Ukraine updates: Putin says Russia has never refused peace talks

After missing the last two summits, Putin joined a virtual G20 summit by videolink

• Putin addresses virtual G20 summit calling for ways to “stop this tragedy” in Ukraine
• The EU disburses €1.5 billion aid tranche to Ukraine to help budget
• Russia says it destroyed Ukraine drones targeting Crimea
• Ukraine says downed Russian barrage, Iran drone

Here’s a look at the latest developments from Russia’s war in Ukraine from Wednesday, November 22.

Kremlin faces heat over pardoning of ‘satantist’ killer to fight in Ukraine

The Kremlinsaid it had not changed its policy of pardoning prisoners in exchange for fighting in Ukraine, after local media reported a “satanist” killer had been released.

Nikolai Ogolobyak, 33, was sentenced to 20 years for the ritualistic murder of four teenagers in 2008.

He was freed earlier this month after fighting in Ukraine, local media reported this week.

“Now everyone is studying the pardon lists very closely,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “But I repeat once again, we are talking about certain conditions that are related to being on the front line,” adding that no revisions have been made.

Ogolobyak and six other members of a self-proclaimed cult were handed lengthy jail terms for the gruesome murders, which took place in Russia’s Yaroslavl region 15 years ago.

He would have been jailed until 2030 but was drafted into one of Russia’s “Storm-Z” battalions for offenders and convicts after the conflict began, the 76.RU media outlet reported.

Russia has probably recruited 100,000 people from prisons to fight in the conflict, the head of an independent prisoners’ rights group Olga Romanova has estimated.

Russia: Reporter injured in Ukrainian drone attack

Russia said that a Ukrainian drone struck a group of journalists in the frontline region of Zaporizhzhia, wounding a reporter from the Rossiya 24 state TV channel.

“As a result of a Ukrainian drone attack on a group of journalists, a correspondent of the Rossiya 24 TV channel, Boris Maksudov, was wounded by shrapnel,” Moscow’s Defense Ministry said.

The reporter was given medical assistance and is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition, it added.

Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv’s army of attacking its reporters, including last month when three correspondents from the Izvestia news outlet were injured by shelling in the Donetsk region.

At least 15 media workers have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its assault last February, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Moscow protests Finland’s display of damaged Russian tank

Russia has complained to Finland’s government that a damaged Russian tank was put on display in front of the parliament building in Helsinki.

The Russian T-72B3 tank, which was shot up by Ukrainian fighters, was given a prominent placement at the weekend on the initiative of two pro-Ukrainian organizations in Finland.

The groups said the tank served as a reminder that the war in Ukraine continues to rage nearly 21 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an all-out invasion of the neighboring country.

The spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova,

called the installation inappropriate.

“Nobody seems to be able to explain to me why Finland is taking part in such actions,” she said.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry confirmed receipt of a letter of protest and told broadcaster YLE: “In the note, Russia has expressed its indignation about the tank.”