Page 40 - Ukraine

Biden authorises Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles for strikes in Russia

US President Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to use American-supplied long-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia, easing limitations on the weapons as Russia deploys thousands of North Korean troops to reinforce its war, according to a US official and three people familiar with the matter. The decision allowing Kyiv to use the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, for attacks farther inside Russia comes as President Vladimir Putin positions North Korean troops along Ukraine's northern border to try to reclaim hundreds of miles of territory seized by Ukrainian forces. Biden's move also follows the presidential election victory of Donald Trump, who has said he would bring about a swift end to the war and raised uncertainty about whether his administration would continue the US' vital military support for Ukraine. The longer-range missiles are likely to be used in response to North Korea's decision to support Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to one of the people. The

Russia launches one of its fiercest attacks at Ukraine's infrastructure

A Russian strike on a nine-storey building in the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded dozens, an official said Sunday, as Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack described by officials as the largest in recent months. Among the eight killed in Sumy, 40 kilometres from the border with Russia, were two children, said Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko. More than 400 people were evacuated from the building. The rescuers are checking every apartment looking for people who might be still in the damaged building. "Every life destroyed by Russia is a big tragedy," said Klymenko. The drone and missile attack, which targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, came as fears are mounting about Moscow's intentions to devastate Ukraine's power generation capacity ahead of the winter. Also on Sunday, US President Joe Biden authorised for the first time the use of US-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine to strike inside Russia, after ...

Rio declaration? Battle lines drawn over wars in Ukraine, West Asia

Brazil has adopted the theme "Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet" for its presidency, with a focus on fighting hunger, poverty, and inequality

Russia presses deeper into Ukraine after 1,000 days of brutal war

When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, the conventional wisdom was that the capital, Kyiv, would soon fall and the rest of the country wouldn't last long against a much larger enemy. Instead, it was that narrative that quickly collapsed. The Ukrainian army proved it could slow the advance of Russia's forces and, if not drive them out completely, then with enough support from the West at least forestall defeat. But nearly three years later, the outlook is again grim. Russia is expending huge amounts of weaponry and human life to make small-but-steady territorial gains to the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls. Ukraine, meanwhile, is struggling to minimize losses, maintain morale and convince allies that, with more military aid, it can turn the tide. As this brutal war of attrition grinds toward its 1,000th day, neither side seems eager to negotiate. President-elect Donald Trump has said he could quickly end the war, though it is unclear how or in whos

Ukraine's Zelenskyy says Donald Trump could end war with Russia sooner

The Ukrainian leader shared his belief that the conflict could end sooner under Trump's leadership

Germany's Scholz discusses Ukraine with Putin in first such call in 2 years

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the war in Ukraine in a phone call Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the German government said, in the first such conversation in two years. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Scholz condemned Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine during the call, and called on Putin to end it by withdrawing troops that invaded the country in February 2022. The chancellor urged Russia to be willing to negotiate with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace and stressed Germany's unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression for as long as necessary, Hebestreit said in a statement. Scholz had spoken beforehand with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and would do so again after the call with Putin, the statement said. The German leader condemned Russian air raids on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and warned that the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia to fight i

Ukraine tries to keep Russia from advancing, brace for storm from US

The four drones were designed to carry bombs, but instead the men of Ukraine's Khartia brigade pack them with food, water and handwarmers and launch them in darkness toward the front line, a 15-minute flight away. The unit commander who goes by the callsign Kit, or cat, pilots the tiny uncrewed aircraft from a basement room he jokingly calls their Airbnb. Guided by the drone's night-vision camera, he drops the 10-kilogram (22-pound) packages one by one as close as he can to the position where as many as five infantrymen battle Russian forces in the late autumn chill. The delivery will hold them for two or three days. That's about as far as Kit dares look into the future. He knows that the reelection of Donald Trump will change something in his life, but as far as he and other Ukrainian soldiers on the front are concerned, trying to figure out how is a game for politicians. For him, all that matters is the distance he measures in the meters (yards) that Russian forces advance or ...

Donald Trump wins Republican trifecta as GOP retains House majority

Trump's grip over the so-called Washington trifecta, having earlier won the majority of the Senate, also strengthens the party's hand to enact immigration controls

Russian airstrikes kill six, injure 21 in southern Ukraine: Officials

The Ukrainian air force said later on Monday it shot down two missiles and 39 out of 74 drones launched by Russia overnight. The air force said 30 more drones were lost in Ukrainian air space

Zelenskyy urges unity of strength, diplomacy for lasting peace in Ukraine

Zelenskiy, who has unrelentingly called for a "fair" end to the war, has lobbied the United States and its NATO allies to arm Kyiv and help force Russian President Vladimir Putin to peace

Pentagon allows US contractors to repair weapons in Ukraine during war

The Pentagon is easing restrictions to allow a small number of private American defense contractors to work inside Ukraine, helping repair and maintain equipment, U.S. officials said Friday. The contractors will be far away from the front lines during Russia's invasion and will not be taking part in combat, the officials said. The department is soliciting bids now, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal decisions. Ukraine has been receiving billions of dollars worth of American weapons and equipment over the past two years, including a number of sophisticated systems. For much of that time, U.S. and allied troops have been providing real-time maintenance advice using phones and tablets to communicate in encrypted chatrooms with Ukrainian forces. Officials said the Pentagon is allowing the contractors to go because some equipment including F-16 fighter jets and air defense systems requires high-tech expertise to repair. Using the contractors, th

US elections: What Trump's win means for Israel-Hamas, Russia-Ukraine wars?

Donald Trump's return to the presidency introduces a shift in US foreign policy, favouring Israel's military objectives and proposing negotiation-focused approaches to the Ukraine conflict

Let's see if declared Trump victory will help end Ukraine war: Kremlin

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump had made some important statements about wanting to end the Ukraine war during his campaign, but only time would tell if they lead to action

October weather did not favour Ukraine's winter crops: Scientists

"The development of plants is very slow, which threatens their further fate during the winter period," they added.

Zelenskyy urges export controls, says Russian drones use western components

Zelenskyy further emphasised the importance of enhanced export controls on specialised components and resources, which is crucial to prevent Russia from evading the sanctions imposed

Zelenskyy urges allies to take steps before N Korean troops reach the front

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged its allies to stop watching and take steps before North Koreans troops deployed in Russia reach the battlefield. Zelenskyy raised the prospect of a preemptive Ukrainian strike on camps where the North Korean troops are being trained, and said Kyiv knows their location. But he said Ukraine can't do it without permission from allies to use Western-made long-range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia. But instead America is watching, Britain is watching, Germany is watching. Everyone is just waiting for the North Korean military to start attacking Ukrainians as well, Zelenskyy said in a post late Friday on the Telegram messaging app. The Biden administration said Thursday that some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia's Kursk region near Ukraine's border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days. Western leaders have described the North Korean troop deployment as a significant ..

US is sending USD 425 million in military assistance to Ukraine

The Pentagon announced Friday it was sending an additional $425 million in military assistance to Ukraine as Kyiv prepares to face Russian forces augmented by more than 10,000 North Korean troops. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had said more aid was coming, and soon, during his visit to Kyiv last week. This aid package includes weapons that will be pulled from existing US stockpiles, including air defence interceptors for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and 155 mm artillery, and armoured vehicles and anti-tank weapons. Ukraine's eastern cities continue to face an onslaught of Russian missile strikes, including one on Kharkiv by a 500-kg (1,100-pound) glide bomb. The attack Thursday hit an apartment complex, killing three and injuring scores. In addition, Ukraine is facing new uncertainty as waves of North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia have arrived near Ukraine's border and are preparing to join the fight ...

Russian torture of Ukrainians, prisoners is crime against humanity: Experts

Russia's torture of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war is a crime against humanity, U.N.-backed human rights experts said Thursday. Erik Mse, chair of the independent commission investigating human rights violations in Ukraine, told reporters that the panel previously described Russia's widespread and systematic use of torture in Ukraine and Russia against civilians and prisoners, both men and women, as a war crime. Our recent findings demonstrate that Russian authorities have committed torture in all provinces of Ukraine that came under their control, as well as in the detention facilities that the commission has investigated in the Russian Federation, he said. Russia's U.N. Mission said it had no comment on the press conference or the report by the commission, which is appointed by the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council. Mse said the commission is an investigative body. He noted that Ukraine's prosecutor general and the International Criminal Court are investigating ...

China's silence striking, says Zelenskyy on deployment of N Korean troops

Zelenskyy strongly condemned Russia's decision to involve North Korean troops in the ongoing war against Ukraine

About 8K N Korean troops at Ukraine's border, expected in combat soon: US

Some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia near Ukraine's border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days, the Biden administration said Thursday. The new figure is a dramatic increase from a day earlier, when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would only say some of the troops had moved toward Ukraine's border in the Kursk region, where Moscow's forces have struggled to push back a Ukrainian incursion That also would mean most of the North Korean troops that the US and its allies say have been sent to Russia are now on the Russia-Ukraine border. The US has estimated there are about 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia. Seoul and its allies assess that the number has increased to 11,000, while Ukraine has put the figure higher, at up to 12,000. Of the 8,000 in Kursk, we've not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces but we would expect that to happen in the coming days, Blinken said at a news conference wi