Page 89 - Russia

Reckoning in West Asia

Too soon to assume that the Israel-Iran crisis is over

Russia restoring crude oil refining capacity knocked out by drones

Ukraine stepped up drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure since start of year, hitting some major oil refineries across world's second largest oil exporter in attacks that sent up oil prices

New UN sanctions won't hurt our aluminium supply, says Russian firm Rusal

The action is aimed at disrupting Russian export revenue in response to what Moscow calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Russia is a major producer of aluminium, copper and nickel

Russia, China trade new copper disguised as scrap to skirt taxes, sanctions

Customs data on Chinese imports of copper wire rod is not publicly available

Rising waters in Russia's Kurgan region expected to peak today: Officials

More than 7,100 people were evacuated on Sunday from several hundred residential buildings that had been flooded, state news agency RIA said

10 people dead in shelling in Russian-occupied town in Ukraine: Report

At least 10 people, including children, died after shelling late on Friday struck a Russian-occupied town in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, a local Kremlin-installed official said, blaming Ukraine for the attack. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported at least three civilian deaths elsewhere in the country that they said resulted from Russian attacks. Russian emergency services on Saturday were working in the rubble in hopes of saving civilians trapped underneath the debris of their homes in Tokmak, in a part of southern Ukraine that Moscow has illegally annexed from Kyiv, according to the Kremlin-installed regional head Yevhen Balitsky. The Tokmak municipal administration reported on Telegram that the shelling struck three apartment blocks on Friday evening. Five people were pulled alive from the rubble, Balitsky said, and a total of 13 people were hospitalised. As of early afternoon on Saturday, Ukraine had not commented on the allegations. Elsewhere in Ukraine, at lea

Ukraine says situation in East worse as Russian troops step up attacks

The online war monitor DeepState said Kremlin troops have captured Bohdanivka, a village within miles of their next key target in the Donetsk region. Ukraine said the village remains under its control

China increasing weapons sales to Russia to support war against Ukraine

China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow in turn is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in its war against Ukraine, according to a US assessment. Two senior Biden administration officials, who discussed the sensitive findings Friday on the condition of anonymity, said that in 2023 about 90 per cent of Russia's microelectronics came from China, which Russia has used to make missiles, tanks and aircraft. Nearly 70 per cent of Russia's approximately USD 900 million in machine tool imports in the last quarter of 2023 came from China. Chinese and Russian entities have also been working to jointly produce unmanned aerial vehicles inside Russia, and Chinese companies are likely providing Russia with nitrocellulose needed to make propellants weapons, the officials said. Beijing is also working with Russia to improve its satellite and other space-based capabilities for use in Ukraine, a development

US, UK to implement restrictions on trade of Russian-origin metals

The U.S. and U.K. will begin restricting the trade of new Russian-origin metals including aluminum, copper and nickel on global metal exchanges and in derivatives trading. The announcement is meant to follow up on the Group of Seven nations' commitment in February to reduce Russia's revenues from metals as its invasion into Ukraine has dragged on for more than two years. Russia is a key exporter of metals like aluminum, steel and titanium but British and American officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement, said the economic impact from the ban would be negligible for consumers and producers. The intent is to limit Russia's revenues from metals, they say, as metals have earned the nation $40 billion in the past two years, according to British officials. Our new prohibitions on key metals, in coordination with our partners in the United Kingdom, will continue to target the revenue Russia can earn to continue its brutal war against Ukraine, said

Russian military test-launches an intercontinental ballistic missile

The Russian military on Friday reported a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Russia's Defence Ministry said in a statement that the launch took place at the Kapustin Yar testing range in the south of the country as part of state testing of prospective missile systems, as well as confirmation of the stability of missiles in service. The test launched achieved its results in full, the ministry added, and confirmed high reliability of Russian missiles to ensure (Russia's) strategic security". The ministry didn't name the type of the missile that was test-launched. Russia regularly carries out test launches of ICBMs and other missiles as it seeks to modernise its weapons.

Highlights of the Day: IIP grows 5.7% in February, retail inflation falls to 4.85% in March

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Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia refineries may disrupt diesel market: IEA

Ukrainian drones have ramped up attacks on Russia's oil industry this year in an attempt to disrupt fuel supplies to the military and curb the Kremlin's revenue

Thousands of Russian soldiers flee war in Ukraine but have nowhere to go

If the choice was death or a bullet to the leg, Yevgeny would take the bullet. A decorated hero of Russia's war in Ukraine, Yevgeny told his friend and fellow soldier to please aim carefully and avoid bone. The tourniquets were ready. The pain that followed was the price Yevgeny paid for a new chance at life. Like thousands of other Russian soldiers, he deserted. I joke that I gave birth to myself, he said, declining to give his full name for fear of retribution. When a woman gives birth to a child, she experiences very intense pain and gives new life. I gave myself life after going through very intense pain. Yevgeny made it out of the trenches. But the new life he found is not what he had hoped for. The Associated Press spoke with five officers and one soldier who deserted the Russian military. All have criminal cases against them in Russia, where they face 10 years or more in prison. Each is waiting for a welcome from the West that has never arrived. Instead, all but one live

Russia, Germany, UK urge restraint as Iranian threat puts W Asia on edge

The German airline Lufthansa, one of only two Western carriers flying to Tehran, extended a suspension of its flights to the Iranian capital and Russia warned against travel to West Asia

Massive Russian attack destroys one of Ukraine's largest power plants

A massive missile and drone attack destroyed one of Ukraine's largest power plants and damaged others, officials said on Thursday, part of a renewed Russian campaign targeting energy infrastructure. The Trypilska plant, which was the biggest energy supplier for the Kyiv, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions, was struck numerous times, destroying the transformer, turbines and generators and leaving the plant ablaze. As the first drone approached, workers hid in a shelter, saving their lives, said Andrii Hota, director of the state company that runs the plant, Centrenergo. They watched the plant burn, surrounded by dense smoke and engulfed in flames. It's terrifying, said Hota. Hours later, rescuers were still dismantling the rubble. The plant supplied electricity to 3 million customers but none lost power because the grid was able to compensate since demands are low at this time of year. Still, the consequences of the strikes could be felt in the coming months, as air conditioning use ramp

Russia floods: Over 12,000 homes submerged near area bordering Kazakhstan

Nearly 12,000 houses have been flooded in a Russian region bordering Kazakhstan as water levels in the Ural River keep rising and threatening more deluge, authorities said on Thursday. The floods sparked evacuations of thousands in the Orenburg region, located some 1,200 kilometers (745 miles), southeast of the capital of Moscow after a dam on the river burst last week under the pressure of surging waters. Local authorities have declared a state of emergency in the region. In a televised videoconference with President Vladimir Putin, Orenburg governor Denis Pasler reported that a total of 11,972 houses are flooded, as well as 16 state medical facilities. Additionally, 3,600 houses home to some 20,000 people are in danger of imminent flooding as water levels continue to rise. The situation is most dire in the city of Orenburg, the administrative capital of the region, Pasler said, where the water level in the Ural River reached a historical peak of 10.87 metres (about 36 feet). A

India ranks number 10 in cybercrime, Russia tops list followed by Ukraine

India ranked number 10 in cybercrime, with frauds involving people to make advance fee payment being the most common type, according to a new research that surveyed cybercrime experts around the world. An international team of researchers has compiled the 'World Cybercrime Index' that ranks roughly 100 countries and identifies key hotspots according to various categories of cybercrime, including ransomware, credit card theft and scams. Russia topped the list, and was followed by Ukraine, China, the US, Nigeria and Romania. North Korea was at the seventh position, while the UK and Brazil were at the eighth and ninth positions, respectively, according to the research published in the journal PLoS ONE. Through the survey, the researchers asked the experts to consider major types of crime in the virtual world and nominate countries that they thought contributed significantly to each of them. The major categories that the researchers identified were - technical products and services suc

Russia, Ukraine breeding ground of highest number of cybercrimes: Survey

The survey stated that as many as 97 countries were named as being hubs for a particular category

Russia, Kazakhstan battle worst floods as major rivers burst banks

The Kremlin said Putin was being updated regularly on the situation but had no current plans to visit the area while emergency services tried to deal with rising waters

Switzerland to host Ukraine peace summit in June, invites over 100 nations

In an official post on X, Ignazio Cassis said, "Switzerland will host a High-Level Conference on Peace in Ukraine"