Russia-Ukraine war | Over 190,000 Russian soldiers died in war: Ukraine’s ministry of defence

A court in Russia has convicted a woman over social media posts criticising the war in Ukraine and penalised her with a steep fine despite her asking for a jail term.

65-year-old lawyer, Marina Novikova was convicted of "spreading false information" about the Russian army, which became a crime after Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine.

 Andrii Yusov, a representative for the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine urged residents of Crimea to stay away from military facilities. The warning was issued after a massive fuel depot fire was caused in Sevastopol . 

"It is advisable for all residents of temporarily occupied Crimea not to stay near military facilities or facilities providing for the aggressor's army in the near future," said Yusov. 

Noam Chomsky, an American political commentator, has claimed that Russia is fighting in Ukraine with greater prudence than the US and its allies did during the invasion of Iraq.

The acclaimed linguist claimed that the current battle has not seen the level of destruction experienced in the capital of Iraq in an interview with the New Statesman that was published on Saturday.
 

Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi made a surprise visit to Ukraine during this time, nearly a year ago when the war had just begun. Reflecting on the visit, Pelosi in an interview with The Associated Press conceded that she and her delegation thought they could die in the warzone. 

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On Saturday, April 29, people gathered up to pay respects to the people who lost their lives in the Russian missile attack on the apartment structure in Uman. According to Ukraine's interior minister Ihor Klymenko, six children were among the 23 people killed when a Russian rocket struck the complex on Friday, April 28.

Five Russian villages on the border with Ukraine are without power as a result of Ukrainian shelling, said the governor of Russia's south-western Belgorod region.

"The village of Novaya Tavolzhanka came under Ukrainian shelling today," stated Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram.

"The power lines are damaged," said Gladkov, adding that residents in Novaya Tavolzhanka and four other nearby villages were "without electricity."

Pope Francis led a mass with refugees and members of the Romani community on Saturday in Budapest, where he thanked Hungary for welcoming Ukrainian refugees.

"Thank you too, for having welcomed – not only with generosity but also with enthusiasm – so many refugees from Ukraine," he said while leading a mass in the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church.

This is the second day of a three-day visit by Pope Francis to Hungary, which marks his first trip since he was admitted to hospital for bronchitis in March.

Ukraine announced that it had formally protested to Poland and the EU against the "unacceptable" bans imposed by Warsaw on Ukrainian agricultural produce transiting through its territory.

Kyiv as per AFP called for the "immediate" resumption of exports and said the curbs were in violation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU "and the principles and norms of the EU Single Market." 

Talking to the press, Foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said "notes regarding the categorically unacceptable situation of trade restrictions on the imports of agricultural products from Ukraine" were sent to the Polish embassy and the EU's mission in Ukraine. 

Russian officials have blamed the drone attacks on Ukraine. However, a spokesperson for Ukraine's armed forces said he did not have any information to suggest Ukraine was responsible for Saturday's fire.

Fire at a fuel storage facility in Sevastopol, Crimea, caused by a suspected drone strike, has now been extinguished, according to Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol. The fire was contained within an area of 1,000 square meters, and there were no reports of injuries. 

One person was reportedly injured in the fire.

Initial information by Razvozhaev suggested that two drones were involved in the incident. 

On the same day, two other drones were shot down over the Crimean Peninsula by air defence and electronic warfare forces, as reported by Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, on the Telegram messaging app.