Powerful explosions rocked an air base in Russian-occupied Crimea on Tuesday, and while the Defence Ministry in Moscow said that nobody was injured in the explosion, local authorities said at least five people, including a child, were wounded. Russia's defence ministry said that munitions blew up at the Saki base but insisted the installation had not been shelled. "Several munitions intended for aviation exploded in a depot located on the territory of the Saki military airfield, near the locality of Novofiodorovka," the statement said, quoted by Russian news agencies. Ukrainian social networks were abuzz with speculation that it was hit by Ukrainian-fired long-range missiles, and the New York Times cites Ukrainian sources who confirm it was their military that carried out the attack. There has been no official confirmation as yet. Videos posted on social networks showed sunbathers fleeing a nearby beach as huge clouds of smoke from the explosions rose over the … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Huge explosions rock Russian military base in Crimea
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Ukraine war: Ukrainian forces ‘holding on’ in Sievierodonetsk, says Zelenskyy
06.06.2022 06:32 Key points to know for Monday: Ukrainian forces are "holding on" in Sievierodonetsk, President Zelenskyy said on Monday. Earlier the regional governor said the local situation had 'worsened' for Ukrainian forces under intense Russian bombardment. Russian forces continue to push towards Sloviansk in the Donbas, says UK military intelligence. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled a Monday visit to Serbia after neighbouring countries closed their airspace to his plane. Moscow has criticised the move . Lavrov followed Putin in warning the West on Monday against providing Ukraine with long-range rockets. Earlier the UK said it would supply new rocket launcher systems to Ukraine, with a range of 80km. Russian car sales fell by 52% in April, a year-on-year drop of 83%, industry figures show, largely due to Western sanctions. The head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff has said Ukrainians are facing the "same horrors" as the French did in World … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Ukrainian forces ‘holding on’ in Sievierodonetsk, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine war: Future global order will be decided on Ukraine battlefields, says Zelenskyy
As "intense street to street fighting" is reported in Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine says Russian forces are planning an assault on Sloviansk as the battle for the Donbas continues. See a summary of the latest developments in our blog below. 06.11.2022 11:41 Saturday's key points: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told an Asian summit the future international order will be determined on Ukraine's battlefields, predicting that his country "will prevail" in the war Russia started. The Ukrainian army says Russian forces are planning an assault on Sloviansk in Donetsk province, while UK intelligence reports "intense street to street fighting" in Sievierodonetsk. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, visiting Kyiv, told President Zelenskyy that Brussels would finalise its assessment on Ukraine's eligibility for EU membership "by the end of next week" . Ukrainian and British officials warned that Russian forces are relying on Soviet-era missiles … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Future global order will be decided on Ukraine battlefields, says Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy calls for more support from Europe, Ukraine’s EU candidacy
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the EU heads to give Ukraine candidate status for the bloc's membership at the upcoming summit in late June. Speaking to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit in a video address, Zelenskyy asked the leaders of the 27 member states to show “that its words about the Ukrainian people being part of the European family aren’t a hollow sound.” Review the day's most important developments in the Ukraine war below. 06.10.2022 06:54 Friday's key points: Mariupol’s mayor has warned that cholera and other deadly diseases could kill thousands of people in the Russian-occupied city as corpses lie uncollected. President Zelenskyy has pleaded for Ukraine's entry into the European Union, and called for EU leaders not to leave his country in a "grey zone". Ukraine is losing up to 200 troops a day, according to a Zelenskyy aide. This is more than double the previous estimates. Two Britons and a Moroccan national … [Read more...] about Zelenskyy calls for more support from Europe, Ukraine’s EU candidacy
Ukraine war: The top developments you need to know for Tuesday
Crimea military base explosion Powerful explosions rocked an air base in Russian-occupied Crimea on Tuesday, and while the Defence Ministry in Moscow said that nobody was injured in the explosion, local authorities said at least five people, including a child, were wounded. Russia's Defense Ministry said that munitions blew up at the Saki base, and it emphasized that the installation had not been shelled. "Several munitions intended for aviation exploded in a depot located on the territory of the Saki military airfield, near the locality of Novofiodorovka," the statement said, quoted by Russian news agencies. Ukrainian social networks were abuzz with speculation that it was hit by Ukrainian-fired long-range missiles, and the New York Times cites Ukrainian sources who confirm it was their military which carried out the attack. There has been no official confirmation as yet. Read more at our story here. Ukraine: Rise in number of premature babies since … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: The top developments you need to know for Tuesday
How Russia-Ukraine peace talks would go, according to Zelensky’s adviser
An advisor to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he doubts Russia would negotiate an end to Vladimir Putin 's invasion in good faith. In an interview with the BBC's Ukrainian service , Mykhailo Podolyak said that Moscow would use talks as an operational pause so it could make up for its shortfall in munitions and technology due to sanctions and then adjust its military strategy. "Russia is so intellectually predictable," that it would be "obvious" how any negotiations would play out, according to Podolyak. He believes that Russia would seek to start talks with a promise to temporarily stop shelling areas it is trying to seize. Moscow would then portray the administrations in place in the already captured territories as de facto Russian, and so should be recognized as "lost," a position Ukraine would refuse to accept. "Then a banal story would take place," he said, according to a translation. This would involve a ceasefire being followed by a Ukrainian … [Read more...] about How Russia-Ukraine peace talks would go, according to Zelensky’s adviser
Anonymous apparently behind doxing of 120K Russian soldiers in Ukraine war
Anonymous, the famed hacker collective, appeared to claim responsibility Sunday for the personal information of 120,000 Russian soldiers allegedly fighting in Ukraine being leaked last month. The information included names, dates of birth, addresses, unit affiliation and passport numbers. "All soldiers participating in the invasion of Ukraine should be subjected to a war crime tribunal," the group tweeted Sunday. This week the Russian military has faced heightened scrutiny over alleged human rights abuses in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. Reports suggested civilians in the town were shot to death with their hands tied behind their backs, and corpses were spotted in yards, cars and streets. The leak results first appeared in the Ukrainian news outlet Pravda on March 1, just days after the invasion of Ukraine began. The outlet did not disclose at the time where the information came from, only noting the "Centre for Defence Strategies acquired this data from reliable sources." … [Read more...] about Anonymous apparently behind doxing of 120K Russian soldiers in Ukraine war
Russian TV warns of ‘Armageddon’ at nuclear power plant and threatens to bomb London
Russia has warned 'Armageddon' could be on the horizon in a terrifying warning aired on state TV. The ominous message was released after tensions around the Zaporizhzia atomic power plant grew this week. Ukrainian leaders accused Russia of “deliberately shelling” the plant, which is the biggest in Europe. Russia denies the charges and claims it is Ukraine risking nuclear catastrophe by shelling the plant. READ MORE: Putin 'has given order for Russia to deploy nukes in Ukraine' claims Kremlin insider But there are fears Putin’s forces will blame a disaster at the plant on Ukraine and use it as a pretext to deepen the conflict. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin’s largest state-controlled TV channel has given airtime to the leader of pro-Kremlin Ukrainian movement Parus, Yury Kot, who claimed it was Kyiv and the West jeopardising nuclear safety. He urged Putin to be ready to fire nuclear missiles at London and Washington. “We all understand very well that … [Read more...] about Russian TV warns of ‘Armageddon’ at nuclear power plant and threatens to bomb London
Was Carter Page a spy? For the Russians? Or the US?
The appearance of Carter Page in the Nunes memo is the latest odd connection to the Russia investigation for a man disavowed by the Trump administration yet whose name seems to never quite fade away. From his trademark grin to his appearances on news shows, Page has remained an enigma that hints at some deeper, yet unknown, involvement. But there is something else that has always intrigued me about Page: some of the similarities we seem to share. We both served in the US Navy and were both approached by Russian intelligence officers and FBI counterintelligence special agents. But is that where the similarities end? As somebody who spent over three years working undercover for the FBI as a double-agent against the Russians, I have often asked myself if the Page saga represents a US intelligence failure or perhaps something else. Is it possible that Page may have been helping the US government? Could he have, in fact, been a US operational asset? Carter Page first came to the … [Read more...] about Was Carter Page a spy? For the Russians? Or the US?
Finland and Estonia call for EU ban on tourist visas for Russians
The leaders of Estonia and Finland want other EU countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, saying they should not be able to travel to Europe on holiday while the Kremlin carries out a devastating war in Ukraine. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Tuesday that “visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right” and that it is “time to end tourism from Russia now”. In response, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev compared Kallas to a “Nazi”. A day earlier, her Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin said in a TV interview that "it is not right that while Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel in Europe, be tourists." Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told Euronews recently that the government would move to limit the number of tourist visas issued to Russians, but hoped the EU would take a common stand on the issue and stop granting new visas completely. … [Read more...] about Finland and Estonia call for EU ban on tourist visas for Russians