Page 8 - Ukraine Civil War

Ukrainian forces burst through Russian lines in major advance in south

Kyiv gave no official confirmation of the gains, but Russian sources acknowledged that a Ukrainian tank offensive had advanced dozens of kilometers along the Dnipro River's west bank

European Union demands clampdown on issuing visas to Russian citizens

The European Union's top migration official on Friday urged the bloc's 27 nations to clamp down on issuing visas to Russian citizens amid heightened security concerns over Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats and his annexation of parts of Ukraine. This is clearly an escalation and that means also an escalation of the security threat towards the European Union, Migration Commissioner Ylva Johansson said. She urged EU countries to enforce more stringent checks on Russian citizens and deny documents to anyone who might pose a threat. Over 194,000 Russian citizens have fled to neighboring Georgia, Kazakhstan and Finland often by car, bicycle or on foot since Putin last week announced a partial mobilization of reservists to bolster his troops in Ukraine. In Russia, the vast majority of men under 65 are registered as reservists. Johansson said EU authorities must stop short-term visa holders from Russia from renewing them in Europe. If a Russian person intends to stay ..

Putin declares annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions in Kremlin ceremony

Russian President Vladimir Putin has opened a Kremlin ceremony to start the process of absorbing parts of Ukraine into Russia, defying international law. The annexation ceremony in the Kremlin's opulent white-and-gold St. George's Hall will feature Putin and the heads of the four regions of Ukraine signing treaties for them to join Russia, in a sharp escalation of the seven-month conflict. The ceremony comes three days after the completion of Kremlin-orchestrated referendums on joining Russia that were dismissed by Kyiv and the West as a bare-faced land grab, held at gunpoint and based on lies. The separatist Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine have been backed by Moscow since declaring independence in 2014, weeks after the annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. The southern Kherson region and part of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia were captured by Russia soon after Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Both houses of the Kremlin-controlled Russian parliament will

Biden attacks Putin, calls for global resolve to stand against aggression

US President Joe Biden took his attack on Russia to the UN General Assembly's high-level meeting accusing it of making nuclear threats while waging a "brutal war" against Ukraine

'Not a bluff': Vladimir Putin calls up 300,000 reservists to take on West

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered a partial mobilisation of some 300,000 reservists after the Russian military suffered a series of setbacks in the raging conflict with Ukraine, saying the move was essential to protect Russia's sovereignty as the "West is seeking to weaken, divide and finally destroy this country." Putin made the announcement in a televised address to the nation in which he also said that Russia will use all the means at its disposal to protect its territory, warning the West that "this is not a bluff". Ahead of his much-anticipated address, Putin had signed an Executive Order for the call-up to start the mobilisation immediately. Since early September, Ukraine forces have swiftly recaptured large swaths of land in Ukraine's Kharkiv region that Russian troops took over in early weeks of the war which began on February 24. The stretched-out frontline, the constant shelling of Russian borderline areas by the Ukrainian military and attacks on liberated ...

Four Ukraine separatist regions plan votes to join Russia, says report

Russian-controlled regions of eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans Tuesday to start voting this week to become integral parts of Russia. The concerted and quickening Kremlin-backed efforts to swallow up four regions could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes on the battlefield. The scheduling of referendums starting Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions came after a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said the votes are needed and as Moscow is losing ground in the invasion it began nearly seven months ago, increasing pressure on the Kremlin for a stiff response. Former President Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council chaired by Putin, said referendums that fold regions into Russia itself would make redrawn frontiers irreversible and enable Moscow to use any means to defend them. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba denounced the votes as a sham

Zelenskyy vows no let-up as Ukraine troops cross key river in northeast

Crossing the Oskil River is another important milestone in Ukraine's counter-offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region

Russia's secret gem sales fracturing diamond trade from Mumbai to New York

Many in the industry refuse to deal in Russian gems following the invasion of Ukraine and after mining giant Alrosa PJSC was hit with US sanctions

Russia announces troop pullback from two areas in Ukraine's Kharkiv

Russia's Defence Ministry said Saturday that it is pulling back forces from two areas in Ukraine's Kharkiv region where a Ukrainian counter offensive has made significant advances in the past week. Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the troops would be regrouped from the Balakliya and Izyum areas to the Donetsk region. Izyum was a major base for Russian forces in the Kharkiv region. Konashenkov said the move is being made in order to achieve the stated goals of the special military operation to liberate Donbas,' one of the eastern Ukraine regions that Russia has declared sovereign. The claim of pullback to concentrate on Donetsk is similiar to the justification Russia gave for pulling back its forces from the Kyiv region earlier this year.

Ukraine war, inflation affecting tourism industry: UNWTO secretary general

The ongoing war in Ukraine and inflation are affecting the tourism industry, which is recovering from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili. Another major factor that is impacting the industry is that some Asian countries such as China are still "closed", he said. "Chinese market is very important for the industry... China until today is totally closed... It's a big damage for them and for the rest of the world," he said. "Price rise impacted cost of hotel and transport and the troubles today are of people's inability to spend easily and the war. War has changed structure of international visitors... Russia itself is quite a big market, specially for Europe. "As you know, Russians have many residential properties in Europe and it affected a lot on the European market," he said here earlier this week. Pololikashvili was here for the signing of an agreement with leading ...

IAEA calls for safety zone around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

IAEA has called for establishing a "nuclear safety and security protection zone" around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, whose safety has raised international concerns amid shelling

Nuke plant offline after Russian shelling disconnects last line: Ukraine

Europe's largest nuclear plant was knocked off Ukraine's electricity grid Monday after its last transmission line was disconnected as a result of a fire caused by Russian shelling, the facility's operator said. Russian forces have kept up intensive shelling of the area around Zaporizhzhia in recent days, Energoatom said in a statement. The International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN watchdog, said last Saturday that the plant had lost its last main line to the grid, but was still sending power to the grid through a reserve line. Officials at the IAEA, which still has two experts at the plant, and Energoatom weren't immediately available to explain the consequences of the line being cut. The developments came a day before U.N. inspectors were due to report on their efforts to avert a potential disaster at the Ukrainian site that has been engulfed by Russia's war. The Russian military had earlier Monday accused Ukrainian forces of staging provocations at the plant, which lies within a

White House seeks $13.7 billion more as emergency package for Ukraine

President Joe Biden is asking Congress to provide USD 13.7 billion in emergency dollars for Ukraine as U.S. aid to the war-torn country is running out. The request, which comes as lawmakers are preparing to return to Washington, is part of a larger USD 47.1 billion emergency spending package the White House is proposing to pay for the COVID-19 response, the ongoing monkeypox outbreak and help for recent natural disasters in Kentucky and other states. Congress will have to extend current financing for federal agencies before it runs out on Sept. 30. The money for Ukraine would be on top of USD 40 billion that was approved earlier this year. Administration officials said that roughly three-quarters of that military and budgetary support has been disbursed or committed. The new billions would include money for equipment, intelligence support and direct budgetary support for Ukraine. It would also include USD 1.5 billion for uranium to fuel U.S. nuclear reactors as the Russian supply ..

Russia 'sternly' warns US off sending long-range weapons to Ukraine

A senior Russian diplomat sternly warned Washington Friday against supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine, noting that the U.S. is balancing on the edge of direct involvement in the conflict. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also pointed to the country's military doctrine that envisages the use of nuclear weapons in case of a threat to the existence of the Russian state. We have repeatedly warned the U.S. about the consequences that may follow if the U.S. continues to flood Ukraine with weapons," Ryabkov said. It effectively puts itself in a state close to what can be described as a party to the conflict. Speaking on state television, Ryabkov warned that a very narrow margin that separates the U.S. from becoming a party to the conflict mustn't create an illusion for rabid anti-Russian forces that everything will remain as it is if they cross it. He emphasized that Russia will push its offensive in Ukraine until it reaches its aims. Russia is capable of fully defending its .

US requests UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine for Sept 7: French envoy

The United States has requested a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine to be held in the afternoon on September 7, the French Ambassador to the United Nations Nicolas de Riviere said

Volunteer sniper embodies Ukraine's versatile military amid unending crisis

Before taking a shot, Ukrainian sniper Andriy buries his face in a foldout mat, breathing slowly and deliberately. I need to be completely relaxed, to find a place where I will not move the rifle when I pull the trigger, he says. I don't think about anything. It's a kind of vacuum. In a semicircle around his head are boxes of bullets, printouts of charts, a heavy-duty stapler and a roll of tape. Strapped to his wrist is a monitor, which is the shape of a jewellery box. It's a ballistics calculator to factor in the wind and other surrounding conditions. Bees persistently circling his head and scope are ignored. After a long pause, he says the word shot in Ukrainian. Crack! A sound not unlike a starting gun used at sporting events produces a reflexive jolt in people unaccustomed to war. Six months ago, the noise might have startled Andriy, who had moved to Western Europe to pursue a career in engineering. Andriy comes from Bucha, a district near Kyiv's airport that was hammered d

Ending Russia's Ukraine invasion critical for food crisis, fuel prices: US

US Deputy Secretary of Treasury Wally Adeyemo discussed with Indian policymakers ways to jointly deal with global challenges like food insecurity and high energy prices, asserting that ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine was critical to address these issues. Adeyemo held meetings on Friday with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Principal Secretary to the prime minister PK Mishra, Finance Secretary Ajay Seth, Foreign Secretary Vijay Kwatra and Petroleum Secretary Pankaj Jain. The US official's visit to India from August 24 to 26 came amid rising disquiet among Western powers over New Deli's increasing procurement of crude oil from Russia. A readout by the US Department of Treasury said Adeyemo shared with his counterparts the United States' views on ways to "put downward pressure" on energy prices for consumers and businesses in India, the US, and globally. It said he also underscored the importance of further deepening the already strong US-India relationship, including through

UK PM Boris Johnson slams Russia's 'cultural vandalism' in Ukraine

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned Russia's "cultural vandalism" in Ukraine, saying invading forces are trying to erase Ukrainian culture in areas they have taken over

Ukraine train system attacks by Russia may be war crimes, say experts

Russia's attack on a Ukrainian train station that killed more than 20 people this week is the latest in a series of strikes on the country's railway system that some international legal scholars say may be war crimes. While Russia claimed that it had targeted the train because it was carrying Ukrainian troops and equipment on Wednesday, an Associated Press reporter on the ground said there was no visible indication that Ukrainian troops were among the dead, who included children. If civilians were the target, experts said Thursday, the attack could be considered a war crime. A train station is generally a civilian object and should not be a target of attack, said Jennifer Trahan, a clinical professor at New York University's Centre for Global Affairs. Wednesday's attack in Chaplyne, a small village in southeastern Ukraine, was one of the deadliest in months on the country's extensive railway system. In the nearly six months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the AP and the PBS series ..

Russia blocks final document at nuclear treaty conference with UN

Russia late Friday blocked agreement on the final document of a four-week review of the UN treaty considered the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament which criticized its military takeover of Europe's largest nuclear plant soon after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, an act that has raised fears of a nuclear accident. Igor Vishnevetsky, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department, told the delayed final meeting of the conference reviewing the 50-year-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty that "unfortunately there is no consensus on this document." He insisted that many countries not just Russia didn't agree with "a whole host of issues" in the 36-page last draft. The document needed approval by all 191 countries that are parties to the treaty aimed at curbing the spread of nuclear weapons and ultimately achieving a world without them. Argentine Ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen, president of the conference, said the final draft represented