LIVE: NYT Confirms Video of Execution of Russian Soldiers

More than a month has passed since the Russian military operation in Ukraine began on Feb. 24. Military actions and peace negotiations continue simultaneously without the parties achieving their political and military goals. Below are the main developments of this conflict as they happen.

Rising energy prices are greatest adverse result of sanctions for West - experts

According to experts interviewed by TASS, the major negative result of sanctions for the Western countries that have imposed them would be rising energy resource prices, which will put pressure on both consumer prices and dependent sectors of the economy.

"Sanctions have already had a significant impact on the economies of several European countries. Rising prices and inflation reduce the population's standard of living, and due to the EU's reliance on Russian energy supply, the EU's industry is under attack," Associate Professor of the Department of Financial Management of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics Ayaz Aliyev said.

He believes that if the situation worsens, the EU countries will not receive the necessary resources and will be unable to rapidly replace them. Rising costs will have the greatest detrimental impact on the energy sector, industry, and "the sectors of the economy that accompany them."

Andrey Gusev, managing partner at Nordik Star legal firm, agrees, naming the energy and processing industries as among the most vulnerable in the current environment. "Sanctions will generally resurface in Europe in all aspects of life," Gusev said.

According to Alfa Capital analyst Alexander Dzhioev, the actual embargo on Russian energy resources will increase the already high inflationary pressures in Western countries in the short term, which may lead to many central banks in these countries tightening monetary policy and raising interest rates. "An increase in interest rates that is too abrupt will cause economies to stall and eventually lead to a recession. Rates that lag behind inflation will cause prices to climb even further," Dzhioev explained.

Associate Professor of the Department of Stock Markets and Financial Engineering of the Faculty of Finance and Banking at RANEPA Sergey Khestanov called attention to the fact that the importance of energy resources varies greatly across countries. As a result, he believes that replacing Russian gas and oil with alternative sources will be extremely difficult for Eastern European countries. At the same time, with the exception of the energy issue, Khestanov feels that "the impact of sanctions on Western countries is limited."

Gusev emphasized that the effects for European economies would be more severe than for the United States, owing to "[Washington's] extremely low reliance on Russian energy and other imports." He believes that the impact of restrictions on European countries will be more severe; nonetheless, he suggests making the first substantial assessments of the "boomerang effect for Western economy" no sooner than six months.

Dzhioev noted that the rise in world oil and gas prices was largely caused by fears about the introduction of new restrictions on the Russian oil and gas sector. "The implementation of this scenario will deal the greatest blow to European countries and, first, will affect industrial enterprises for which energy resources are a significant item in the structure of production costs. It is likely that this will lead to a temporary suspension of their activities," he noted. Another vulnerable industry in Western countries is agriculture, experts believe.

US to ship 10 Javelin missiles for ‘every Russian tank’ in Ukraine, Blinken says

The US and its allies intend to ship 10 Javelin anti-tank missile systems for "every Russian tank," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview for NBC Wednesday.

"Between the United States and other allies and partners, for every Russian tank in Ukraine, we have provided or will soon provide 10 anti-tank systems - 10 for every single Russian tank," Blinken said, answering a question on shipment of Javelin systems to Ukraine

NYT confirms the authenticity of video of Ukrainian soldiers executing Russian servicemen

The New York times confirmed the authenticity of a video showing Ukrainian military executing injured Russian soldiers.

"A video posted online on Monday and verified by The New York Times appears to show a group of Ukrainian soldiers killing captured Russian troops outside a village west of Kyiv," the newspaper said.

The video in question shows Ukrainian soldiers firing several shots in, presumably, a Russian serviceman lying on road pavement and showing signs of life. Several bodies can be seen lying nearby, presumably killed. According to the New York Times, the video footage was filmed on March 30 during Russian forces’ withdrawal from Kiev.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to an aid request from Donbass republics. He underscored that Moscow does not plan to occupy Ukrainian territories, instead of aiming to demilitarize and denazify the republic. In response, the West imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia.

UNGA to consider Russia’s Human Rights Council membership on April 7, no debate planned

The UN General Assembly will resume on Thursday its Emergency Special Session on Ukraine, where the issue of suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council will be discussed, GA President Spokesperson Paulina Kubiak told journalists on Wednesday.

"If a vote takes place, it will require a two thirds majority of those present and voting," she said. "There will not be a debate. Action on the resolution will start, there is always an introduction [of a draft resolution] and statements from various member states. If a vote takes place, it will not be at 10:00 (17:00 Moscow time, when the special session will resume - TASS)," the spokesperson said.

Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said speaking at a news conference on Monday that Russia viewed West’s attempts to exclude the country from the United Nations Human Rights Council as unbelievable. "This is unprecedented. And this will not facilitate or encourage or be helpful to what is happening between Russian and Ukrainian peace talks," he stated.

Conflict in Ukraine may continue for a long time, Biden believes

The conflict in Ukraine may last for a long time, US President Joe Biden said in his address to the trades leaders, livestreamed by the White House.

"Today, Kiev still stands and that government still presides. This fight is far from over. There’s the point: this war continue for a long time, but the US will continue to stay with Ukraine, the Ukrainian people in their fights for freedom. And I just want you to know that. And, by the way, if I gotta go to war, I’m going with you guys. I tell you," the head of state said, talking to the trades leaders.

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Hungary is willing to pay for Russian gas in rubles. "We don't see any problem in paying in rubles, if that's what the Russians want," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday. Previously, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Szijjarto pointed out that the European Union (EU) had no role to play in a gas supply ruled by a bilateral contract.

"The desire of the European Commission (EC) to have a common response from importing countries seems unnecessary to us," he said, adding that a technical solution must be found to implement the reconversion of the payment to the Russian company Gazprom in May.

On Tuesday, the EC proposed to the 27 EU countries to stop buying Russian coal and close their ports to Russian ships. European countries, however, disagree on embargoing Russian oil, which represents 25 percent of their oil purchases, and Russian gas, which represents 45 percent of their gas imports.

Russia and Ukraine are continuing negotiations but there remains a long way to go. "There is still quite a long road ahead... The working process is continuing, but more viscously than we want,"  Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kiev region was to facilitate the peace talks, he told France's LCI broadcaster. Russia is interested in President Volodymyr Zelensky agreeing to Russia's conditions, which were clearly formulated by the Russian delegation, so that the military operation will come to an end.

China calls for restraint surrounding Bucha incident. On Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that China calls on all parties to practice restraint and avoid making groundless accusations before the investigation into the Bucha incident concludes.

"The reports and images of civilian deaths in Bucha are deeply disturbing. The truth and cause of the incident must be ascertained," Zhao said, adding that China pays close attention to the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and the suffering of civilians. "Humanitarian issues should not be politicized and any charge should be based on facts."

Media reports state that at least 280 people, including children, were found dead in Bucha, a town outside Kiev. The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday refuted Kiev's accusation of the killing of civilians in the settlement of Bucha.

Russia and Serbia vow to strengthen ties. President Vladimir Putin and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reiterated their readiness to deepen bilateral relations during a phone conversation on Wednesday.

Putin congratulated Vucic on his victory in the presidential elections on Sunday and the success of his party in the parliamentary elections. The leaders reaffirmed their common position to further develop the Russian-Serbian strategic partnership and expand trade and economic ties, including in the energy sector. They also discussed the situation in Kosovo and the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.

African refugees see racial bias as U.S. welcomes Ukrainians. As the United States prepares to welcome thousands of Ukrainians, Washington continues to deport African and Caribbean refugees back to their homelands, which many African refugees see as racial bias, according to a recent report by The Associated Press.

Last month, President Joe Biden announced a plan to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians, granted Temporary Protected Status to another 30,000 already in the U.S., and halted Ukrainian deportations. However, African refugees were seriously concerned over the swift expulsions of Haitian refugees, and the frosty reception African and Middle Eastern refugees have faced in western Europe, compared with how those nations have enthusiastically embraced displaced Ukrainians.

This has also made Cameroonian advocates strengthen their calls for humanitarian relief, as they protested in front of the Washington residence of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the offices of leading members of Congress this month.

The Associated Press noted that the Department of Homeland Security has declined to respond to the complaints of racism in American immigration policy.