China disavows diplomat's claim after outcry, affirms Ukraine's sovereignty: Live updates

The Chinese government disavowed Monday comments made by its ambassador to France, saying it respects the sovereignty of Ukraine and other former Soviet republics.

"Each member republic of the Soviet Union has the status of a sovereign state after the dissolution of the Soviet Union,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

That contradicts the words of Ambassador Lu Shay, who caused an outcry when he told the LCI French news network last week that the independence of those nations has not been legally established.

In a discussion about Russian-occupied Crimea, Lu said, “With regards to international law, even these ex-Soviet Union countries, they do not, they do not have the status – how to say it? – that’s effective in international law, because there is no international agreement to solidify their status as a sovereign country.''

Among his justifications for launching an invasion last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine’s not a real country but rather part of Russia. China has tried to present itself as neutral in the conflict while criticizing Western sanctions and helping fund Putin's war by buying Russian oil.

The Chinese Embassy in France said Lu was expressing his personal views, not those of the country, and his remarks “should not be the object of over-interpretation.”

Nonetheless, the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – all three former Soviet republics – demanded a clarification.

ANOTHER RUSSIAN THREAT:Russian warns G-7 'idiots'; Russian mercenaries to stop taking POWs, 'kill everyone on battlefield': Updates

Latest developments:

►Russian authorities in occupied Crimea said the military fended off a Ukrainian strike on a main naval base Monday, while an exploding drone was also reportedly found in a forest near Moscow – attacks that come as Ukraine is believed to be preparing for a major counteroffensive.

►Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the mercenary Wagner Group, said Ukrainian forces have been pushed into a western section of Bakhmut that's less than a square mile. His claim couldn’t be independently verified.

►Russian invaders continue to steal grain, the Ukrainian military charged, saying Moscow-installed authorities in the Zaporizhzhia city of Berdyansk "are trying to take out the stolen goods by loading it on enemy cargo vessels.''

'Hypocritical' Russia dispenses and takes flak at Security Council meeting

Russia's stint as this month's president of the United Nations Security Council, a rotating role, has created plenty of awkward moments as the Kremlin defends its invasion of Ukraine to a body that aims to keep international peace.

The level of discomfort was ratcheted up Monday, when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov chaired the council meeting seated next to U.N. chief Antonio Guterres, who criticized the war for "causing massive suffering and devastation.''

Lavrov said a loss of trust in multilateralism has created conditions that may be even more dangerous than during the Cold War, and he blamed the West for that.

"Let's call a spade a spade. Nobody allowed the Western minority to speak on behalf of all of humankind," Lavrov said, pointing to Western participation in previous wars.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., did not hold back in her retort.

"Our hypocritical convenor today, Russia, invaded its neighbor, Ukraine, and struck at the heart of the U.N. charter and all the values we hold dear,'' she said. “This illegal, unprovoked and unnecessary war runs directly counter to our most sacred principle, that a war of aggression and territorial conquest is never, ever acceptable.”

Thomas-Greenfield also called for the release of two Americans detained in Russia, journalist Evan Gershkovich and businessman Paul Whelan, whose sister, Elizabeth, attended the session.

US talked Ukraine out of large-scale attack on Moscow, report says

U.S. officials dissuaded Ukraine from launching a large-scale attack on Moscow on Feb. 24, the war's one-year anniversary, out of concern such an assault may prompt an aggressive Russian response that could escalate the conflict, the Washington Post reported Monday.

The newspaper cited classified documents released into a game server by a National Guardsman from Massachusetts in reporting that officials are trying to balance Ukraine's desire to strike in Russian territory and the need to avoid provoking Putin into using nuclear weapons.

Ukraine has not confirmed it's behind explosions and drone strikes that have taken place inside Russia, but Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's head of intelligence, has said they will continue.

“This shattered their illusions of safety,” he told the Post in January. "Until the territorial integrity of Ukraine is restored, there will be problems inside Russia.”

Ukrainians in occupied areas forced to accept Russian passports, British say

As part of Russia's efforts to integrate occupied areas of Ukraine, the Kremlin is coercing residents to accept Russian passports, the British Defense Ministry said in its latest update. 

That's one of the '‘Russification'' tactics Moscow employed in the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, where it had supported separatists before invading in February 2022, the ministry said. It also pointed to the southern Kherson province, saying its residents have been told they will be "deported'' and lose their property if they don't get a Russian passport by June 1.

The reason for the expedited integration, the ministry said, is "to help paint the invasion as a success, especially in the run-up to the 2024 presidential elections.''

Contributing: The Associated Press