The Russian authorities are preparing to launch a large-scale conscription campaign, the goal of which is to attract 400 thousand soldiers, the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain reported with reference to the Russian mass media. Moscow presented the action “as an impetus for volunteers, not mandatory mobilization.”

Synthesis of the last 24 hours of the war

• Russian authorities have arrested an American journalist working in the country and charged him with espionage, a charge that could lead to 20 years in prison. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Hershkovich was detained during a trip to the Ural city of Yekaterinburg. The US is “deeply concerned” by Hershkovich’s detention. The White House confirmed that the State Department has contacted the Russian government and is actively working to secure its consular access.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will chair the UN Security Council meeting in April, when Russia will take over the presidency of the international body, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, said.

• Turkey’s parliament on Thursday approved a bill allowing Finland to join NATO, paving the way for the country to become part of the defense alliance. Turkey’s parliament was the last of the alliance’s 30 members to ratify Finland’s membership, after Hungary’s legislature approved a similar bill earlier this week.

• Russian forces have made some progress in the town of Bakhmut, Ukrainian military officials confirmed late Wednesday, adding that their fighters were still holding out.

• Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the conscription of 147,000 Russians into military service as part of the spring conscription campaign, Russian state media reported. The Russian leader last participated in recruitment in September, when he summoned 120,000 citizens, TASS reports.

• Ukrainian parents hid their children in basements to prevent deportation by the Russians, Ukrainian volunteers evacuating civilians from the front line of the war with Russia said. Although the parents gave different reasons, most of the volunteers said that this phenomenon is related to the poverty of the families and the difficult psychological state in which they live for months.

• A Russian man who escaped house arrest after being jailed for defaming Russia in social media posts has been arrested in Belarus, his lawyer said. 54-year-old Oleksiy Moskalev was sentenced to two years for criticizing the Kremlin’s policy in social media posts. Law enforcement officers discovered him after his 13-year-old daughter Maria refused to attend a patriotism lesson at her school and drew “Glory to Ukraine!”.

The latest on the war in Ukraine, day 401, LIVETEXT:

06:44 Germany is considering the joint development of projects in the field of energy production with Ukraine, according to the report following the meeting between the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko and State Secretary Jorg Kukis, the press service of the Ministry of Energy reports. “There is a huge potential for bilateral cooperation,” the message reads. Ukraine received electrical equipment weighing 423 tons from German partners, the Minister of Energy of Ukraine announced during a meeting with the German State Secretary Jörg Kukis.

01:10Volodymyr Zelenskyi in an address sent on Thursday evening: “400 days of our protection against aggression. This is a colossal journey that I have lived. Ukraine will win”

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says that these 400 days, since Ukraine defended itself against large-scale aggression, are a “colossal journey”. It shows that Ukrainians are preparing their next steps. “Ukraine will win. Because freedom and justice, humanity and respect, the peace that people deserve, must prevail,” he emphasizes.

00:28 The EU condemns “systematic neglect of press freedom” by Moscow.

The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, wrote on Twitter that the European Union condemns the arrest in Russia of the American journalist Evan Hershkovich, accused of “espionage”, and criticized the “systematic contempt” with which Moscow treats freedom of the press.

“Journalists should be able to practice their profession freely and deserve protection. The Russian authorities once again demonstrate their systematic disdain for media freedom,” he added.