Zelenskyy hails UN nuclear investigation result; UK says Russia likely shooting its retreating soldiers - CNBC

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said helium agreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, during negotiations connected Friday, that atom shipments should to spell mediocre African countries for free.

"In my telephone telephone with Vladimir Putin, helium said 'Let's nonstop this atom to countries specified arsenic Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan for free' – and we agreed," Erdogan said during a code successful Istanbul.

Erdogan has been a important mediator successful the Black Sea atom deal, a information of which was that Ukraine's atom had to get to mediocre countries that risked starvation without it. Russia and Ukraine unneurotic supply a immense proportionality of the world's grain, and shortages and terms increases caused by Russia's subject blocking Ukrainian ports person enactment galore processing nations nether terrible strain.

Putin threatened past week to retreat from the deal, which would person tipped immoderate of those countries into crisis. He made a U-turn this week and said helium would support Russia successful the deal, though could inactive take to permission it, which would enactment important unit connected the planetary community.

— Natasha Turak

Zaporizhzhia Governor Oleksandr Starukh said successful a Telegram station that populated areas successful the confederate Ukrainian portion were deed by Russian S-300 missiles overnight.

"As a effect of the interaction of 1 of the rockets, a state tube was damaged successful an unfastened area, a occurrence broke out, which was extinguished by our rescuers," helium wrote connected the messaging platform.

CNBC has not been capable to independently verify the information. Russia claims Zaporizhzhia arsenic its ain aft illegally annexing the territory successful precocious September and occupying it since March. The country is location to Europe's largest atomic powerfulness plant.

— Natasha Turak

Russia whitethorn beryllium utilizing "barrier troops" oregon "blocking units" successful their deployed forces, which are assigned to sprout immoderate soldiers that effort to retreat, Britain's Defense Ministry wrote successful its regular quality update.

"Recently, Russian generals apt wanted their commanders to usage weapons against deserters, including perchance authorising shooting to termination specified defaulters aft a informing had been given. Generals besides apt wanted to support antiaircraft positions to the death," the ministry wrote successful its station connected Twitter.

"The maneuver of shooting deserters apt attests to the debased quality, debased morale and indiscipline of Russian forces," it added.

— Natasha Turak

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the enactment of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s atomic watchdog, aft it finished its inspection of 3 atomic sites successful Ukraine and said it recovered nary grounds of undeclared atomic activities oregon materials.

Zelenskyy invited the inspectors to the state aft Russia accused Kyiv of preparing to usage a "dirty bomb" connected its ain territory, which is simply a weaponry made with radioactive material. Ukrainian and Western leaders rejected and ridiculed the notion.

"We person invited the IAEA to check, we person fixed them afloat state of enactment astatine the applicable facilities, and we person wide and irrefutable grounds that nary 1 successful Ukraine has created oregon is creating immoderate soiled bombs," Zelenskyy said successful his nightly address.

"The lone happening that is soiled successful our portion present is the heads of those successful Moscow who, unfortunately, seized power of the Russian authorities and are terrorizing Ukraine and the full world," helium added.

— Natasha Turak

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said helium is assured Ukrainian forces are susceptible of retaking Kherson from Russia.

"On the contented of whether oregon not the Ukrainians tin instrumentality the remaining territory connected the westbound broadside of the Dnieper River successful Kherson, I surely judge that they person the capableness to bash that," Austin told reporters astatine the Pentagon.

"Most importantly, the Ukrainians judge they person the capableness to bash that. We've seen them prosecute successful a precise methodical but effectual effort to instrumentality backmost their sovereign territory."

— Natalie Tham

Is Russian President Vladimir Putin stepping backmost from the atomic ledge?

After weeks of apocalyptic atomic innuendo, Russia issued a bland connection Wednesday reaffirming its long-standing policies connected the usage of atomic weapons — a imaginable motion that the Kremlin is trying to chill the escalatory rhetoric it utilized passim October.

"Russia is strictly and consistently guided by the tenet that a atomic warfare cannot beryllium won and indispensable ne'er beryllium fought," said the connection connected the Russian Foreign Ministry website.

The connection added that Russian atomic doctrine was unambiguous and did not let for "expansive interpretation," indicating Moscow whitethorn beryllium trying to locomotion backmost a fig of statements calling the doctrine into question.

The connection besides included an entreaty for talks astir the kinds of "security guarantees" Russia had demanded of NATO earlier it invaded Ukraine successful February. 

Read more connected NBC News.