Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 420

Here is the situation on Tuesday, April 19, 2023:

Fighting

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ukrainian troops in Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, according to his office.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin visited military headquarters in Ukraine’s Kherson and Luhansk regions, the Kremlin said. Russia claimed to have annexed the areas, which it partly occupies, in September.
• Russian forces are stepping up their use of heavy artillery and air strikes in the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces said.
• A Russian artillery attack killed one person and injured nine in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Diplomacy

• The Group of Seven (G7) industrial powers, meeting in Japan, said they were committed to intensifying sanctions against Russia and would support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” as it defends itself.
• A Russian court denied bail to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been jailed in Moscow on spying charges.
• Russia’s foreign ministry summoned the Canadian, United Kingdom and United States ambassadors after they condemned the conviction of opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza who a Russian court has sentenced to 25 years.
• China’s defence minister Li Shangfu and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu agreed to continue close high-level communications and improve the cooperation mechanism between the two countries’ militaries.
• Swiss President Alain Berset said the country condemned Moscow’s war in Ukraine in the strongest terms and was committed to providing humanitarian aid and implementing sanctions against Russia.

Politics

• Russian legislators voted to introduce life sentences for those convicted of treason.

Economy

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to discuss the Black Sea grain deal with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a visit to New York next week, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported.
• Poland agreed to lift a ban on the transit of Ukrainian grain and food products but Ukraine said a wartime deal allowing it to safely ship grain from Black Sea ports was still under threat.
• Poland is proposing a new sanction package on Russia, which includes a ban on pipeline oil and diamond imports, according to a document seen by the Reuters news agency.
• The Swedish alcohol brand Absolut Vodka will stop exports to Russia after calls to boycott the brand in Sweden and on social media.

Weapons

• Egypt was planning to manufacture rockets for Russia but then suspended the effort and decided to supply ammunition to Ukraine after talks with US officials, the Washington Post reported.