Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Canada for carving out an exemption to Russian sanctions by agreeing to allow a gas turbine used in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that had been undergoing repairs in Canada to be returned to Germany. Berlin had feared that if the turbine, which pumps natural gas from Russia to Germany, was not sent back from Canada in time for scheduled maintenance, Russia could use that as an excuse not to turn the gas back on. Zelensky said Canada’s move could be perceived by Moscow as a sign of “weakness.”
The death toll continues to rise from Russian strikes in eastern and northern Ukraine. At least 38 people were killed in Chasiv Yar, a city in the eastern Donetsk region, when a Russian missile hit a residential complex over the weekend. Three others were also killed Monday in Kharkiv when Russian airstrikes damaged a shopping center and residences.