State Dept.: Russians are not targeting convoys

Weapons convoys arriving in Ukraine almost every day thus far have not been targeted by Russia’s military, State Department spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. Kirby, speaking on Fox News, did not directly respond to a question about how the U. S. and NATO would respond if Russia struck a convoy – accidentally or on purpose – in Poland. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has warned that convoys “pumping Ukraine with weapons” will be considered legitimate targets.

“We have not seen the Russians attempt to strike any of these convoys,” Kirby said. “We’re watching this very, very carefully, as you might expect. But so far, we have not seen any attempt by the Russians to stall or to slow these convoys.”

Dissident Russian journalist killed in Kyiv bombardment

Dissident Russian journalist Oksana Baulina was killed while filming in Kyiv, making her at least the fourth journalist to die in the country during the war. Baulina was working as a correspondent for The Insider when Russian troops shelled a shopping center in the Podil district, a historic neighborhood in Kyiv, the site said in a statement. Another civilian was killed and two more people were wounded and hospitalized.

Baulina had fled Russia but had continued to report on corruption inside the Russian government.

State Department: Russia to expel more American diplomats

Russia has begun the process to expel several American diplomats from the U. S. embassy in Moscow, the State Department said Wednesday.

The department said it received a list of diplomats on who have been declared “persona non grata” by the Russian foreign ministry. It didn’t say how many diplomats were affected by the order, which generally results in the expulsion of those targeted within 72 hours.

The State Department called Wednesday’s move “Russia’s latest unhelpful and unproductive step” in relations between the countries. It urged Russia “to end its unjustified expulsions of U. S. diplomats and staff.”