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The Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ukrainian team blew up Nord Stream pipeline, claims report

The Nord Stream gas pipeline was blown up by a small Ukrainian sabotage team in an operation that was initially approved by Volodymyr Zelenskiy and then called off, but which went ahead anyway, according to claims in a report in the Wall Street Journal.

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian president has denied the claims.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines carried natural gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. They were damaged by explosions in September 2022, seven months after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, putting them out of action and worsening an energy crisis in Europe.

Initially, many assumed Russia was to blame. Later, others suggested the CIA could have been involved. Last year, the New York Times reported that US officials had seen intelligence suggesting a “pro-Ukrainian group” was behind the explosion, while last month, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, called the explosion “an act of terrorism carried out at the obvious direction of the Americans”.

According to the WSJ, the sabotage operation involved a small sailing boat and a team of six people, a combination of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians with relevant expertise. The operation used private funding but was directed by a serving army general, who reported to Ukraine’s then commander in chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Zelenskiy approved the plan, but later backtracked after the CIA found out about it and asked Kyiv to call it off, according to the WSJ’s sources.

Nonetheless, Zaluzhnyi pressed ahead with the mission, the report claims.

Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, told the WSJ he knew nothing about the operation and called the allegations a “mere provocation”.

Ukraine has always denied involvement in the explosion and on Thursday a spokesperson for Zelenskiy again accused Russia of carrying out the sabotage. “Such an act can only be carried out with extensive technical and financial resources … and who possessed all this at the time of the bombing? Only Russia,” Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters.

Other Ukrainian agencies also denied governmental involvement. A senior official from the SBU, Ukraine’s security service, told the WSJ that Zelenskiy “did not approve the implementation of any such actions on the territory of third countries and did not issue relevant orders”.

However, German police and prosecutors are reportedly pressing on with an investigation that is now homing in on senior Ukrainian military officials and could prove embarrassing for Berlin, given it involves an ally launching an act of sabotage against key infrastructure.

On Wednesday it emerged that German authorities had issued a European arrest warrant for a man identified as “Volodymyr Z”, a diving instructor who lived in Poland, who is alleged to have dived down to the seabed to place the devices on the pipeline.

Polish prosecutors confirmed they had received a European arrest warrant for a man suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream attack. “Ultimately, Volodymyr Z was not detained, as he left the territory of Poland at the beginning of July this year, crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border,” prosecutors said in a statement.

THE GUARDIAN
 

Ukraine opens military office in occupied Kursk region, says it is still advancing​


Ukraine's top commander said on Thursday Kyiv had set up a military commandant's office in the occupied part of Russia's Kursk region where he said his forces were still advancing and had taken up to 1.5 km (0.93 miles) in the last 24 hours.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a video published by the Ukrainian leader that Kyiv's forces had advanced 35 km into Russia's Kursk region since launching an incursion last week.

Kyiv's surge into Russian territory last week caught Moscow by surprise, seizing the initiative from Russian forces who have been grinding out small but steady gains all year in the east of the country.

Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces had taken 82 settlements under control during the incursion and an area of 1,150 square kilometres.

He said he was appointing Major General Eduard Moskalyov to head up a military commandant's office in the Kyiv-held part of western Russia.

"We are moving forward in Kursk region. A military commandant's office has been created which must ensure order and also all the needs of the local population," Syrskyi said in a written statement on his Telegram channel.

 
Don't be surprised if putin is deposed or killed events are escalating pretty quickly .

If ukraine pull this off this is epic they are advancing into the Russian mainland itself.
 

Ukraine claims it fully captured strategic Russian town in Kursk region​


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country’s forces have taken full control of the strategic Russian town of Sudzha in the Kursk region in their incursion into Russian territory.

Zelenskyy also said on Thursday that a military commander’s office is being set up in the town, which had a prewar population of around 5,000 people.

Sudzha holds a measuring station for Russian natural gas that flows through Ukrainian pipelines to Europe.

Russia did not immediately respond to Zelenskyy’s statement, but its defence ministry said earlier Thursday that Russian forces had blocked attempts to take several other communities.

On Wednesday, Russian officials had also denied that Ukraine captured the town.

“There are units from the Russian Defense Ministry, too, in Sudzha now, as the enemy is in and around certain parts of the town. Active fighting has been taking place daily there. The enemy cannot claim full control of Sudzha because they [Ukrainian troops] do not actually control it,” Major-General Apty Alaudinov was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

Source: Al Jazeera
 

Russia destroys Ukrainian unit armed with NATO weapons in Kursk region: Report​


Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage unit that was armed with weapons from NATO countries in Russia’s western Kursk region, the RIA state-run media agency reported on Friday, citing unidentified security sources.

“Samples of small arms manufactured by the United States and Sweden have been seized at the liquidation site of a Ukrainian sabotage group near the village of Kremyanoe in the Kursk region,” RIA cited a Russian security official as saying.

Russian troops seized a Swedish-made Automatic Carbine 5 assault rifle as well as a US-made M4 carbine assault rifle and M2 Browning machine gun, RIA cited the official as saying.

Reuters was unable to verify battlefield accounts from either side.

Russia has been battling Ukrainian forces in Kursk since August 6, when Kyiv launched a lightning incursion in the largest attack on sovereign Russian territory since World War Two.

 

Kremlin accuses the West of helping Ukraine attack Russia​


An influential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the West and the U.S.-led NATO alliance had helped to plan Ukraine's surprise attack on Russia's Kursk region, something Washington has denied.

The lightning incursion, the biggest into Russia by a foreign power since World War Two, unfurled on Aug. 6 when thousands of Ukrainian troops crossed Russia's western border in a major embarrassment for Putin's military.

Ukraine said the incursion was needed to force Russia, which sent its forces into Ukraine in 2022, to start "fair" peace talks
But the United States and Western powers, eager to avoid direct military confrontation with Russia, said Ukraine had not given advance notice and that Washington was not involved, though weaponry provided by Britain and the U.S. is reported to have been used on Russian soil.

Influential veteran Kremlin hawk Nikolai Patrushev dismissed the Western assertions in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper. "The operation in the Kursk region was also planned with the participation of NATO and Western special services," he was quoted as saying, without offering evidence.

"Without their participation and direct support, Kyiv would not have ventured into Russian territory." The remarks implied that Ukraine's first acknowledged foray into sovereign Russian territory carried a high risk of escalation.

Putin chaired a meeting of Russia's Security Council, including Patrushev, and said the discussion would focus on "new technical solutions" being employed in the military operation.

Source: Reuters
 
Ukraine destroys Russian bridge in Kursk region - report

Ukraine has destroyed a bridge over a river in Russia's Kursk region, Russian state news agency TASS has reported.

The bridge, which crosses the River Seym, links areas of Kursk that are still controlled by Russia and areas where Kyiv has made advances.

Its destruction has made civilian evacuations harder, TASS reported, citing Russian security officials.

A mass evacuation is currently under way in the Glushkov district in the region, which is home to around 20,000 people.

Earlier today, reports started to emerge that the bridge had been partially damaged in an attack.

The Kremlin-aligned Mash Telegram channel then reported the bridge was struck by a rocket and had collapsed.

Russian and Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the attack.

Last week, Ukraine launched a surprise invasion of Kursk, with Volodymyr Zelenksyy saying yesterday that his troops had captured the town of Sudzha in the region.


SKY News
 

Ukraine hopes its incursion into Russia changes outcome of war​


“All wars end with negotiations. It’s not the soldiers in the trenches who decide when.”

Arni joined the Ukrainian army in 2022 to fight for his country’s survival. When we bump into him 30 months later, he describes a new motivation. “Peace.”

“No-one likes war, we want to finish it,” he says while leaning against his camouflaged pick-up truck.

For the troops we encounter close to Russia’s border, there’s a desire to end Russia’s invasion on acceptable terms.

That is not to say survival isn’t a core driver - it is - but they seem to be striving for a finish line.

“For Ukraine, our people, we’ll stand until the end,” adds Arni.

Until 6 August, Ukraine’s sole objective was one of liberation. The complete repelling of Russian forces to its borders from before Russia first invaded in 2014.

Albeit at a grinding pace, the reverse has been happening for the past year-and-a-half with Moscow eroding Ukrainian territory.

Then came the “all in” poker play which surprised everyone apart from the battle-hardened Ukrainian soldiers who carried it out: a counter-offensive into Russia’s Kursk region.

“It was undeniably successful and daring,” observes Serhii Kuzan, chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Co-operation Centre, a think tank.

Now, Kyiv can’t reference its offensive often enough, with countless pictures of troops giving out aid as they tear down Russian flags.

“It also changes the narrative,” says Alina Frolova, security expert and former deputy defence minister of Ukraine. “A situation where we’re losing territory step by step is not a good one.

“Ukraine’s strategic position has changed.”

Despite parallels with Russia’s initial invasion, Kyiv claims its goal is not to occupy.

So what is the aim? Well, there’s more than one.

“This attack was partly carried out so the city of Sumy was better protected,” explains Serhii Kuzan, who thinks it is often forgotten that the border is still a front line.

Since the start of this summer, President Volodymyr Zelensky says there were more than 2,000 strikes on the Sumy region from the Kursk region alone, including 250 glide bombs.

For months it was feared Russian troops were preparing for a cross-border attack of their own, and by pushing them back, Serhii believes defending Ukraine in general will be easier.

“The [now captured] Russian city of Sudzha is on a commanding height. The Russians are already in a less advantageous position because we control the approach routes.”

While Russia has had to react to Ukraine on the battlefield, it has also had its supply lines targeted. Key roads have been seized and a strategically important bridge destroyed.

“The main purpose of this offensive into Kursk is to divert Russia’s attention from its occupied territories in Ukraine,” says Ivan Stupak, who worked for Ukraine’s security service (SBU) between 2004-2015.

The good news for Ukraine is that is what appears to be happening. The bad news is that Russian advances, notably towards the town of Pokrovsk, are not slowing.

“The Russian army has been redeploying some troops from different directions - the Kherson, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, for example,” Ivan says. He believes around 10,000 personnel are being diverted, mostly from other parts of Russia.

It is how President Zelensky describes Ukraine’s collection of captured Russian soldiers.

Historically, when Ukraine has momentum, it captures more and consequentially negotiates the release of their own more easily.

The Kursk offensive has been no exception. Kyiv says hundreds of Russian troops were taken prisoner. Several could be seen surrendering in drone footage and being taken back to Ukraine with tape blindfolds.

“Moscow is actually offering to start negotiations to exchange prisoners of war,” says Serhii Kuzan.

“It is no longer us, enlisting the support of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to ask Russia to hand over our prisoners of war.”

This is a huge part of it for Kyiv.

On a civilian level, you had the horror and anger felt in the Kursk region in response to the blistering Ukrainian assault on their homes.

There were mass evacuations, pleas for help and criticisms of some authorities for not preventing the attack.

On a political level, you had Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly processing events in Moscow while being briefed by his security chiefs.

And of course there is the military level.

“The influence of this Ukrainian incursion could be quite substantial,” concludes Alina Frolova. “That’s why using highly professional troops was specifically the right decision.”

If Ukraine does not plan to keep hold of its captured Russian territory in the long term, but can hang on long enough, it hopes to leverage it for the release of its own land.

But it’s a big “if”.

When fighting slows, that has always suited Russia with its superior size. Misdirection and surprise has often worked for Ukraine.

“In a symmetric war, we have no chances with Russia,” points out Alina Frovola. “We need to make asymmetrical actions”.

Slowing advances in the Kursk region may leave Kyiv with difficult decisions.

But there are benefits for as long as there is movement, Serhii Kuzan argues.

“An advance rate of 1-3km a day is normal for swapping forward units with reserves,” he says. “In Ukraine’s Donbas region, the average advance rate for the Russians is 400m.

“Our pace in the Kursk region is five times faster than a 100,000-strong army!”

But the problem for Kyiv, is that Russians are still going forward in Ukraine.

However, don’t expect Ukraine to withdraw from its Russian attack anytime soon.

It is committed now.

Russia’s president initially labelled the offensive as a “terrorist attack” and “provocation”, but in the days since he has barely referenced it publicly.

That’s despite it fitting into his narrative that Russia’s invasion is a defensive war to protect his people.

Perhaps he doesn’t want the alarm felt by many in the Kursk region to spread, or for it to appear like his military doesn’t have control of the situation.

Also, as with the Kursk submarine disaster and failed coup of last year, Vladimir Putin doesn’t always act quickly to regain the initiative.

Ukraine will be hoping he’s not this time because he can’t.

www.bbc.com

Ukraine hopes its incursion into Russia changes outcome of war

Ukrainians say the foray into Kursk brings tactical advantages - and opens the door to ending the war.
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Ukraine strengthening positions in captured Russian territory - Zelensky​


Ukrainian troops are "strengthening" positions in captured territory in Russia and expanding further, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Ukrainian soldiers are two weeks into their incursion in Russia's Kursk region - their deepest since Moscow launched its full scale invasion more than two years ago.

Troops are continuing to advance further into Kursk, the force said in its daily report.

Moscow has called the incursion a major provocation and vowed to retaliate with a "worthy response".

In a statement on messaging app Telegram, President Zelensky said: "Thank you to all the soldiers and commanders who are taking Russian military prisoners and bringing the release of our soldiers and civilians held by Russia closer.

"General Syrskyi also reported on strengthening our forces' positions in the Kursk region and expanding the stabilised territory."

Russia said its forces had repelled the Ukrainians near three settlements in the Kursk region and were searching for "mobile enemy groups" trying to pierce deeper into the country.

Kyiv claims to have taken control of more than 80 settlements in the incursion.

His latest statement comes after Ukraine destroyed a strategically important bridge over the river Seym this week.

The bridge had been used by the Kremlin to supply its troops and its destruction could hamper those efforts.

The Russian foreign ministry said the bridge was "completely destroyed" and volunteers assisting the evacuated civilian population were killed.

However, as Ukraine moves further into western Russian territory, Russian forces are equally making gains in Ukraine's east and have claimed a string of towns in recent weeks.

Russia attacked at least four Ukrainian regions on Saturday, according to Ukrainian officials, including the north-eastern region of Kharkiv.

Mr Zelensky said on Saturday there had been "dozens of Russian assaults" on Ukrainian positions near the cities of Toretsk and Pokrovsk.

Pokrovsk is a vital logistics hub that sits on a main road for supplies to Ukrainian troops along the eastern front.

"Our soldiers and units are doing everything to destroy the occupier and repel the attacks," the Ukrainian president said, stressing the situation was "under control".

www.bbc.com

Ukraine incursion has strengthened, says Zelensky

Ukraine surprised many with its incursion which came as Russia was making progress in the east.
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Zaporizhzhia nuclear safety deteriorating, says UN

The nuclear safety situation at the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine is deteriorating, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has said, following a drone strike near the site's perimeter.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said he remained "extremely concerned" and called for "maximum restraint from all sides" to protect the plant.

The agency said the impact of the strike was on a road just outside the facility - close to essential water sprinkler ponds and about 100m from the only remaining high-voltage line.

The plant was seized by Russia's forces early in the war and has come under repeated attacks which both sides have blamed the other for.

Last week, Kyiv and Moscow traded blame after a fire broke out in one of the plant's cooling towers.

The IAEA did not say who carried out Saturday's strike, but its team stationed at Zaporizhzhia said the damage seemed to have been caused by a drone carrying an explosive.

"The team has heard frequent explosions, repetitive heavy machine gun and rifle fire and artillery at various distances from the plant," the agency said in a statement.

The plant has not produced power in more than two years and all six reactors have been in cold shutdown since April.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022 and has been making slow progress recently in seizing more territory in eastern Ukraine.

However, it was shocked when Ukrainian troops penetrated into its Kursk region where they have been consolidating positions for nearly two weeks.

Thousands of Russians have been evacuated from the area.

On Sunday, the head of the Ukrainian air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, said his forces had destroyed a second bridge in the Kursk region "depriving the enemy of its logistical capabilities".

Earlier this week, Ukraine destroyed a bridge over the river Seym which had been used by the Kremlin to supply its troops.

It is the first time foreign troops have been on Russian soil since World War Two.

BBC
 
Russia launches third ballistic missile attack on Kyiv this month, Ukraine says

Russia launched on Sunday its third ballistic missile on Kyiv in August, with preliminary data showing that all the air weapons were destroyed on their approach to the city, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said.

“This is already the third ballistic strike on the capital this month, with exact intervals of six days between each attack,” Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

“According to preliminary information, the Russians again, for the third time in a row, most likely used North Korean ballistic missiles.”

Popko added that Ukraine’s air defence units also destroyed several drones launched by Russia.

The scope of the attack was not immediately clear.

Popko said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Reuters could not independently verify the type of missiles launched.

A Reuters witness heard blasts that sounded like air defence systems early on Sunday.

About two hours after the initial attack, Kyiv, its surrounding region and most of central and northeast Ukraine were under fresh raid alerts, with threats of more missiles heading towards the city, Ukraine’s air force said.



Reuters
 

Ukraine says it has destroyed second Russian bridge​


Ukraine says it has destroyed a second strategic bridge in a week as it continues its incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

The Ukrainian military on Sunday released aerial footage of the strike on the bridge - reported to be over the Seym River in Zvannoe.

Hours later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said for the first time that the aims of the military incursion into Kursk included the creation of a "buffer zone" to stop Russian attacks.

Ukraine is nearly two weeks into its biggest attack on Russian territory since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"Minus one more bridge," Ukrainian Air Force commander Lt Gen Mykola Oleschuk posted on social media with footage of the strike.

Gen Oleschuk added: "Ukrainian Air Force aviation continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with precision airstrikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities."

The video shows a growing large cloud of smoke over the bridge and one of its sections appears to be destroyed. It is not clear when the strike took place.

Earlier this week, Ukraine destroyed another bridge over the river Seym, near the town of Glushkovo.

That bridge was used by the Kremlin to supply its troops.

Earlier, military analysts had identified three bridges in the area used by Russia to supply its forces, and they said two had either been destroyed or seriously damaged, Reuters news agency reported.

Almost two weeks after Ukrainian troops pushed across the border into Russia, it is becoming clear that they plan to stay.

President Zelensky said on Saturday his troops were strengthening positions in Kursk and expanding further in Russia.

On Sunday in an evening address, he said: "Our operation in the Kursk region is still inflicting losses on the Russian army and the Russian state, their defence industry and their economy."

He stated that "this is more than just defence for Ukraine" and said that the aim was to "destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions".

This would include "creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory", he added, in an effort to prevent further Russian attacks into Ukraine.

Mykhaylo Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelensky, insisted Ukraine was not interested in occupying Russia but wanted to persuade Russia to enter negotiations.

Moscow has called the incursion a major provocation and vowed to retaliate with a "worthy response".

As Ukraine moves further into western Russian territory, Russian forces are equally making gains in Ukraine's east and have claimed a string of villages in recent weeks.

It comes as the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog warned the nuclear safety situation at the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine was deteriorating, following a drone strike near the site's perimeter.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said he remained "extremely concerned" and called for "maximum restraint from all sides" to protect the plant.

The agency said the impact of the strike was on a road just outside the facility - close to essential water sprinkler ponds and about 100m from the only remaining high-voltage line.

The plant was seized by Russia's forces early in the war and has come under repeated attacks which both sides have blamed the other for.

Last week, Kyiv and Moscow traded blame after a fire broke out in one of the plant's cooling towers.

The IAEA did not say who carried out Saturday's strike, but its team stationed at Zaporizhzhia said the damage seemed to have been caused by a drone carrying an explosive.

"The team has heard frequent explosions, repetitive heavy machine gun and rifle fire and artillery at various distances from the plant," the agency said in a statement.

The plant has not produced power in more than two years and all six reactors have been in cold shutdown since April.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022 and has been making slow progress recently in seizing more territory in eastern Ukraine.

However, it was shocked when Ukrainian troops penetrated into its Kursk region where they have been consolidating positions for nearly two weeks.

Thousands of Russians have been evacuated from the area.

It is the first time foreign troops have been on Russian soil since World War Two.

www.bbc.com

Ukraine says second Russian bridge destroyed in strike

Ukrainian forces continue their incursion into Russia's Kursk region, claiming destruction of a second bridge.
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Moscow says Ukraine has struck and damaged a third bridge in the Kursk region as Kyiv forces attempt to expand its incursion within Russian territory

Russia’s Investigative Committee on Monday confirmed the attack on the bridge located along the River Seym, which winds through Kursk.

Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on the Russian claim.

In another sign of escalation on Monday, Russia said its marines captured a group of 19 Ukrainian soldiers in the region, the state RIA Novosti news agency reported. The outlet described the Ukrainians as “saboteurs”.

RIA posted what it said was a video of the captured troops. The video could not be confirmed independently.

Despite gains in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukrainian forces were on the defensive near the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, where Russia has steadily advanced in recent weeks.

The city, which had a pre-war population of around 60,000, is an important transport hub for Ukrainian supply lines in much of the eastern Donbas region.

Russian troops are now around 10km (6 miles) from the outskirts of the city, according to Serhiy Dobriak, head of the local military administration.

In comments to Ukrainian media on Monday, he said up to 600 people were leaving on a daily basis, and that municipal services could be cut off within a week as Russian forces close in.

‘Our primary task’
On Sunday, Ukraine said it had destroyed a second bridge across River Seym.

The attacks on the region’s bridges in a matter of days come as Ukraine presses a cross-border offensive that began on August 6.

On Friday, it said it had struck a bridge in the Russian town of Glushkovo.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has praised the incursion and stated its aims for the first time.

“It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall: to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions. This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory,” he said in his evening address on Sunday.

The remarks give an idea of the “strategic Ukrainian thinking behind the incursion”, said Al Jazeera’s defence editor Alex Gatopoulos, reporting from Kyiv.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ukraine on Friday to boost ties with Kyiv, weeks after a trip to Moscow in which he rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war with its neighbour

Announcing the Aug. 23 trip, India's foreign ministry said it would be a "landmark and historic" visit, the first by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established over 30 years ago.

Indian analysts said the visit would aim to control damage from Modi's trip last month to Moscow, which coincided with a lethal strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv, embarrassing Modi and drawing criticism from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

New Delhi, however, said it has substantive and independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine and that the visit builds on continuing interactions between India and Ukraine.

"This is not a zero-sum game ... these are independent, broad ties," Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the Indian foreign ministry, told reporters.
"This is an important visit that is expected to catalyze our ties in a whole range of sectors," Lal said, listing economic and business links, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education, pharmaceuticals, defence and culture.

Lal said the conflict in Ukraine would also be discussed, and reiterated that New Delhi was willing to provide any support it can in pursuit of peace.

Source: Reuter
 
Ukraine orders evacuation of city as Russia gains

Ukrainian authorities have ordered the evacuation of a key city in the Donbas region as Russian forces continue to make gains in the east of the country, despite Ukraine's ongoing offensive into Russia's Kursk region.

Officials said families with children living in Pokrovsk and surrounding villages would be forced to leave.
The head of the city's military government, Serhii Dobriak, said residents had at most two weeks to flee the Russian advance.

The strategically important city is one of Ukraine's main defensive strongholds and a key logistical hub for Kyiv's troops on the eastern front.

Donetsk region head Vadym Filashkin said over 53,000 people, including almost 4,000 children, remained in the city.

He said authorities had taken the decision to forcibly evacuate children and their parents or guardians.
"When our cities are within range of virtually any enemy weapon, the decision to evacuate is necessary and inevitable."

Mr Dobriak said the rate of evacuations from the city had risen to about 500 to 600 people a day. He said that while basic services continued to operate, they would likely soon cease to function as the Russian army closes in.

The evacuation order came even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces were continuing to make gains during their incursion of Russia's Kursk region.

On Monday, President Zelensky said Ukraine had gained control of over 1,250 sq km of Kursk’s territory and 92 settlements.

"The Russian border area opposite our Sumy region has been mostly cleared of Russian military presence," he said on X.

"A few months ago, many people around the world would have said this was impossible and crossed Russia’s strictest 'red line'," he added.

One of the aims of the incursion is reportedly to divert Russia's troops away from the Donbas region, relieving pressure on beleaguered Ukrainian troops there.

On Monday, Russian military bloggers claimed Ukraine had blown up a third bridge over the River Seym in the Kursk region. Kyiv did not claim responsibility but the destruction of the bridge would likely further hinder Russian military logistics and help Ukraine consolidate its control over the territory it has seized from Moscow.

But BBC Verify has identified new pontoon bridges - temporary, floating crossings, quickly constructed and used in the absence of permanent structures - over the river, apparently constructed by Russian forces.
In these satellite images taken on Saturday, the two recently built crossings, near Glushkovo, can be seen.


www.bbc.com

Ukraine orders evacuation of city as Russia makes gains

Officials said families with children living in Pokrovsk and surrounding villages would be forced to leave.
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Kyiv says its forces under heavy Russian attack in east Ukraine

Ukraine's military said its forces had come under multiple Russian attacks over the course of Tuesday on the Toretsk and Pokrovsk fronts in eastern Ukraine.

In a statement, the military said Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions around Toretsk, including the settlement of Niu-York, but did not say what the outcome of that fight was.

Earlier, Russia said its forces had taken control of Niu-York, but Reuters was unable to independently verify that.

The Pokrovsk front is where Russia is concentrating its main attack, the Ukrainian military said. It said its forces had repelled 49 Russian attacks on Tuesday, and that another 13 clashes were still underway.


Reuters
 

Diplomatic tightrope for Modi as he visits Kyiv after Moscow​


Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Ukraine on Friday, just weeks after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The visit is significant because Kyiv and some Western capitals had reacted sharply to Mr Modi’s visit to the Russian capital in July.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was particularly critical, saying he was “disappointed to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow”.

So, is Mr Modi visiting Kyiv to placate Mr Zelensky and other Western leaders?

Not entirely.

It’s not surprising to see India balance its relations between two competing nations or blocs. The country’s famed non-alignment approach to geopolitics has served it well for decades.

This week's visit - the first by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine - is more about signalling that while India will continue to have strong relations with Russia, it will still work closely with the West.

Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre think-tank in Washington, says the trip will further reassert India’s strategic autonomy.

“India isn’t in the business of placating Western powers, or anyone for that matter. It’s a trip meant to advance Indian interests, by reasserting friendship with Kyiv and conveying its concerns about the continuing war,” he says.

However, the timing of the visit does reflect that Indian diplomats have taken onboard the sharp reactions from the US to Mr Modi's Moscow visit.

India has refrained from directly criticising Russia over the war, much to the annoyance of Western powers.

Delhi, however, has often spoken about the importance of respecting territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations. It has continuously pushed for diplomacy and dialogue to end the war.

Mr Modi’s Moscow visit in July came hours after Russian bombing killed at least 41 people in Ukraine, including at a children's hospital in Kyiv, sparking a global outcry.

The Indian PM said the death of children was painful and terrifying but stopped short of blaming Russia.

Mr Modi is not likely to deviate from this stance during his visit to Kyiv. The US and other Western nations have grown to accept Delhi’s stand, given India’s time-tested relationship with Moscow and its reliance on Russian military equipment.

India, the world’s largest importer of arms, has diversified its defence import portfolio and also grown domestic manufacturing in recent years but it still buys more than 50% of its defence equipment from Russia.

India has also increased its oil imports from Russia, taking advantage of cheaper prices offered by Moscow - Russia was the top oil supplier to India last year.

The US and its allies have often implored India to take a clearer stand on the war but they have also refrained from applying harsh sanctions or pressure.

The West also sees India as a counterbalance to China and doesn’t want to upset that dynamic. India, now the fifth largest economy in the world, is also a growing market for business.

Mr Kugelman says the West will welcome the visit and see it as Delhi’s willingness to engage with all sides.

“Mr Modi has a strong incentive to signal that it’s not leaning so close to Moscow that there’s nothing to salvage with Kyiv,” he says.

This is important because India wants to keep growing its relations with the West, particularly with the US, and wouldn't want to upset the momentum. Eric Garcetti, the US ambassador to India, recently said the relationship should not be "taken for granted".

India also needs the West as China, its Asian rival, and Russia have forged close ties in recent years.

While Delhi has long viewed Moscow as a power that can put pressure on an assertive China when needed, it can't be taken for granted.

Meanwhile, many media commentators have spoken about the possibility of Mr Modi positioning himself as a peacemaker, given India’s close relations with both Moscow and the West.

But it’s unlikely that he will turn up with a peace plan.

“Is India really up to it, and are the conditions right? India doesn’t like other countries trying to mediate in its own issues, chief among them Kashmir. And I don’t think Mr Modi would formally offer mediation unless both Russia and Ukraine want it.

And at this point, I don’t think they do,” Mr Kugelman adds.

Ukraine, however, will still welcome Mr Modi’s visit and see it as an opportunity to engage with a close ally of Moscow, something it hasn’t done much since the war began.

Mr Zelensky, though, is unlikely to hold back his criticism of Mr Putin in front of the Indian PM. Mr Modi can live with that as he has faced such situations many times in other Western capitals.

Moscow is not likely to react to the visit as it has also been making concessions for Delhi’s multilateral approach to geopolitics.

But beyond reasserting its non-alignment policy, Delhi also has bigger goals from this visit.

India has been ramping up engagement with Europe in the past decade, particularly with the underserved regions in Central and Eastern Europe.

Delhi wants to keep consolidating its relations with the big four - the UK, Italy, Germany and France - but also wants to boost engagement with other countries in Europe.

Mr Modi is also visiting Poland on this trip - the first Indian PM to visit the country in 45 years. He also became the first Indian prime minister to visit Austria in 41 years in July.

Analysts say that this signals India’s growing understanding that Central European nations will play a bigger role in geopolitics in the future and strong relations with them will serve Delhi well.

The Indian government has also revived trade deal negotiations with Europe. It has signed a trade and investment deal with the European Free Trade Association, which is the intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

So, while there will be a lot of focus on the war during his visit, Indian diplomats are likely to stay focused on the bigger goal.

“Central and Eastern Europe now have greater agency in writing their own destiny and reshaping regional geopolitics.

Mr Modi’s visit to Warsaw and Kyiv is about recognising that momentous change at the heart of Europe and deepening bilateral political, economic and security ties with the Central European states,” foreign policy analyst C Raja Mohan wrote in the Indian Express newspaper, summing up Mr Modi’s wider goal.

www.bbc.com

Modi in Ukraine: Diplomatic tightrope for Indian PM as he visits Kyiv after Moscow

Modi is visiting Ukraine just weeks after his Russia trip. Is it a balancing act or is there something more?
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
The Bald Eagle said:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ukraine on Friday to boost ties with Kyiv, weeks after a trip to Moscow in which he rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war with its neighbour

Announcing the Aug. 23 trip, India's foreign ministry said it would be a "landmark and historic" visit, the first by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established over 30 years ago.

Indian analysts said the visit would aim to control damage from Modi's trip last month to Moscow, which coincided with a lethal strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv, embarrassing Modi and drawing criticism from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

New Delhi, however, said it has substantive and independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine and that the visit builds on continuing interactions between India and Ukraine.

"This is not a zero-sum game ... these are independent, broad ties," Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the Indian foreign ministry, told reporters.
"This is an important visit that is expected to catalyze our ties in a whole range of sectors," Lal said, listing economic and business links, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education, pharmaceuticals, defence and culture.

Lal said the conflict in Ukraine would also be discussed, and reiterated that New Delhi was willing to provide any support it can in pursuit of peace.

Source: Reuter
Click to expand...

PM Modi ji playing the role of the ultimate Shaantidoot
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukrainian forces have tried to attack the Kursk Nuclear Power Station in an overnight raid

The Russian leader did not offer evidence for the claim but said on Thursday that Moscow has informed the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), about the incident.

Ukraine has not responded to Russia’s allegations.

“The enemy tried to strike the nuclear power plant at night. The IAEA has been informed,” Putin said in a televised government meeting.

Putin made the claim as Ukrainian forces continued to fight inside Russia more than two weeks after launching an ambitious cross-border attack, which has become an embarrassing headache for Moscow.

While the strategic aims of Ukraine’s Kursk incursion remain uncertain, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said the attack is part of an effort to bring the war to an end on terms amenable to Ukraine.

During a visit to the northern Sumy region, where his forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s military had taken control of another Russian village and captured more prisoners of war.

The raids into Russian territory have also offered a much-needed boost for Ukrainian morale in the war, analysts said.

Russian and Ukrainian forces have fought about 30km (18 miles) from the Kursk nuclear plant, prompting a call for restraint on both sides from Rafael Grossi, the IAEA director general, on August 9.

Acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov told Putin the plant, home to four Soviet-era nuclear reactors, remains “stable”.

It is not the first time Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations of reckless attacks on nuclear plants since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian forces temporarily seized the abandoned Chornobyl power plant in northern Ukraine in 2022, a move that was criticised as “very, very dangerous” by the IAEA at the time.

Russian troops also control Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and have accused Ukraine of launching “dangerous” drone strikes in the area around Europe’s largest nuclear power station. Kyiv has denied the allegations as “fake”.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
The Bald Eagle said:
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukrainian forces have tried to attack the Kursk Nuclear Power Station in an overnight raid

The Russian leader did not offer evidence for the claim but said on Thursday that Moscow has informed the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), about the incident.

Ukraine has not responded to Russia’s allegations.

“The enemy tried to strike the nuclear power plant at night. The IAEA has been informed,” Putin said in a televised government meeting.

Putin made the claim as Ukrainian forces continued to fight inside Russia more than two weeks after launching an ambitious cross-border attack, which has become an embarrassing headache for Moscow.

While the strategic aims of Ukraine’s Kursk incursion remain uncertain, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said the attack is part of an effort to bring the war to an end on terms amenable to Ukraine.

During a visit to the northern Sumy region, where his forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s military had taken control of another Russian village and captured more prisoners of war.

The raids into Russian territory have also offered a much-needed boost for Ukrainian morale in the war, analysts said.

Russian and Ukrainian forces have fought about 30km (18 miles) from the Kursk nuclear plant, prompting a call for restraint on both sides from Rafael Grossi, the IAEA director general, on August 9.

Acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov told Putin the plant, home to four Soviet-era nuclear reactors, remains “stable”.

It is not the first time Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations of reckless attacks on nuclear plants since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian forces temporarily seized the abandoned Chornobyl power plant in northern Ukraine in 2022, a move that was criticised as “very, very dangerous” by the IAEA at the time.

Russian troops also control Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and have accused Ukraine of launching “dangerous” drone strikes in the area around Europe’s largest nuclear power station. Kyiv has denied the allegations as “fake”.

Source: Al Jazeera
Click to expand...

Attacking nuclear power station is a red line. No side should do something like this.
 

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy promotes top army commander amid Kursk incursion​


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has promoted his top army commander to a four-star general, his office said on Saturday, just weeks after Kyiv’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksander Syrskyi, 59, who had held the military rank of colonel general, was promoted to a general, the decree published on the presidential website said.

Ukraine launched an offensive into Russia’s Kursk region on Aug. 6. Kyiv has claimed control of more than 90 settlements and set up a military commandant office.

While the incursion into Kursk is an embarrassment for Russia, Moscow’s forces have inched forward in recent months against Ukrainian troops in the eastern Donetsk region.

Syrskyi, who was born in 1965 in Russia’s Vladimir region, has lived in Ukraine since the 1980s. He was appointed as Ukraine’s army chief in February.

 
Ukrainian forces advance further into Russia as it warns Belarus to withdraw troops from its border

Ukrainian forces have advanced further into Russia, according its President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The war-torn country’s leader used his evening address on Sunday to say troops had gone up to to three kilometres (1.86 miles) in Russia's Kursk region, taking control of two more settlements.

It came as Ukraine called on neighbouring Belarus to pull back what it described as significant levels of forces and equipment deployed at their common border.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry warned Belarus against making "tragic mistakes" while under pressure from Moscow.

A ministry statement urged the Belarus armed forces "to stop unfriendly actions" and withdraw their troops out of range of the border.

The ministry said Belarus special forces and former Wagner mercenary fighters were among the troops at the border.

Their equipment included tanks, artillery, air defence systems and engineering equipment, located in the Gomel region near Ukraine's northern border.

The statement said Ukraine "has never taken and is not going to take any unfriendly actions against the Belarusian people".


MSN
 

Pavel Durov has nothing to hide, Telegram says of arrested founder​


Pavel Durov has nothing to hide, Telegram says of arrested founder Pavel Durov. The Russian-born founder of Telegram, who was arrested in Paris, has nothing to hide, and it is absurd to hold an owner responsible for abuse of the messaging and social media platform, Telegram said in a statement.

Durov, a 39-year-old billionaire, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Saturday from Azerbaijan.

The arrest of the Telegram CEO prompted a warning from Moscow to Paris that he should be accorded his rights, and criticism from Elon Musk, who said that free speech in Europe was under attack.

Telegram, in a short statement, released after midnight Paris time, gave no details of the arrest but said the Dubai-based company abides by European Union laws and its moderation is "within industry standards and constantly improving."

"Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe," Telegram said. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform." "We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all."

Durov, who has dual French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, was arrested as part of a preliminary police investigation into allegedly allowing a wide range of crimes due to a lack of moderators on Telegram and a lack of cooperation with police.

A cybersecurity gendarmerie unit and France's national anti-fraud police unit are leading the investigation, which is being overseen by an investigative judge specializing in organized crime.

Telegram is an encrypted application with close to 1 billion users, particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine, and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It is ranked as one of the major social media platforms.

Durov, who was born in Soviet Leningrad and graduated from St Petersburg State University, lists his political views as "libertarian" and says he was inspired by Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs.

Durov, whose arrest led news bulletins in Russia, came up with the idea for an encrypted messaging app while facing pressure from Russian authorities. His younger brother, Nikolai, designed the encryption.

"I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone," Durov said in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company.

Russian lawmaker Maria Butina described Durov as "a political prisoner - a victim of a witch-hunt by the West."

 
Massive Russian strikes hit Ukraine for second day

Russia has targeted Ukraine with another wave of strikes, a day after one of its biggest air attacks of the war.

Air raid alerts were issued early on Tuesday, as Ukrainian monitors detected Russian aircraft launching hypersonic missiles. Mass drone attacks have also been reported.

Ukraine's air defence forces say the whole country is under threat of a ballistic weapon attack.

A statement from the Russian defence ministry said long-range air and sea-based precision weaponry had been used to strike power stations and related infrastructure across Ukraine, including in Kyiv, Lviv and the Kharkiv and Odesa regions.

At least six people died overnight Sunday to Monday and dozens were wounded as more than half of Ukraine's regions were attacked by drones and missiles.

Power infrastructure was hit causing blackouts in many cities, with water supplies also affected.

US President Joe Biden called the attacks "outrageous", saying Washington would continue to support Ukraine's energy grid.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned "Russia's cowardly missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure".

Three people are already known to have died in the latest round of attacks.

A civilian infrastructure building was hit in the eastern city of Kryvyi Rih late on Monday, killing two. Several people are missing.

And Zaporizhzhia regional administration head Ivan Fedorov said one man had been killed and a man and a woman injured in the city of Zaporizhzhia.

Local official Yevhen Sytnychenko reported the deaths, saying houses, shops and vehicles had been damaged in the incident.

Kryvyi Rih is the home city of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Explosions have also been reported in Kyiv, Sumy, Khmelnytsky and Mykolayiv regions.

Launches of several hypersonic Kinzhal (dagger) ballistic missiles, which are hard for air defences to intercept, have been detected.

The latest attacks are being seen as an attempt by Moscow to reassert its control over the conflict after Ukraine's recent gains of territory in Russia's Kursk region.

Russia has been targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure since early on in its full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022.

In recent months it has renewed its campaign of attacks on the power grid, causing frequent blackouts across the country.

On Monday, Mr Zelensky called on Western allies including the UK, the US and France to change their rules and let Ukraine use their weapons to strike deeper inside Russia.

Ukraine is allowed to use some Western weapons to hit targets inside Russia - but not long-range weapons.

Mr Zelensky said "we could do much more to protect lives" if European air forces worked with Ukraine's air defence.

BBC
 

Russia launches another wave of missiles and drones at Ukraine​

Russia has launched a barrage of missile and drone attacks targeting several Ukrainian regions and killing at least four people, a day after it carried out a “massive” attack on Ukraine’s power grid.

Two people were killed when a hotel was “wiped out” in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, regional officials said on Tuesday. Two more people died in drone attacks on the city of Zaporizhzhia, east of Kryvyi Rih.

The Kyiv region’s air defence systems were deployed several times overnight to repel missiles and drones targeting the capital, the regional military administration said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian air defences shot down about 15 drones and several missiles near the Ukrainian capital during Russia’s overnight attack, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Tuesday morning.

“Everything that flew to the capital of Ukraine was destroyed,” he said on Telegram.

Ukraine shot down five missiles and 60 drones launched by Russia during the overnight attack, the Ukrainian air force said on Tuesday.

Russia launched 91 projectiles, including 10 missiles and 81 Iranian-designed attack drones, from several regions, it said in a social media post.

Ukraine’s air force also said it recorded the launch of several clusters of drones and the takeoff from Russian airfields of Tu-85 strategic bombers and MiG-31 supersonic interceptor aircraft.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X, “We will undoubtedly respond to Russia for this and all other attacks. Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished.” He said 16 people were wounded in the strikes.

On Monday, Russia launched more than 200 missiles and drones, killing at least seven people and damaging energy infrastructure. US President Joe Biden condemned the attacks as “outrageous”.

“I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Russia’s continued war against Ukraine and its efforts to plunge the Ukrainian people into darkness,” he said in a statement.

“Let me be clear: Russia will never succeed in Ukraine, and the spirit of the Ukrainian people will never be broken.”


Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its strikes on Monday hit “all designated targets” in Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.

Zelenskyy, who held a news conference on Tuesday, said Ukraine planned to present a plan on how to end the war with Russia to Biden as well as Democratic and Republican presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

He said the war would eventually end through dialogue but Kyiv had to be in a powerful position at a summit that it hopes to convene this year to advance its vision of peace.


The military had recently carried out the first successful test of a domestically produced ballistic missile, Zelenskyy said.

“There has been a positive test of the first Ukrainian ballistic missile. I congratulate our defence industry on this. I can’t share any more details about this missile,” he said at the news conference in Kyiv.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
  • Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for more F-16 fighter jets and more training for pilots to fly them as he revealed the western warplanes were used to shoot down Russian missiles during the last two days’ heavy attacks on Ukraine.
  • Ukrainian drones set several oil tanks on fire at the Glubokinskaya oil depot in the Kamensky district of Russia’s Rostov region, several Russian Telegram channels monitored by Reuters reported on Wednesday. Rostov’s governor, Vasily Golubev, said several Ukraine-launched drones were destroyed over the region, which lies across the border from Ukraine’s Luhansk oblast. The Baza channel, which is close to Russia’s security services, said three tanks were burning after strikes by two drones.
  • The attack came while tanks were still on fire at another Rostov oil depot, in the Proletarsk district, 10 days after the depot was attacked, Russian Telegram channels report. Separately, Alexander Gusev, the governor of the Voronezh region that also borders Ukraine, said debris from a Ukrainian drone over the region sparked a fire “near explosive objects”. Gusev added that there was no detonation and the fire was extinguished after a temporary evacuation of residents. Russian officials regularly say damage was caused by debris from a drone that was shot down, rather than admitting that the drone hit its target
  • The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region – which borders Ukraine and partly Ukrainian-occupied Kursk – said he was aware of reports that the Ukrainian army had tried to cross the border. “According to the Russian defence ministry, the situation on the border remains difficult but under control,” he said on social media.
  • Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, said his forces had made fresh gains in Kursk and controlled 100 towns and villages across 1,294 sq km (almost 500 sq miles). He claimed Russian forces had redeployed about 30,000 troops because of the Kursk incursion, and that Ukraine had taken 594 PoWs there, write Luke Harding and Pjotr Sauer.
Source: The Guardian
 
A Russian missile hits the Ukrainian president’s home city as it mourns deaths in an earlier attack

A Russian missile slammed into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s home city on Wednesday, local authorities said, just as Kryvyi Rih was observing an official day of mourning for an attack the previous day that killed four civilians at a hotel.

The latest attack on the city struck civilian infrastructure, wounding eight people, local administration head Oleksandr Vilkul said on social media.

Tuesday’s attack, which also wounded five people, was part of a barrage of dozens of missiles and drones across Ukraine that Russia launched for a second consecutive day.

“When Kryvyi Rih is in mourning, the enemy attacks again. And it once again aims at civilians,” regional head Serhii Lysak said Wednesday.

Russia stepped up its aerial attacks on Ukraine on Monday, firing more than 100 missiles and a similar number of drones in its biggest onslaught in weeks.


apnews.com

A Russian missile hits the Ukrainian president's home city as it mourns deaths in an earlier attack

A Russian missile has slammed into Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s home city. It came as Kryvyi Rih was observing an official day of mourning for an attack the previous day that killed four civilians at a hotel.
apnews.com apnews.com
 
Ukraine's long-range drones using Western tech to hit Russia

Western technology and finance are helping Ukraine carry out hundreds of long-range strikes inside Russia.

That is despite Nato allies still refusing to give Ukraine permission to use Western-supplied munitions to do so – mostly because of fears of escalation.

Ukraine has been stepping up its long-range strikes inside Russia over the past few months, launching scores of drones simultaneously at strategic targets several times a week.

The targets include air force bases, oil and ammunition depots and command centres.

Ukrainian firms are now producing hundreds of armed one-way attack drones a month, at a fraction of the cost it takes to produce a similar drone in the West.

One company told the BBC it was already creating a disproportionate impact on Russia’s war economy at a relatively small expense.

The BBC has been briefed by a number of those involved in these missions. They include one of Ukraine’s largest one-way attack drone manufacturers, as well as a big data company which has helped develop software for Ukraine to carry out these strikes.

Francisco Serra-Martins says the strategy is already creating huge dilemmas for Moscow. He believes that with extra investment, it will turn the tide of the war in Ukraine’s favour.

Eighteen months ago, the company he co-founded, Terminal Autonomy, didn’t even exist. It is now producing more than a hundred AQ400 Scythe long-range drones a month, with a range of 750km (465 miles). The company also makes hundreds of shorter range AQ100 Bayonet drones a month, which can fly a few hundred kilometres.

The drones are made of wood and are being assembled in former furniture factories in Ukraine.

Mr Serra-Martins, a former Australian Army Royal Engineer, set up the company with his Ukrainian co-founder, backed by US finance. It is one of at least three companies now producing drones in Ukraine at scale.

He describes his drones as “basically flying furniture – we assemble it like Ikea”.

It takes about an hour to build the fuselage and half that time to put the brains inside it – the electronics, motor and explosives.

The company’s Bayonet drone costs a few thousand dollars. In contrast, a Russian air defence missile used to shoot it down can cost more than $1m.

Palantir, a large US data analysis company, was one of the first Western tech companies to aid Ukraine’s war effort. It started by providing software to improve the speed and accuracy of its artillery strikes. Now it has given Ukraine new tools to plan its long-range drone strikes.

British engineers from Palantir, working with Ukrainian counterparts, have designed a programme to generate and map the best ways to reach a target. Palantir makes clear it is not involved in the missions, but has helped train more than 1,000 Ukrainians how to use its software.

The BBC has been shown how it works in principle. Using streams of data, it can map Russia’s air defences, radar and electronic jammers. The end product looks similar to a topographical chart.

The tighter the contours, the heavier the air defences. The locations have already been identified by Ukraine using commercial satellite imagery and signals intelligence.

Louis Mosley of Palantir says the programme is helping Ukraine to skirt around Russia’s electronic warfare and air defence systems to reach their target.

“Understanding and visualising what that looks like across the entire battle space is really critical to optimising these missions,” he says.

The execution of the long-range drone strikes is being co-ordinated by Ukraine’s intelligence agencies, who work in secrecy. But the BBC has been told by other sources about some of the detail.

Scores of drones can be fired for any one mission – as many as 60 at one target.

The attacks are mostly carried out at night. Most will be shot down. As few as 10% may reach the target. Some drones are even shot down along the way by friendly fire - Ukraine’s own air defences.

Ukraine has had to work out ways to counter Russian electronic jamming. Terminal Autonomy’s Scythe drone uses visual positioning – navigating its course and examining the terrain by Artificial Intelligence. There is no pilot involved.

Palantir software will have already mapped the best routes. Mr Serra-Martins says flying a lot of drones is key to overwhelming and exhausting Russia’s air defences. So too is making the drones cheaper than the missiles trying to shoot them down, or the targets they are trying to hit.

Prof Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute says Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks are creating dilemmas for Moscow. Although Russia has a lot of air defences, it still cannot protect everything.

Prof Bronk says Ukraine’s long-range strikes are showing ordinary Russians that “the state can’t defend them fully and that Russia is vulnerable”.

Ukrainian drones have been spotted more than 1,000km (620 miles) inside Russia. They have been shot down over Moscow.

But the focus has been on military sites. The map below highlights just a handful of the dozen targets hit over the past few months. They include five Russian airbases.

Prof Justin Bronk says targeting Russian airbases has so far been the only effective way Ukraine has to respond to Russia’s glide bombs.

It has forced Russia to move aircraft to bases further away and reduce the frequency of their attacks. Satellite imagery shows how Ukrainian drones have successfully damaged hangars at its Marynovka airbase.

Ukraine clearly believes it could do even more with the help of Western-made long-range weapons. But so far, allies have rejected Kyiv’s pleas.

There is still a lingering fear, especially in Washington and Berlin, that it could drag the West further into the conflict. But that hasn’t stopped Western companies and finance from helping Ukraine.

Ukraine is still largely having to rely on its home-grown efforts, convinced that bringing the war to Russia is a key to winning this war.

Francisco Serra-Martins also believes Western manufacturers are still “woefully unprepared” to fight high-intensity warfare – producing far fewer long-range weapons at a much higher cost. He says what Ukraine really needs now “is a lot of good enough systems”.

The BBC has talked to one Ukrainian company which is already developing a new cruise missile, at least 10 times cheaper than a British-made Storm Shadow missile.

Despite the West’s misgivings, Ukraine is planning to step up its attacks on Russia. Mr Serra-Martins says: “What you’re seeing now is like nothing compared to what you’ll see by the end of the year."

BBC
 
Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet destroyed in crash

A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet was destroyed in a crash on Monday, a US defence official has said.

According to the official, the cause has not yet been deteremined - pilot error or mechanical failure.

It comes after Russia staged a missile and drone attack on Ukraine on Monday.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that F-16 jets were used to repel the attack on Monday and showed good results.

He had announced earlier this month that Ukraine had started flying F-16s for operations within the country, confirming the long-awaited arrival of the US-made fighter jets which Ukraine has been pushing for since the start of the war.

Source: Sky News
 
This was is definitely reaching a darker part now and the world at large must persuade both nations for a diplomatic solution otherwise i have no doubt Kremlin will at some point resort to nukes.
 
Volodymyr Zelenskyy sacks Ukrainian air force commander after F-16 crash

Ukraine's air force commander has been dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after an F-16 crash earlier this week, that an MP claimed was "friendly fire".

Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy Mes was killed while defending Ukraine's skies from a huge Russian aerial attack at the start of the week.

Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla claimed the jet was hit in an act of friendly fire by a US Patriot missile.

In response, air force commander Mykola Oleschuk said her words were a "tool to discredit the top military leadership".

But the air force did not directly deny that the F-16 was hit by a Patriot missile.

Now, Mr Zelenskyy has dismissed Lt. Gen. Oleshchuk and US experts are aiding the investigation into the crash.

The order was published on the presidential website.


news.sky.com

Volodymyr Zelenskyy sacks Ukrainian air force commander after F-16 crash

While Kyiv says it has taken more territory in its Kursk incursion, Russian state media is reporting that Moscow's ongoing operations in eastern Ukraine are continuing towards key strategic settlements.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
Updates on Russia-Ukraine war
  • Five people have been killed and 46 injured in a Ukrainian attack on the southwestern Russian city of Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, adding that 37 people, including seven children, were taken to hospital.
  • A Russian attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Friday has killed at least six people, including a 14-year-old girl, and wounded dozens of others, according to Ukrainian officials.
  • Russia hit Ukraine with more than 400 missiles and drones this week, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
  • Zelenskyy has fired the commander of the country’s air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, four days after an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from its Western partners crashed during a Russian bombardment and killed the pilot. Anatolii Kryvonozhko was appointed the acting air force commander.
  • The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskii, said his soldiers had advanced up to 2km (1.2 miles) in Russia’s Kursk region in the past day, in their continuing cross-border incursion that they launched about three weeks ago.
Source: Al Jazeera
 
Russia pushes on key Ukraine city while Kyiv's Kursk incursion slows

Russia has made sweeping advances in recent days that threaten to outweigh the gains made by Ukraine in its cross-border attack into the Kursk region.

Russian forces are just a few kilometres from the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a crucial logistics hub used by the Ukrainian military.

Home to a key railway station and major roads, Pokrovsk is an essential supply and reinforcement point for Ukraine’s troops on the eastern front line.

Critics in Kyiv fear that the country's military has made a serious miscalculation.

By sending troops into Kursk instead of reinforcing the eastern frontline, the military has left Pokrovsk and other important Ukrainian towns exposed, these critics say.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On a visit to the front line, Ukraine's armed forces chief Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russia was throwing “everything that can move” into its assault.

“The situation is extremely difficult,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded on Wednesday.

“If we lose Pokrovsk,” military expert Mykhaylo Zhyrokhov warned, “the entire front line will crumble."

Why Pokrovsk matters

Pokrovsk is next to another town, Myrnohrad. Together, the two settlements had a pre-war population of over 100,000, most of whom have now fled. They are the last major cities in that part of the Donetsk region that remain under Ukrainian control.

The battle for Pokrovsk is really a continuation of the battle for Avdiivka, which Ukraine lost in February after months of bloody fighting.

Avdiivka, which is about 40km (25 miles) south-east of Pokrovsk, was seen as a fortress that protected the settlements and roads to its west - helping to bolster Ukraine’s presence along the entire frontline.

When it finally fell, Avdiivka was left in ruins. It was a serious loss for Ukraine.

It meant that Russia could move its focus to Pokrovsk and the key hilltop town of Chasiv Yar, which overlooks some of the important cities in Donetsk still under Ukrainian control. Intense fighting there on Saturday left five people dead.

For weeks now a mass evacuation of Ukrainian civilians from Pokrovsk has been under way, with thousands said to have left already.

Gen Syrskyi said he was working “to strengthen the defence of our troops in the most difficult areas of the front, to provide the brigades with a sufficient amount of ammunition and other material and technical means”.

How Russia's advance gathered speed

Russia has long held Pokrovsk as one of its key objectives. For months its forces have slowly ground towards it.

Experts believe Moscow has deployed around one third of its Central Army Group, or about 30,000 troops, to the offensive - as well as its most battle-ready reserves.

This week, it took the Ukrainian town of Novohrodivka, infuriating some in Ukraine who felt it should have been better defended.

“The trenches in front of Novohrodivka were empty. There was practically no Ukrainian army in the once 20,000-strong city,” Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla wrote on Facebook.

With its forces undermanned and outnumbered, it is believed the Ukrainian military withdrew from Novohrodivka to strengthen its defence of Pokrovsk.

"The Ukrainian command likely deemed the defence of Novohrodivka not worth the potential losses," said the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Elsewhere, Russian forces have launched assaults on the town of Selidove, just south of Novohrodivka, and other areas of the Donetsk region nearby.

The Russian offensive has been helped by a shift in tactics, which are increasingly mirroring those used earlier in the war by the Wagner mercenary group.

Ukrainian forces report coming up against wave after wave of Russian infantry sent forwards in an attempt to storm their positions.

Some have dubbed these tactics "meat assaults".

The tactics - though costly - quickly exhaust Ukrainian units forced to fend off constant attacks.

Armoured vehicles are used sparingly - complicating the task of Ukrainian tanks and artillery, which have little to aim at on the battlefield.

Russia has also been using powerful glide bombs, forcing Ukraine to disperse its units when shelling begins and sometimes even withdraw troops from the front line.

The state of Ukraine’s Kursk offensive

Meanwhile, the progress of Ukraine’s landmark cross-border offensive has slowed considerably in the past week.

Sudzha - the largest settlement Ukraine has captured inside Russia - has a population of around 5,000, which is three times less than that of Novohrodivka, the settlement Russia captured earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s commander in chief said that Kyiv's forces had taken 1,294 sq km (500 sq miles) of territory inside Kursk, including 100 settlements - and captured 594 Russian soldiers in the process.

These figures should be treated with caution, but they are no doubt significant. The question is whether they will justify the potential losses on Ukraine's eastern frontline.

"One of the objectives of the offensive operation in the Kursk direction was to divert significant enemy forces from other directions, primarily from the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions,” Gen Syrskyi said on Tuesday.

But that objective appears to have failed. Russian forces have not been redeployed from the Pokrovsk frontline.

On the contrary they’ve been strengthened by additional troops and their advance has quickened.

BBC
 
Fires at Russian energy plants after Ukraine drone attacks

Ukraine has launched a wave of overnight drone attacks on Russia, causing fires at two Russian energy facilities.

According to Russia’s defence ministry, more than 158 Ukrainian drones targeted 15 regions of the country, including the capital Moscow.

The Russian military claimed that these drones were intercepted and destroyed.

But as a result of the attack a fire has broken out at an oil refinery in Moscow in a “separate technical room”, the city's mayor said.

Sergei Sobyanin reported that at least 11 drones targeted the capital city and the surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, 75 miles (120km) from the Russian capital, in the Tver region, loud blasts were heard close to the Konakovo Power Station.

Russian media are reporting a fire at the facility.

The region's governor, Igor Rudenya, acknowledged a fire caused by an attack in Konakovsky district had been contained, without providing details of what was hit.

Local officials also said drones attempted to attack the Kashira Power Plant in the Moscow region - but that there were no fires, damage or casualties as a result.

Ukraine has not commented on the claims.

But Ukrainian forces have been stepping up long-range strikes inside Russia over the past few months, launching scores of drones simultaneously at strategic targets several times a week.

BBC News has been told that Western technology and finance are helping them carry out hundreds of long-range strikes inside Russia.

In Ukraine, a 23-year-old lorry driver was killed after a Russian air strike on a grain convoy in the Sumy region overnight, local officials have said.

Prosecutors said four others were injured in the attack after one lorry caught fire and around 20 others were damaged.

Ukraine's air force also said it had destroyed eight out of 11 drones used by Russia, adding that grain and agriculture facilities had been targeted in the Mykolaiv region as well.

Sumy borders Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine has been carrying out a military incursion for nearly a month.

Progress has slowed in recent days, but Ukraine claimed last week it controlled 1,294 sq km (500 sq miles) of territory - including 100 settlements. It also said nearly 600 Russian soldiers had been captured.

Meanwhile, Russian forces are continuing to advance rapidly on a key town in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region - which has been the focus of Moscow's ground offensive for months.

Pokrovsk plays a crucial role as a logistics hub for Ukrainian forces, as it is home to a key railway station and is located at the intersection of several important roads.

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi described the situation in the area of Russia's main attack as "difficult", but added that all necessary decisions are "being made without delay".

The most recent Ukrainian attacks on Russia's energy facilities also come a day after a Russian guided bomb strike on a playground in Kharkiv killed a 14-year-old girl.

A similar attack on a residential building in the city in north-eastern Ukraine also killed six other people.

It also follows Russia hitting Ukraine's energy grid with a massive wave of deadly drone and missile strikes last week – which led to at least nine people being killed over two days.

Russia began targeting Ukraine's energy system with air strikes shortly after it began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

BBC
 
Russia says it will change nuclear doctrine because of Western role in Ukraine

Russia will make changes to its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons in response to what it regards as Western escalation in the war in Ukraine, state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Sunday.

The existing nuclear doctrine, set out in a decree by President Vladimir Putin in 2020, says Russia may use nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state.

Some hawks among Russia's military analysts have urged Putin to lower the threshold for nuclear use in order to "sober up" Russia's enemies in the West.

Putin said in June that the nuclear doctrine was a "living instrument" that could change, depending on world events. Ryabkov's comments on Sunday were the clearest statement yet that changes would indeed be made.

"The work is at an advanced stage, and there is a clear intent to make corrections," state news agency TASS cited Ryabkov as saying.


Reuters
 
Ukraine launched one of its biggest-ever drone attacks on Russia over the weekend, hitting a refinery and power station deep inside the country, according to videos posted on social media and geolocated by CNN

The short videos show plumes of smoke rising from targets in Moscow and the neighboring Tver region.

The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged the size of the Ukrainian attack, but downplayed its effectiveness, saying Sunday that 158 Ukrainian UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) “were destroyed and intercepted by on-duty air defense” overnight in 15 regions, including over the capital.


Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said two drones were shot down in the area of the Moscow Oil Refinery. No casualties were reported, but the second downed drone damaged a technical building at the refinery and caused a fire, which the mayor said had been localized and did not affect the plant’s operation.

The Tver region’s governor, Igor Rudenya, said on social media that a fire caused by the drone attack on the Konakovo district has been extinguished and that gas and electricity services to the area were operating normally.

The Ukrainian drone strikes follow others in the past week, including one last Thursday that set fire to oil reservoirs at a refinery in the Rostov region of Russia, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

Social media video geolocated by CNN showed a large cloud of black smoke billowing from the Atlas oil depot in Rostov following the strike.

The recent wave of Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory began last month, when Kyiv’s troops launched a cross-border incursion into the Kursk region on August 6.

Just on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that “people are going through tough ordeals, especially in the Kursk region,” as Ukrainian forces attempt to “destabilize the situation along the border.” But the attack has not stifled Russia’s offensive in the eastern Donbas region, added Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the Kursk offensive is going “according to plan,” but admitted “difficulty” in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Pokrovsk and Toretsk.

Source: CNN
 
Ukraine says soldiers among 51 killed in Poltava missile attack

At least 51 people have been killed and 271 others injured in a Russian missile strike on the city of Poltava, in central Ukraine.

A military academy and a nearby hospital were hit. Ukraine's land forces confirmed that military personnel were killed in the attack.

People did not have enough time to get to bomb shelters after the air raid alarm sounded, Ukraine's ministry of defence said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky promised that what he called "Russian scum" would pay for the attack, and repeated calls for more air defences so that Ukraine could protect itself by carrying out its own long-range missile attacks. Moscow has not commented on the attack.

People nearby told us their windows were blown out by the force of the impact.


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Ukraine says soldiers among 51 killed in Poltava missile attack

President Zelensky says two Russian missiles struck a military training institute.
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Seven dead in Lviv in fresh wave of strikes on Ukraine

Seven people, three of them children, have been killed in Ukraine's western city of Lviv, according to the mayor, during a fresh wave of Russian attacks.

The strike came as Ukraine was still reeling from the deaths of at least 50 people at a military institute in the central city of Poltava on Tuesday.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy said Russia had attacked with drones and hypersonic missiles early on Wednesday. Among those killed were a baby, a 14-year-old girl and a woman working as a midwife in the city, officials said.

Explosions were also heard over the capital Kyiv as air defences targeted Russian missiles. Meanwhile, five people were reportedly injured after flats were hit in the city of Kryvyy Rih.

The Ukrainian military said the whole country has been placed under an air alert.

Mr Sadovy said a number of residential buildings were on fire, with two schools to remain shut on Wednesday as a result of the attacks.

Rescue workers are continuing to search through the rubble of a military institute in Poltava for survivors of Tuesday's attack.

People did not have enough time to get to bomb shelters after the air raid alarm sounded, Ukraine's ministry of defence said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky promised that what he called "Russian scum" would pay for the attack, and repeated calls for more air defences so that Ukraine could protect itself by carrying out its own long-range missile attacks.

Western Lviv has largely been spared the worst of the fighting over the two and a half years of war, but last week, Russian strikes targeted its energy infrastructure causing outages, according to officials.

Moscow has not commented on the latest attack.

Mr Zelensky is due to meet the Irish premier on Wednesday as Ireland prepares to announce new funding for Ukraine's war effort.

The Taoiseach will also announce €43m (£36 million) in aid to Ukraine, comprising a new allocation of €3m (£30 million) to partner organisations through its development body Irish Aid.

The Irish Government said the package will provide essential humanitarian assistance, support rehabilitation and eventual reconstruction, and contribute to Ukraine's longer-term goals.

BBC
 

Lavrov warns US not to mock Russia's 'red lines'​


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, responding to a question about the potential delivery of long-range U.S. missiles to Ukraine, warned the United States on Wednesday not to joke about Russia's "red lines".

Lavrov said the U.S. was losing sight of the sense of mutual deterrence that had underpinned the balance of security between Moscow and Washington since the Cold War, and that this was dangerous.

He was commenting on a Reuters report that the U.S. is close to an agreement to supply Ukraine with long-range JASSM cruise missiles that could reach deep inside Russia - for which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been lobbying.

"I won't be surprised by anything - the Americans have already crossed the threshold they set for themselves. They are being egged on, and Zelenskiy of course sees this and takes advantage of it," Lavrov told a Russian TV interviewer.

"But they should understand - they are joking about our red lines here. They shouldn't joke about our red lines."

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned the West since launching what he called his "special military operation" in Ukraine in 2022 not to try to thwart Russia, which has the world's biggest arsenal of nuclear weapons.

But Washington and its allies have increased military aid to Ukraine, including by providing tanks, advanced missiles and F-16 fighter jets.

That has prompted some Western politicians to suggest Putin's nuclear rhetoric is a bluff and that the U.S. and NATO should go all-out to help Ukraine win the war. Zelenskiy has said Ukraine's incursion into Russia, launched on Aug. 6, makes a mockery of Putin's red lines.

Lavrov said Washington knew where these limits lay but was wrong if it believed the consequences of any escalation of the war in Ukraine would be suffered mainly by Europe.

"They have a genetic conviction that no one will touch them," Lavrov said. This, he said, undermined all the principles that had underpinned strategic stability with Washington since Soviet times.

"This feeling of mutual deterrence - for some reason they are starting to lose it. This is dangerous," he said.

Lavrov alluded to remarks by White House national security adviser John Kirby, who said in June that President Joe Biden had repeatedly said Washington was not looking for "World War Three, opens new tab".

Kirby said a major escalation of the Ukraine war could have "disastrous consequences, potentially, across the European continent" and would not be good for U.S. interests.

It was the second time in just over a week that Lavrov has cautioned the U.S. that a third world war would not be confined to Europe.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday Russia was making changes to its nuclear doctrine because Washington and its allies were threatening Russia by escalating the war in Ukraine and riding roughshod over what it called Moscow's legitimate security interests.

It has not said how it plans to update the policy document setting out the circumstances in which it might use a nuclear weapon, or when the changes will take effect.

 

Putin says Russia ready for talks with Ukraine​


Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was ready for talks with Ukraine, after having previously rebuffed the idea of negotiations while Kyiv’s offensive into the Kursk region was ongoing.

Ukraine launched an unprecedented cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August, sending thousands of troops across the border and seizing several villages. Putin said shortly after there could be no talk of negotiations.

Speaking at a question and answer session at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in the city of Vladivostok, Putin said Russia was ready for talks but on the basis of an aborted deal between Moscow’s and Kyiv’s negotiators reached in Istanbul in 2022, the terms of which were never made public.

“Are we ready to negotiate with them? We have never refused to do so, but not on the basis of some ephemeral demands, but on the basis of those documents that were agreed and actually initialed in Istanbul,” Putin said.

China, India and Brazil could act as mediators in potential peace talks over Ukraine.

The Kremlin has repeatedly claimed Russia and Ukraine were on the verge of a deal in the spring of 2022, shortly after Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine.

“We managed to reach an agreement, that is the whole point. The signature of the head of the Ukrainian delegation who initialed this document testifies to this, which means that the Ukrainian side was generally satisfied with the agreements reached,” Putin said.

“It did not come into force only because they were given a command not to do so, because the elites of the United States, Europe — some European countries — wanted to achieve a strategic defeat of Russia,” Putin added.

www.arabnews.pk

Putin says Russia ready for talks with Ukraine

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was ready for talks with Ukraine, after having previously rebuffed the idea of negotiations while Kyiv’s offensive into the Kursk region was ongoing. Ukraine launched an unprecedented cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in...
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Kyiv names new foreign minister in cabinet revamp​


Ukraine's parliament has approved Andrii Sybiha, a 49-year-old former diplomat and ex-adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, as the country's new foreign minister.

It comes as Mr Zelensky carries out his biggest government reshuffle since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, with a number of appointments expected over the course of Thursday.

The shake-up has been expected for months, with much of the president's cabinet left holding office in an acting capacity after a spate of resignations and dismissals.

But critics have accused the president of seeking to centralise power around his office, with several of the new ministers having once served as his advisers.

Mr Sybiha will replace Dmytro Kuleba at the foreign ministry, but his appointment is not expected to alter policy significantly. President Zelensky and his office have broadly overseen international relations from the presidential palace.

The ex-ambassador is seen by some as being closer to Andriy Yermak, the increasingly powerful presidential chief of staff. Mr Yermak was said to have clashed with Mr Kuleba.

Another key adviser to the president, Oleksiy Kuleba, has been appointed as deputy prime minister in charge of reconstruction, regions and infrastructure. He previously served as deputy head of the presidential office.

Other changes include the promotion of 38-year-old Olha Stefanyshyna. She has been reappointed as deputy prime minister in charge of European integration, while also being handed the justice portfolio.

Analysts say the move represents Ukraine's desire to move forward with its bid for EU membership. She told MPs on Wednesday that "hundreds and thousands" of legal changes are needed before Kyiv can become a member of the bloc.

Meanwhile, Herman Smetanin, 32, has been appointed strategic industries minister in charge of domestic arms production, a key position as Kyiv's forces face intense Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, while continuing their incursion into Russia's Kursk border province.

In a meeting with his Servant of the People Party on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky reportedly told lawmakers that the changes to his cabinet were intended to increase efficiency and re-energise his government.

Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, MP Inna Sovsun echoed his claims, saying that the reshuffle was "the best way to bring in new people, new ideas into the government".

But Dmytro Razumkov, a former ally of Mr Zelensky's turned opposition MP, said the new changes would have little impact on decision-making, claiming in a Telegram post on Thursday that the "Cabinet of Ministers has not influenced anything for a long time".

Another opposition MP, Iryna Gerashchenko, accused Mr Zelensky of "breaking parliamentary tradition" by not being present at votes to approve his new ministers.

She said that the nomination of key posts, such as that of foreign minister, were a "presidential prerogative", adding that "always the presidents represented their candidates".

Parliament also approved new ministers of the environment, culture and telecommunications, veterans affairs and youth and sport.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal welcomed the new appointments, acknowledging that they faced "difficult tasks," but insisted that "their experience and skills will help in the implementation of our state's strategic goals".

In the opening months of the war, President Zelensky largely kept senior political and military figures in place. In May last year, he fired defence minister Oleksii Reznikov after a series of corruption scandals, then sacked Kyiv's top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi earlier this year.

Meanwhile, a recent crackdown on corruption has seen some ministers, including agriculture chief Mykola Solskyi, detained by security services.

Under martial law, Mr Zelensky boasts considerable executive powers. With elections suspended while the war continues, and the Servant of the People Party maintaining a parliamentary majority, there is a limited check on his government, some experts say.

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Ukraine names new foreign minister as Zelensky overhauls cabinet

Parliament approves several new ministers, but some MPs accuse President Zelensky of centralising power.
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UK to send hundreds more missiles to Ukraine

The UK will send an additional 650 short-range missiles to Ukraine to help in its fight against invading Russian forces.

The new package of aid comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made another impassioned plea for further support from allies at a defence summit at the Ramstein air base in Germany.

Mr Zelensky told reporters that more military aid was needed to "drive Russian forces off our land", especially in the country's eastern Donetsk region.

Also joining the summit is UK Defence Secretary John Healey, who will be announcing the £162 million package which includes the supply of further Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LLM).

Mr Healey said ahead of the summit that the new UK package would give an "important boost" to Ukraine's air defences and showed the government was "stepping up" its support.

But Prof Michael Clark, the former director-general of the defence and security think tank Royal United Services Institute, has told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the supply will likely be "exhausted within a couple of months".

He said Ukraine needed "more of everything at the moment" given the intensity of Russian advances and bombardments.

In July, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer committed to sending £3bn a year to Ukraine for as long as needed.

Since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022, the UK has committed a total of £12.7bn including £7.6bn in military support.

Mr Zelensky arrived in Ramstein on Friday morning, just days after a Russian missile attack on the city of Poltava in central Ukraine killed at least 51 people.

In his appeal to international allies, he said: "It’s important that every support package that is announced is promptly put to work on the battlefield without any delay.

"The fighting in the Donetsk region depends on this - if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not have any achievements here, he will not have any achievements anywhere."

The United States, Kyiv's largest backer, has also announced it will provide a further $250m (£189.9m) in military aid to Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky also called on Western allies to authorise the use of long-range missiles to attack targets within Russia, saying it was the only way to bring about an end to the war.

In a direct appeal, he said: "Now we hear that your long range policy has not changed. We think it is wrong that there are such steps. We need to have this long-range capability not only on the occupied territory of Ukraine but also on the Russian territory."

The UK previously said Ukraine had a "clear right" to use British-provided weapons for "self defence" which "does not preclude operations inside Russia", following Kyiv's surprise cross-border incursion last month.

However, this excludes the use of long-range Storm Shadow missiles in territory outside Ukraine's internationally-recognised borders.

BBC
 

Ukraine says Russia launched 67 drones in overnight attack​


Ukraine's air force said on Saturday Russia launched a total of 67 long-range Shahed drones in a mass overnight attack, 58 of which it was able to shoot down.

The air force said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that air defence units were scrambled into action in 11 regions across Ukraine.

Drone debris was found next to the parliament building in the capital Kyiv, the legislature said in a separate statement it posted on its official Telegram page along with several photographs.

It is rare for a Russian missile or drone to get so far into central Kyiv, as the city is protected by a network of Soviet-era and Western-donated air defence systems.

The hilltop government quarter in the city centre is perhaps the best-defended site in Ukraine, as it also houses the offices of the president, cabinet and the central bank.

The pictures on Telegram showed at least four pieces of debris scattered on the ground near the parliament building. One piece lay at the foot of the steps to the building's main entrance, while another hunk of metal looked riddled with shrapnel.

Since the start of its invasion in February 2022, Moscow has launched thousands of missiles and Shahed drones into Ukraine.

The Iranian-designed drone has been used by Russia since September 2022 as a cheap, more expendable alternative to missiles, which are expensive and harder to manufacture.

The propeller-powered Shahed flies at less than 200 km per hour (125 miles per hour) but can be tricky for conventional air defence systems to track because it flies low and emits far less heat than a missile.

Kyiv's air force said the drones were launched from two border regions in Russia as well as from the Russian-occupied peninsula of Crimea.

 
Russia takes Ukrainian town in advance on Pokrovsk

Russia said on Sunday its forces had taken full control of a town in eastern Ukraine as Moscow's forces advance on the strategically important city of Pokrovsk and seek to pierce the Ukrainian defensive front lines.

Russian forces, which control about a fifth of Ukraine since invading in February 2022, are advancing in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to take the whole of the Donbas, which is about half the size of the U.S. state of Ohio.

Russia's defence ministry said its forces had taken the town of Novohrodivka, which lies 12 km (7 miles) from Pokrovsk, an important rail and road hub for Ukrainian forces in the area. The town had a population of 14,000 before the war.

Yuri Podolyaka, an influential Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, published maps showing Russian forces attacking beyond Novohrodivka in at least two places less than 7 km (4 miles) from Pokrovsk.


 
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Inside Pokrovsk, the vital Ukrainian town in Russia's sights​


Fleeing the town she has lived in most of her life, Maria Honcharenko is taking just one small bag, and her two tiny kittens.

After stubbornly staying on in the east Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, the 69-year-old is now heeding advice and preparing to leave.

“My heart stops when I hear a bang,” she tells me, crying. She’s holding an old push-button phone where emergency contacts are saved.

The front line is less than 8km (4.9 miles) from Pokrovsk. Serhiy Dobryak, the head of the city’s military administration, says that Russians target the city not just with ballistic missiles and multiple rocket launchers - they also now strike with guided bombs and even artillery, as the city is now within the range of those weapons too.

“Look what Russians did to us. I worked here for 30 years and now I am leaving everything behind,” she says, breaking down in tears.

Volunteers help Ms Honcharenko to get on an evacuation bus. Trains no longer run here.

Pokrovsk is a key transportation hub. If it falls, then Russian forces will cut off one of the main supply routes in the region. This will likely force Ukraine to retreat from Chasiv Yar and the front line will move closer to Kramatorsk.

For Ukraine, this would effectively mean the loss of almost the entire Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has fought to capture since the beginning of their invasion.

The Ukrainian military admits that its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region failed to force Moscow to divert its troops from eastern Ukraine.

And some observers argue that this move, which certainly helped to boost morale among the soldiers, left the strategic supply route vulnerable to Russian attacks.

On Sunday, Russia claimed to have taken control of the village of Novohrodivka, just 10km from Pokrovsk. Kyiv has not commented but sources told the BBC that Ukrainian forces have retreated from there.

The space on the evacuation bus quickly fills up. A woman with a five-year old daughter climbs on board.

This is their second evacuation. The first time it was in 2022 when they fled from a border town after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This city is clearly Moscow’s top priority. According to Serhiy Dobryak, the head of Pokrovsk’s military administration, the ratio of forces fighting in that direction is 10 to one in Russia’s favour.

During its latest attack, Russia hit a substation in Pokrovsk, leaving half the city without power. The strikes also disrupted water supplies.

The city is quickly becoming deserted. Just two months ago, 48,000 people were still living here. Today half of them have already left.

The bustling downtown with shops and supermarkets is eerily quiet. Banks, supermarkets and most cafes are closed. The hospital has been evacuated.

Outside the city, excavators are digging new trenches in the fields.

However, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief says that the army has managed to stop the Russian advancement towards Pokrovsk.

Lt Col Oleh Dehtyarenko, a battalion commander of the 110th brigade, told the BBC that the front line on the northern flank of Russia’s assault on Pokrovsk had indeed been stabilised. However, Russian attacks are mostly focused on the southern flank, he says, where heavy battles are continuing.

One of the areas on that flank that Russians are trying to seize is Selidove, a small town south-east of Pokrovsk.

The BBC visited an artillery position of the 15th Brigade of the National Guard that defend this town. Relentless Russian attacks give them no respite.

“Prepare for action!” the unit commander Dmytro orders after receiving coordinates of a new target.

All crew members rush to an old American M-101 howitzer. This type of gun was used in World War Two. Now Ukrainians fire it to stop Russian attacks.

The commander shouts “Fire!” and pulls the rope. The explosion is deafening. The gun is covered with smoke.

The fighting in his sector is very intense, says 31-year-old Dmytro.

“The enemy attacks in groups of up to 15 people, sometimes up to 60,” he said. “We fire up to 200 rounds a day [to repel them].”

This is a big change to last winter when big guns stayed silent for most of the day.

But the more they shell the Russian positions, the greater the risk of return fire. So, after each series of rounds, they head to a dugout to wait out Russia’s counter barrage.

And when they hear a loud thud in the distance, they go quiet. “A glide bomb,” one of the soldiers mutters. It’s this weapon that they fear the most. It has a devastating effect and the gunners have nowhere to hide from it.

Dmytro gives an evasive answer when asked whether it would be more useful to use Ukrainian forces involved in the Kursk operation to defend the Donbas region instead. “Commanders have a better view to make strategic decisions,” he said.

The front line here can move quickly. Sometimes it can be a total surprise for Ukrainian forces.

Last month, a group of seven soldiers of the 68th Brigade started their shift at the forward position in the village of Komyshivka, 15km west of Selidove. Their task was to stop any attempts of Russian forces to break through. The next day, however, they were encircled by the Russian forces.

Thanks to extremely brave drivers and the negligence of Russian soldiers, they were evacuated three days later.

Back in Pokrovsk, the evacuation bus with Ms Honcharenko on board is full. They have to take a new route as the bridge on the way out of town is damaged by the Russian strikes. As the bus starts moving, people wave through the windows and wipe their tears away.

For Maria Honcharenko, this is a scary journey full of uncertainties. But she knows one thing – it will be safer in her new home than remaining at the front line.

www.bbc.com

Ukraine war: Russian invaders close in on Pokrovsk

If invading Russians seize this vital transport hub, Ukraine could lose the entire Donetsk region.
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One killed in Ukraine drone attacks on Russia

Russian officials say they shot down 144 Ukrainian drones around the country overnight in a wave of attacks that have killed one woman, set residential buildings on fire and grounded flights in Moscow.

The governor of Moscow, Andrei Vorobyov, said several flats in two high-rise apartment buildings in Ramenskoye in Moscow region were set on fire.

Mr Vorobyov said a 46-year-old woman died and three people were injured in Ramenskoye, while 43 people were evacuated to temporary accommodation centres.

Ukraine has so far not commented on the attacks.

Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that of the 144 drones that its air defences intercepted, half were in the western border region of Bryansk, 20 were in Moscow and 14 were over the Kursk region.

State media reported that the strikes shut down four airports in Moscow and more than 30 domestic and international flights that serve the Russian capital were suspended.

Russia's aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, confirmed on Telegram on Tuesday morning that three of the airports - Domodedovo, Zhukovsky and Vnukovo - had resumed operations.

The Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram that its air defences downed 38 out of 46 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia.

They were shot down over a number of regions and cities including Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, Sumy, Kharkiv and Poltova.

The air force added that Russia also launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and a Kh-31 air-to-surface missile.

Ukraine and Russia regularly launch overnight drone raids on each other's territory.

The latest wave of drone strikes comes as Moscow claims gains in eastern Ukraine.

On Sunday, Russia said it had taken control of the village of Novohrodivka, just 10km from the key town of Pokrovsk. Kyiv has not commented, but sources told the BBC that Ukrainian forces had retreated from there.

So far this month, Russia has launched a wave of deadly strikes on Lviv, Poltava and Kharkiv.

Russia's response to Ukraine has hardened after Kyiv launched its offensive into the country's Kursk region last month.

BBC
 
Biden hints at ending Ukraine long-range weapons restrictions

President Joe Biden has hinted at Washington lifting restrictions on Ukraine using US long-range missiles against Russia.

If granted, it would fulfil repeated requests by Ukraine to loosen the limits on US-supplied weapons, which officials have said has left them fighting against Russia's full-scale invasion with their hands tied.

Russia is yet to comment but President Vladimir Putin has previously said such action could lead to "very serious problems".

Biden's remarks come after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Iran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.

Asked by reporters if the US would lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons on Tuesday, President Biden said his administration was "working that out now".

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US has been reluctant to supply or sanction the use of weapons that could strike targets deep inside Russia for fear it would escalate the conflict.

It has however loosened some of the restraints on such missile use, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike areas along Russia's border where troops are firing from.

Kyiv's other allies have also been supplying some long-range weapons - with restrictions on how and when they can be used inside Russia, out of concern such strikes could prompt retaliation that draws Nato countries into the war or provokes a nuclear conflict.

In recent months Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised the pace of weapons deliveries, and asked for authorisation to strike targets deep inside Russia with Western-supplied missiles - a move the US has thus far resisted.

Russia's leader Putin also warned earlier this year that attacks by Ukraine on Russia with Western missiles risked triggering a wider war.

“Constant escalation can lead to serious consequences,” he said in May. "Do they want a global conflict?”

He added responsibility for any strikes inside Russia's territory would lie with Western arms suppliers, even if Ukraine's forces carried out the strikes.

Separately on Tuesday, the US, UK, France and Germany imposed fresh sanctions on Iran for supplying Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.

Measures included restrictions on national carrier Iran Air's ability to fly to the UK and Europe - as well as travel bans and asset freezes on a number of Iranians accused of facilitating military support for Russia.

Visiting London, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russians had been trained by Iranian forces to use short-range ballistic missiles and that they could be deployed against Ukrainians within weeks.

The missiles are likely to boost Russia's arsenal, enabling it to hit Ukrainian cities close to Russia's borders or areas it already controls at the same time as it deploys its longer-range missiles deeper into Ukrainian territory.

Iran has repeatedly denied supplying such self-guided weapons to Russia.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy described Iran's move as "a significant and dangerous escalation”.

Blinken and Lammy are travelling to Kyiv together on Wednesday, where they will meet President Zelensky.

Blinken said one of their goals ahead of the visit was to "hear directly from the Ukrainian leadership" about their "objectives and what we can do to support those needs".

BBC
 
Kyiv presses allies to end limits on long-range missile use

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy have arrived in Kyiv on a joint visit as Ukraine continues to press for the right to use US and British long-range missiles against Russia.

The two men travelled together to the Ukrainian capital after talks in London. They are due to meet President Volodymr Zelensky, who has repeatedly called on Washington to loosen the limits on US-supplied weapons.

Blinken said one of their goals was to "hear directly from the Ukrainian leadership" about their "objectives and what we can do to support those needs".

Earlier, US President Joe Biden said his administration was "working" on whether to lift the restrictions.

The policy will come under further scrutiny when UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meets Biden at the White House on Friday.

Ukraine's Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, thanked Lammy for the UK’s military support for Ukraine throughout the war.

But he added: “We hope that long-range equipment for strikes on the territory of our enemy will be reached and we will have it and we hope for your help and support in this issue.”

At the moment, the US and UK have not given Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia for fear of escalation.

The UK has given Ukraine Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 250km (155 miles). So far, they have been used only against Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory.

But Ukrainian leaders say they need the missiles to target air bases used by Russian warplanes to launch devastating glide bombs against Ukraine. These weapons are often launched from deep inside Russian territory.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond "appropriately" if the US were to allow Ukrainian missile strikes on its territory.

Asked by reporters on Tuesday if the US would lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons, President Biden said his administration was "working that out now".

Earlier this year, the US loosened some of the restraints, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike areas along Russia's border where troops are firing from.

Kyiv's other allies have also been supplying some long-range weapons - with restrictions on how and when they can be used inside Russia, out of concern such strikes could prompt retaliation that draws Nato countries into the war or provokes a nuclear conflict.

During a visit to the UK before travelling to Kyiv, Blinken accused Iran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, saying they could be deployed against Ukrainians within weeks. Lammy described Iran's move as "a significant and dangerous escalation”.

The missiles are likely to boost Russia's arsenal, enabling it to hit Ukrainian cities close to Russia's borders or areas it already controls at the same time as it deploys its longer-range missiles deeper into Ukrainian territory.

Iran has repeatedly denied supplying such self-guided weapons to Russia.

Separately on Tuesday, the US, UK, France and Germany imposed fresh sanctions on Iran for supplying Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.

Measures included restrictions on national carrier Iran Air's ability to fly to the UK and Europe - as well as travel bans and asset freezes on a number of Iranians accused of facilitating military support for Russia.

BBC
 

Iranian missiles to Russia change Ukraine debate - Lammy​


The delivery of Iranian missiles to Russia has changed the debate about Ukraine using Western-provided long-range missiles against targets inside Russia, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has told the BBC on a visit to Kyiv.

Lammy travelled to the Ukrainian capital with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after talks in London.

They met President Volodymr Zelensky, who has repeatedly called for allies to loosen limits on the use of Western-supplied weapons.

The US and UK have not given Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia for fear of escalation.

At a news conference in Kyiv on Wednesday, Blinken said US President Joe Biden would likely discuss the use of long-range missiles with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the White House on Friday.

Asked about the risk of escalation, the US secretary of state added: "We've now seen this action of Russia acquiring ballistic missiles from Iran, which will further empower their aggression in Ukraine. So if anyone is taking escalatory action, it would appear to be Mr Putin and Russia."

Lammy would not be drawn into whether the US and UK would be allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles, but said: "I am not prepared to give Putin the advantage."

Biden has said his administration is considering lifting the restrictions, but no decision has yet been made public.

On Wednesday, Zelensky said Kyiv's victory in the war against Russia "depends mostly on the support of the United States".

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said steps towards lifting long-range missile restrictions "are important in the context of reports of a possible transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia by Iran".

"We must act boldly," he added.

In an interview with the BBC, Lammy said Iran providing Russia with ballistic missiles "clearly changes the debate" as they would allow Moscow's forces "to have further penetration into Ukraine".

"That is very dangerous," Lammy said, adding: "As we see the Russians working with their partners, we see this transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, it is important that we do more to support Ukraine to win in their efforts."

On Wednesday, Lammy said the UK would provide £600m ($780m) in aid to Ukraine to support the country's "humanitarian, energy and stabilisation needs". Blinken announced a further $700m in assistance to Ukraine, including funding for the energy sector and demining.

The new aid came after the US, UK, France and Germany imposed further sanctions on Iran for supplying Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine. The UK government summoned Iran's top diplomat over the accusations.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal thanked Lammy for the UK’s military support for Ukraine throughout the war.

But he added: “We hope that long-range equipment for strikes on the territory of our enemy will be reached and we will have it and we hope for your help and support in this issue.”

Asked by reporters on Tuesday if the US would lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons, President Biden said his administration was "working that out now".

Earlier this year, the US loosened some of the restraints, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike areas along Russia's border where troops are firing from.

Kyiv's other allies have also been supplying some long-range weapons - with restrictions on how and when they can be used inside Russia, out of concern such strikes could prompt retaliation that draws Nato countries into the war or provokes a nuclear conflict.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond "appropriately" if the US were to allow Ukrainian missile strikes on its territory.

During a visit to the UK before travelling to Kyiv, Blinken accused Iran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, saying they could be deployed against Ukrainians within weeks. Lammy described Iran's move as "a significant and dangerous escalation”.

The missiles are likely to boost Russia's arsenal, enabling it to hit Ukrainian cities close to Russia's borders or areas it already controls at the same time as it deploys its longer-range missiles deeper into Ukrainian territory.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied his country was supplying missiles to Russia, accusing Western countries of "acting on faulty intelligence and flawed logic".

The UK has given Ukraine Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 250km (155 miles). So far, they have been used only against Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory.

But Ukrainian leaders say they need the missiles to target air bases used by Russian warplanes to launch devastating glide bombs against Ukraine. These weapons are often launched from deep inside Russian territory.

Source: BBC
 
Putin says West will be fighting directly with Russia if it lets Kyiv use long-range missiles

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading with Kyiv's allies for months to let Ukraine fire Western missiles including long-range U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadows deep into Russian territory to limit Moscow's ability to launch attacks.

In some of his most hawkish comments on the subject yet, Putin said such a move would drag the countries supplying Kyiv with long-range missiles directly into the war since satellite targeting data and the actual programming of the missiles' flight paths would have to be done by NATO military personnel because Kyiv did not have the capabilities itself.

"So this is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of deciding whether or not NATO countries are directly involved in a military conflict," Putin told Russian state TV.

"If this decision is taken, it will mean nothing less than the direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine. This will be their direct participation, and this, of course, will significantly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict."

Russia would be forced to take what Putin called "appropriate decisions" based on the new threats.


 
Putin draws new red line on long-range missiles

The headline in this morning’s Kommersant newspaper captured the drama.

“Vladimir Putin draws his red line.”

Will the West cross it? And, if it does, how will Russia respond?

Speaking in St Petersburg, President Putin sent a clear warning to the West: don’t allow Ukraine to use your long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.

Moscow, he said, would view that as the “direct participation” of Nato countries in the war in Ukraine.

“It would substantially change the very essence, the nature of the conflict,” the Kremlin leader continued.

“This will mean that Nato countries, the USA and European states, are fighting with Russia.”

He claimed that, for missile launches into Russia, Ukraine would require data from Western satellites and that only servicemen from Nato member states would be able to “input flight missions into these missile systems”.

Russia has drawn red lines before. And seen them crossed before.

On 24 February 2022, when he announced the start of his "special military operation" – the full-scale invasion of Ukraine – President Putin issued a warning to “those who may be tempted to interfere from the outside”.

“No matter who tries to stand in our way or create threats for our country and our people, they must know that Russia will respond immediately,” the Kremlin leader had declared.

“And the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your entire history.”

Western leaders ignored what was widely interpreted at the time as nuclear sabre-rattling. The West has since provided Ukraine with tanks, advanced missile systems and, most recently, F-16 American fighter jets.

This year Russia has already accused Ukraine of using American long-range ATACMS missiles to target Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia.

What’s more, over the last two years, Russian officials and the state media here have on many occasions accused the West of “fighting Russia” or launching “a war” on Russia. Even though it was Russia that invaded Ukraine.

But from the tone of President Putin’s latest remarks, it’s clear he considers that the targeting of internationally recognised Russian territory with Western missile systems would take the conflict to a new level.

What he didn’t make clear yesterday is how Moscow would respond.

“We will take corresponding decisions based on the threats to us that will be created,” Vladimir Putin said.

On Friday, Russia withdrew the accreditation of six British diplomats, accusing them of “subversive activities” and threatening Russia’s security.

But Putin’s potential response is much broader. He offered some clues back in June.

At a meeting with the heads of international news agencies, he was asked: how would Russia react if Ukraine was given the opportunity to hit targets on Russian territory with weapons supplied by Europe?

“First, we will, of course, improve our air defence systems. We will be destroying their missiles,” President Putin replied.

“Second, we believe that if someone is thinking it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to strike our territory and create problems for us, why can’t we supply our weapons of the same class to those regions around the world where they will target sensitive facilities of the countries that are doing this to Russia?”

In other words, arming Western adversaries to strike Western targets abroad is something that Moscow has been considering.

Earlier this month, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, announced that Russia was set to revise its nuclear doctrine: the document that lays out under what circumstances Moscow may consider using nuclear weapons.

He suggested that the decision to revise the doctrine was “connected with the escalation course of [Russia’s] Western adversaries”.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer is in Washington for talks with President Biden. Among the issues the two leaders are expected to discuss is the question of Ukraine and long-range missiles.

“Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine,” Sir Keir said on his way to Washington. “Russia can end this conflict straight away.”

Western leaders will need to decide which they consider greater: the risk of escalation of this conflict, or the need to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of western missiles.

BBC
 
No new pledge on Ukraine missiles after Starmer-Biden talks

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer did not signal any decision on allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to hit targets inside Russia after talks with US President Joe Biden in Washington.

When asked if he had persuaded Biden to allow Ukraine to fire long-range Storm Shadow missiles into Russia, Sir Keir said they had had "a long and productive discussion on a number of fronts, including Ukraine, as you would expect, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific".

The White House said they also expressed "deep concern about Iran and North Korea's provision of lethal weapons to Russia".

Earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western nations not to let Ukraine fire long-range missiles at Russia.

Putin said such a move would represent Nato's "direct participation" in the Ukraine war.

Addressing reporters ahead of his meeting with Sir Keir at the White House, Biden said: "I don't think much about Vladimir Putin".

To date, the US and UK have not given Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia, for fear of escalation.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on Kyiv's Western allies to authorise such use, saying it is the only way to bring about an end to the war.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian cities and front lines have been under daily bombardment from Russia.

Many of the missiles and glide bombs that hit Ukraine's military positions, blocks of flats, energy facilities and hospitals are launched by Russian aircraft deep inside Russia.

Kyiv says not being allowed to hit the bases from which these attacks are launched hinders its self-defence capability.

The UK previously said Ukraine had a "clear right" to use British-provided weapons for "self-defence" which "does not preclude operations inside Russia", following Kyiv's surprise cross-border incursion last month.

However, this excludes the use of long-range Storm Shadow missiles in territory outside Ukraine's internationally recognised borders.

The US provided long-range missiles to Ukraine earlier this year, but like Kyiv's other Western allies these have not been authorised for use on targets deep inside Russia.

Asked if he was intimidated by Putin's threats of a potential war with Nato, Sir Keir said "the quickest way to resolve" the war in Ukraine "lies through what Putin actually does".

Sir Keir said the White House meeting with Biden was an opportunity to discuss the strategy in relation to Ukraine, "not just a particular step or tactic".

The pair also discussed the situation in the Middle East, where the Israel-Gaza war has been raging for nearly a year, and "other areas across the world", Sir Keir added.

He told reporters they would get another opportunity to discuss these issues at the United Nations General Assembly next week.

In a separate briefing on Friday, ahead of the two leaders' meeting, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Washington was not planning any change in the limits it has placed on Ukraine's use of US-made weapons to hit Russian territory.

Earlier on Friday, Moscow expelled six British diplomats, revoking their accreditation and accusing them of spying.

The country's security service, the FSB, said in a statement it had received documents indicating Britain's involvement in inflicting "a strategic defeat" on Russia. The accusations were dismissed by the UK Foreign Office as "completely baseless".

In an interview with the BBC, UK defence analyst Justin Crump said Putin was testing the new Labour government and the outgoing Biden administration.

"Ultimately Russia already supplies weapons to the UK's adversaries, and is already engaged in 'active measures' such as subversion, espionage, sabotage, and information/cyber operations against Nato members' interests.

"This may all accelerate, but picking a fight against all of Nato is not something Russia can afford given how hard they're struggling against just Ukraine," Mr Crump added.

Also on Friday, the US announced new sanctions against the Russian media channel RT, accusing it of being a "de facto arm of Russia's intelligence apparatus".

The top US diplomat, Antony Blinken, told reporters RT is part of a network of Russian-backed media outlets, which have sought to covertly "undermine democracy in the United States".

In response to US allegations that RT had sought to influence elections, RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan - who was sanctioned by the US last week - said they were excellent teachers, adding that many RT staff had studied in the US, and with US funding.

Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said there should be a "new profession" in the US, of specialist in sanctions imposed on Russia.

BBC
 
Ukraine missile request under discussion – Lammy

he foreign secretary has insisted no single weapon can win a war, as he said the UK was still discussing with allies whether to allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles into Russia.

David Lammy told the BBC it was important that countries supporting Ukraine had "a shared strategy to win".

Ukraine already has supplies of long-range missiles from the UK, the United States and France but at the moment it is only allowed to fire them at targets within its own borders.

President Zelensky has been pleading for months for these restrictions to be lifted so Ukraine can use them against targets inside Russia.

There have been strong indications that the US and UK are poised to change their position.

However, no confirmation came after talks between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday.

Pressed over whether the delay in lifting restrictions on the use of long-range missiles was emboldening Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Lammy told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: "No war is won with any one weapon."

He refused to confirm whether the UK and its allies were planning to allow missiles to be used against targets in Russia.

But he added: "This is under careful discussion with the Ukrainians, as we assess what they need as they head into the winter."

Lammy said the UK and other allies would be meeting President Zelensky at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in less than 12 days' times and suggested the issue would be discussed then.

Gen Sir John McColl, former deputy supreme allied commander Europe of Nato, said he believed Ukraine would eventually be allowed to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia.

But he told the programme Ukraine’s allies needed to be "firm" and "not signal this kind of dither and dilemma".

"At the end of the weekend President Putin will be encouraged and emboldened and President Zelensky will be disappointed," he said.

However, Sir John said the missiles would have only "a limited effect" on the war as a whole.

A number of former Conservative defence secretaries, including Ben Wallace, have urged the PM to lift restrictions.

On Saturday, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the delays and wrangling over the decision were only benefitting President Putin.

Earlier this week President Putin warned Western nations against allowing Ukraine to fire long-range missiles into Russia, saying this would represent "direct participation" by Nato in the war.

Ukraine’s allies have been reluctant to do anything which could drag them into direct conflict with Moscow.

Lammy accused the Russian president of "throwing dust up into the air" by making such threats.

"There’s a lot of bluster – that’s his modus operandi," he said.

"We cannot be blown off course by an imperialist fascist."

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian cities and front lines have been under regular bombardment.

Many of these missiles are launched by aircraft deep inside Russia and Kyiv says not being allowed to hit the bases from which these attacks are launched hinders its ability to defend itself.

On Sunday, President Zelensky posted a fresh plea on social media, writing: "This week, the Russians have launched around 30 missiles of various types, more than 800 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 300 strike drones against Ukraine.

"Ukraine needs strong support from our partners to defend lives against Russian terror - air defence, long-range capabilities, support for our warriors. Everything that will help force Russia to end this war."

BBC
 
Russia region orders evacuation after Ukraine drone attack

A partial evacuation has been ordered in Russia's Tver region after a "massive" Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire there, the local governor has said.

Igor Rudenya said emergencies services in the town of Toropets were trying to "localise" the blaze caused by falling drone wreckage. He did not say whether there were any casualties.

Meanwhile, unverified footage has emerged purportedly showing a massive blast in the town, amid unconfirmed reports that a weapons depot was hit overnight.

Toropets lies about 380km (236 miles) north-west of Russia's capital Moscow, and some 470km north of the border with Ukraine.

On Wednesday morning, Toropets authorities said buses had already been prepared for the evacuation.

They also claimed that the situation was "under control" in the town of about 13,000 residents.

The authorities did not say how many people were being evacuated.

Meanwhile, Russia's state media reported that regional schools and kindergartens would be closed on Wednesday.

Overnight attacks were also reported in Russia's western Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol and Smolensk regions.

Local officials said nearly 50 drones and two missiles were shot down.

Ukraine has not commented on the reported attacks.

Overnight, Ukrainian air defences were engaged against oncoming Russian drones near the capital Kyiv, city military administration head Serhiy Popko said.

There were also reports of blasts in Ukraine's north-eastern city of Sumy, near the Russian border.

It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.

The claims by both Russian and Ukrainian officials have not been independently verified.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

BBC
 

Ukraine drone attack in Russia sparks fire​

Thirteen people have been injured in Russia's Tver region after a large Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire there, according to the Russian health ministry.

Unverified footage has emerged purportedly showing a massive blast in the town of Toropets. Video footage circulating on social media showed detonations and smoke covering a large stretch of sky.

A partial evacuation of the region was ordered after the strike in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The regional governor later encouraged residents to return, saying that all infrastructure in the town was working normally again.

AFP and Reuters news agencies have quoted Ukrainian sources as saying a major ammunitions depot had been struck.

The military site reportedly housed fuel tanks, as well as artillery shells, ballistic missiles, and explosives, in a series of warehouses. These are all weapons that have been used in Russia’s relentless full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This latest attack by Ukraine is the kind it has been wanting to carry out with missiles supplied by its western allies. However, in the absence of approval from the US and UK, it has once again hit Russian targets with drones it has made itself.

The target this time, though, is significant. A military arsenal, worth almost £30m ($39m), has seemingly gone up in a series of explosions. Nasa reported a series of heat sources from satellite imagery.

A light-magnitude earthquake was even reported in the surrounding Tver region.

The head of Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, said on Telegram that in addition to its own ammunition, including Grad rockets, Russia had also started to store North Korean missiles in Toropets.
None of these claims have been verified by the BBC.

Without naming any specific targets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his video address late on Wednesday: "There is a significant outcome from last night on the territory of Russia, and this is the type of action that weakens the enemy.
"I thank all those involved. Such inspiring precision."

Toropets lies about 380km (236 miles) north-west of Russia's capital Moscow, and some 470km north of the border with Ukraine.

Source: BBC
 
Volunteers dying as Russia’s war dead tops 70,000

More than 70,000 people fighting in Russia’s military have now died in Ukraine, according to data analysed by the BBC.

And for the first time, volunteers - civilians who joined the armed forces after the start of the war - now make up the highest number of people killed on the battlefield since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Every day, the names of those killed in Ukraine, their obituaries and photographs from their funerals are published across Russia in the media and on social networks.

BBC Russian and the independent website Mediazona have collated these names, along with names from other open sources, including official reports.

We checked that the information had been shared by authorities or relatives of the deceased - and that they had been identified as dying in the war.

New graves in cemeteries have also helped provide the names of soldiers killed in Ukraine - these are usually marked by flags and wreaths sent by the defence ministry.

We have identified the names of 70,112 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine, but the actual number is believed to be considerably higher. Some families do not share details of their relatives’ deaths publicly - and our analysis does not include names we were unable to check, or the deaths of militia in Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

Among them, 13,781 were volunteers - about 20% - and fatalities among volunteers now exceed other categories. Former prisoners, who joined up in return for pardons for their crimes, were previously the highest but they now account for 19% of all confirmed deaths. Mobilised soldiers - citizens called up to fight - account for 13%.

Since October last year, weekly fatalities of volunteers have not dipped below 100 - and, in some weeks, we have recorded more than 310 volunteer deaths.

As for Ukraine - it rarely comments on the scale of its deaths on the battlefield. In February, its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed, but estimates based on US intelligence suggest greater losses.

The story of Rinat Khusniyarov is typical of many of the volunteer soldiers who died. He was from Ufa in Bashkortostan and had been working two jobs to make ends meet - at a tram depot and a plywood factory. He was 62 years old when he signed his contract with the Russian army in November last year.

He survived less than three months of fighting and was killed on 27 February. His obituary, in a local online memorial website, simply called him “a hardworking, decent man”.

According to the data we analysed, most of the men signing up come from small towns in parts of Russia where stable, well-paid work is hard to find.

Most appear to have joined up willingly, although some in the republic of Chechnya have told human rights activists and lawyers of coercion and threats.

Some of the volunteers have said they did not understand the contracts they were signing had no end date, and have since approached pro-Kremlin journalists to, unsuccessfully, ask them for help ending their service.

Salaries in the military can be five to seven times higher than average wages in less affluent parts of the country, plus soldiers get social benefits, including free childcare and tax breaks. One-off payments for people who sign up have also repeatedly risen in value in many parts of Russia.

Most of the volunteers dying at the front are aged between 42 and 50. They number 4,100 men in our list of more than 13,000 volunteers. The oldest volunteer killed was 71 years old - a total of 250 volunteers above the age of 60 have died in the war.

Soldiers have told the BBC that rising casualties among volunteers are, in part, down to their deployment to the most operationally challenging areas on the front line, notably in the Donetsk region in the east, where they form the backbone of reinforcements for depleted units, Russian soldiers told the BBC.

Russia’s “meat grinder” strategy continues unabated, according to Russian soldiers we have spoken to. The term has been used to describe the way Moscow sends waves of soldiers forward relentlessly to try to wear down Ukrainian forces and expose their locations to Russian artillery. Drone footage shared online shows Russian forces attacking Ukrainian positions with little or no equipment or support from artillery or military vehicles.

Sometimes, hundreds of men have been killed on a single day. In recent weeks, the Russian military have made desperate, but unsuccessful, attempts to seize the eastern Ukrainian towns of Chasiv Yar and Pokrovsk with such tactics.

An official study by the primary military medical directorate of the Russian defence ministry says that 39% of soldiers’ deaths are a result of limb injuries and that mortality rates would be significantly improved if first aid and subsequent medical care were better.

The Russian government’s actions suggests it is keen to avoid forcing people to fight through a new, official wave of mobilisation - instead, it is ramping up calls for service volunteers, along with the incentives to do so.

Remarks by regional officials in local parliaments suggest they have been tasked from the top with trying to recruit people from their local districts. They advertise on job vacancy websites, contact men who have debt and bailiff problems, and conduct recruitment campaigns in higher education establishments.

Since 2022, convicted prisoners have also been encouraged to join up in return for their release, but now a new policy means people facing criminal prosecution can accept a deal to go to war instead of facing trial in court. In return, their cases are frozen and potentially dropped altogether.

A small number of the volunteers killed have been from other countries. We have identified the names of 272 such men, many of whom were from Central Asia - 47 from Uzbekistan, 51 from Tajikistan, and 26 from Kyrgyzstan.

Last year saw reports of Russia recruiting people in Cuba, Iraq, Yemen and Serbia. Foreigners already living in Russia without valid work permits or visas, who agree to “work for the state”, are promised they will not be deported and are offered a simplified route to citizenship if they survive the war. Many have later complained that they did not understand the paperwork - as with Russian citizens, they have turned to the media for help.

The governments of India and Nepal have called on Moscow to stop sending their citizens to Ukraine and repatriate the bodies of the dead. So far, the calls have not been acted upon.

Many new recruits who have joined the military have criticised the training they have received. A man who signed a contract with the Russian army in November last year told the BBC he had been promised two weeks of training at a shooting range before deployment to the front.

"In reality, people were just thrown out onto the parade ground, and dished out some gear,” he said, adding the equipment was poorly made.

“We were loaded on to trains, then trucks, and sent to the front. About half of us were thrown into battle straight from the road. As a result, some people went from the recruitment office to the front line in just a week,” he said.

Samuel Cranny-Evans, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in the UK says: “Basic understanding of things like camouflage and concealment or how to move quietly at night, how to move without creating a profile for yourself during the day,” should be taught as basic infantry skills.

Another soldier also told the BBC that equipment is a problem, saying it “varies, but most often it's some random set of uniforms, standard boots that wear out within a day, and a kit bag with a label showing it was made in the mid-20th Century”.

“A random bulletproof vest and a cheap helmet. It's impossible to fight in this. If you want to survive, you have to buy your own equipment.”

BBC
 
Ukraine joins NATO drill to test anti-drone systems

NATO concluded a major anti-drone exercise this week, with Ukraine taking part for the first time as the Western alliance seeks to learn urgently from the rapid development and widespread use of unmanned systems in the war there.

The drills at a Dutch military base, involving more than 20 countries and some 50 companies, tested cutting-edge systems to detect and counter drones and assessed how they work together.

The 11-day exercise ended with a demonstration of jamming and hacking drones in a week when their critical role in the Ukraine war was demonstrated once again.

On Wednesday, a large Ukrainian drone attack triggered an earthquake-sized blast at a major Russian arsenal. The following day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ramping up drone production tenfold to nearly 1.4 million this year.


 
Ukraine has accused Russia of flouting maritime law by trying to put the Kerch Strait under its sole control

The warring nations faced off at an international court in the Netherlands on Monday to fight over the strategic waterway that lies between mainland Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and 31 months of fighting since saw the pair firing legal broadsides at one other at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague.

“Russia wants to take the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait for itself,” Ukraine’s representative Anton Korynevych told arbitrators at the opening of hearings.

“Ukraine is here to prove Russia’s many violations of the laws of the sea and to demonstrate that Russia is not free to rewrite the laws of the sea,” he added.

Kyiv started proceedings at the court in 2016 after Moscow began building the 19km (12-mile) Crimea Bridge, linking its mainland to the peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine two years earlier.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Russia plans to maintain defence spending at historic high next year - report

Russia plans to maintain defence spending at an historic high in 2025, Bloomberg News reports, suggesting that the Kremlin intend to continue its invasion of Ukraine for the foreseeable future.

The Kremlin is increasing up the spending as its forces slowly advance in eastern Ukraine. The Russian government has raised personal and corporate taxes to plug holes in the budget.

Here is an excerpt of the Bloomberg article, which you can read in full here if you have a subscription:

Draft three-year budget proposals seen by Bloomberg News show the government intends to increase defense spending to 13.2tn rubles ($142bn) in 2025 from 10.4tn rubles projected for this year, putting it at 6.2% of gross domestic product.

Military expenditure is planned to decline to 5.6% of GDP in 2026 and 5.1% in 2027, according to Bloomberg calculations based on the draft data.

Spending on national defense and domestic security is projected to consume around 40% of Russia’s total budget disbursement in 2025 as Putin continues to shift the economy to a war footing with the invasion of Ukraine already deep into its third year.

That’s greater than the combined allocation for education, health care, social policies and the national economy, according to the budget draft that’s likely to be submitted to Russia’s parliament soon.

Source: The Guardian
 
War with Russia closer to end than we think - Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the war with Russia could end sooner than some people think.

"I think that we are closer to peace than we think," he told US broadcaster ABC News.

He added that Ukraine could push Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict, but only if Kyiv was coming from a "strong position" - once again calling on his Western allies to strengthen the Ukrainian army.

The Ukrainian president is in the US this week to speak at the United Nations General Assembly and to present what he has called a "victory plan" to his Western allies, including US President Joe Biden.

In a statement ahead of the visit, Zelensky said the plan included further weapons donations, diplomatic efforts to force Russia to agree to peace, and holding Moscow accountable for its full-scale invasion in 2022.

In his interview with ABC News, Zelensky said his victory plan was not about negotiating with Russia, but rather it was "a bridge to a diplomatic way out, to stop the war".

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was being cautious about media reports of a Ukrainian plan and added that the conflict would only end when Russia's aims were achieved.

Zelensky has for some time been asking Western countries to allow Ukraine to ease restrictions on the use of long-range missiles which could be used to strike deep into Russia. He is expected to do so again this week as he visits the US.

On Sunday, Biden said he had not yet decided whether to give Ukraine the green light. Zelensky said the US would need to lead the decision: "Everybody's looking up to [Biden], and we need this to defend ourselves," he told ABC.

Zelensky will speak at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and is also due to meet US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

The president of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, told the New York Times that Ukraine would have to be "realistic" about its prospects of recovering the areas in the east of the country which Russia has managed to gain over the last 31 months of war.

He added that the most likely outcome of the war was that a part of Ukrainian territory would remain under Russian occupation for a number of years.

A defeat of either Ukraine or Russia "will simply not happen", Pavel told the Times, adding that the end of the conflict would be "somewhere in between".

Zelensky's US trip comes as Ukraine continues to come under sustained attack by Russia.

An incursion by Ukrainian troops into Russia's Kursk region in August failed to ease the pressure put by Moscow on eastern Ukraine.

Several regions continue to see daily casualties and widespread damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure. There are concerns Russia could seize more key towns in the east of the country.

In a daytime attack on Tuesday, Russia hit a high-rise apartment block in Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv.

At least three people died and 15 were injured in the attack, which local authorities said was carried out with glide bombs.

Three killed in Russian strike on Kharkiv apartments

On Monday night, an attack on the eastern Ukrainian town of Poltava damaged infrastructure, while in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia one person died and six others were wounded following "massive air strikes".

Russian troops have made serious advances in the east and are closing in on Vuhledar - a city on the southern part of the Donbas front line that the Russians have been trying to seize since the beginning of their full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian military expert and retired colonel Kostyantyn Mashovets warned his fellow Ukrainians they had to be "psychologically prepared" for the loss of Selydove, Toretsk and Vuhledar in the eastern region of Donbas.

"I would love to be wrong," he wrote on Facebook.

"But from the information I have... this is a very likely scenario of events in the near future."



BBC
 
Zelensky looks to Biden to back Ukraine 'victory plan'

As Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to reveal a “victory plan” to President Joe Biden on Thursday, Kyiv is looking to the US leader for a strong show of support before he leaves the White House.

A senior official in Kyiv said they wanted him to “make history” in his final months in office.

While details of the Ukrainian plan have been kept under wraps, the strategy is likely to contain pleas for further military and financial support, plus future security guarantees.

Zelensky says it is designed to be a “bridge” towards stopping the war, which he believes could end sooner than people think.

If the West strengthens Ukraine’s position, he believes Russia’s Vladimir Putin could be pushed into a diplomatic peace.

Ever sharp at public relations, Ukraine’s president is also aiming to take on critics in the US who have questioned the wisdom of pouring further money into Ukraine’s cause – by promoting an apparent blueprint for eventual peace.

Zelensky is throwing a huge diplomatic effort behind his victory plan.

He is almost camped out at the United Nations. He spoke on Monday at a debate about how the UN should be reformed. He addressed the Security Council on Tuesday. And he is giving a speech to the General Assembly on Wednesday.

In between, he is meeting world leaders and US politicians. He visited an ammunition factory in Scranton, Joe Biden’s hometown in Pennsylvania, one that is making shells for Ukrainian artillery batteries.

And he is explicit that he considers time is short. In one of his many media interviews, Zelensky told the New Yorker that the victory plan had to be agreed - and Ukraine strengthened - in October, November and December.

“This plan is designed, first and foremost, with Biden’s support in mind,” he told the magazine. That support is by no means guaranteed but Zelensky is staking much on securing it.

That is because the situation will change significantly if Donald Trump were to win the election. At a campaign rally on Monday, the former president mocked Zelensky as “the greatest salesman in history” because “every time he comes into this country, he walks away with $60bn”.

Trump restated his position that he would urge Russia and Ukraine to agree a deal to end the war, one that Kyiv fears would force them to accept territorial losses and no guarantee against further Russian aggression.

It is the fear of such a scenario that is pushing the diplomatic drive behind Zelensky’s victory plan this week. Some diplomats are sceptical the plan would succeed in nudging Russia towards a negotiating table. Much depends now on Biden’s response.

Congressional lawmakers will be handed the plan as will Trump and his presidential rival Kamala Harris.

Trump has claimed he would end the war within 24 hours, leading to fears the Republican nominee would essentially force Kyiv into making territorial concessions against its will.

As the US elections loom, it’s a crucial moment for Zelensky as Moscow’s troops continue to press gains, inch by inch, in Ukraine’s east.

A top priority in the so-called victory plan will be to “hit Russia strongly”, believes one military analyst - Mykhailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitics Research Network.

Giving Kyiv the ability to destroy military infrastructure within a 300km range could seriously hamper the Kremlin’s offensive operations in the Donbas and its ability to “neutralise” Ukraine’s ongoing incursion in Russia’s Kursk region, says Mr Samus.

This would mean securing permission, so far denied, to use Western-made long-range missiles on targets deep inside Russia.

While Ukraine has successfully been deploying attack drones against Russian ammunition dumps, missiles can penetrate more heavily fortified munition sites.

The plan will also see Kyiv ask for more of these kinds of missiles, believes Olga Rudenko, editor in chief of the Kyiv Independent.

Further financial support and capitalising on Ukraine’s surprise cross-border push into Russia’s Kursk region are also expected to form core elements within the strategy.

As for Ukraine’s future security guarantees, Ukraine’s aspirations towards joining the Nato defensive military alliance clearly remain.

“Ukraine’s invitation to Nato is part of the victory plan,” confirmed Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office.

Zelensky’s office has rejected a German report that he is considering a localised ceasefire as “fake”.

However, Czech President Petr Pavel – who has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine – said this week that part of Ukraine would probably remain “temporarily” occupied, possibly for years.

Olga Rudenko believes that, for most Ukrainians, it’s still “too sensitive and unimaginable to concede anything even temporarily to Russia” – even if that conversation is happening somewhere, privately, within government.

“It’s not that Ukrainians are greedy about the territory,” she says.

“We can’t leave our people there, under Russian control and sentence them to those horrors,” referring to persistent allegations of Russian war crimes.

That sentiment was echoed by 31-year-old Dmytro, whose face and arms were badly burned when he was hit by a Russian drone.

“We will not surrender our territories, for which so many people have been fallen,” he told the BBC in Kyiv.

“If we ended the war at this stage, what were we fighting for then? What for did all our men, our comrades die for?”

A truce, he believes, would simply give Russia time to recuperate and Zelensky has likewise warned against a "frozen" conflict.

Dmytro is already planning his return to the front line to fight alongside his comrades: “I will not retreat, I will be there until my last breath.”

BBC
 
Zelenskyy alleges Russia plot on nuclear plants

Zelenskyy accuses Russia of plotting potentially catastrophic attacks on Ukrainian nuclear plants in his UN address.

Speaking from the UN rostrum in a black polo jacket, Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian intelligence has found that Russia is scanning the country’s nuclear infrastructure by satellite.

Putin “does seem to be planning attacks on our nuclear power plants and the infrastructure, aiming to disconnect the plants from the power grid,” Zelenskyy said.

“Any critical incident in the energy system could lead to a nuclear disaster, a day like that must never come,” Zelenskyy said.

“Moscow needs to understand this, and this depends in part on your determination to put pressure on the aggressor,” he told the General Assembly.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Putin outlines new rules for Russian use of vast nuclear arsenal

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia could respond with nuclear weapons if it were attacked with conventional arms in the latest changes to the country’s nuclear doctrine.

In a televised meeting of Russia’s Security Council, Putin on Wednesday announced that under the planned revisions, an attack against the country by a non-nuclear power with the “participation or support of a nuclear power” would be seen as a “joint attack on the Russian Federation”.

Putin emphasised that Russia could use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack that posed a “critical threat to our sovereignty”, a vague formulation that leaves broad room for interpretation.

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “this should be considered a definite signal” to the West.

“This is a signal that warns these countries about the consequences if they participate in an attack on our country by various means, and not necessarily nuclear ones,” he said.


www.aljazeera.com

Putin outlines new rules for Russian use of vast nuclear arsenal

Comments appear to significantly lower the threshold for Russia to use its vast nuclear arsenal.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 
Biden announces $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine

The bomb, capable of striking targets with high accuracy, is to be dropped from fighter jets. Biden will not announce that Washington would let Ukraine use U.S. missiles to hit targets deeper in Russia, a U.S. official said.

"We’re making clear that we stand with Ukraine now and in the future," Biden told reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting with Zelenskiy in the Oval Office. He said the U.S. would continue to help Ukraine strengthen its position on the battlefield, and that he had directed the Pentagon to allocate all remaining security funding by the end of his term in January.

Zelenskiy thanked Biden for his support and said it was important to secure Ukraine's future in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Zelenskiy has long sought NATO membership, but the allies have stopped short of taking that step.

The bulk of the new aid, $5.5 billion, is to be allocated before Monday's end of the U.S. fiscal year, when the funding authority is set to expire. Another $2.4 billion is under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows the administration to buy weapons for Ukraine from companies rather than pull them from U.S. stocks.

This will provide Ukraine with additional air defense, unmanned aerial systems and air-to-ground munitions, as well as strengthen Ukraine's defense industrial base and support its maintenance and sustainment requirements, Biden said.

Under his plan, the president said, the Defense Department will refurbish and provide Ukraine with an additional Patriot air defense battery and more Patriot missiles.


 
Trump and Zelensky to meet amid Republican anger

Donald Trump has said he will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York on Friday.

The Republican presidential nominee told a news conference that the pair will meet around 09:45 ET (14:45 BST) at his Trump Tower property.

The meeting is set to go ahead despite earlier reports it had been cancelled amid growing anger from senior Republicans after Zelensky earlier visited the key swing US state of Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, Zelensky met US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris at the White House to discuss his "victory plan", which he hopes will pressure Russia into agreeing a diplomatic end to the war.

"President Zelensky has asked to meet with me, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning," Trump told reporters in New York.

"And it's a shame what's happening in Ukraine. So many deaths, so much destruction. It's a horrible thing."

Trump said he believed he would be able to "make a deal" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky "quite quickly".

When pushed to provide details of such a deal, he replied: "I don't want to tell you what that looks like".

The former US president was speaking after Zelensky had earlier met Biden and Harris. Hours before, Biden had announced a further $7.9bn (£5.9bn) package of military assistance to Ukraine.

Speaking alongside the Ukrainian president after their meeting, Harris said there are "some in my country" that would "force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory".

"These proposals are the same of those of Putin," she said, calling them "proposals for surrender".

Asked at the news conference by a reporter whether Ukraine should cede land to Russia to end the war, Trump did not answer directly.

"Let's get some peace," he said. "We need peace. We need to stop the death and destruction."

Friday's meeting comes amid tension between Zelensky and the Republican party ahead of November's US presidential election.

Some Republicans were angered by Zelensky's visit to an arms factory in Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, with top Democrats this week, including its governor Josh Shapiro.

Zelensky's visit to the key swing state was labelled by leading Republicans as a partisan campaign event.

In a public letter, speaker of the US House Mike Johnson said the visit was "designed to help Democrats" and claimed it amounted to "election interference".

Trump and Zelensky have a complicated relationship.

In 2019, Trump was impeached by the US House over accusations that he pressured Ukraine's leader to dig up damaging information on a political rival. A rough transcript of the call revealed Trump had urged Zelensky to investigate Biden, as well as Biden's son.

Trump has also grown increasingly critical of continued US funding for Ukraine, and in recent days has sharpened his attacks against Zelensky, calling him the “greatest salesman on Earth”.

Zelensky recently told the New Yorker magazine that he believe Trump "doesn't really know how to stop the war".

When asked about Zelensky's comments on Thursday, Trump replied: "I do believe I disagree with him. He doesn't know me."

BBC
 

Kyiv says Russian attacks on medical centre in Ukraine's Sumy kill 8, injure 11​

KYIV, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Russian forces hit a medical center in Sumy in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday morning then struck again as the building was being evacuated, killing a total of eight people, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian prosecutors said that at the time of the attacks, 86 patients and 38 staff members were in the hospital.

"The first attack killed one person and damaged the ceilings of several floors of the hospital," Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.

KYIV, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Russian forces hit a medical center in Sumy in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday morning then struck again as the building was being evacuated, killing a total of eight people, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian prosecutors said that at the time of the attacks, 86 patients and 38 staff members were in the hospital.

"The first attack killed one person and damaged the ceilings of several floors of the hospital," Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.

Klymenko did not specify what weapons were used in Saturday's attacks but the regional administration and air forces said the strike was carried out by drones.

Attacks on Sumy city and the Sumy region have become much more frequent since Ukrainian forces launched an operation in Russia's Kursk region in August and captured dozens of settlements.

Sumy city is located just 32 km (20 miles) from the Russian border and Russian forces have been attacking the region and the city with drones and guided bombs.

Ukrainian air forces earlier on Saturday said they had shot down 69 of 73 drones during an overnight Russian attack that included two ballistic and two cruise missiles.

About 15 Russian attack drones were destroyed by air defences in the capital Kyiv and on its outskirts, the military administration there said.

Source: Reuters
 

Russia downs 125 Ukrainian drones, residential apartment hit in Voronezh​

MOSCOW, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The Russian defence ministry said on Sunday its air defence downed 125 Ukrainian drones overnight, while a residential apartment was hit in the western city of Voronezh according to the local governor.

Separately, the governor of the western region of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, in an account of the drone and shelling attacks over the past 24 hours, said one man died in the border town of Shebekino, while eight civilians were injured in the wider region.

As Russia advances in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv has taken the conflict to Russia, with a cross-border attack into Russia's western Kursk region that began on Aug. 6 and by carrying out increasingly large drone attacks deep into Russian territory.

The defence ministry said the focus of the recent attacks was on the southern Volgograd region, over which 67 drones were shot down. It also said 17 drones were intercepted over each of the Belgorod and Voronezh regions, and 18 downed over the Rostov region.

Alexander Gusev, the governor of the Voronezh region, said on the Telegram messaging app that a falling drone hit a residential complex, causing a fire.

The blaze had been contained and no one was injured, according to preliminary information, he said.

The Mash Telegram channel posted a video purporting to show a blaze engulfing the top floor of a high-rise house in Voronezh. Reuters was not able to immediately corroborate the footage.

Source: Reuters
 

Russia plans 30% defence spending hike in 2025​


Russia is planning a 30% defence spending hike next year, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has said in a snap.
The latest planned increase in spending will take Russia’s defence budget to 13.5tn rubles ($145bn; £108bn) in 2025, newly published draft budget plans show.

This figure does not include some other resources being directed to the war, such as spending that Russia labels as “domestic security”.

The Kremlin has been increasing spending as its forces slowly advance in eastern Ukraine. The Russian government has raised personal and corporate taxes to plug holes in the budget.

Source: AFP
 
People that didn’t think Russia was an aggressor shouldn’t think of Israel as aggressor and vice versa.
Or be ready to be called a hypocrite!
 
The Bald Eagle said:

Russia plans 30% defence spending hike in 2025​


Russia is planning a 30% defence spending hike next year, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has said in a snap.
The latest planned increase in spending will take Russia’s defence budget to 13.5tn rubles ($145bn; £108bn) in 2025, newly published draft budget plans show.

This figure does not include some other resources being directed to the war, such as spending that Russia labels as “domestic security”.

The Kremlin has been increasing spending as its forces slowly advance in eastern Ukraine. The Russian government has raised personal and corporate taxes to plug holes in the budget.

Source: AFP
Click to expand...
Of course Putin is a brutal dictator but even he cannot put this much pain on the Russian people for ever.

With oil prices the lowest they've been in a year, even the inflows from purchases by India and China may not be sufficient to finance this horrendously expensive war. He's already cut capital expenditure to a bare minimum but at some point, they'll have to start spending again on stuff like roads, bridges and airports.
 
Six dead in market attack as Ukraine remembers war dead

Six people have been killed in a local market area in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.

According to regional authorities the Russian shelling happened at around 09:00 (06:00 GMT). That was just as people across Ukraine had stopped to remember their war dead.

“Defenders Day” is held annually in honour of the armed forces.

The shelling, near a local market and bus stop, was probably from Russian “barrel artillery”, according to the region’s prosecutor’s office.

One image, from local media, showed a body lying on the pavement by boxes of fruit.

Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.

Initial reports said seven had died doctors were able to save one person who had been “considered dead”.

Kherson was occupied by Russian troops shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and was liberated by Ukraine in November.

It still lies extremely close to the frontline with fierce fighting on the other side of the Dnipro River.

It was at 08:55 on Tuesday that people in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine observed a10-minute silence for Defenders Day.


www.bbc.com

Six dead in market attack as Ukraine remembers war dead

The Russian attack on the southern city of Kherson took place during a 10-minute silence for Defenders Day.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
Russians claim key city of Vuhledar in Ukraine's east

Russian troops have taken complete control of the eastern city of Vuhledar, which Ukrainian forces have been defending since the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale invasion two and a half years ago.

Ukraine's eastern military command confirmed on Wednesday that they had told the troops still fighting in parts of the Vuhledar to pull back to avoid becoming surrounded.

For more than two years Russia has been trying to take this city in order to advance further north and reach regional transportation hubs such as Kurakhove and Pokrovsk.

Pro-Kremlin military bloggers had posted several videos the day before showing Russian soldiers with flags on rooftops of different buildings in Vuhledar.

Donetsk regional authorities confirmed on Tuesday that Russian troops had almost reached the city centre, and some reports said Ukrainian forces are still hanging on in some districts.

The BBC has spoken to two soldiers from the 72nd brigade who managed to leave the city before the final assault and take up new positions in the same area. They claim that their troops have withdrawn from the city.

Over the past few days Ukrainian soldiers had to find their own way out of Vuhledar by foot as it was impossible to evacuate them otherwise, a machine-gunner who wished to remain anonymous said.

Many were wounded and killed by Russian drones and artillery as they tried to leave, another soldier, Roman, says. Many more are still missing.

Moscow has launched numerous attacks to seize the city since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, but they all failed up until now. One of the biggest tank battles took place there last year.

Instead of launching frontal assaults, the Russian army recently switched to its favourite tactic – advancing along the flanks to surround the target. Last month they seized the village of Prechystivka to the west and Vodyane to the east to complete a pincer movement.

Moscow’s enormous advantage in weapons and troops - some soldiers have estimated the ratio of forces as seven to one - enabled them to break through Ukrainian defence lines along the flanks and approach Vuhledar.

It became clear that the city was doomed when the Russians effectively cut off the only remaining lifeline route – the road from Vuhledar to Bohoyavlenka. Russian troops advanced so close that their artillery and kamikaze drones targeted anyone and anything moving on that road.

“We tried to send supplies, organise evacuation of our wounded and dead soldiers but without any success,” Roman said. “We lost a number of vehicles and then had to stop [such operations].”

By Tuesday, about 100 civilians remained in Vuhledar, out of a pre-war population of 14,000, according to Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin.

"Thank God, we evacuated all children. Regarding the 107 people who are still there, it's difficult to reach them and bring them humanitarian aid, drinking water, medicine because an active stage of war is under way."

The situation became critical when Russian troops entered the city, and Ukrainian units started retreating without waiting for the order to pull out.

“If a withdrawal is not organised, it ends up being chaotic,” the machine-gunner explained. Ukrainian defenders were like Titans trying to stop the Russians, he said. But some groups, he added, had become completely disoriented because of a communication blackout. Their radios were down, and when they came under heavy fire, they had to make quick decisions on their own and often it was to retreat.

Ukrainian defence lines were devastated by Russia’s aviation bombs and thermobaric weapon systems such as its Solntsepek heavy flame-thrower, in addition to drones and multiple rocket launchers.

Facing such an onslaught, withdrawing from certain positions became unavoidable, Roman argued. “You either die or retreat.”

But getting out from a city that had been nearly surrounded was extremely dangerous. During the daytime it became close to a suicide mission.

Ukraine’s troops mostly tried to escape at night, having to cross mine fields via designated paths to avoid the road because it was closely monitored by the Russians.

Until recently, evacuation vehicles had been able to drive in under cover of darkness with their headlights off, Roman explained. But once Russian troops had reached the centre of the city, the only way to escape was on foot.

Those who managed to get out are exhausted and depressed. They are also angry at their commanders for not ordering the retreat earlier, because they argue it was obvious for some time that Ukrainian forces wouldn’t be able to hold the city for long.

“I don’t know why [they didn’t give the order],” the machine-gunner said. “Maybe it’s fear of the military leadership or maybe it was an order from the top [to hold positions] with our blood until the very end.”

Military officials from the 72nd brigade and Ukraine’s operational command in the area refused the BBC’s request to comment.

In their most recent daily briefings, the military’s General Staff kept silent about Vuhledar.

Wednesday morning’s briefing said merely that the “the enemy launched unsuccessful attacks on our positions in Bohoyavlenka’s direction”, without mentioning the situation in Vuhledar at all.

BBC
 
Russia Drone Attack Kills Three, Including Child, In Northern Ukraine

Ukraine said Thursday a Russian drone attack killed three people, including a young child, in its northern Chernigiv border region.

Russian drones hit a gas truck that was making deliveries to households in a border village, Ukraine's national police force said on Telegram.

"The truck exploded and residential buildings caught fire."

Three people were killed in the blast, including a child born in 2018, the police said.

Four others were hospitalised, including two children, aged four and 13.

The children were in a serious condition, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus.


www.barrons.com

Russia Drone Attack Kills Three, Including Child, In Northern Ukraine

Ukraine said Thursday a Russian drone attack killed three people, including a young child, in its northern Chernigiv border region.
www.barrons.com www.barrons.com
 
Ukraine has officially received a fresh batch of F-16 jets

A new batch of F-16 fighter jets has been received by Ukraine after Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Breckelmans announced it through his official account. Breckelmans wrote that for the first time, he can officially announce that the first Dutch F-16s have been delivered to Ukraine. The minister did not disclose the number of F-16s delivered to the Ukrainian Air Force.

The Netherlands promised 24 F-16 fighters to Ukraine. According to Breckelmans, the rest of the 24 promised fighters will be delivered in the coming months. BulgarianMilitary.com recalls that at the beginning of August, the head of the Danish Ministry of Defense, Troels **** Poulsen, confirmed that the first F-16s had arrived in Ukraine. Denmark intends to send another batch by the end of the year. In total, Copenhagen promised to deliver 19 fighter jets to Kyiv.

At the moment, there is one officially confirmed lost F-16 fighter from the Air Force of Ukraine. Speculation regarding its loss is still rife, with some claiming that a pilot error led to the loss; others claiming that debris from a drone damaged the fighter during a mission; and still others that either friendly fire or a Russian missile was the cause of the downing of the Ukrainian F-16.


Ukraine has officially received a fresh batch of F-16 jets

bulgarianmilitary.com bulgarianmilitary.com
 
Ukraine Gets Mirage 2000 Fighter Jet Boost From NATO Ally

France is planning to send fighter jets to Ukraine in the first half of 2025, Paris' armed forces minister said, shortly after the Netherlands confirmed its first delivery of Western-made jets to the war-torn country.

"Mirage 2000s could be flying in Ukraine in the first half of 2025," Sébastien Lecornu told French outlet Sud Ouest in an interview published on Monday. In a separate post to X, formerly Twitter, Lecornu referenced the interview, saying the delivery of the jets would be in the first quarter of next year.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced in June that Paris would send an unspecified number of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine, with Ukrainian pilots receiving training in France.

www.newsweek.com

Ukraine gets Mirage 2000 fighter jet boost from NATO ally

Ukraine has lobbied hard for Western-made fighter jets to bolster its Soviet-era air force.
www.newsweek.com www.newsweek.com
 
Russia says it captures two villages in Ukraine's east

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had taken control of two settlements in eastern Ukraine, the latest gains in their drive to secure the Donbas region.

A ministry report said the villages of Zolota Nyva and Zoryane Pershe had been brought under Russian control. The communities have an estimated population of a few hundred residents each.

The two villages lie to the north and to the south of the town of Kurakhove, one of the focal points of military activity on the eastern front.

Official Ukrainian accounts of the fighting made no reference to control of either village being lost. But the Ukrainian General Staff acknowledged that the Kurakhove sector was the scene of the heaviest battles on the eastern front.

The General Staff last referred to Zolota Nyva on Sunday as one of two villages coming under a series of Russian assaults.

Ukrainian forces last week abandoned the hilltop town of Vuhledar, farther south, after two years of successfully defending against successive Russian attempts to capture it.


 
Less noise on this thread ever since Israel invaded Palestine and Lebanon, hopefully understanding what Russian did was insane as well.
 

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky sees opportunity to end Putin’s invasion in 2025 but calls for weapons

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has announced he is seeking an opportunity to end the war with Russia next year.

“In October, November and December we have a chance to move things toward peace and lasting stability,” he told the Ukraine-South East Europe summit in Dubrovnik.

“The situation on the battlefield creates an opportunity to make this choice for decisive action to end the war no later than in 2025.”

It comes as he called on southeastern European countries to invest in weapons production in Ukraine.

Overnight, the Ukrainian president said he had met with top commanders to call for a boost in domestic production of weaponry.

Mr Zelensky had also planned to present in full his “victory plan” to the US and Ukraine’s other allies next week during a meeting in Germany.

Jailed leader of a prominent election watchdog is on trial in Russia

A jailed leader of a prominent independent election monitoring group in Russia appeared in court on Wednesday as his trial continued on charges of organizing the work of an “undesirable” organization

The Ukrainian fighting to keep Russia out of world chess. Ukraine will fight street to street to keep Russia out of key eastern city

The Russians taking Pokrovsk would split Ukraine’s defensive line in the region and harm supplies in the eastern part of Donetsk. Now facing constant bombardment, soldiers and residents in Pokrovsk speak to Askold Krushelnycky about the drawn-out siege they are bracing themselves for

Zelenskyy to seek more war support from a dozen countries in southeast Europe

Ukraine’s president is again seeking political and other support from a dozen countries in southeast Europe at a summit on Wednesday in Croatia, whose president isn’t attending in a sign of the divided views on the war with Russia

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that there are proposals from European Union partners to continue Russian gas purchases after the end of this year, but that the ball is in the court of Ukraine and the EU.

Despite the war, Russia continues to ship gas by pipeline across Ukraine to other European countries. But Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this week that Kyiv will not extend the gas transit agreement with Russia after it expires at the end of 2024.

Novak, Russia’s point man for energy, said Russia was willing to continue supplying gas after the contract expires.

“We have repeatedly expressed our position that the ball is on the side of, let’s say, our buying partners and, accordingly, our colleagues from Ukraine, through which transit is carried out,” Novak told reporters.

“We have gas, we will supply it,” he added.

Source: The Independent
 
Russian troops grind towards Pokrovsk, take second Ukrainian town in a week

Russia has seized a second town in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk within a week in a months-long offensive that shows no signs of abating with Ukraine’s general staff reporting more than 150 assaults a day across the front.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its troops captured Hrodivka, a town lying on its path to Pokrovsk, which Ukrainian generals say is a major target.

Russian forces entered Hrodivka in early September. Its capture came just five days after the fall of Vuhledar on the Donetsk-Zaporizhia border.

Russia’s air campaign has also been in full swing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia dropped 800 glide bombs and sent almost 400 drones and 20 missiles into Ukraine last week.


www.aljazeera.com

Russian troops grind towards Pokrovsk, take second Ukrainian town in a week

Hrodivka’s fall is the latest Russian victory, but Moscow’s military is haemorrhaging weapons and soldiers.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 
Russian strike kills seven in latest attack on Ukrainian port

Russian missiles have hit a civilian container ship at a port in Ukraine's Odesa region, killing seven people, according to local officials.

"This is the third attack on a civilian vessel in the past four days," said the region's governor, Oleh Kiper.

He said Russia had targeted port infrastructure and all the victims were Ukrainian. Several others were wounded, and a port employee died of his injuries in hospital on Thursday, Kiper added.

The latest strike on one of Ukraine's ports on the Black Sea coast coincided with a European tour by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is visiting leaders in London, Paris and Rome.

He has met UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street before he holds talks with Nato's new secretary general, Mark Rutte, who warned this week that Ukraine could be facing its toughest winter since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Zelensky had been due to meet US President Joe Biden along with other Western allies in Berlin on Saturday, but Biden cancelled his trip because of the threat to the US from Hurricane Milton.

Russia's overnight attacks on Ukraine also left several people wounded in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones targeted a military airfield in the Maikop region of southern Russia. Local officials evacuated 40 people from a nearby village.

Russia's missile strike on the Odesa region hit a Panamanian-registered ship on Wednesday night, Oleh Kiper said - two days after a Palau-flagged ship was attacked, leaving one dead on board.

Another ship, which was said to be carrying 6,000 tonnes of corn, was attacked on Sunday.

The Ukrainian government says Russia's attacks on Odesa's Black Sea ports are aimed at trying to destroy grain exports that guarantee international food security.

According to Ukrainian figures, more than 20 civilian ships have now been damaged in Russian attacks since the start of the war in 2022. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, has appealed to "responsible states" to ensure freedom of navigation and food security.

Grain silos and other port infrastructure have been badly damaged too. Last week, the port of Izmail was targeted by drones near the River Danube and a Romanian border crossing and grain facility were damaged.

Russia has not commented publicly on the recent attacks.

However, Ukraine has succeeded in creating a maritime corridor to ensure the safety of grain exports, after Moscow pulled out of a Black Sea grain deal last year.

Some 962,000 tonnes of grain have been exported so far this month, says the agriculture ministry in Kyiv - double the volume shipped in the same period last year.

BBC
 
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