remembers substitute teacher Cynthia Peak who was killed in Nashville shooting
From CNN’s Sharif Paget
Cynthia Peak (From Facebook)
Along with the Nashville community, people outside of Tennessee are grieving Cynthia Peak, 61, who was killed on Monday during a shooting at The Covenant School.
Peak, whom police believe to have been a substitute teacher at the school, is from Leesville, Louisiana, where childhood friends are remembering her.
Louisiana state Rep. Charles Anthony Owen said he has known Peak his whole life.
"She and my sister were the closest of friends growing up and it seems like Cindy was around for all of my childhood," he said Tuesday in a Facebook post. "She and Mae Ann had birthdays one day apart and her family lived across the street from us for a period of time. Cindy and Mae were always together."
Owen said in the Facebook post that when his sister Mae died, Peak was one of the first faces he recalled seeing.
"She was right here to grieve her old friend," he said.
"I grieve through tears as I write these words, but I know Cindy is in Heaven with her father, Dr. Bill Broyles, her mother, Nell Broyles, and her oldest sister, Diane. I also can take solace that she and my sister are once again holding hands and smiling," he added.
1 hr 5 min ago
Biden says he hasn't yet spoken to families of shooting victims; discussions about Nashville visit "underway"
From CNN's DJ Judd
Biden talks with reporters as he boards Air Force One at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Morrisville, North Carolina, on Tuesday, March 28. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
President Joe Biden has not spoken to any of the families of the six victims killed during a school shooting in Nashville Monday, but said he is "working on that now.”
The president told reporters traveling with him in Durham, North Carolina, that he has talked to "everyone but the families," including the police chief and the two officers who entered the building and confronted the shooter.
Biden also expanded on his conversation with Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty, telling reporters, “I expressed my concern and asked him if there was anything I could do to be able to help, and I understand from some folks he's a fairly reasonable guy.”
The president said discussions about possible plans to visit Nashville are “underway now,” and his team is trying to figure out "what helps the most.”
Biden said that calls for Congress to pass legislation curbing gun violence are focused on exposure.
“You know when people say, ‘Why do you keep doing this, it’s not gonna happen?’ Expose those people who refused to do something,” Biden said. “I'm going to keep calling it out, remind people that they're not acting — they should.”
He reiterated that there’s “nothing absolute about any amendment,” including the 2nd Amendment’s protection of the right to bear arms.
“This is ridiculous, and it’s all about money,” he said. “Big, big, big money.”
1 hr 37 min ago
Officials working to find motive in Nashville shooting before possible hate crime investigation, Garland says
From CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz
United States Attorney General Merrick Garland (Pool)
In light of calls from lawmakers for the Department of Justice to investigate the deadly school shooting in Nashville as a hate crime, officials say they are focusing on identifying the motive of the Nashville school shooter.
In response to a question about the instance possibly being a hate crime targeting Christians, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland said investigators are "working full time" on this objective.
The shooting took place at Covenant School, a Christian private school.
"The police chief said at the last at his last press conference that they don't yet have reached a conclusion with respect to motive," Garland said. “We are certainly working full-time with them to try and determine what the motive is.”
"Of course, motive is what determines whether it's a hate crime or not," he added.
Some background: Earlier Tuesday, GOP Sen. Josh Hawley said he believed that the shooting in Nashville should be investigated as a hate crime.
“We need to find out more about this individual, whether this person should have firearms at all — maybe should not have,” Hawley said.
Garland was testifying about the DOJ budget request before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
34 min ago
"She was a person of grace": Katherine Koonce's friends describe her impact on the school
Katherine Koonce (From The Covenant School)
Kim and Monica Lee are remembering their friend and former coworker Katherine Koonce as a wonderful human being who was sassy and full of grace.
Koonce was one of the six people killed at the Monday shooting in at the Covenant School in Nashville, where she worked, Monday.
Kim Lee, who is an airline pilot, said when he heard about the shooting, he texted Koonce right away, but she never texted back. He started to get worried and tried to get in contact with other people who worked at the school.
Soon, he got a text saying his friend was shot and later died at the hospital.
The Lees flew to Nashville when they heard about the shooting and the death of their friend because they just wanted to be back in the community. They now live in Atlanta.
“We love her and appreciate her so much, we just wanted to be here. We can’t bring her back, obviously,” Kim Lee said.
Kim Lee described Koonce as being witty and sassy with a “crazy sense of humor.” He said she made people feel like they were the most important person when she talked with them, everyone from her preschool students to board members and presents at the school.
“She had this amazing confidence but she was a person of grace,” he said. “She was an educator, but she also had great pastoral and counseling and nurturing skills or she had those CEO skills that could tell you that you need to kind of get in your place,” he added, with a laugh.
“They just lost hugely at this school,” Monica Lee added. “They’re going to have a hard time filling her shoes.”
2 hr 36 min ago
Writings found with shooter mention a mall, according to Nashville police spokesperson
From CNN’s Carlos Suarez and Mark Morales
Police found writings with school shooter Audrey Hale’s body as well as in Hale’s car, according to Don Aaron, the Metro Nashville Police Department's public affairs director.
Both documents were different, and detectives from the city's homicide and intelligence bureaus are reviewing the writings, Aaron told CNN on Tuesday.
In the writings, Hale mentioned a mall near the site of The Covenant School shooting as another possible target, according to the spokesperson.
Aaron would not confirm if the location was the Mall at Green Hills, which is up the street from the school.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake said writings mentioned shootings at “multiple locations,” including at the school.
Hale killed three children and three adults on Monday before being fatally shot by responding police officers.
Aaron also discussed the seven weapons that police say Hale had owned.
In addition to the three weapons at the scene on Monday, two shotguns were taken from Hale’s home, Aaron said. Police believe one weapon had been sold and the seventh weapon remains unaccounted for.
Aaron said the seven weapons were purchased between October 20, 2020, and June 6, 2022.
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