Page 3 - Ukraine Civil War

Missiles hit Kyiv after Zelenskyy lays conditions for peace at G20

Power provider DTEK announced emergency blackouts in the capital and authorities announced similar steps elsewhere, too

Russia announces troops withdrawal from west bank of Dnipro river

Russia's military announced Wednesday that it's withdrawing from a key Ukrainian city and nearby areas, in what would be one of the most significant and humiliating setbacks for Moscow's forces in the 8-month-old war. Ukrainian authorities, however, cautioned against considering the retreat a done deal. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the Russians were feigning a pullout from Kherson to lure the Ukrainian army into an entrenched battle in the strategic industrial port city. The withdrawal from Kherson in a region of the same name that Moscow illegally annexed earlier this year would pile on another setback after Russia's early failed attempt to capture the capital, Kyiv. Kherson, with a prewar population of 280,000, is the only regional capital Russian forces captured since the Feb. 24 invasion began. Kyiv's forces have zeroed in on the city and cut off supply lines in recent weeks as part of a larger counteroffensive in eastern and southern Ukraine that has pushed .

Global food concerns rise as Russia halts UN-brokered Ukraine grain deal

US President Joe Biden has warned that global hunger could increase because of Russia's suspension of a UN-brokered deal to allow safe passage for ships carrying Ukrainian grain. It's really outrageous, said Biden speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday. There's no merit to what they're doing. The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it. Biden spoke hours after Russia announced it would immediately halt participation in the agreement, alleging that Ukraine staged a drone attack Saturday against Russia's Black Sea Fleet ships off the coast of occupied Crimea. Ukraine has denied the attack, saying that Russia mishandled its own weapons. The grain initiative has allowed more than 9 million tons of grain in 397 ships to safely leave Ukrainian ports since it was signed in July, and the UN chief on Friday urged Russia and Ukraine to renew the deal when it expires in late November. The grain agreement has succeeded in bringing down global food prices, which have fal

EU to tighten gun trade laws as Ukraine war fuels fear of illegal arms

The European Union on Thursday moved to tighten laws governing the trade and transport of guns to help keep illicit firearms out of the hands of criminal gangs amid concerns that the war in Ukraine could increase the spread of illegal weapons. The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, estimates that around 35 million illicit weapons are in hands of civilians across the 27-nation bloc. Around 630,000 firearms are listed as stolen in the EU's security and border database. The commission's crackdown would involve clearer, common procedures for the import, export and transit of firearms and ammunitions. An electronic licensing system would be set up for import and export applications to replace the slower paper-based systems most countries have. Stricter standards would be imposed on the manufacture of alarm and signal weapons, which fire things like blanks or tear gas. Such arms were converted by extremists and used in the bloody 2015 Paris attacks and the killing of staff at

Nine months into war, Ukraine claims success in downing Russian drones

Ukrainian authorities on Monday tried to dampen public fears over Russia's use of Iranian-built drones on its neighbour by claiming increasing success in shooting down the small aircraft, while talk of a dirty bomb attack has added another worrying dimension to the conflict that's entering it's ninth month. Ukrainians are bracing for less electric power this winter following a sustained Russian barrage on infrastructure across their country in recent weeks. Meanwhile, citizens in the southern city of Mykolaiv lined up for water and essential supplies as Ukrainian forces continued their advance on the nearby Russian-occupied city of Kherson. Ukraine's forces have shot down more than two-thirds of the approximately 330 Shahed drones that Russia has fired through Saturday, the head of Ukraine's intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, said in a published interview on Monday. Budanov said that Russia's military had ordered about 1,700 units of various types of drones, and a second batch of

Ukraine: Russian strikes kill at least 12 people after bridge blast

A Russian missile barrage that crumbled apartment buildings and houses in Ukraine's city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least dozen people, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday as Moscow strained to enforce its takeover of illegally annexed territory. The blasts that collapsed at least one high-rise residential building and blew out the windows of others came from six missiles launched in Russian-occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia region, the Ukrainian air force said. The region is one of four Russia claimed as its own this month, but the regional capital remains under Ukrainian control. In the immediate aftermath of the strikes, the city council said 17 were killed but later revised that down to 12. Regional police reported on Sunday afternoon that 13 had been killed and more than 60 wounded, at least 10 of whom were children. The multiple strikes came after an explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia. The Kerch Bridge attack

Shortage of LNG tankers beginning to affect supplies to India: Industry

Tightening Russian gas supplies to Europe has led to scramble for tankers before winter sets in

Kyiv dismisses Russia's annexation of Ukrainian regions as 'worthless'

Kyiv has dismissed as worthless the laws that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Wednesday formalising the annexation of four Ukrainian regions into Russia. The worthless decisions of the terrorist country are not worth the paper they are signed on," the head of the Ukraine President's Office, Andriy Yermak, said on Telegram messaging application. A collective insane asylum can continue to live in a fictional world. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said in his nightly address that he has signed a decree rendering void any of Putin's acts designed to annex Ukrainian territories since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Any Russian decisions, any treaties with which they try to seize our land all this is worthless, Zelenskyy said at the end of his video address. Russian energy company Gazprom says it is resuming gas supplies to Italy after reaching an agreement for transit through Austria. The Russian government-controlled company had suspended delivery to Italy through

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