Europe

BERLIN (AP) — Germany was the biggest buyer of Russian energy during the first two months of the war in Ukraine, an independent research group said Thursday.

A study published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air calculates that Russia has earned 63 billion euros ($66.5 billion) from fossil fuel exports since Feb. 24, the date Russian troops attacked Ukraine.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that Finland and Sweden would be embraced with open arms should they decide to join the 30-nation military organization and could become members quite quickly.

Stoltenberg’s remarks came as public support in Finland and Sweden for NATO membership mounts in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Media speculation in the two countries suggest the two might apply in mid-May.

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ever since Russian forces took the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in early March, residents sensed the occupiers had a special plan for their town. Now, amid a crescendo of warnings from Ukraine that Russia plans to stage a sham referendum to transform the territory into a pro-Moscow “people’s republic,” it appears locals guessed right.

MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/: Russia has declared three diplomats from the Embassy of Norway in Moscow personae non gratae citing reciprocal measures, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

PARIS, April 27. /TASS/: France’s Constitutional Council has declared Emmanuel Macron president-elect based on the results of a presidential runoff held on April 24, the council’s head Laurent Fabius said on Wednesday.

"Emmanuel Macron received an absolute majority of votes. The Constitutional Council declares Emmanuel Macron President-Elect of the Republic on April 27," he said, adding that Macron’s presidential term would begin on May 14.

According to the final data announced by Fabius, Macron gained 18.7 mln of votes and his rival Marine Le Pen got 13.2 mln.

MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/: SkyTeam airline alliance announced suspension of membership of Russian airline Aeroflot. This is according to a press release published on the website of the alliance on Wednesday.

"SkyTeam and Aeroflot have agreed to temporarily suspend the airline's SkyTeam membership. We are working to limit the impact for customers and will inform those affected by any changes to SkyTeam benefits and services," the alliance said.

MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 7,705 over the past day to 18,159,600, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Wednesday.

In relative terms, the growth rate reached 0.04%.

As many as 2,986 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, down 5.54% from a day earlier. The number of hospitalized patients decreased in 44 regions, while in 36 regions the figure increased. The situation remained unchanged in five regions. A day earlier, 3,161 people were rushed to hospitals.

ROME, April 27 (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Wednesday told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Rome fully supports his country and is ready to contribute to finding a lasting solution to the crisis, Draghi's office said in a statement.

The phone conversation between the two leaders focused on the latest developments in the situation on the ground in Ukraine and assistance to the country in the face of Russia's invasion, the statement added.

April 27 (Reuters) - Russian government hackers carried out multiple cyber operations against Ukraine that appeared to support Moscow's military attacks and online propaganda campaigns, Microsoft (MSFT.O) said in a report on Wednesday.

The reported intrusions - some of which have not been previously disclosed - suggest that hacking has played a bigger role in the conflict than what has been publicly known.

WARSAW/SOFIA/KYIV, April 27 (Reuters) - Russia halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland on Wednesday for rejecting its demand for payment in roubles, taking direct aim at European economies in a move that also exposed divisions in the EU on how to respond to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The decision, denounced by European leaders as "blackmail", comes as Russia's own economy wilts under sweeping international sanctions and as Western countries ramp up arms shipments to help Ukraine fend off a new Russian assault in the east.