Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has renewed his call for more long-range weapons after seven people were killed in a Russian strike.
The Russian attack on the town of Vilniansk, near the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, also injured 31 others, Ukrainian officials said.
“Our cities and communities suffer daily from such Russian strikes,” Mr Zelensky said after the attack which left two children dead.
But he added that there were “ways to overcome this”, including “destroying Russian missile launchers, striking with real long-range capability and increasing the number of modern air defence systems”.
Western allies have already supplied Ukraine with long-range weapons – including Scalp missiles from France, Storm Shadow from the UK and ATACMS from the US – as well as US-made Patriot air defence systems.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has refused to comment on Donald Trump’s claim he would “settle the war” in Ukraine if he was re-elected in November.
Trump made the claim during Thursday’s US presidential debate, where he and president Joe Biden competed to appear tougher on foreign policy.
Key points
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Zelensky calls for more aid after Russian strike kills seven
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Trump, Biden fight it out on Ukraine war at presidential debate
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Russia mulling downgrading ties with ‘hostile’ West, Kremlin says
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Putin’s troops pushed out of part of key eastern town, says Ukraine
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Ukrainian drone strikes fuel depot in Russia’s Tambov
Ukrainians held prisoner for years in Russia return to Kyiv
11:51 , Alexander Butler
Ukrainians held prisoner for years in Russia return to Kyiv
Zelensky calls for more aid after Russian strike kills seven
09:28 , Alexander Butler
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has renewed his call for more long-range weapons after seven people were killed in a Russian strike.
The Russian attack on the town of Vilniansk, near the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, also injured 31 others, Ukrainian officials said.
“Our cities and communities suffer daily from such Russian strikes,” Mr Zelensky said after the attack which left two children dead.
But he added that there were “ways to overcome this”, including “destroying Russian missile launchers, striking with real long-range capability and increasing the number of modern air defence systems”.
Russia says four firefighters injured in Ukraine shelling of Donetsk
09:06 , Alexander Butler
Four employees of Russia’s ministry of emergency situations were injured in Ukraine’s shelling of the Donetsk region, the ministry said on Sunday.
“In the Petrovsky district, department firefighters (the employees) were extinguishing a fire that occurred after (Ukrainian) shelling,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. “There was an alert for a new artillery strike. The shelling hit them as they were evacuating.”
Donetsk is one of four regions in Ukraine’s east and south that Russia claimed to have annexed in late 2022 in a move condemned as illegal by most countries at the UN General Assembly. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions.
Russia plans to send children to North Korea
07:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Russia is planning to send children to a summer camp in North Korea in late July, according to state news agency TASS.
This follows the signing of a strategic deal by Russia and North Korea on 19 June.
Groups of children accompanied by counsellors will attend the camps in North Korea’s Sondovon.
“We are now planning joint camp shifts… We are planning children’s exchanges,” Grigory Gurov, head of the Russian youth group Movement of the First, said, according to The Kyiv Independent.
More Americans are ending up in Russian jails. Prospects for their release are unclear
07:00 , Alexander Butler
More Americans are ending up in Russian jails. Prospects for their release are unclear
Russian troops speeding across Ukraine in motorcycles in new tactic – report
06:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Russian soldiers are now reportedly shooting targets in Ukraine while speeding across on motorbikes in a chaotic new tactic.
Such drive-by attacks now account for nearly half of all attacks in some parts of Ukraine, The New York Times reported, citing soldiers on the front line.
This appears to be a new strategy Russia employs for crossing heavily mined fields that could be triggered to explode by armoured tanks. While armoured vehicles are easy targets for drones monitoring from above, fast-moving motorcycles are harder to hit.
Once the Russian soldiers cross minefields on their bikes, they may leave the motorcycles behind and enter trenches to fight Ukrainians on foot, the report said.
Zelensky makes plea for more weapons after Russian attack near Zaporizhzhia
06:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky made a renewed plea to his allies for long-range weapons as a Russian attack near the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia killed seven and injured over 30.
About a dozen people died from Russian strikes in Ukraine on Saturday, according to Reuters.
Mr Zelensky said such deaths could be prevented if Russian missile launchers could be destroyed using real long-range missiles, and by increasing the number of modern air defence systems.
“Our cities and communities suffer daily from such Russian strikes,” the Ukrainian president posted on Telegram.
Ukrainian hackers target Russian companies supporting war
05:30 , Vishwam Sankaran
Hackers reportedly destroyed hundreds of terabytes of data of companies supporting Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian defence ministry said hackers destroyed over 100 terabytes of data from OrbitSoft, a software company working with the Russian army.
The data in eight servers of another company providing navigation equipment for Russian drones were also destroyed, the ministry said.
The hackers also targeted over a dozen servers of internet service providers, erasing all data, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Civilians released from captivity in Russia and Belarus, says Zelensky
05:00 , Alexander Butler
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that 10 people, all civilians, were handed back to Ukraine as part of an exchange of detainees after several years of captivity in Russia and its ally Belarus.
“We managed to bring back 10 more of our people from Russian captivity, despite all the difficulties,” Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He thanked a team dedicated to securing the release of the captives, including the Vatican.
Ukrainian officials said the return of the civilians was part of an exchange of prisoners of war conducted earlier this week under which each side handed back 90 detainees.
Russia did not comment and Ukraine made no mention of any release of Russians in captivity.
Among those brought back was Nariman Dzhelyal, deputy head of the assembly of the ethnic Crimean Tatar community, seized by Russian occupation forces in 2021, seven years after Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula.
Also freed were two eastern rite Catholic priests captured by Russian forces in the occupied port of Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov.
Five of those liberated had been held in ex-Soviet Belarus, Moscow’s closest ally, which allowed the Kremlin to use its territory to help launch the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Dagestan, in southern Russia, has a history of violence. Why does it keeps happening?
04:00 , Alexander Butler
Dagestan, in southern Russia, has a history of violence. Why does it keeps happening?
Putin hints at restarting production of intermediate-range missiles
03:00 , Alexander Butler
Russian president Vladimir Putin has called for the resumption of production in Russia of intermediate-range missiles that were banned under a now-scrapped treaty with the United States.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, which banned ground-based missiles with a range of 500-5,500 km (310-3,410 miles), was regarded as an arms -control landmark when then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US president Ronald Reagan signed it in the 1980s.
The United States withdrew from the treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations.
“We need to start production of these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where – if necessary to ensure our safety – to place them,” Mr Putin said at a meeting of Russia’s national security council.
Russia accused of flashing violent Ukraine war images on children’s TV channels
02:00 , Alexander Butler
Russia accused of flashing violent Ukraine war images on children’s TV channels
Russia warns it can take unspecified measures in response to US drone flights over Black Sea
01:00 , Alexander Butler
Russia‘s Defense Minister ordered officials to prepare a “response” to U.S. drone flights over the Black Sea, the ministry said Friday, in an apparent warning that Moscow may take forceful action to ward off the American reconnaissance aircraft.
The Russian Defense Ministry noted a recent “increased intensity” of U.S. drones over the Black Sea, saying they “conduct intelligence and targeting for precision weapons supplied to the Ukrainian military by Western countries for strikes on Russian facilities.”
“It shows an increased involvement of the U.S. and other NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of the Kyiv regime,” the ministry said in a statement.
Russia warns it can take unspecified measures in response to US drone flights over Black Sea
A Ukrainian author turned soldier has a stark warning for the West: ‘Be prepared for war with Russia’
Saturday 29 June 2024 23:00 , Alexander Butler
Ukrainian author and soldier warns the West: ‘War is coming to you’
Closed-door trial of US journalist Evan Gershkovich begins in Russia as case denounced as sham
Saturday 29 June 2024 22:00 , Alexander Butler
Closed-door trial of US journalist begins in Russia as case denounced as sham
Russian glide bombs are obliterating front-line Ukraine towns
Saturday 29 June 2024 21:00 , Alexander Butler
Russian glide bombs are obliterating front-line Ukraine towns. There’s more to come
Has Russia just dropped a deadly new 3,000kg glide bomb in Ukraine?
Saturday 29 June 2024 20:00 , Alexander Butler
Has Russia just dropped a deadly new 3,000kg glide bomb in Ukraine?
Research expert tells UN it has ‘irrefutably’ established missile debris in Ukraine is North Korean
Saturday 29 June 2024 19:00 , Alexander Butler
Research expert tells UN it has ‘irrefutably’ established missile debris in Ukraine is North Korean
Belarus bolsters air defence forces along Ukrainian border
Saturday 29 June 2024 18:00 , Alexander Butler
Belarus has deployed additional air defence forces to its border with Ukraine to protect “critical infrastructure facilities” due to increased Ukrainian drone activity in the area, a Belarusian military commander said on Saturday.
Belarus, an ally of Russia in the war with Ukraine, said earlier this week it had shot down a quadcopter that had illegally crossed the border from Ukraine “to collect information about the Belarusian border infrastructure”.
The situation in the airspace over the border remains tense, Andrei Severinchik, commander of the Belarusian Air Defence Forces, said on Saturday.
“We are ready to decisively use all available forces and means to protect our territory and the population of the Republic of Belarus from possible provocations in the airspace,” he said in a statement published on the Defence Ministry’s Telegram channel.
Ukraine strikes inside Russia disrupting the ability of Putin’s forces to use drones, MoD says
Saturday 29 June 2024 17:00 , Alexander Butler
Ukraine strikes inside Russia disrupting the Kremlin’s drone capabilities, MoD says
Ukrainians held prisoner for years in Russia return to Kyiv
Saturday 29 June 2024 15:47 , Alexander Butler
Ukrainian drone ‘kills five in Russia’s Kursk region’
Saturday 29 June 2024 13:30 , Alexander Butler
A Ukrainian drone has killed five people, including two children, in Russia’s borderline Kursk Region, the TASS news agency reported on Saturday citing Kursk governor Alexey Smirnov.
Russia takes control of settlement of Shumy in Ukraine
Saturday 29 June 2024 12:23 , Alexander Butler
The Russian defence ministry said on Saturday that Russian forces had taken control of the settlement of Shumy in eastern Ukraine, state news agency RIA reported.
Kremlin refuses to comment on Trump’s claim he would ‘settle war’ in Ukraine
Saturday 29 June 2024 10:53 , Alexander Butler
The Kremlin has refused to comment on Donald Trump’s claim he would “settle the war” in Ukraine if he was re-elected in November.
Trump made the claim during Thursday’s US presidential debate, where he and president Joe Biden competed to appear tougher on foreign policy.
“As far as Russia and Ukraine, if we had a real president, a president that knew – that was respected by Putin, he would have never – he would have never invaded Ukraine,” he said.
Ukraine strikes inside Russia disrupting the ability of Putin’s forces to use drones, MoD says
Saturday 29 June 2024 10:26 , Alexander Butler
Ukraine strikes inside Russia disrupting the Kremlin’s drone capabilities, MoD says
Ukrainians held prisoner for years in Russia return to Kyiv
Saturday 29 June 2024 08:47 , Alexander Butler
Ukrainians held prisoner for years in Russia return to Kyiv
Civilians released from captivity in Russia and Belarus, says Zelensky
Saturday 29 June 2024 06:55 , Jane Dalton
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that 10 people, all civilians, were handed back to Ukraine as part of an exchange of detainees after several years of captivity in Russia and its ally Belarus.
“We managed to bring back 10 more of our people from Russian captivity, despite all the difficulties,” Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He thanked a team dedicated to securing the release of the captives, including the Vatican.
Ukrainian officials said the return of the civilians was part of an exchange of prisoners of war conducted earlier this week under which each side handed back 90 detainees.
Russia did not comment and Ukraine made no mention of any release of Russians in captivity.
Among those brought back was Nariman Dzhelyal, deputy head of the assembly of the ethnic Crimean Tatar community, seized by Russian occupation forces in 2021, seven years after Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula.
Also freed were two eastern rite Catholic priests captured by Russian forces in the occupied port of Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov.
Five of those liberated had been held in ex-Soviet Belarus, Moscow’s closest ally, which allowed the Kremlin to use its territory to help launch the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine strikes hamper Russian drones, MoD says
Saturday 29 June 2024 05:25 , Jane Dalton
Ukrainian strikes against a Russian airbase outside of the occupied territories have likely “disrupted” the Kremlin’s ability to launch its own drone attacks, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said:
Ukraine strikes inside Russia disrupting the Kremlin’s drone capabilities, MoD says
More Americans are ending up in Russian jails. Prospects for their release are unclear
Saturday 29 June 2024 03:40 , Jane Dalton
One was a journalist on a reporting trip. Another was attending a wedding. Yet another was a dual national returning to visit family.
All are U.S. citizens now behind bars in Russia on various charges.
Arrests of Americans in Russia are increasingly common with relations sinking to Cold War lows. Washington accuses Moscow of using U.S. citizens as bargaining chips, but Russia insists they all broke the law.
More Americans are ending up in Russian jails. Prospects for their release are unclear
Zelensky hopes for second peace summit
Saturday 29 June 2024 02:05 , Jane Dalton
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Slovenian president Natasa Pirc Musar visited a memorial in Kyiv to Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war.
The pair discussed plans for a second peace summit, similar to the one held earlier this month in Switzerland, and a bilateral security agreement.
Putin hints at restarting production of intermediate-range missiles
Saturday 29 June 2024 00:30 , Jane Dalton
Russian president Vladimir Putin has called for the resumption of production in Russia of intermediate-range missiles that were banned under a now-scrapped treaty with the United States.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, which banned ground-based missiles with a range of 500-5,500 km (310-3,410 miles), was regarded as an arms -control landmark when then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US president Ronald Reagan signed it in the 1980s.
The United States withdrew from the treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations.
“We need to start production of these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where – if necessary to ensure our safety – to place them,” Mr Putin said at a meeting of Russia’s national security council.
Top international court issues arrest warrants for senior Russian officials over alleged war crimes
Friday 28 June 2024 23:00 , Jane Dalton
In case you missed it…
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two senior Russian officials, accusing them of overseeing war crimes against civilians during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Former Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, and military chief General Valery Gerasimov have been accused of “directing attacks at civilian objects”, “causing excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects”, and perpetrating the crime against humanity of “inhumane acts”.
Top international court issues arrest warrants for senior Russian officials
Russia accused of flashing violent Ukraine war images on children’s TV channels
Friday 28 June 2024 21:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A UN agency is investigating accusations that Russia hacked into Ukrainian television and flashed violent imagery from its invasion of the country on children’s channels, according to a report.
Ukraine and other European nations have complained to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) about the alleged satellite interference impacting navigation services and television shows, The Telegraph reported.
Ukraine, in its complaint to the ITU on 3 June, recorded at least 11 cases of interference in the last three months affecting dozens of Ukrainian television programmes, the report added. ITU is a specialized agency of the UN responsible for matters related to information and communication technologies.
Russia accused of flashing violent Ukraine war images on children’s TV channels
Bulgarian president declines government proposal to lead delegation to NATO summit
Friday 28 June 2024 20:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has turned down a government proposal to lead the country’s delegation to NATO’s July summit in Washington, D.C., saying he was not consulted while it worked out the official position of the country and its commitments regarding the war in Ukraine, his press office said Thursday.
The decision comes on the heels of heated debates between pro-Russian and pro-Western parties in Bulgaria about whether Radev, as the commander-in-chief of the military, should represent the country at the NATO summit.
Bulgarian president declines government proposal to lead delegation to NATO summit
Dagestan, in southern Russia, has a history of violence. Why does it keeps happening?
Friday 28 June 2024 19:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Over the years, Russia‘s southern republic of Dagestan, located in the North Caucasus region, has been beset by extremist violence. This weekend, there was more bloodshed.
Officials say five gunmen in the regional capital of Makhachkala and the city of Derbent opened fire at Orthodox churches and two synagogues, as well as a police post, killing at least 20 people before being slain by authorities.
The large-scale and coordinated assault raises difficult questions for the Russian authorities about continued security lapses, especially after an attack claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group at a Moscow-area concert hall in March killed 145 people.
Dagestan, in southern Russia, has a history of violence. Why does it keeps happening?
Russian missile in Dnipro injures three people
Friday 28 June 2024 18:29 , Jane Dalton
A Russian missile strike hit a nine-storey residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, injuring at least three people and destroying four storeys, officials said.
A photograph published by Governor Serhiy Lysak and other images circulated on social media showed a badly damaged building that had smoke rising from a gaping hole in its upper storeys.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukraine’s allies to step up supplies of air defences to help the military intercept Russia’s regular aerial attacks.
Dnipro, which had a pre-war population of almost one million people, is a major Ukrainian city that lies on the road to the east of the country where the most intense fighting with Russian forces is raging.
A look at Yekaterinburg, the Russian city where US reporter has gone on trial
Friday 28 June 2024 17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A look at Yekaterinburg, the Russian city where US reporter has gone on trial
Russia warns it can take unspecified measures in response to US drone flights over Black Sea
Friday 28 June 2024 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia‘s Defense Minister ordered officials to prepare a “response” to U.S. drone flights over the Black Sea, the ministry said Friday, in an apparent warning that Moscow may take forceful action to ward off the American reconnaissance aircraft.
The Russian Defense Ministry noted a recent “increased intensity” of U.S. drones over the Black Sea, saying they “conduct intelligence and targeting for precision weapons supplied to the Ukrainian military by Western countries for strikes on Russian facilities.”
“It shows an increased involvement of the U.S. and other NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of the Kyiv regime,” the ministry said in a statement.
Russia warns it can take unspecified measures in response to US drone flights over Black Sea
EU imposes measures against two businessmen over Russia’s war in Ukraine
Friday 28 June 2024 15:49 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The European Union has imposed restrictive measures against the businessmen Dmitry Beloglazov and Mikhail Kontserev for trying to circumvent EU sanctions and for their roles in aiding Russia‘s war in Ukraine, said the EU Council on Friday.
The EU said the two businessmen were now subject to an asset freeze and would be banned from entering or transiting through EU territories.
Ukraine says it destroyed Russian space communication centre in Crimea
Friday 28 June 2024 15:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Ukrainian defence ministry said on Friday the Ukrainian military destroyed the Russian space communication centre in Moscow-occupied Crimea in an attack this week.
In a statement on Telegram, the ministry described the target as a valuable military component in satellite communication and navigation system for Russian troops.
Reuters could not independently verify the statement. On Monday, local social media chats reported explosions near the village of Vitino on the Crimean Peninsula where the centre is located.
What to know from the first day of US journalist Evan Gershkovich’s trial in Russia
Friday 28 June 2024 15:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Here’s a look at what we know about the first day of the trial for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been charged in Russia with espionage — charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government deny.
What to know from the first day of US journalist Evan Gershkovich’s trial in Russia
Annual allied military aid $60 billion for next four years, says Ukraine PM
Friday 28 June 2024 14:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday that military pledges outlined in 20 security agreements Kyiv has signed with its partners total $60 billion annually for the next four years.
Kyiv relies heavily on military support from partners while it repels a 28-month-old Russian full-scale invasion.
The 10-year agreements, including with the EU and the U.S., set out commitments on long-term military and other assistance and pledge to hold immediate consultations to decide on the next steps in the event of a future Russian attack after the current conflict has ended.
“According to these agreements, in the next four years, our partners plan to provide Ukraine with total military support worth $60 billion annually,” Shmyhal said during a governmental meeting. He did not provide breakdown of funding sources.
The agreements are struck bilaterally and are all different.
For instance, the text of the first deal signed with Britain says the country will provide Ukraine with a further 2.5 billion pounds ($3.16 billion) of support.
Estonia, according to its agreement, “has set the target” to allocate at least 0.25% of GDP annually for military support in 2024-27.
Ukraine’s president urges EU leaders to make good on their arms promises
Friday 28 June 2024 14:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukraine’s president called on European Union leaders on Thursday to make good on their pledges to provide military equipment to his war-ravaged country, just days after the bloc launched membership talks with his government.
“We have to work on next steps,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in Brussels as he arrived to attend a summit of EU leaders. He said he and the leaders would discuss “the urgent things -– air defense, that is one.”
Zelenskyy thanked countries that have promised equipment, weapons and ammunition, but underlined that “we need them urgently on the battlefield.”
Ukraine’s president urges EU leaders to make good on their arms promises
Bulgarian president declines government proposal to lead delegation to NATO summit
Friday 28 June 2024 13:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has turned down a government proposal to lead the country’s delegation to NATO’s July summit in Washington, D.C., saying he was not consulted while it worked out the official position of the country and its commitments regarding the war in Ukraine, his press office said Thursday.
The decision comes on the heels of heated debates between pro-Russian and pro-Western parties in Bulgaria about whether Radev, as the commander-in-chief of the military, should represent the country at the NATO summit.
Radev has often been criticized by political opponents for his Kremlin-friendly position in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and for his public remarks that sending military aid to Kyiv would extend the conflict. He has referred to those favoring military aid to Ukraine as “warmongers.”
Bulgarian president declines government proposal to lead delegation to NATO summit
Russian military says it took control of settlement of Rozdolivka in eastern Ukraine
Friday 28 June 2024 13:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian forces have taken control of the settlement of Rozdolivka in eastern Ukraine, Russia‘s Ministry of Defence said on Friday.
The ministry said in a statement that Russia‘s “Southern” military grouping had taken up what it called more favourable positions after pushing Ukrainian forces out of the settlement, which is located in the Donetsk region.
Reuters could not verify the battlefield report and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Friday 28 June 2024 12:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Rescuers pull injured passengers from train after derailment in northern Russia
In pictures: Zelensky visits memorial wall in Ukraine
Friday 28 June 2024 12:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar visit the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine today.
Ukrainian PM: Allies pledge $60 bln of annual military support for next four years
Friday 28 June 2024 12:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian Prime Minister said on Friday that military pledges outlined in 20 security agreements Kyiv has signed with its partners total $60 billion annually for the next four years.
“According to these agreements, in the next four years, our partners plan to provide Ukraine with total military support worth $60 billion annually,” Denys Shmyhal said during a governmental meeting.
Russia warns it can take unspecified measures in response to US drone flights over Black Sea
Friday 28 June 2024 11:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia‘s Defense Minister ordered officials to prepare a “response” to U.S. drone flights over the Black Sea, the ministry said Friday, in an apparent warning that Moscow may take forceful action to ward off the American reconnaissance aircraft.
The Russian Defense Ministry noted a recent “increased intensity” of U.S. drones over the Black Sea, saying they “conduct intelligence and targeting for precision weapons supplied to the Ukrainian military by Western countries for strikes on Russian facilities.”
“It shows an increased involvement of the U.S. and other NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of the Kyiv regime,” the ministry said in a statement.
Russia warns it can take unspecified measures in response to US drone flights over Black Sea
-Kremlin says outlook for EU-Russia ties is bad after von der Leyen and Kallas nominations
Friday 28 June 2024 11:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Kremlin said on Friday that the outlook for EU-Russia ties was bad after EU leaders nominated Ursula von der Leyen for another term as European Commission president and picked Estonia’s Kaja Kallas as the next EU foreign policy chief.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the bloc’s decision to nominate Germany’s von der Leyen for a second five-year term would not change anything.
“Mrs von der Leyen is not in favour of normalising relations between the EU and Russia. That’s how we know her, that’s how we remember her. Nothing changes in this respect,” said Peskov.
Commenting on the choice of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas for EU foreign policy chief, Peskov said she was known for her anti-Russian rhetoric.
“Mrs Kallas has not demonstrated any diplomatic inclinations so far either, and is well known in our country for her absolutely intransigent and sometimes even openly anti-Russian statements,” he said.
“Therefore, we do not think that European diplomacy will contribute in any way to the normalisation of relations. The prospects, in terms of relations between Moscow and Brussels, are bad.”
Kremlin declines to comment on Biden-Trump debate
Friday 28 June 2024 10:41 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia has no comment on the U.S. presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump as it is an internal U.S. matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Biden stumbled frequently in the encounter with Trump, which revived discussion about his age. Russia loomed large in the debate as both men tried to show who was tougher on foreign policy.
Trump said if the U.S. had a “real president” who was respected by Putin, he would never have invaded Ukraine on Biden’s watch.
Biden responded: “Go ahead, let Putin go in and control Ukraine, and then move on to Poland and other places. See what happens then. He has no idea what the hell he’s talking about.”
Putin said earlier this month he did not believe the outcome of the election would make much difference for Russia.
Belarus to reinforce its border with Ukraine after security incident
Friday 28 June 2024 10:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The border service of Belarus and the country’s Ministry of Defence are taking measures to further reinforce the Belarusian border with Ukraine after a security incident, the Belarusian border service said in a statement.
The border service said its staff had brought down a quadrocopter on Wednesday after it had illegally crossed the border from Ukraine to collect information about Belarusian border infrastructure.
Earlier in the week, it said materials for a homemade bomb had been found concealed in the same area and that it was aware that a unit of pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters was present in a Ukrainian region bordering Belarus.
Ukraine’s Zelensky scolds officials who shirk their duties in the country’s war effort
Friday 28 June 2024 09:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled Wednesday that he is getting tough on officials he suspects are shirking their duties in the war with Russia that is now in its third year.
Zelensky and Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi visited troops in the eastern Donetsk region who have weathered fierce Russian ground and air assaults in recent months. They also discussed with local officials the drinking water supply, social issues, evacuation plans and the rebuilding of local homes, Zelenskyy said.
He added that back in Kyiv he would speak to “officials who must be here and in other areas near the front line — in difficult communities where people need immediate solutions.”
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy scolds officials who shirk their duties in the country’s war effort
US to confront Russia at UN over North Korean weapons
Friday 28 June 2024 09:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The United States will confront Russia at the United Nations Security Council on Friday over violating a North Korea arms embargo, and will push for China’s view on growing ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, said deputy U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood.
The meeting of the 15-member council comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Pyongyang last week to sign a pact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in which they agreed to provide military assistance if either faces armed aggression.
“This should be of great concern to the entire global community,” Mr Wood told Reuters ahead of the meeting, accusing Russia of “in essence siding with a rogue state to violate countless U.N. Security Council resolutions.”
“This is unprecedented, and we need to call it out for what it is,” he said. “We also want to see what China has to say about this growing military cooperation between DPRK and Russia. They cannot view this as a positive development.”
What to know from the first day of US journalist Evan Gershkovich’s trial in Russia
Friday 28 June 2024 09:04 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Here’s a look at what we know about the first day of the trial for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been charged in Russia with espionage — charges that he, his employer and the US government deny.
Where was the trial held?
It was held on Wednesday in the Sverdlovsky Regional Court in the city of Yekaterinburg, about 880 miles (1,416km) east of Moscow. Gershkovich was arrested in the city in March 2023 while on a reporting trip.
What to know from the first day of US journalist Evan Gershkovich’s trial in Russia
Russian defence minister wants action to counter ‘provocations’ from US drones in Black Sea
Friday 28 June 2024 08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has ordered the army’s General Staff to come up with proposals on how to promptly deal with “provocations” by U.S. strategic drones operating over the Black Sea, the defence ministry said on Friday.
The ministry said in a statement that it had noted increased activity in the area from U.S. drones which it said were carrying out reconaissance and gathering targeting information for high-precision Western weapons used by Ukraine to strike Russian facilities.
“This demonstrates the increasing involvement of the United States and NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of the Kyiv regime,” the defence ministry said.
“Such flights multiply the likelihood of airspace incidents with Russian aircraft, which increases the risk of a direct confrontation between the (NATO) alliance and the Russian Federation.”
It said that NATO countries would be responsible for any such incidents.
The statement did not mention Crimea, the Black Sea region which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. But Russian military facilities in Crimea have been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian forces, including with Western missiles.
Ukraine is battling to preserve democratic progress during wartime. It’s not easy
Friday 28 June 2024 07:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
As an investigative journalist, then an activist, and later a lawmaker, Yehor Soboliev sought to expose corruption in business and government as a way to defend Ukraine’s budding democracy.
Now, as a soldier battling Russia, he’s had to put those aims on hold as he fights alongside some of the people he once tried to bring down.“Till the victory, we are on the same side,” said Soboliev, a lieutenant in a front-line drone unit.
“But maybe — definitely — after the victory, we should separate ourselves from each other. And we should continue that fight in making our country more honest, more responsible, more serving to its citizens.”
Ukraine has spent years trying to build a Western-style democracy, although not without some bumps along the way as it shed habits from its Soviet past.
To beat back Russia and remain a democracy it has felt compelled to temporarily suspend or restrict some democratic ideals.
Elections have been postponed, a once-robust media has been restrained, corruption-fighting has slipped down the agenda, and freedom of movement and assembly have been curbed by martial law.
And as Russia pounds Ukraine’s cities and makes battlefield gains, the unity sparked by the invasion — and the sense of common purpose crucial to defending democracy — have come under growing strain.
Russia lost 1,170 soldiers in the past 24 hours, says Ukraine
Friday 28 June 2024 07:10 , Arpan Rai
At least 1,170 Russian forces have been killed and wounded in invasion in Ukraine in the past day, officials of the Ukrainian military said this morning. This comes as the battlefield clashes in the war-hit nation surged.
In the past 24 hours, the frontline saw 119 combat clashes, the General Staff of the Ukraine Armed Forces said, naming Toretsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhove as the hottest sections of the front throughout the day.
“During the day, the enemy launched six missile strikes on Ukrainian territory (a total of eight missiles), 43 airstrikes (56 guided aerial bombs dropped), and 458 kamikaze drones. They also fired 2,863 times on our troops’ positions and settlements using a variety of weapons,” the statement update this morning read.
Russian navy missile cruiser carries out drills in the Mediterranean Sea
Friday 28 June 2024 07:00 , Alexander Butler
The Russian navy missile cruiser Varyag has carried out drills in the Mediterranean Sea, the state-owned TASS news agency reported on Thursday, citing the navy command.
The drills focused on repelling a mass sea drone attack, the navy command said.
It also involved simulated engagements with an enemy vessel and a submarine.
Earlier this month a Russian naval frigate conducted drills in the Atlantic Ocean searching for submarines while on its way to Cuba.
Russia orders measures taken over US drones in Black Sea
Friday 28 June 2024 06:31 , Arpan Rai
Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov has ordered the general staff to take measures to address increased activity of United States drones over the Black Sea, the RIA news agency cited the ministry as saying today.
The ministry said such activity increased the risk of incidents involving Russian aircraft and could cause direct confrontation between Russia and Nato.
