World News Roundup: Factbox-Who is Ukraine's Viktor Medvedchuk, a prominent Putin ally?; Soviet-era drone that crashed in Croatia carried the aerial bomb, experts say and more

U.S. President Joe Biden referred to Russia's attack on Ukraine as genocide for the first time, saying "we’ll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies, but it sure seems that way to me." Russia says U.S., NATO weapon transports in Ukraine are legitimate targets Russia will view U.S. and NATO vehicles transporting weapons on Ukrainian territory as legitimate military targets, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the TASS news agency in an interview on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Factbox-Who is Ukraine's Viktor Medvedchuk, a prominent Putin ally?

Viktor Medvedchuk, a fugitive who was the most prominent representative of pro-Russian political factions in Ukraine and a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been found and arrested by Ukraine's secret services. A trained lawyer and wealthy businessman who served in political roles since the 1990s, Medvedchuk had been placed under house arrest last year to face treason and terrorism financing charges, which he denies. He escaped a few days after the Russian invasion began in February.

Soviet-era drone that crashed in Croatia carried the aerial bomb, experts say

A Soviet-era reconnaissance drone that crashed in the Croatian capital of Zagreb last month without causing any harm to residents carried an aerial bomb that exploded after hitting the ground, a panel of experts said on Wednesday. The investigators did not want to reveal the drone's intended target or who had sent it, but Hungary had said that the Tupolev TU-141 drone was detected by radar in Hungarian airspace after being detected over Ukraine, and had entered Hungary via Romanian air space.

Ukraine tells Russia: Return prisoners if you want top ally back

Ukraine told Russia to release prisoners of war if it wants the Kremlin's most high-profile ally in the country freed as the United States is expected to send more weapons after Russia's strongest signal yet the war will grind on. U.S. President Joe Biden referred to Russia's attack on Ukraine as genocide for the first time, saying "we'll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies, but it sure seems that way to me."

Russia says U.S., NATO weapon transports in Ukraine are legitimate targets

Russia will view U.S. and NATO vehicles transporting weapons on Ukrainian territory as legitimate military targets, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the TASS news agency in an interview on Wednesday. Any attempts by the West to inflict significant damage on Russia's military or its separatist allies in Ukraine will be "harshly suppressed," he added.

UK's Johnson did not break COVID laws 'with malice', minister says

A senior British minister said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not set out to break COVID laws with malice and is mortified after he was fined by police for attending a gathering during the lockdown, as calls mounted for Johnson to quit. Johnson, his wife Carrie and finance minister Rishi Sunak were fined on Tuesday for breaching laws the government imposed to curb COVID-19, drawing a wave of condemnation, including from the families of those who died alone during the pandemic.

Explainer-Mariupol: ruins of port could become Russia's first big prize in Ukraine

The Sea of Azov port of Mariupol, reduced to a wasteland by seven weeks of siege and bombardment that Ukraine says killed tens of thousands of civilians, could become the first big city captured by Russia since its invasion. Russia said on Wednesday more than 1,000 Ukrainian marines, among the last defenders holed up in the Azovstal industrial district, had surrendered, though Ukraine did not confirm that.

Explainer-How to prove genocide, the gravest of war crimes?

Washington and Kyiv are accusing Russia of genocide in Ukraine, but the ultimate war crime has a strict legal definition and has rarely been proven in court since it was cemented in humanitarian law after the Holocaust. WHAT IS GENOCIDE?

Shanghai vows punishment for COVID lockdown violators as cases hit 25,000

China's commercial capital, Shanghai, warned on Wednesday that anyone who violates COVID-19 lockdown rules will be dealt with strictly, while also rallying citizens to defend their city as its tally of new cases rebounded to more than 25,000. The city police department spelled out the restrictions that most of the 25 million residents are facing and called on them to "fight the epidemic with one heart ... and work together for an early victory".

Swiss adopt latest round of EU sanctions on Russia

Switzerland has adopted the latest round of European Union sanctions against Russia and Belarus for Moscow's military aggression against Ukraine, the government said on Wednesday, keeping the neutral country in line with EU measures. It also approved sanctioning a further 200 individuals and entities, including two of Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughters.

Macron says Le Pen showing authoritarian streak after journalist ban

French President Emmanuel Macron launched a scathing attack on far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Wednesday saying her true "authoritarian" intentions were showing after she banned a team of reporters and did not rule out a return to the death penalty. Macron, a pro-European centrist, became president in 2017 after easily beating Le Pen when voters rallied behind him to keep the far-right out of power. This time, he is facing a much tougher challenge.