Page 65 - Ukraine

Ukraine sees power outages after largest missile barrage of the year

Moscow's goal is to disable Ukraine's power system via the same means as last year, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in an emailed statement

'Govt trying to bring back Kerala men stranded in Ukraine-Russia conflict'

Three young men from Kerala are stranded in war-torn Ukraine after being lured with promise of a lucrative job in the Russian army and then being allegedly forced to fight in the ongoing conflict there, with Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan saying all efforts are being made to bring them back. According to the families of the three men, they were taken to Russia by a recruitment agency with the promise of a huge salary of Rs 2.5 lakh and on reaching there, their passports and mobile phones were taken away. Thereafter, they were made to fight for the Russian forces in Ukraine, they alleged. The mothers of the men told a TV channel that they came to know what had happened when one of their sons got injured in the war there and managed to call back home. "We just want our sons to be brought back home safe as soon as possible," they said. Reacting to the reports about the three men being stranded in Ukraine, Muraleedharan said the Indian government had been aware

US NSA Jake Sullivan visits Kyiv as stalemate in Washington holds up aid

President Joe Biden's top foreign policy adviser Jake Sullivan sought to reassure Ukrainians during an unannounced visit to Kyiv that the US will continue to support their efforts to fend off Russia's two-year-old invasion. The national security adviser expressed optimism Wednesday that lawmakers in Washington will break a month-long logjam and approve tens of billions of dollars in military and economic aid to Ukraine. Russian forces have exploited the shortfall to make some gains in the conflict. "We will get a strong bipartisan vote in Congress," Sullivan said during a press conference. "We will get that money to you as we should, so I don't think we need to speak about Plan B today." He also acknowledged that the process had "taken too long". Sullivan said the US would consider the conflict a victory for Ukraine if it emerges from the war as a sovereign, democratic and free country. He sought to reassure Ukrainians that the US will continue to support them as it did since the .

We support efforts for peaceful conflict resolution: PM Modi to Zelenskyy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and asserted that India supports all efforts for an early and peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. While discussing the ongoing conflict with him in a telephonic conversation, Modi reiterated India's people-centric approach and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward, a stand he conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day as well. "Had a good conversation with President @ZelenskyyUa on strengthening the India-Ukraine partnership. Conveyed India's consistent support for all efforts for peace and bringing an early end to the ongoing conflict. India will continue to provide humanitarian assistance guided by our people-centric approach," Modi said on X. He spoke to Putin on Wednesday and also congratulated him on his re-election. Zelenskyy appreciated India's continued humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine, a statement said, as the two .

With poll win in his pocket, Putin wants to secure a buffer zone in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said after extending his rule in an election that stifled opposition that Moscow will not relent in its invasion of Ukraine and plans to create a buffer zone to help protect against long-range Ukrainian strikes and cross-border raids. The Kremlin's forces have made battlefield progress as Kyiv's troops struggle with a severe shortage of artillery shells and exhausted front-line units after more than two years of war. The front line stretches over 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) across eastern and southern Ukraine. Advances have been slow and costly, and Ukraine has increasingly used its long-range firepower to hit oil refineries and depots deep inside Russia. Also, groups claiming to be Ukraine-based Russian opponents of the Kremlin have launched cross-border incursions. "We will be forced at some point, when we consider it necessary, to create a certain sanitary zone' on the territories controlled by the (Ukrainian government)," Putin said late ...

'Noon against Putin': Russians rally to fulfil Navalny's last wish

Navalny's allies broadcast videos on YouTube of lines of people queuing up at different polling stations across Russia at midday who they said were there to peacefully protest

Putin poised to rule Russia following election with no other real choices

Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to extend nearly a quarter century of rule for six more years on Sunday after wrapping up an election that gave voters no real alternatives to an autocrat who has ruthlessly cracked down on dissent. The three-day election that began Friday has taken place in a tightly controlled environment where no public criticism of Putin or his war in Ukraine is allowed. Putin's fiercest political foe, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison last month, and other critics are either in jail or in exile. The 71-year-old Russian leader faces three token rivals from Kremlin-friendly parties who have refrained from any criticism of his 24-year rule or his full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Putin has boasted of Russian battlefield successes in the run-up to the vote, but a massive Ukrainian drone attack across Russia early Sunday sent a reminder of challenges faced by Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry reported downing 35 Ukrainian drones ...

Russians vote on Day 2 of an election preordained to extend Putin's rule

Voters across Russia cast ballots Saturday on the second day of an election set to formalise six more years of power for President Vladimir Putin, who faces no serious challengers after crushing political dissent over his nearly 25 years of rule. The election comes against the backdrop of a ruthless crackdown that has stifled independent media and prominent rights groups. Putin's fiercest political foe, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison in February, and other critics are either in jail or in exile. The 71-year-old Putin faces three token rivals from Kremlin-friendly parties, who have refrained from any criticism of him or his invasion of Ukraine. Putin has cast his war in Ukraine, now in its third year, as an existential battle against the US and other Western powers bent on destroying Russia. Russia's wartime economy has proven to be resilient, expanding despite bruising Western sanctions. The Russian defence industry has served as a key growth engine, working around the clo

Russian passports become universal in Ukraine's occupied territories

He and his parents were among the last in their village to take a Russian passport, but the pressure was becoming unbearable. By his third beating at the hands of the Russian soldiers occupying Ukraine's Kherson region, Vyacheslav Ryabkov caved. The soldiers broke two of his ribs, but his face was not bruised for his unsmiling passport photo, taken in September 2023. It wasn't enough. In December, they caught the welder on his way home from work. Then one slammed his rifle butt down on Ryabkov's face, smashing the bridge of his nose. Why don't you fight for us? You already have a Russian passport, they demanded. The beating continued as the 42-year-old fell unconscious. Let's finish this off, one soldier said. A friend ran for Ryabok's mother. Russia has successfully imposed its passports on nearly the entire population of occupied Ukraine by making it impossible to survive without them, coercing hundreds of thousands of people into citizenship ahead of elections Vladimir Putin h

Russia goes to presidential polls with war economy lifting living standards

Wages have soared by double digits, the ruble has stabilized, and poverty and unemployment are at record lows

Ukraine launches drone attacks on Russia for second night in row: Officials

"No one was injured," Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine said on the Telegram messaging app.

Polish prez pushes Nato to ramp up spending, calls on US to fund Ukraine

President Andrzej Duda used a joint White House visit with his political rival, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, on Tuesday to call on NATO allies to significantly increase defense spending and press a divided Washington to break its impasse over replenishing funds for Ukraine at a critical moment in the war in Europe. Duda wants members of the NATO alliance to raise their spending on defense to three per cent of their GDP as Russia puts its own economy on a war footing and pushes forward with its plans to conquer Ukraine. Poland already spends four per cent of its own economic output on defense, double the current target of two per cent for NATO nations. The Polish leader made the call as he and Tusk visited Washington to mark their country's 25th anniversary of joining the now 32-member transatlantic military alliance. It was a historic step into the West after breaking free from Moscow's sphere of influence after decades of communist rule. Russia's against Ukraine really demonstrated

Oscars 2024: India-set 'To Kill a Tiger' loses to '20 Days in Mariupol'

"To Kill a Tiger", set in a village in Jharkhand, lost to "20 Days in Mariupol" in the best documentary feature category at the 96th edition of the Academy Awards. Directed by Ukrainian filmmaker and war correspondent Mstyslav Chernov, "20 Days in Mariupol" follows the story of Ukrainian journalists trapped in Mariupol after Russia's invasion. Other Oscar nominees in the best documentary feature category were "Bobi Wine: The People's President", "The Eternal Memory", and "Four Daughters" . A Canadian production, "To Kill a Tiger" is directed by Delhi-born Nisha Pahuja, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker based in Toronto. It had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2022 where it won the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. The film follows Ranjit's uphill battle to find justice for his 13-year-old daughter who was abducted and later sexually assaulted by three men. "Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit's relief is short-lived

Pope Francis' 'white flag' comment met with criticism from Ukraine, allies

Ukrainian and allied officials Sunday criticised Pope Francis for saying that Kyiv should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, a statement many interpreted as a call for Ukraine to surrender. The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland, a vocal ally of Kyiv, condemned the pope's remarks. And a leader of one of Ukraine's Christian churches on Sunday said that only the country's determined resistance to Moscow's full-scale invasion, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb 24, 2022, had prevented a mass slaughter of civilians. In an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI and partially released on Saturday, Francis used the phrase the courage of the white flag as he argued that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should be open to peace talks brokered by international powers. Our flag is blue and yellow. We live, die and win under it. We will not raise other flags, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba posted on Sunday on X, former

Erdogan offers to host peace summit with Russia during Zelenskyy visit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose NATO-member country has sought to balance its close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, offered during a visit Friday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to host a peace summit between the two countries. Erdogan, who has repeatedly discussed brokering a peace deal, said at a news conference in Istanbul following his meeting with Zelenskyy that he hoped Russia would be on board with Turkey's offer. Since the beginning, we have contributed as much as we could toward ending the war through negotiations," Erdogan said. "We are also ready to host a peace summit in which Russia will also be included. Ukraine remains firm on not engaging directly with Russia on peace talks, and Zelenskyy has said multiple times the initiative in peace negotiations must belong to the country which has been invaded. Zelenskyy said any peace negotiations must align with a 10-point plan he has previously suggested, which includes food security, ...

India busts trafficking racket duping people into fighting for Russia

The traffickers, operating across several Indian states, targeted people using social media platforms and through local agents, the CBI said in a statement

CBI busts network trafficking Indians to Russia-Ukraine conflict zone

The Central Bureau of Investigation has busted a major human trafficking network that took Indians to the Russia-Ukraine war zone in the garb of providing jobs abroad, officials said on Thursday. The agency is conducting searches at over 10 locations in seven cities, they said. The officials said the agency has registered an FIR against various visa consultancy firms and agents. Several individuals have been detained during the search and Rs 50 lakh has been seized, they added.

Poland protests: Many injured amid violent clashes between farmers, police

Poland saw its most violent protest by farmers and supporters yet Wednesday as some participants threw stones at police and tried to push through barriers around parliament, injuring several officers, police said. Police used tear gas and said they detained over a dozen people and prevented the protesters from getting through to the Sejm, the Polish parliament. Farmers are angry over European Union climate policies and food imports from Ukraine that they say threaten their livelihoods. Such protests have occurred across the 27-member EU in recent weeks, but this one was decidedly angrier than earlier demonstrations in the central European nation. Police noted on the social media platform X that its officers are not a party to the ongoing dispute and warned that behavior threatening their safety cannot be taken lightly and requires a firm and decisive response. The deputy agriculture minister, Michal Kolodziejczak, said he didn't believe that real, normal farmers caused a riot in fr

Undermanned Ukrainian army challenges power of Russia's Black Sea fleet

Ukrainian sea drones reportedly sank another Russian warship in the Black Sea on Tuesday, the latest in a series of strikes that has crippled Moscow's naval capability and limited its operations with the war now in its third year. Successful Ukrainian drone and missile strikes have provided a major morale boost for Kyiv at a time when its undermanned and under-gunned forces are facing Russian attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line. Challenging Russia's naval superiority also has helped create more favorable conditions for Ukrainian grain exports and other shipments from the country's Black Sea ports. Here's a look at recent Ukrainian attacks against Russian naval assets and their consequences. RELENTLESS STRIKES In the latest reported strike, Ukrainian naval drones attacked the Sergei Kotov patrol ship near the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, according to the Ukraine's military intelligence agency. The strike, which couldn't

Vladimir Putin's pre-election promises may cost Russia $130 billion

An analysis by Dmitry Polevoy, investment director at Astra Asset Management, shows such projects could cost Russia as much as 2 trillion rubles per year, or more than $130 billion over six years