Ukraine lowers enlistment age for young adults to 25
From CNN's Mariya Knight
Ukrainian lawmakers have voted in favor of reducing the maximum age of military enlistment for young adults from 27 to 25, the country's parliament said in a Telegram post on Tuesday.
“The majority of citizens now receive a deferment from conscription for military service upon reaching the age of 18. It is mainly about getting an education. Education lasts for 4-6 years and ends at the age of 22-24,” the parliament’s Telegram post read.
“With the reduction of the maximum conscription age to 25 years, the conscription commissions will have 1-3 years to realize the fulfillment of military duty by citizens of Ukraine and their conscription for military service,” the parliament said.
Under Ukrainian law, the conscription process for young adults includes registering at an enlistment office, undergoing necessary medical examinations and being selected for military service if no exemptions and deferments were made.
Russian authorities extinguish fire at oil refinery possibly caused by drone attack
From CNN's Josh Pennington
A fire at an oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar territory has been extinguished after a possible unmanned aerial vehicle attack, according to Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratiev.
The fire was reported at the Afipsky Refinery in Seversky District and no casualties were reported, Kondratiev said on Telegram early Wednesday morning. One of the fuel oil distillation units had caught fire, he added.
The governor said “fire brigades, MES, and emergency services” were working to extinguish the fire.
1 person injured in Belgorod shelling, the region's governor says
From CNN's Mariya Knight
One person was injured in a shelling of the town of Shebekino, according to Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia's Belgorod region, .
“According to preliminary information, there is one female victim," Gladkov said in a Wednesday Telegram post. "Residential buildings are damaged, vehicles are on fire."
Drones exploded in Moscow after an aerial assault hit Kyiv overnight. Here's what to know
From CNN staff
Russian President Vladimir Putin called a drone attack in the Moscow region a "clear sign of terrorist activity" while pointing the finger at Ukraine. Though Ukraine has denied that it was directly involved, it comes the same day that at least one person was killed in an aerial assault on Kyiv early Tuesday.
The governor of Russia's Belgorod region said the number of Ukrainian strikes has increased near the border with its highest number of reported attacks in the last 24 hours.
Here's what to know to get up to speed:
1 person killed in strike in Russia's Belgorod region, governor says
From CNN's Mariya Knight
One person was killed and two others were injured in a Ukrainian attack on a temporary accommodation center, according to Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia's Belgorod region.
Gladkov said in a Telegram post on Tuesday that “[…] the security guard of this institution died. Two more people were injured. They are in critical condition in intensive care."
According to Gladkov, cannon artillery was used in the strike that hit the center.
Some context: There has been increased fighting along the border, specifically in the Belgorod region, officials have reported.
Namely, last week, a group of anti-Putin Russian nationals – who are aligned with the Ukrainian army – claimed responsibility for an attack in Belgorod, leaving Moscow to say it was fighting the group of saboteurs.
In a Telegram post, groups calling themselves the “Freedom of Russia Legion” and “Russian Volunteer Corps” said they had “liberated” a settlement in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine.
Ukrainian tennis player describes how Russia's invasion of her country impacts her on the court
From CNN’s Matt Foster
Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko beat her first-round opponent at the French Open Tuesday, but still described her disposition as "unhappy."
Tsurenko, who lived in Kyiv as a teenager, said the Russian invasion and subsequent war in her country has impacted her state of mind on the court.
“Some days if I have unhappy face, it's just because, you know, my city was probably bombed I think 16 times in May only,” she said.
Speaking to the media on her 34th birthday, an emotional Tsurenko was not in a celebratory mood.
“Yesterday, part of the rocket landed 100m away from my home. This can make me unhappy, you know, and probably, my face is not super happy just because of that. Not because I go into the locker room and I'm, like, spreading hate towards someone," she said.
Ahead of the Miami Open in March, world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, said she struggled to understand the “hate” she encountered in the locker room amid strained relations between some players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sabalenka did not specifically mention Tsurenko.
Tsurenko next competes at Roland Garros on Thursday against the American Lauren Davis.
US expects Sweden accession to NATO in weeks ahead, secretary of state says
From CNN's Michael Conte
The US expects Sweden’s accession to NATO to be completed “in the weeks ahead,” according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“We have no doubt that it can be, and it should be and we expect it to be,” said Blinken at a news conference in Luleå, Sweden, with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Key context: Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted non-aligned Finland and Sweden to abandon their neutrality and seek protection within NATO. Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO on April 4.
US President Joe Biden said he spoke on Monday with newly reelected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and discussed the potential of approving the sale of new US fighter jets if Turkey drops its objections to Sweden joining NATO.
However, Blinken said the two issues are viewed as separate by the administration.
“From our perspective, we believe that both should go forward and should go forward as quickly as possible — that is to say, Sweden's accession — and we'll move forward on the F-16 package,” Blinken said.
The secretary of state also said that it was “appropriate” that every member have its say on the accession of new members into the alliance.
“Each member is making a solemn commitment to every other member that it will join in coming to their defense if they are the victims of aggression, and so it's important that every member have its say in this process,” he said.
Ukraine has the right to "project force" beyond its own borders for self-defense, UK foreign secretary says
From CNN’s Zahid Mahmood in London
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Tuesday that Ukraine has the right to "project force" over its borders for self-defense, following a drone attack in Moscow.
"Ukraine does have the legitimate right to defend itself. It has the legitimate right to do so within its own borders, of course, but it does also have the right to project force beyond its borders to undermine Russia’s ability to project force into Ukraine itself," Cleverly told reporters after a joint news conference with Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
"So legitimate military targets beyond its own border are part of Ukraine’s self-defense. And we should recognize that," he added.
Cleverly said he does not have any assessment over the drone attacks in Moscow on Tuesday, and he was referring to military targets more broadly beyond borders that are "internationally recognized as being legitimate as part of a nation’s self-defense."
At least three residential buildings were damaged by drones in Moscow on Tuesday, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for the incident, while Kyiv has denied any direct involvement.
What the US says: A National Security Council spokesperson stressed that the US does not back attacks in Russia.
"We saw the news and are still gathering information about what happened," the spokesperson said. "As general matter, we do not support attacks inside of Russia."