KYIV: Russia ordered civilians to leave a sliver of Ukraine along the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, a major extension of an evacuation order that Kyiv says amounts to the forced depopulation of occupied territory.

Russia had previously ordered civilians out of a pocket it controls on the west bank of the river, where Ukrainian forces have been advancing to capture the city of Kherson. Russian-installed officials said on Tuesday they were now extending that order to a 15-km buffer zone along the east bank as well.

Ukraine says the evacuations include forced deportations from occupied territory, a war crime. Russia, which claims to have annexed the area, says it is taking civilians to safety because of a threat Ukraine might use unconventional weapons.

No grain ship movement

There are no plans for grain-laden vessels to move in the Black Sea on Wednesday, the Joint Coordination Centre, the body overseeing a deal to export Ukrainian foodstuffs, said.

Russia suspended its participation in a July deal to export grain from war-torn Ukraine for an indefinite time, after accusing Kyiv of a “massive” attack on its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea on Saturday.

The agreement, set to be renewed on Nov 19, aimed at alleviating the global food crisis stoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February.

“The UN Secretariat at the Joint Coordination Centre reports that the Ukrainian, Turkish and United Nations delegations agreed not to plan any movement of vessels in the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 2 November,” it said Tuesday, referring to the deal brokered by Turkey and the UN.

Putin ally praises Zelenskiy

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the founder of the Wagner private military group, has praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a strong and confident leader who should not be underestimated.

His comments underlined Prigozhin’s rising public profile and growing confidence in speaking out on sensitive issues around the war in Ukraine in defiance of the standard Moscow line.

“Although he is the president of a country hostile to Russia at the moment, Zelenskiy is a strong, confident, pragmatic and nice guy,” Prigozhin said in a statement shared on the Vkontatke social media platform by the press service of his Concord catering firm.

“Don’t underestimate him,” Prig­ozhin said in a second statement, after he was asked why he was heaping praise on a man that Moscow has lar­gely criticised, belittled and attacked since he came to power in 2019.

Banker renounces citizenship

In an Instagram post published on Tuesday, the 54-year-old founder of Tinkoff Bank wrote: “I decided to renounce my Russian citizenship after Russia invasion of independent Ukraine. I am against this war, and the killing of peaceful people.” Tinkov, whose upstart digital credit card company, TCS Group Holding, grew to become one of Russia’s largest financial institutions, has been an outspoken critic of the invasion and President Vladimir Putin.

Serial entrepreneur Oleg Tinkov has renounced his Russian citizenship, saying he does not want to be associated with “fascism” or people who collaborate with “killers”.

He was forced to sell his 35pc stake in TCS, Tinkoff Bank’s parent, to Russian metals magnate Vladimir Potanin in April, following a string of anti-war comments.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2022