Russian war critic jailed for 25 years
(Reuters) - Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was jailed on Monday for a quarter of a century by a Moscow court for treason and other crimes after speaking out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and lobbying Western nations to impose sanctions on Moscow.
GRAIN DEAL
* Kyiv was seeking to re-open food and grain transit via Poland as "a first step" at talks in Warsaw on Monday as more countries banned grain imports from Ukraine to protect their local agriculture markets from excess.
* Hungary could extend its import ban on Ukrainian grain beyond its current June 30 deadline if the EU does not take sufficient action to protect Hungarian farmers, the state secretary of the country's agriculture ministry said.
* The Kremlin said that prospects for renewing the Black Sea grain deal, whereby Moscow allows Ukraine to ship agricultural exports from its ports via Turkey, were "not so bright".
DRILLS
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin about drills conducted by the Pacific Fleet that included "imitation strikes on enemy navy groups".
FIGHTING
* Russia's defence ministry said Wagner mercenary units captured two more blocks in the northwest and southeastern parts of Bakhmut, the devastated city in eastern Ukraine that has been the focus of months of heavy fighting.
* Russia's regular spring military draft is proceeding as scheduled and there are no plans to send out mass electronic notices under a system just signed into law by Putin, a top official said.
Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield reports.
PRISONERS RELEASED
* Russia's most powerful mercenary group, Wagner, sent at least 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war back to Ukraine to mark Orthodox Easter, according to a video posted by the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
DIPLOMACY
* China is willing to work with Russia to forge close strategic communications between their militaries, Chinese state media reported Minister of Defence Li Shangfu as saying. Li met Putin in Moscow on Sunday.
ECONOMY
* India and Russia are discussing a free trade agreement (FTA), the Russian trade minister said, an announcement that could deepen bilateral commercial ties that have flourished since war broke out in Ukraine.
* Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven advanced economies have agreed that Russia must withdraw all troops from Ukraine unconditionally and that they would continue sanctions against Moscow and support for Kyiv, Japan's foreign minister said.
IN-DEPTH STORIES
* ANALYSIS-Russia's military production, state splurge ease sanctions pain
* INSIGHT-Ukraine's tech entrepreneurs fight war on different front
* Ukraine says it is finding more Chinese components in Russian weapons
* FACTBOX-Kara-Murza becomes latest Putin opponent to get long jail term
(Compiled by Reuters editors)
