Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday slammed what he said

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday slammed what he said was the "flagrant violation" of international humanitarian law by Ukraine's forces as he held phone talks with the leaders of France and Germany, the Kremlin said.

"Putin informed (them) about the real state of affairs," his office said in a statement. "In particular, numerous facts of the flagrant violation of the norms of international humanitarian law by Ukrainian security forces were cited," the statement said, adding that Putin urged France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Olaf Scholz to influence Kyiv authorities.

Abramovich disqualified as Chelsea director by Premier League

Chelsea is unable to sign players, renew contracts or sell tickets to matches, with limits on the amount of money they are allowed to spend on travel to away games.

Now Premier League chiefs have taken action against Abramovich, who is described by the government as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle despite his denials of any association.

Russian engineers are at the Zpaorizhzhia nuclear power plant this Saturday to measure radiation, AFP reported.

Russian forces occupied Zaporizhzhia, Europe's biggest atomic power plant, on March 4. Concerns were raised when a fire broke out at the plant, but the Ukrainian specialists on site were able to extinguish it.

Officials from Russia's nuclear firm Rosatom arrived at the site on Friday, the Ukrainian nuclear agency Energoatom said in a message on Telegram.

The Russians told Ukrainian personnel they were there "to evaluate the radiation level" and "help to repair the plant" which was hit by shells, Energoatom said.

The Zaporizhizhia plant, which opened in 1985, can provide power to four million homes. It produces about one fifth of Ukraine's electricity.

Sanctions might crash International Space Station, Roscosmos warns

Western sanctions against Russia could cause the International Space Station to crash, Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russian space agency Roscosmos warned Saturday. He called for the punitive measures to be lifted.

Rogozin said that sanctions could disrupt the operation of Russian vessels servicing the ISS. The Russian segment of the station -- which helps correct its orbit -- could be affected, he said, causing the 500-tonne structure to "fall down into the sea or onto land," AFP reported on Saturday.

Italy freezes another Russian oligarch's yacht over Ukraine

Italian authorities said Saturday they had "frozen" a 530-million-euro ($580-million) yacht linked to Russian oligarch Andrei Melnichenko, who has been sanctioned by the EU over the Ukraine war.

The "SY A," located in the northeast port of Trieste, is said to be the largest private sailing-assisted motor yacht in the world.

Italy's financial crimes police said it had been found to be "indirectly attributable, through a company based in Bermuda, to Andrei Melnichenko."

The multi-billionaire coal-and-fertilizer magnate was named earlier this week on a European Union blacklist, subject to an assets freeze and visa ban.

Earlier this month, Italy seized Russian oligarch assets worth around 140 million euros, including the 65-million-euro "Lady M Yacht" belonging to metals magnate Alexei Mordashov.

The mayor of southern Ukraine's Melitopol was kidnapped on Friday by Russian soldiers occupying the city, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian officials said.

"A group of 10 occupiers kidnapped the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov," Ukraine's parliament said on Twitter.

"He refused to cooperate with the enemy," it added.

It said the mayor was seized when he was at the city's crisis center dealing with supply issues. 

In a video message late Friday, Zelensky confirmed the abduction, calling Fedorov "a mayor who bravely defends Ukraine and the members of his community."

The deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration, Kirillo Timoshenko, previously posted a video on Telegram showing soldiers coming out of a building holding a man dressed in black, his head apparently covered with a black bag.