Page 84 - Ukraine

Ukraine says it recaptured village; Russia insists it is repelling attacks

Ukraine's military on Sunday reported recapturing a village in the southeast of the country amid Russian claims of repelling multiple attacks in the area, the latest indication that a highly anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive might be underway even as officials in Kyiv stop short of publicly acknowledging it. The 68th Separate Hunting Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces posted a video on Facebook showing soldiers installing a Ukrainian flag on a damaged building in what the post said was the village of Blahodatne in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region. In a separate social media post, Ukraine's Ground Forces confirmed that the brigade had retaken Blahodatne. Myroslav Semeniuk, spokesman for the brigade, told The Associated Press that an assault team captured six Russian troops after entering several buildings where some 60 soldiers were holed up. The enemy keeps shelling us but this won't stop us, Semeniuk said. The next village we plan to reclaim is Urozhayne. Afte

Ukraine dam collapse: Fast-moving disaster and slow ecological catastrophe

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam was a fast-moving disaster that is swiftly evolving into a long-term environmental catastrophe affecting drinking water, food supplies and ecosystems reaching into the Black Sea. The short-term dangers can be seen from outer space tens of thousands of parcels of land flooded, and more to come. Experts say the long-term consequences will be generational. For every flooded home and farm, there are fields upon fields of newly planted grains, fruits and vegetables whose irrigation canals are drying up. Thousands of fish were left gasping on mud flats. Fledgling water birds lost their nests and their food sources. Countless trees and plants were drowned. If water is life, then the draining of the Kakhovka reservoir creates an uncertain future for the region of southern Ukraine that was an arid plain until the damming of the Dnieper River 70 years ago. The Kakhovka Dam was the last in a system of six Soviet-era dams on the river, which flows from Bel

US announces new $2.1 bn package of military aid to Ukraine, says Pentagon

The Pentagon announced Friday that it will provide an additional $2.1 billion in long-term weapons aid for Ukraine. The new assistance package will include funding for more Patriot missile battery munitions, Hawk air defence systems and missiles, and small Puma drones that can be launched by hand. The latest infusion of funding, one of the larger packages the U.S. has provided, comes as there are signs that Ukraine is beginning or about to begin the much anticipated counteroffensive to try to take back territory that has been seized by Russia. Unlike the U.S. equipment, weapons and ammunition that are more frequently sent from Pentagon stocks and delivered quickly to Ukraine, this money would be provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and is meant to be spent over the coming months or even years to ensure Ukraine's future security needs. In a statement, the Pentagon said the package shows America's continued commitment to both Ukraine's critical near-term ...

Drone hits building in Russia near border amid surge in Ukraine fighting

A drone crashed into a high-rise residential building in southwestern Russia near the border with Ukraine, a regional governor said Friday, exposing the latest vulnerabilities in the country's air defence systems as President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine increasingly affects Russian soil. The latest drone attack to target Russian cities in recent weeks wounded three people and came amid a front-line push by Ukrainian forces in what appears to be the early stages of a long-awaited counteroffensive in pockets of south and east Ukraine that Russia invaded more than 15 months ago. The Ukrainian presidency's website posted a video statement overnight from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that alluded to the latest efforts of his country's forces to drive out the Russian invaders, along various parts of the more than 1,000-kilometer front line. Speaking inside what appeared to be a train car after visiting flood-hit southern Ukraine on Thursday, Zelenskyy said it was not time yet to talk

Ukraine dam breach to have economic, ecological consequences: Expert

The breaching of a major dam in southern Ukraine and the susequent collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant earlier this week, will lead to devastating economic and ecological consequences

Zelenskyy visits flooded area as five dead in Russian-occupied town

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the flood-hit region of Kherson on Thursday to evaluate response to damage caused by a dam breach. The Ukrainian leader wrote on his Telegram account that he was helping assess efforts to evacuate civilians, provide them with drinking water and other support, and try to stanch vast environmental damage. Zelenskyy also raised the prospect of funding allocations to help compensate residents and businesses driven from their homes and offices by rising waters. Meanwhile, the Kremlin-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, a Russian-occupied town 5 kilometres from the collapsed Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric plant, reported on Russian state TV Thursday that five of seven local residents who had been declared missing following the dam breach have died. The two remaining people have been found and efforts were being made to evacuate them, Vladimir Leontyev added. At least 4,000 people have been evacuated from both the Russian and ...

BJP outreach: Jaishankar to meet Afghan Sikh refugee, students from Ukraine

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will begin on Thursday his two-day outreach programme under the Delhi BJP's month-long campaign to highlight achievements of the Modi government in the last nine years. Jaishankar on Thursday will meet Sikh refugees from Afghanistan who left that country after it was taken over by Taliban, the Delhi BJP said in a statement. The Union minister, accompanied by West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma, will also meet a 1984 anti-Sikh riots-affected family at Tilak Vihar on Thursday, it said. In Basai Darapur, Jaishankar will meet the students forced to leave their studies in Ukraine due to Russian invasion of the country, the statement said. He will visit Guru Arjun Dev Gurudwara at Mahavir Nagar in West Delhi at 3 pm where he will meet Afghan Sikh refugees. Jaishankar, along with former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, has been deputed by the national leadership of BJP to oversee the month-long campaign in seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi. The .

Sunak lands in Washington, will talk Ukraine, economy and AI with Biden

But he's also pragmatic, and has restored stability to Britain's government after the turbulent terms of predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss

Russia blows up Ukraine dam: What's happening and what's at stake

The fallout from the breach of a river dam along a front line of Russia's war in Ukraine continued to wreak havoc on lives, livelihoods and the environment on Wednesday. When the Kakhovka dam ruptured on Tuesday, it sent a torrent of water from Ukraine's largest reservoir into streets and homes downstream on the Dnieper River where tens of thousands of people live -- in the thick of a combat zone where shelling regularly takes place. It's not clear what caused the breach: the structure had already been damaged in the war. Ukraine's government, which controls the river's western bank and the city of Kherson, has accused Russian forces of blowing up the facility. Officials in Russia, which controls the eastern bank for about the last 300 kilometres (about 185 miles) before the river reaches the Black Sea, has blamed Ukrainian military strikes. WHAT ARE THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS? Authorities and rescue workers on both sides stepped up efforts on Wednesday to pull beleaguered residents

Floodwaters engulf areas of Ukraine after dam breach as hundreds evacuated

Floodwaters from a collapsed dam kept rising in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes in a major emergency operation that brought a dramatic new dimension to the war with Russia, now in its 16th month. Amid the disaster response, artillery shelling rang out as people scrambled to get out of the danger zone, climbing onto military trucks or rafts. Officials said the flood's force was expected to slacken as the day wore on, a day after Tuesday's breach of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam and reservoir, which is one of the largest in the world. Even so, authorities said water levels were expected to rise by another metre (about 3 feet) over the following 20 hours and engulf more downriver areas along the banks of the Dnieper. Some local residents spent the night on rooftops. Others, scrambling to flee the rising waters, were evacuated by buses and trains with the belongings they could carry. The intensity of floods is slightly decreasing," Oleksa

Wheat prices rise following collapse of major dam in southern Ukraine

The collapse of a major dam in southern Ukraine sent global prices of wheat and corn higher. Wheat prices gained 2.4% in early trading Tuesday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, to $6.39 a bushel. The cost of corn rose more than 1% (to $6.04 a bushel) and oats gained 0.73% ($3.46 per unit). Prices had jumped higher earlier in the day. The destruction of Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power station, which sits on the Dnieper River in an area that Moscow controls, raised anxiety about a potential disruption to global supplies. There are massive agricultural fields in Southern Ukraine where the dam burst. Andrey Sizov, managing director of Black Sea agricultural markets research firm SovEcon, said the dam's collapse looks like a big escalation with dire consequences and huge headline risk. This could be just the start of the bull run, Sizov wrote on Twitter. Wheat prices have been falling throughout the year. Citi commodities analysts said Tuesday's incident is a reminder of ling

Ukraine brands Russia 'terrorist state' to open hearings at top UN court

A top Ukrainian diplomat called Russia a terrorist state Tuesday as he opened his country's case against Moscow at the United Nations' highest court and accused Russia of blowing up a major dam in southern Ukraine. Anton Korynevych was addressing judges at the International Court of Justice in a case brought by Kyiv against Russia linked to Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and arming of rebels in eastern Ukraine in the years before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine wants the world court to order Moscow to pay reparations for attacks in the regions, including for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down by Russia-backed rebels on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. Korynevych said that with Moscow unable to beat Ukraine on the battlefield, it targets civilian infrastructure to try to freeze us into submission. Earlier today, just today, Russia blew up a major dam located in Nova Kakhovka, causing significant civilians .

Top UN court opens hearings of Ukraine's Crimea case against Russia

Hearings open Tuesday at the United Nations' highest court in a case brought by Ukraine against Russia linked to Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and arming of rebels in eastern Ukraine in the years before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kyiv wants the International Court of Justice to order Moscow to pay reparations for attacks in the regions, including for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down by Russia-backed rebels on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. Four days of hearings in the court's ornate, wood-paneled Great Hall of Justice are opening against a backdrop of Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II raging on in Ukraine. Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam and hydroelectric power station in a part of in a part of the country Moscow controls, threatening a massive flood. Lawyers for Kyiv will present legal arguments to support their case Tuesday, followed by Russia on Thursday.

Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying major dam, warns of rampant flooding

Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam in a part of southern Ukraine they control, alerting residents further along the Dnipro River to evacuate and warning of flooding downstream. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry called for residents of 10 villages on the river's right bank and parts of the city of Kherson to gather essential documents and pets, turn off appliances and leave, while cautioning against possible disinformation. Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said in a video posted to Telegram shortly before 7 am that the Russian army has committed yet another act of terror, and warned that water will reach critical levels within five hours.

Ukraine starts counteroffensive actions in some areas against Russia

The Bakhmut direction remains the epicenter of hostilities, the official said, noting that the Ukrainian military forces have achieved some success in the area

Ukraine launching attacks, says Russia as Kyiv accuses Moscow of deception

Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day, a Moscow-installed official said on Monday as Russia's Defence Ministry declared that it had foiled an assault in an illegally annexed region of the invaded country. Kyiv authorities suggested the attack reports were a Russian misinformation ruse as the Ukrainian military prepares for a widely anticipated counteroffensive. Vladimir Rogov, an official in the Russia-backed administration of Ukraine's partly occupied Zaporizhzhia province, said fighting resumed on its border with the eastern Donetsk region on Monday after Russian defences beat back a Ukrainian advance the previous day. "The enemy threw an even bigger force into the attack than yesterday (Sunday)," and the new attempt to break through the front line was "more large-scale and organised," Rogov said, adding, "A battle is underway". Rogov interpreted the Ukraine military movements as part of an effor

Carried on overnight strike on Ukrainian military airfields: Russia

In another strike, near the city of Dnepropetrovsk on the Dnepr River, a Ukrainian drone assembly workshop was destroyed, the ministry said

Russia-Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelenskyy says at least 500 children killed

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia's war, now in its 16th month, has killed at least 500 Ukrainian children. Zelenskyy provided the number hours after rescue workers found the body of a 2-year-old girl who died in one of the latest Russian strikes. The president said in a statement that Russian weapons and hatred, which continue to take and destroy the lives of Ukrainian children every day," killed the hundreds who had perished since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on Feb. 24, 2022. Many of them could have become famous scholars, artists, sports champions, contributing to Ukraine's history, he said. Zelenskyy said it was impossible to establish the exact number of children who were casualties due to the ongoing hostilities and because some areas are under Russian occupation. We must hold out and win this war! the Ukrainian president said. All of Ukraine, all our people, all our children, must be free from the Russian terror! Rescuer

Ukraine war ignites global backlash against hegemony of US dollar

Still, the drumbeat of de-dollarization is continuing unabated in the developing world

Ukrainian army's training on tanks, F-16 jet part of long-term strategy: US

Training for Ukrainian forces on advanced U.S. Abrams tanks has begun, and while those systems will not be ready in time for the imminent counteroffensive, those weapons will be critical in the longer-term to Ukraine ultimately pushing Russia out of its occupied territories, Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley said. Tank training began as the U.S. and allies began to work out agreements to train Ukrainians on F-16 fighter jets another long-wished-for advanced capability. Ultimately, while the tanks are needed to expel Russian forces from Ukrainian territory, the F-16s would be part of a longer-term security plan to deter future attacks, Milley said Thursday. Everyone recognises Ukraine needs a modernised Air Force, Milley said. It's going to take a considerable amount of time. Milley said detailed planning on class sizes, the types of flying tactics and locations for training was underway now between the U.S. and allies such as the Netherlands and the U.K. that have already ..