Russia says will not cut gas to more European customers as ruble scheme working

The Russian government says it has no intention to cut gas supplies to any more European countries as Moscow’s scheme of receiving gas payments in rubles is working as planned.

Speaking in his daily conference on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that everyone who was to be cut off from supplies was not receiving Russian gas.

“The system is functioning ... and those who receive the gas are working under the new system,” Peskov said.

Asked whether new gas cuts should be expected from Moscow, he said: “No.”

So far, Russia's state-owned Gasprom has cut supplies to Denmark's Orsted and to Shell Energy for its contract to supply gas to Germany.

It has also cut supplies to Bulgaria, Poland and Finland for refusing to make payments for Russian gas in rubles under the new scheme.

Most of the European companies are trying to comply with Moscow’s payment scheme, in order to maintain their gas imports from the energy-rich country.

Ukraine says no to Russia's call for de-mining ports to allow grain shipments

Ukraine has rejected calls to de-mine its ports around the Black Sea to resume grain shipments, after Russian foreign minister said de-mining ports was important to resolve the grain problem.

Baltic Sea Drills 

On the military front, 60 Russian ships and 40 aircraft took part in military exercises in the strategic Baltic Sea Thursday, amid the simmering tension with the West.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that ships of its Baltic fleet will “perform training tasks for the defense of sea lanes and fleet bases”. The maneuvers will also take place on land at training grounds in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

The drills are part of Russia's response to Finland and Sweden's bid to join NATO. If the membership of the Nordic nations is approved, Russia will become the only non-NATO country on the Baltic Sea.

Zelensky: 'Brutal' battle for Sievierodonetsk to determine fate of Donbas

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the battle for Sievierodonetsk is brutal and will determine the fate of Donbas.

Ukrainians refuges in Europe reach 5 million

With the war raging on, the United Nations announced on Thursday that the number of Ukrainian refugees in Europe since the start of the war has neared 5 million people.

“The Ukraine war has caused one of the largest human displacement crises in the world,” said UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

UNHCR data showed more than 7.3 million border crossings out of Ukraine by June 7, while around 2.3 million crossings had been registered back into the country.

According to the UN data, women and children account for 90 percent of those who have fled Ukraine, with men aged 18 to 60 eligible for military service and unable to leave.

Apart from refugees, more than eight million people have been displaced within the devastated country, the UN's International Organization for Migration estimated.

More than half of the crossings out of Ukraine were into neighboring Poland, UNHCR said, adding that a full 1.15 million Ukrainians have registered as refugees there.

“The outpouring of solidarity in states receiving refugees remains extraordinary,” UNHCR said.

The eligible citizens are getting out of the country as the battle is raging on in the Sievierodonetsk city in Donetsk region, with Moscow pushing to completely bring the eastern region under its control.

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