+ Ukraine war in the news blog + | The Czech Republic compares Russia to IS

Day 412 since the beginning of the war: Russians are said to have beheaded a Ukrainian prisoner of war. US investigates Ukraine secret documents leak All information in the news blog.

8:26 p.m.: Czech President Petr Pavel has reacted with horror to reports of a video allegedly showing the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner of war by Russian soldiers. “If this video should prove to be authentic, then Russian soldiers have lined up with the ‘Islamic State’, which we should all condemn around the world,” said the off-duty general in Prague.

Pavel noted that there are numerous well-documented cases of brutal actions by Russian forces in Ukraine. Such behavior does not belong in the 21st century. The 61-year-old, who was once his country’s chief of staff, headed the NATO military committee from 2015 to 2018. Pavel made his statement after a meeting of the National Security Council, which he was attending for the first time as President. The Kremlin in Moscow questioned the authenticity of the video. Here you can read more about it.

7:01 p.m.: The Russian Senate has passed a controversial law allowing electronic conscription into the military. The new system is “more practical,” emphasized Senate President Valentina Matviyenko. Senators passed the bill by 163 votes in favor and one against.

Accordingly, recruits will in future be prohibited from leaving the country as soon as they have received the call-up order electronically. Previously, this had to be delivered personally. So far, many Russians have escaped conscription because they remained unreachable or left the country.

6:39 p.m.: Companies and people in Turkey are also affected by the new US sanctions because of the Ukraine war. At least four of the NATO partners can be found in the list of more than 120 entries published by the US Treasury Department on Wednesday. A senior US official told Reuters that the facilities were primarily Russian-owned or linked to Russia. “This is intended as a warning shot at a time when export control enforcement is evolving,” said the person, who declined to be named. Turkey initially did not comment.

5:56 p.m.: The US is concerned about the relationship between EU and NATO country Hungary and Russia. The American ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, spoke to journalists about the Hungarian government’s “continued eagerness” to maintain relations with Russia. Pressman also says Hungary has dismissed US criticism of the presence of the Russian-controlled International Investment Bank (IIB) in Hungary.

The US had previously imposed sanctions on three top IIB executives in Budapest – two Russian nationals and one Hungarian. The US government accuses them of still coordinating IIB business with representatives of Russia after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022.

5.45 p.m.: Ukraine has downplayed the significance of alleged leaked US classified documents. It is a mixture of real and fake information, said Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov. “A lot of the information in it does not correspond to reality,” he explained. “The information that corresponds to reality has lost its relevance.”

Reznikov spoke of an attempt to sow discord among Ukraine’s allies for the benefit of Russia. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the documents could be forged and an attempt to mislead Russia.

In March, dozens of suspected US documents surfaced on social media. Reuters news agency has seen more than 50 of them but cannot confirm their authenticity. They are said to contain intelligence information about the Ukraine war. The US Department of Defense said some of the images appeared to have been manipulated. US sources say that many documents contain snapshots of the situation in February and March, but no information about future operations. There was initially no reliable information about those responsible or a motive.