The Ukraine reported a sniper killed a top Russian general, 39 nations request ICC war crimes investigation, civilians targeted says US, race driver donating 1M rounds ammo, White House requests $10B in Ukrainian aid, more updates.
Ukrainian sniper takes out top Russian general
A Ukrainian sniper reportedly took out one of Russia’s top military commanders. The Daily Mail reported that major General Andrey Sukhovetsky was killed by a sniper on Wednesday, considered a major blow to Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
39 nations request war crimes investigation of Russia by ICC
Responding to a request by 39 nations, the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor said evidence was being collected on alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Ukraine committed by Russia. The referral by 39 nations allows an investigation to be launched without judicial approval, the BBC reported.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan said he would look at past and present allegations going as far back as 2013, before Russia annexes Crimea in 2014.
NASCAR legend Richard Childress donating 1 million rounds of ammo to Ukraine
Legendary NASCAR driver and team owner Richard Childress has committed to donating 1 million rounds of ammo to the armed forces of Ukraine and has reached out to a major manufacturer, Fox reported.
“I called my good friend Fred Wagenhals, who is the Chairman of AMMO, Inc., which is a publicly-traded company, POWW,” Childress said. “And I said, ‘Fred, we gotta help these people. They need ammunition.’ And he stepped right up; he said, ‘We’ll do it,’ and now we’re turning our production to this as our number one priority.”
US says Russia showing “willingness to hit civilian infrastructure on purpose”
Russian forces are demonstrating a “willingness to hit civilian infrastructure on purpose,” a senior US official told reporters on Thursday, CNN reported.
While the official said the US has seen Russia “hitting government infrastructure” in places like Kyiv and Kharkiv, they are also purposely targeting civilian infrastructure such as “media towers and media facilities” and are also “hitting residential areas.”
White House request $10 billion in aid for Ukraine
As part of a $32.5 billion emergency funding request sent to Capitol Hill, the White House is asking lawmakers to approve $10 billion of that amount in lethal and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, CNN reported.
This request identifies an immediate need for $10 billion in additional humanitarian, security, and economic assistance for Ukraine and Central European partners due to Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked invasion,” the request from the acting Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young to congressional leadership stated.
Ukraine claims 9,000 Russian troops have died
According to a report from Ukraine, its armed forces have killed 9,000 Russian troops so far amid bitter fighting, the Daily Mail reported. The Kremlin is disputing the claim, insisting that less than 500 soldiers have been lost in the battle.
Sean Penn walks out of Ukraine to Polish border
Actor and director Sean Penn was reportedly in Ukraine working on a documentary when Russian forces invaded. Penn says he and his colleagues were forced to ditch their car on the way out of Ukraine, walking from there to the Polish border, CNN reported.
Penn recently tweeted a photo showing him walking along a road with luggage amid a long line of cars.
“Myself & two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road,” Penn tweeted. “Almost all the cars in this photo carry women & children only, most without any sign of luggage, and a car their only possession of value.”
