At least 41 dead and 180 injured in a Russian strike in the center of the country…

At least 41 people were killed and 180 injured in a Russian missile strike that targeted a military institute in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday.

According to Volodymyr Zelensky, two ballistic missiles hit “an educational institution and a nearby hospital.” “One of the buildings of the Institute of Communications was partially destroyed. People were found under the rubble,” he said on Telegram.

The pre-trial detention of Frenchman Laurent Vinatier in Russia was extended on Tuesday by six months until February 21, a judge at a Moscow court announced, on the first day of a trial that was adjourned to September 16.

“The court considers it impossible to begin the examination of the criminal case,” said judge Natalia Cheprasova, after announcing the extension of her detention, according to AFP journalists on the scene.

The judge at the Zamoskvoretsky court in Moscow declared the hearing open around noon Paris time, before asking Laurent Vinatier where he lives, his marital status and how long he has been detained.

The Frenchman appeared smiling, wearing a blue shirt and dark jeans, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

The United Nations on Tuesday expressed concern over the recent ban in Ukraine of the Moscow-linked Orthodox Church. The “law raises serious concerns about respect for international human rights law, particularly freedom of religion,” Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told a news briefing in Geneva.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law on August 24 the law banning the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The law, denounced by Russia, was signed into law on Ukraine’s Independence Day from the Soviet Union and two and a half years after Russia began its invasion of the country.

Laurent Vinatier, 48, is a researcher specializing in the post-Soviet space. He worked in Russia for the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Swiss NGO that mediates conflicts outside official diplomatic channels.

He admitted that he had not registered under the label of “foreign agent”, used in Russia against critical voices and which imposes heavy administrative obligations on them, under penalty of sanction. In early June, just after his arrest, he explained at a hearing on his placement in pre-trial detention that he was unaware that Russian law required him to take this step.

The Russian security service (FSB) said in a statement in early July that the accused had established “numerous contacts” with Russian political scientists, economists and military experts, as well as with officials.

“During his discussions with these people, he collected military and military-technical information that could be used by foreign special services against the security of Russia,” the FSB said.

A colorful welcoming committee for Vladimir Putin on the imposing square in the capital Ulaanbaatar. A brass band played military tunes and the Russian and Mongolian national anthems in front of the two leaders, who stood next to Mongolian soldiers in traditional dress.

Mongolian law enforcement officers prevented a handful of protesters opposed to Vladimir Putin’s presence from getting too close to the Russian leader.

The trial of Frenchman Laurent Vinatier, a Swiss NGO worker arrested in Russia in early June, begins today in Moscow.

He will be tried for failure to comply with the obligations relating to persons designated as “foreign agents” and faces five years in prison for this reason.

Vladimir Putin met his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on Tuesday at a lavish welcoming ceremony in Ulaanbaatar’s central square, according to footage provided by Russian state media.

The Mongolian government has not commented on the Russian leader’s possible arrest. But a spokesman for the president denied on social media reports that the ICC had sent a letter asking local authorities to execute the arrest warrant during the visit.

Genghis Khan Square – also known as Sukhbaatar – in the centre of Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital, was decorated on Monday with giant flags of Mongolia and Russia in honour of the Russian president’s visit.

But in the afternoon, some protesters expressed their discontent, some holding up a banner that read “Get rid of war criminal Putin.”

Another protest is planned for midday Tuesday at Ulaanbaatar’s Monument to Victims of Political Repression, which honors those who suffered under Mongolia’s decades-long communist regime.

kyiv has reacted angrily to the “immunity” granted by Mongolian authorities to the Russian president. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhiy accused Mongolia of “allowing the indicted criminal to escape justice, thereby sharing responsibility for his war crimes.”

The Hague-based court recalled last week that its member countries have an “obligation” to arrest individuals targeted by an arrest warrant.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Mongolia for an official visit, his first to a member country of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since an arrest warrant was issued for him in March 2023.

Arriving in the capital Ulan Bator on Monday evening, the leader was greeted by the guard of honour at the airport, without being arrested when he got off the plane, according to images broadcast by Russian television.

Troop advances, political statements and diplomatic bluster, follow the events of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict live with us.