Page 69 - Ukraine

Russia's attacks on Ukraine increased civilian casualties in Dec: UN

Russia's intense missile and drone attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks sharply increased civilian casualties in December with over 100 killed and nearly 500 injured, the United Nations said in a new report on Tuesday. The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said there was a 26.5 per cent increase in civilian casualties last month -- from 468 in November to 592 in December. With some reports still pending verification, it said, the increase was likely higher. Danielle Bell, who heads the UN's monitoring mission, said: "Civilian casualties had been steadily decreasing in 2023 but the wave of attacks in late December and early January violently interrupted that trend." The UN mission said it is verifying reports the recent intense Russian missile and drone attacks that began hitting populated areas across Ukraine on December 29 and continued into early January killed 86 civilians and injured 416 others. "These attacks sow death and destruction on Ukraine's ...

Biden invites congressional leaders during difficult talks on Ukraine aid

President Joe Biden has invited the top four congressional leaders and other lawmakers to the White House on Wednesday as members have struggled to reach agreement on US aid for the Ukraine war. Republicans have insisted on pairing it with their own demands for securing the US border. A bipartisan group of negotiators in the Senate has been working for weeks to find an agreement that would provide wartime money for Ukraine and Israel and also include new border policy that is strong enough to satisfy Republicans in both chambers. The talks appeared to slow last week as senators said significant disagreements remained. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that the lawmakers -- including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La; House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY; and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky; -- were invited to meet with Biden "to discuss the critical importance of his national ...

Switzerland hosts Zelenskyy and offers to host peace summit for Ukraine

Swiss President Viola Amherd said on Monday, during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Bern, that her country has offered to organise a peace summit that aims to help bring an end to Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia. "I confirmed to him that Switzerland is ready to organise a conference," Amherd said during a joint press conference with Zelenskyy. "We have agreed that we will examine the details of the next steps in depth to ensure that the peace process is a success." The two presidents said the Ukrainian and Swiss teams will begin preparations for the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland as early as Tuesday. No details were provided about when or how such a summit could take place, and Russia hasn't been involved in the process. "This summit is intended to infuse the necessary energy into everything that has already been achieved and to determine that the end of the war must be fair, and the restoration of the strength of international law -- complete," Zelenskyy

UN seeks $4.2 billion to help people in Ukraine, refugees this year

The United Nations appealed on Monday for USD 4.2 billion to help people in Ukraine and displaced outside the country this year, saying that people on the front lines have exhausted their meagre resources and many refugees also are vulnerable. About three-quarters of the total, USD 3.1 billion, is meant to support some 8.5 million people inside Ukraine. The remaining USD 1.1 billion is sought for refugees and host communities outside Ukraine. A recent wave of attacks underscores the devastating civilian cost of the war and a bitter winter is increasing the need for humanitarian aid, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN refugee agency said in a statement from Geneva. In front-line towns and villages, people have exhausted their meagre resources and rely on aid to survive, it said. Ukraine has been subjected to massive Russian barrages recently. More than 500 drones and missiles were fired between December 29 and January 2, according to officials in .

More countries join talks on Ukraine leader's peace formula

Leaders of talks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace formula on Sunday said a growing number of countries are working to help set the groundwork for Russia to join one day, an admittedly distant goal as the nearly two-year war grinds on and with neither side willing to cede ground. The fourth such meeting of national security advisors was held in the Swiss town of Davos, where Zelenskyy is set to attend the World Economic Forum's annual meeting starting Tuesday. He will endeavour to keep up international focus on Ukraine's defence amid eroding support for Kyiv in the West and swelling distractions like conflict in the Middle East. Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, posted photos of the meeting's opening and hailed a "good sign" that the number of participants in a string of conferences on Zelenskyy's peace formula was growing -- nearly half from Europe, as well as 18 from Asia and 12 from Africa. "Countries from the Global South are increasingly

Zelenskyy rules out cease-fire, saying Russia could use it to rearm

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday ruled out a cease-fire in his country's war with Russia, saying the Kremlin's forces would use the pause to rearm and regroup before overwhelming Kyiv's troops. A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war, Zelenskyy said during a visit to Estonia. A pause would play into (Russia's) hands, he said. It might crush us afterward. Limited cease-fires have occasionally been proposed since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 but have never taken hold. Both sides are scrambling to replenish their weapons after 22 months of fighting and with the prospect of a protracted conflict. With the roughly 1,500-kilometre (630-mile) front line mostly static during freezing winter weather, they both require artillery shells, missiles and drones that enable long-range strikes. Zelenskyy noted that Moscow is allegedly buying artillery shells and missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran. Zelenskyy was in the .

Ukraine seeks investments from India to reconstruct war-hit economy

Ukraine pegs private sector investment opportunities at over $30 billion

350,000 people applied for asylum in Germany in 2023, up 51% in 1 year

The number of people applying for asylum in Germany last year rose to 3,51,915, an increase of 51.1 per cent compared with the year before. The largest number of asylum-seekers came from Syria, with 1,04,561 applications, followed by Turkish citizens with 62,624 asylum pleas and 53,582 Afghans, Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said Monday. Migration has become a huge political problem for the government and a hot-button topic in Germany as local communities are struggling to house the many newcomers. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who faces enormous pressure from the opposition and elsewhere to halt the trend, has said that too many are coming. Late last year, Scholz and the 16 state governors agreed on new and stricter measures to curb the high number of migrants flowing into the country, reaching a compromise that included speeding up asylum procedures, benefit restrictions for asylum-seekers and more financial aid from the federal government for the states and

US Congress leaders announce agreement on spending levels to avert shutdown

Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on topline spending levels for the current fiscal year that could help avoid a partial government shutdown later this month. The agreement largely hues to spending caps for defense and domestic programmes that Congress set as part of a bill to suspend the debt limit until 2025. But it does provide some concessions to House Republicans who viewed the spending restrictions in that agreement as insufficient. In a letter to colleagues, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday it will secure USD 16 billion in additional spending cuts from the previous agreement brokered by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden and is about USD 30 billion less than what the Senate was considering. This represents the most favourable budget agreement Republicans have achieved in over a decade, Johnson writes. Biden said the agreement moves us one step closer to preventing a needless government shutdown and protecting important national ...

India has not sent any artillery ammunition to Ukraine, says govt

India on Thursday trashed reports that claimed spotting certain Indian-origin artillery shells in Ukraine, and categorically asserted that it has not sent any ammunition to that country. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has neither sent nor exported any artillery ammunition to Ukraine. "We have also seen some media reports in this regard. We can categorically say that we have not sent any of this artillery ammunition to Ukraine," he said at a media briefing. Jaiswal's remarks came in response to a question on reports about Indian-made artillery shells being spotted in Ukraine. India has been maintaining that the conflict in Ukraine must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. On Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a "useful" phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba focusing on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Kyiv's peace formula and ways to advance bilateral ties. The phone conversation came days af

Nato to help allies buy 1,000 missiles amid Russia's Ukraine air assault

NATO announced Wednesday that it would help buy up to 1,000 Patriot missiles so that allies can better protect their territory as Russia ramps up its air assault on Ukraine. NATO's Support and Procurement Agency said it will support a group of nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain, in buying the Patriots, which are used to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles as well as enemy aircraft. According to industry sources, the contract could be worth around USD 5.5 billion. The purchase could help allies free up more of their own defense systems for Ukraine. The agency said that other user nations are expected to benefit from the conditions of the contract, without elaborating. Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians, cities and towns show how important modern air defenses are, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. Scaling up ammunition production is key for Ukraine's security and for ours. As an organization, NATO

Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities killing 5 and injuring at least 130

Ukraine's two largest cities came under attack early on Tuesday from Russian missiles that killed five people and injured as many as 130, officials said, as the war approached its two-year mark and the Kremlin stepped up its winter bombardment of urban areas. Air defences shot down all 10 of the Russian Kinzhal missiles, which can fly at 10 times the speed of sound, out of about 100 of various types that were launched, claimed General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's commander-in-chief. But other missiles got through in Kyiv and in Kharkiv, the provincial capital of the northeastern region. In Kyiv and its surrounding region, four people were killed and about 70 were wounded, while in the Kharkiv region, one person was killed and about 60 were hurt, the Interior Ministry said. The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is an air-launched ballistic missile that is rarely used by Russian forces due to its cost and limited stocks. The barrage fired on Tuesday was the highest number used in one attack since the .

Ukraine's 2 largest cities under heavy Russian missile attack, 1 killed

Ukraine's two largest cities came under heavy Russian missile attacks on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring dozens. Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, said one person died and 41 were injured in Russian missile strikes that hit the centre of Kharkiv city and other areas. In Kyiv, the capital, five areas of the city were hit in the strikes and at least 12 people injured, according to mayor Vitali Klitschko. The barrage of the cities continued Russia's escalated attacks on Ukraine in recent days that began on Friday with its largest single attack on Ukraine since the war started, in which at least 41 civilians were killed. The following day, shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod that Russian officials blamed on Ukraine killed more than two dozen people. Russia has struck back repeatedly since. The attack on Belgorod was one of the deadliest to take place on Russian soil since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started more than 22 months ago. ..

Ready for peace in Ukraine but only on Russia's terms, says Putin

"We also want to end the conflict, and as soon as possible" - but "only on our terms," Putin said. The Russian leader didn't specify what conditions must be met for peace

Russia launches record 90 drones on Ukraine during early hours of new year

Russia launched a record 90 Shahed-type drones over Ukraine during the early hours of the new year, the Ukrainian air force said Monday, while Russia also reported Ukrainian attacks. A 15-year-old boy was killed and seven people wounded after falling debris from one of 87 downed drones hit a residential building in the city of Odesa, the head of the region's military administration, Oleh Kiper, said. Debris also sparked a number of small fires, including at the city's port. In the western city of Lviv, Russian attacks severely damaged a museum dedicated to Roman Shukhevych, a controversial Ukrainian nationalist and military commander who fought for Ukrainian independence during World War II. University buildings in the town of Dubliany were also damaged, although no casualties were reported. Writing on social media, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi described the strike as symbolic and cynical, adding, this is a war for our history." Meanwhile, four people were killed and 13 more wounded .

New Year's Eve celebrations roll across Asia, but wars cast shadow on 2024

Revellers across Asia celebrated the countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve with fireworks and brightly lit signs offering a hopeful start to 2024 for some, even as the globe's ongoing conflicts raised security concerns and let to muted or even cancelled festivities. As the clock struck midnight in Australia, more than 1 million people a number equivalent to one in five of the city's residents watched a 12-minute firework display focused on the Sydney Harbor Bridge from the shore and from boats in the harbour. It's total madness, said German tourist Janna Thomas, who had waited in line since 7.30 am to secure a prime waterfront location in the Sydney Botanic Garden. Organisers worldwide have readied for large-scale celebrations despite the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine. In New York City, where there have been near-daily protests sparked by the Israel-Hamas war, officials and party organizers said they were prepared to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of revelers who wil

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Zelenskyy urges global response to Russia's 'latest act of terror'

In response to the devastating attacks that left at least 31 people dead and over 150 injured, Ukraine urgently called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

Blinken condemns Russia's strikes on Ukraine, urges Congress for funds

Urging Congress to release more funds for providing military aid to Ukraine, the US State Secretary said that "Congress needs to act in the new year"

Russia unleashes one of biggest aerial barrages against Ukraine: Zelenskyy

Russia launched about 110 missiles as well as drones against Ukrainian targets during the night Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday, killing at least seven civilians in what appeared to be one of the biggest aerial barrages of the 22-month war. Most of the incoming missiles and drones were shot down during the roughly 18-hour onslaught, according to Zelenskyy. However, scores of people were injured and an unknown number of people were buried under rubble, Ukrainian officials said. Among the buildings damaged across Ukraine were a maternity hospital, apartment blocks and schools. Zelenskyy said the Kremlin's forces used a wide variety of weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles. Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal, Zelenskyy said on sopcial media platform X, formerly Twitter. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said Russia apparently launched everything they have in the attack. If Zelenskyy's count is confirmed, it would be the