National

Evidence from Mariupol indicates "serious" and "gross violations" of international humanitarian and humans rights laws occurred during the battle for the city and the remaining residents now face a "dire" situation, a top UN official warned Thursday.

Driving the news: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva residents have limited access to basic utilities and services including medical care and "risks of infectious disease, including cholera are being reported"  in the Russian-occupied port city.

The big picture: Mariupol was "likely the deadliest place in Ukraine" during fighting from February through the end of April, when Russian forces seized control of most of the southern city, Bachelet said in her update on what she called "the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in Mariupol."

Bachelet noted that the Russian airstrike on the Mariupol theater in March was among "the deadliest and most emblematic examples of the harm caused to civilians."

"The theatre had hundreds of civilians hiding inside with signs clearly marked 'children,' visible from the sky," she said.

By the numbers: An estimated 350,000 people were forced to flee Mariupol, while UN assessments indicate that up to 90% of the city's residential buildings and up to 60% of private houses have been damaged or destroyed.

Where it stands: "Many people either no longer have a place to live or live in damaged apartments, often with no windows, electricity, gas and running water," Bachelet said.

"People cannot leave and return to the city freely, including those who left Mariupol in April or March," she continued. 

"I am also concerned about the way the so-called 'filtration' process of civilians was and is being carried out, reportedly involving arbitrary determinations, intimidation and humiliation, which may amount to ill-treatment, as well as reported instances of family separation and threats to the right to private life," Bachelet added. 

"The related risks of detention and ill-treatment for those who do not pass the process are also of concern."

The bottom line: "The tragedy of Mariupol is far from over, and the full picture of the devastation caused is not yet clear," Bachelet said.

What to watch: Bachelet said in April there was growing evidence of war crimes and other human rights violations in Ukraine, and the International Criminal Court and others have opened investigations into such allegations.

Yes, but: War crimes have been historically hard to investigate and often even more challenging to prosecute, per Axios' Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath.

Go deeper: Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine

Editor's note: This article has been updated with further context.

UN: "Tragedy of Mariupol far from over" for remaining residents

Remaining residents now face a "dire" situation, UN Human Rights chief warns.

A Russian soldier patrols at the Mariupol drama theatre, bombed last March 16, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol.

A Russian soldier in April patrols the Mariupol theater that Putin's forces bombed a month earlier. Photo: Alexander Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The Netherlands' security service said Thursday it uncovered a plot by a member of Russia's military intelligence service to use a false identity to infiltrate the International Criminal Court (ICC) through an internship.

Why it matters: Netherland's security service said the man would have had access to the headquarters and systems of the ICC, which is investigating war crimes committed during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

It said that the intelligence officer posed a "potentially very high" threat to the court and may have been able to influence criminal cases.

What they're saying: "If this person had been given the opportunity to actually do work at the ICC, he could have gathered intelligence here, spot (or recruit) resources and gain access to digital systems," Netherlands' General Intelligence and Security Service said.

"In this way, the man could have met the GRU's intelligence needs to a significant extent. He may also have been able to influence criminal cases within the ICC," it added.

The big picture: It said the man, identified as Russia GRU member Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, sought to enter the Netherlands and the internship under a false Brazilian identity but was denied entry in April, declared an unwanted alien and sent back to Brazil.

The court is also investigating war crimes committed during Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008.

Go deeper: Federal prosecutors move to seize $5.3 million from Russian oligarch

Netherlands says it foiled Russian plot to infiltrate International Criminal Court

It said a Russian military intelligence officer was attempting to gain access to the court.

A flag with the logo of the International Criminal Court in March 2022 in Den Haag, Netherlands.

A flag with the logo of the International Criminal Court in March 2022 in Den Haag, Netherlands. Photo: Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

International Criminal Court

Federal prosecutors in New York have moved to seize more than $5.3 million from the U.S. bank account of sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, according to a court document filed Wednesday.

Driving the news: The seizure relates to Malofeyev's indictment in early April by the Department of Justice, which announced at the time that it would seek to seize "millions of dollars from a U.S. financial institution" as proceeds traceable to the violations.

The big picture: Malofeyev was initially sanctioned by the U.S. in 2014 for his role in seeking to undermine "democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine," according to the Department of Justice.

The Department of Justice indicted Malofeyev in early April for "flagrantly" and "repeatedly" violating the sanctions against him and announced its intention to seize an undefined sum of money from Malofeyev's U.S. holdings.

His case marked the first criminal charges brought against a Russian oligarch since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.

Malofeyev was sanctioned again in late April alongside more than 40 other individuals and entities, this time for "having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly" the Russian government, per the Treasury Department press release.

Federal prosecutors move to seize $5.3 million from Russian oligarch

The seizure relates to Konstantin Malofeyev's indictment in early April by the Department of Justice.

Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice on April 6. Photo: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny said Wednesday he was moved from the prison where he was serving out a sentence since February 2021 to a high-security facility. 

Why it matters: Navalny supporters, including his lawyer, were unaware of his whereabouts for several hours on Tuesday because of the abrupt transfer, which came after he recently received a new nine-year sentence and charges that could add up to 15 additional years.

He was already serving a prison sentence of about 2.5 years at a prison camp around 74 miles east of Moscow for violating parole after fleeing to Germany to recover from a poisoning attempt by Russia's security forces in 2020.

He has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Kremlin officials of corruption. 

What they're saying: "Alexei Navalny was transported away from the penal colony No. 2," his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said in a tweet Tuesday.

"His lawyer, who came to see him, was kept at the checkpoint until 14.00, and was then told: 'There is no such convict here,'" Yarmysh added.

"The problem with his transfer to another colony is not only that the high-security colony is much scarier. As long as we don't know where Alexei is, he remains one-on-one with the system that has already tried to kill him, so our main task now is to locate him as soon as possible."

The big picture: Navalny said he was transferred to a high-security penal colony IK-6 in Melekhovo, which is about 155 miles east of Moscow.

Multiple inmates who served time in the Melekhovo prison have accused guards of beating, humiliating and raping them, according to the Washington Post.

"Melekhovo is a high-security colony. Conditions there are already worse than in other prisons: fewer parcels, fewer visits. But it's even worse than that: there is no law there. And that's where Putin wants to put Navalny for not being afraid of him and telling the truth," Yarmysh said in May, after hearing rumors that Navalny may be sent there.

Putin critic Navalny moved to high-security prison after abrupt transfer

Inmates who served time in the prison have accused guards of beating, humiliating and raping them.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on a screen during a hearing in Moscow on May 24.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on a screen during a hearing in Moscow on May 24. Photo: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

Alexei Navalny

Axios World

Up to 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are being killed or wounded each day in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, with 200 to 500 killed on average and many more wounded, a top Ukrainian official said on Wednesday.

The big picture: President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 1 that 60 to 100 Ukrainian troops were being killed daily as Russia stepped up its Donbas offensive. Over the past two weeks that number has climbed significantly according to David Arakhamia, who leads Ukraine's negotiations with Russia and is one of Zelensky's closest advisers.

Ukraine has recruited one million people into the army and has the capacity to recruit two million more, Arakhamia said, so it has the numbers to continue the fight in Donbas, where Russia has been gradually gaining territory.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley was asked about the rate of Ukrainian casualties on Wednesday and said it was difficult to estimate but previous media reports of around 100 killed and up to 300 injured each day had been "in the ballpark of our assessments." He was not responding to the latest Ukrainian estimate.

Milley also said Russia had taken "huge" losses and Ukraine was fighting effectively.

What Ukraine lacks, Arakhamia contended, is the weaponry and ammunition to match Russia in "one of the biggest fights of the 21st century." He said: "We have the people trained to attack, to counterattack, but we need weapons for this."

"Our negotiating position is actually quite weak, so we don't want to sit at the table if we are in this position. We need to reverse it in some way," Arakhamia said, stressing the need for a counter-operation to regain lost territory.

Driving the news: Arakhamia is leading a Ukrainian delegation in Washington this week to lobby the Biden administration and Congress to increase the pace of weapons shipments and to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism — a topic he said they plan to raise with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

President Biden spoke with Zelensky Wednesday and informed him of additional military and humanitarian assistance, the White House said. The $1 billion in weapons to be shipped to Ukraine include rockets and artillery ammunition.

In a roundtable Wednesday at the German Marshall Fund, Arakhamia and other members of the delegation noted that while Biden had signed a $40 billion package to aid Ukraine in May, it was only very gradually translating into actual weapons shipments. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine's partners — particularly in Europe — are beginning to focus on replenishing their own stockpiles rather than arming Ukraine, Arakhamia said. He noted that the German government was still very reluctant to approve export licenses to arm Ukraine, perhaps due to "internal fear" of Russia.

What to watch: While formal negotiations are frozen, Arakhamia said he and his team speak by phone with their Russian counterparts "one or two times per week" to check in, even though "both sides clearly realize that right now, there is no place for negotiation."

He said there was domestic backlash to the idea of negotiating with Russia at all after the alleged war crimes in cities like Bucha and Mariupol, but also noted the war would have to end through "compromise."

Arakhamia said Russia was using neighboring Georgia to evade sanctions, with the compliance of the "obviously pro-Russian" government, which Georgia denies.

Arakhamia said "our military people" strongly oppose the idea of de-mining Ukraine's Black Sea ports in exchange for Russia allowing grain exports, because there would be "no guarantee" Russia wouldn't use those corridors to attack by sea.

The Ukrainian negotiator said Russia was largely insulated from sanctions due to high oil prices, but would feel the full effects in three or four years. "The question is if we (Ukraine) are still here in three or four years to enjoy the show."

Go deeper: One Ukrainian soldier's view from the front lines in Donbas

Editor's note: This story was updated with comments by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley at a press conference.

Ukraine suffering up to 1,000 casualties per day in Donbas, official says

Ukraine's top negotiator says 200 to 500 troops are dying daily.

Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines in Donbas. Photo: Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ukraine

The U.S. Treasury Department unveiled new sanctions on Wednesday against members of the white supremacist Russian Imperial Movement, which the State Department designated a terrorist group in 2020.

What they're saying: "RIM and its supporters continue to exacerbate Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine through their fundraising efforts," Brian Nelson, the undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

RIM "has sought to raise and move funds using the international financial system with the intent of building a global network of violent groups that foster extremist views and subvert democratic processes," Nelson added.

The big picture: The first person sanctioned is Stanislav Shevchuk, a Europe-based representative of the group that has spoken at RIM rallies in Europe and has previously traveled to the U.S. to try and establish connections between RIM and domestic far-right extremist and white nationalist groups, per the statement.

Also sanctioned is Alexander Zhuchkovsky, a RIM supporter in Russia who has fundraised and recruited for the group via social media.

Zhuchkovsky has purchased weapons and supplies for Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine and has been an instructor at RIM's training center in St. Petersburg, "where participants receive training to conduct acts of terrorism and violence," per the press release.

The U.S. also sanctioned Swedish national Anton Thulin, who was involved in bomb attacks on Swedish asylum centers in 2017, "for his continued pursuit of terrorist training, even after serving his prison (term) ... which demonstrates that he continues to be a terrorism threat."

U.S. sanctions members of Russian extremist group

The State Department designated the Russian Imperial Movement a terrorist group in 2020.

A member of the Russian Imperial Movement at a training base in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2015. Photo: Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

Sanctions

A Russian court extended American basketball star Brittney Griner's detention for a second time on Tuesday, meaning she will remain in custody until at least July 2, according to Russian state media.

Why it matters: Griner has been in pre-trial detention since she was detained at a Moscow-area airport in February after authorities claimed that they found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.

She was charged with drug smuggling, and her detention has now been extended two times.

The U.S. State Department considers Griner "wrongfully detained" by Russia. 

It has also warned other Americans to not travel to Russia because the Kremlin may be specifically targeting Americans for arrest, potentially for the purpose of exchanging them for Russians held in American prisons. 

What they're saying: "Brittney Griner should not be detained. She should not be detained for a single day longer," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a press conference on Tuesday. 

"This case is problematic from top to bottom. It is precisely why we have characterized Brittney Griner as a 'wrongful detainee.' It's precisely why we doing everything we can to see to effect her prompt release from Russian detention," Price added.

Price said the U.S. Embassy in Russia was made aware of Griner's detention extension through Russia state media and was not formally notified by Russian authorities. 

Price said former Marine Paul Whelan, who in 2020 was sentenced by a Russian court to 16 years in prison on spying charges that he, his family and the U.S. said are false, should also not be detained any longer.

The big picture: Former Marine Trevor Reed, who was held in a Russian prison since 2019 before being released in April, called on the Biden administration and Congress last week to increase efforts to release Griner, even if it means more prisoner swaps.

Reed warned that Griner may face greater challenges inside Russia's prison system than he did because of her race and sexual orientation.

Go deeper: Brittney Griner's wife urges Biden to bring detained player home

Russian court again extends Brittney Griner's detention

Her detention has now been extended three times since she was detained in February.

Brittney Griner before a basketball game in Washington, D.C., in 2015.

Brittney Griner before a basketball game in Washington, D.C., in 2015. Photo: Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

Sports

All three bridges to Severodonetsk have been destroyed following days of Russian shelling in the last remaining major city in the Luhansk region of the Donbas still under Ukrainian control, the local governor said Monday.

The big picture: Severodonetsk is the epicenter of the battle for the Donbas, and Russian forces now control about 70% of the eastern Ukrainian city, Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said in a Telegram post. "Evacuation is impossible," he added.

Fresh humanitarian supplies were also not possible now, according to Haidai.

What to watch: "Fierce battles are now going on throughout the Luhansk region. Today, Severodonetsk is becoming the new Mariupol, attracting a significant number of Russian forces," Haidai said in a post Tuesday, referring to the port city that endured weeks of bombardment before falling to Russia's military. 

The Azot chemical plant where about 500 residents, including 40 children, are sheltering was being "heavily shelled," Hadai said.

What they're saying: President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address late Monday that the battle for the Donbas "will surely go down in military history as one of the most brutal" in Europe.

"The price of this battle for us is very high," Zelensky said. "It's just scary.

"And we draw the attention of our partners on a daily basis to the fact that only a sufficient number of modern artillery for Ukraine will ensure our advantage," he added.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to separatists' requests for more forces on Monday by saying the main goal of the Russian government was to "protect Donetsk and Luhansk," per Reuters.

Context: The Donbas comprises the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, both of which Russian President Vladimir Putin declared breakaway "republics" days before he ordered his forces to invade Ukraine in February.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with Hadai's comments about Mariupol and the Azot chemical plant being shelled.

Evacuations "impossible" after Severodonetsk bridges destroyed

Fresh humanitarian supplies are also no longer possible in the epicenter for the battle of the Donbas.

A picture taken on May 22, 2022, shows the destroyed bridge connecting the city of Lysychansk with the city of Severodonetsk in the eastern Ukranian region of Donbas.

A destroyed bridge connecting the city of Lysychansk with Severodonetsk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas is seen on May 22 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo: Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images

Axios on HBO

The Russian-owned fast-food chain that will replace McDonald's in Russia opened the doors to its first restaurants in Moscow on Sunday, AP reported.

Catch up quick: McDonald's temporarily closed its Russian stores in March in the wake of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. In May, the fast-food giant announced that it would sell its Russian businesses to a local buyer and exit the country.

The new buyer, Alexander Govor, will continue to operate the restaurants under a different brand. On Friday, the chain's new logo was revealed.

The big picture: The name of the new fast-food chain, Vkusno i Tochka (Tasty and that's it), was revealed just hours ahead of its grand opening in the capital, AP reported. 

Govor is moving quickly to reopen the repurposed McDonald's restaurants. Fifteen of them opened in Moscow on Sunday and there are plans to have 200 up and running by the end of the month, Oleg Paroev, the chain’s general director, told AP.

The new menu doesn't offer the well-known Big Mac or McFlurry but does offer spins on other classics, like a double cheeseburger and a fish burger, per Reuters.

Customers stand in line outside the just opened first McDonald's in the Soviet Union in January 1990 at Moscow's Pushkin Square. Photo: Vitaly Armand/AFP via Getty Images

State of play: Although the restaurant opening in Moscow's famous Pushkin Square drew a crowd, it paled in comparison to the opening of McDonald's in 1990, when thousands of Russians queued for hours to try the food, per Reuters.

For many Russians, the arrival of McDonald's in the country symbolized the thawing Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union, with the arrival of Western capitalism and culture. 

“This is a historic place — the flagship of McDonald’s,” Govor told reporters, per AP. “I’m sure it will be the flagship for us.”

Russian McDonald's successor opens in Moscow to long lines

While the line to get inside stretched down the sidewalk, the crowd paled in comparison to the opening of the first McDonald's in 1990.

Customers stand in a queue to get in the Russian version of a former McDonald's restaurant

Customers stand in line to get in the Russian version of a former McDonald's restaurant in Moscow on June 12. Photo: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

McDonalds

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Russian forces occupying two Ukrainian cities have begun handing out Russian passports to citizens, Russian state media said Saturday.

Why it matters: Ukrainian authorities have condemned the creation of Russian citizens on Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia as "Russification" and a "flagrant violation" of its territorial integrity, according to the BBC.

The occupation of parts of Ukraine also goes against Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims at the start of the Kremlin's invasion in February.

“Our plans are not to occupy Ukraine, we do not plan to impose ourselves on anyone," Putin said just hours before the invasion began, according to CNN.

Russian state media outlet TASS claimed Saturday that 23 Russian passports were presented to the residents of the city of Kherson on Saturday and an undisclosed amount were given to residents of the city of Melitopol.

It alleged that over 70,000 people in Ukraine's Zaporizhia region applied for Russian citizenship, though that assertion could not be verified.

It said Putin signed a decree on May 25 that relaxed rules for granting Russian citizenship to residents of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

The big picture: G7 countries declared last month that they will never recognize illegally altered borders stemming from Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

In April, a deputy commander of Russia's central military district said that the Kremlin seeks to achieve full control of southern Ukraine and the country's Donbas region.

Independent legal scholars and human rights experts accused Russia in a report last month of inciting genocide and perpetrating atrocities that reveal an "intent to destroy the Ukrainian national group."

Go deeper ... Zelensky: Fate of eastern Ukraine tied to fighting in Severodonetsk

Russia issues passports to Ukrainians living in two occupied cities

Ukrainian authorities have condemned the passports for Ukrainians in occupied territory as "Russification."

Soviet Banner of Victory flying near a WWII memorial in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson on in May 2022..

The Soviet Banner of Victory flies near a WWII memorial in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, Ukraine, in May. Photo: Andrey Borodulin/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of "a new stage of terror" in a video posted to Telegram on Friday night, referencing the abduction of the mayor of Melitopol by Russian forces.

Driving the news: The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the kidnapping of Mayor Ivan Fedorov a war crime, according to a statement posted to Facebook on Friday.

"It is a democratic world here therefore the capture of the mayor of Melitopol is a crime not only against a particular person. Not only against a particular community. And not only against Ukraine. This is a crime against democracy," Zelensky said in his own video message.

"Obviously, this is a sign of the weakness of the invaders," the Ukrainian president added. "They did not find collaborators who would hand over the city and the power to the invaders. Therefore, they have switched to a new stage of terror when they are trying to physically eliminate representatives of the legitimate local Ukrainian authorities."

Zelensky  warns of "new stage of terror" in latest video

"They are trying to physically eliminate representatives of the legitimate local Ukrainian authorities," said the Ukrainian president.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pictured during his regular address to the nation on March 11, 2022.

Photo: Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Not to be outdone by Pfizer’s big announcement, Russia’s state-run Gamaleya Research Institute announced Wednesday that its Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective.

Why it matters: Experts have criticized the lack of transparency around the vaccine and the haste with which the Kremlin approved it, but several countries are lining up to gain access.

Hungary is the first EU country to announce a plan to buy it, per the FT. It expects a sample within the next week or so, and it's in “advanced negotiations” for a larger order.

Russia has already sold doses to Brazil, In­dia, Mex­ico and Egypt, per WSJ. It also plans to make the vaccine available to countries in its neighborhood, like Kazakhstan.

The Philippines plans to join clinical trials for the vaccine, with President Rodrigo Duterte even saying he would be injected himself.

Russia has discussed the distribution of its vaccine with a number of other countries, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Yes, but: The rhetoric from Moscow has been far out in front of any evidence that the vaccine is safe, effective and can be developed at a sufficient scale to be distributed around the world.

The bottom line: “Why is Russia doing this? It’s the international vaccine race. They want to be seen to be keeping up with their competitors in other countries,” John Moore, a vaccine researcher at Cornell, told Science. “It’s clearly a rushed out announcement. But it doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”

Go deeper: EU purchases 200m doses of Pfizer's vaccine

As countries line up for Russia's vaccine, not everyone is buying it

It's 92% effective, according to unconfirmed data.

"Trust me. It's safe." Photo: Alexy Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty

Coronavirus vaccines

Coronavirus

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Thursday accused President Vladimir Putin of orchestrating his poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok, a calling card of the Russian security services.

Driving the news: In his first interview since being released from a German hospital, where he was kept in a medically induced coma for weeks, Navalny told Der Spiegel that German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid him a personal visit last week.

"I know it sounds a bit over the top, but Germany has become a special country for me," Navalny said, thanking German politicians and doctors for saving his life.

"I was impressed by the detail [Merkel] knows about Russia and my case."

The big picture: Navalny's poisoning with Novichok, which was used in the attempted assassination in 2018 of former double agent Sergei Skripal in the U.K., has been confirmed by specialist labs in France and Sweden, in addition to Germany.

"I assert that Putin was behind the crime, and I have no other explanation for what happened," Navalny told Der Spiegel, adding that he plans to return to Russia.

"And my job now is to remain the guy who isn’t afraid. And I’m not afraid! When my hands shake, it’s not from fear – it’s from this stuff. I would not give Putin the gift of not returning to Russia."

Russia has vehemently denied any culpability for the attack, with Putin reportedly suggesting in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron that Navalny poisoned himself.

What to watch: European leaders have demanded that Putin provide an explanation and plan to discuss the matter at a European Council meeting on Thursday and Friday.

“This is very clearly a murder attempt carried out on Russian soil, against a Russian opposition leader with a chemical agent manipulated in Russia,” Macron told reporters this week. "It is therefore up to Russia to provide clarifications."

But the European Union's failure to impose sanctions on Belarus over its rigged election, following objections from Cyprus over an unrelated matter, has some expressing doubt that the bloc will be able to cobble together the unanimity required to penalize Putin.

Go deeper: Putin, poison and the pipeline

Alexei Navalny in first interview: Putin was behind Novichok poisoning

"I have no other explanation for what happened."

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