Referendum voting in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine is underway, Russian state media has reported.

More than 1,300 people across Russia were arrested this week for demonstrating against Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement Wednesday of "partial" military mobilization to send more troops into the war in Ukraine, which he calls a "special military operation.".

The Joint Coordination Center, an initiative of Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, said that the vessels are carrying a total of 205,912 metric tons of grain and other food products.

— Amanda Macias.

"Most Russian soldiers receive most of their training in the units now, but it's hard to imagine the units that are in Ukraine being in any state to train recruits.".

The Biden administration said it was prepared to impose additional sanctions on Russia following a referendum held in parts of UKraine.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced his support for a referendum to decide if four occupied regions of Ukraine should join Russia. The move is believed to be a Kremlin attempt to annex additional swaths of its ex-Soviet neighbor.

— Amanda Macias.

said in a new report that Russian troops committed war crimes in Ukraine.

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A Ukrainian official overseeing the Kharkiv region said that 436 bodies were exhumed from a mass burial site in Izium.

He said that most of the bodies that were recovered were civilians and at least 21 were part of the Ukrainian armed forces.

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The Joint Coordination Center, an initiative of Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, said the ships transported a total of 4.35 million metric tons of grain and other food products.

— Amanda Macias.

— Amanda Macias.

and its allies following coordinated global sanctions on Russian elites with Kremlin ties after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb.

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The site was found shortly after Ukrainian forces recaptured the territory, which had been under occupation by Russian forces for roughly six months.

Numerous mass graves were uncovered earlier this year by Ukrainian authorities around cities and towns that had been occupied by Russian troops.

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Ukraine and Western governments have accused Russian forces of forcibly moving Ukrainian nationals to "filtration camps" and then transporting them to Russia.

Our heroic armed forces of Ukraine will definitely liberate all occupied territories from racism," Federov said, adding, "most importantly, participation in a pseudo-referendum is the worst betrayal.".

Many fear that Russia will rig the votes in its favor and then use the result as justification to annex those territories as Russian and subsequently use nuclear or other unconventional weapons against Ukrainian forces trying to reclaim them.

It comes shortly after Putin called up extra forces for the war in Ukraine and warned that if the territorial integrity of Russia is threatened, the Kremlin would "certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people.

Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelenskyy urged Russians to protest President Vladimir Putin's announcement that he would mobilize 300,000 Russian troops for war

"I'll explain what is happening to the Russians in Russian," Zelenskyy said, speaking Russian in a nightly address on the Telegram messaging app

Zelenskyy said that Russia's mobilization of additional troops, the first since World War II, is proof that the Kremlin's mighty military has faced stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces

"The Russian leadership is reacting precisely to the fact of Ukrainian strength in changing its tactics and trying to draw even more Russian citizens and resources into the war," he said

— Amanda Macias

— Amanda Macias