Page 13 - Ukraine

Fifa 2022: Protester with rainbow flag banned from World Cup matches

The protester who ran onto the field during a World Cup match carrying a rainbow flag and wearing a blue Superman T-shirt with messages in support of Ukraine and Iranian women was banned Tuesday from attending any more matches during the tournament in Qatar. The World Cup organising committee said in a statement that the individual involved was released shortly after being removed from the pitch and that his embassy had been informed. As a consequence of his actions, and as is standard practice, his (entry permit) has been cancelled and he has been banned from attending future matches at this tournament," the statement said. The protester identified himself on social media as Mario Ferri, an Italian who has carried out similar stunts at soccer matches before. Ferri ran onto the field in the second half of Monday's match between Portugal and Uruguay carrying the rainbow flag. Security officials chased him down and Ferri dropped the flag on the field before he was escorted away. I'l

NATO's Sec Gen reaffirms to future Ukraine membership, drums up aid

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed the military alliance's commitment to Ukraine on Tuesday, saying that the war-torn nation will one day become a member of the world's largest security organization. Stoltenberg's remarks came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his NATO counterparts gathered in Romania to drum up urgently needed support for Ukraine aimed at ensuring that Moscow fails to defeat Ukraine as it bombards energy infrastructure. NATO's door is open, Stoltenberg said. Russia does not have a veto on countries joining, he said in reference to the recent entry of North Macedonia and Montenegro into the security alliance. He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will get Finland and Sweden as NATO members soon. The Nordic neighbours applied for membership in April, concerned that Russia might target them next. We stand by that, too, on membership for Ukraine," the former Norwegian prime minister said. "At the same time, the main focus now is on ..

Ukraine likely to get arms that can hit deep inside Russia: Report

US and allied military inventories are shrinking, and Ukraine faces an increasing need for more sophisticated weapons as the war drags on

Ukraine on edge for more attacks from Russians, humanitarian aid pledged

Ukraine prepared for more Russian strikes against energy and other key infrastructure on Monday in what appears to be a weekly pattern, and warned of possible evacuations from the capital. Estonia's foreign minister joined counterparts from six Baltic and Nordic nations in the largest delegation to visit Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale war to pledge electric generators, warm clothes and food. The goal is to help Ukrainians cope with their coldest months of need and keep their resolve high. "Russia is weaponising civilian energy security, and it is truly shameful, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned late on Sunday that Russian troops are preparing new strikes, and as long as they have missiles, they won't stop. He met on Monday with senior government officials to discuss what actions to take. The upcoming week can be as hard as the one that passed, he predicted. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy warns against new Russian strikes

After last week's large-scale Russian attack, President Volodymyr Zelenksy warned that Moscow is "preparing new strikes" and the coming days "may be difficult"

17 people and a dog between Ukraine's neighbour and blackout: Report

Backed by a staff of 17, acting Energocom general director Victor Binzari and his two sidekicks have been scrambling to find new sources of power since mid-October

Sunflower oil shipments to India from Russia, Ukraine return to normal

Argentina stays top exporter to India since war broke out

Forex reserves rise for second week in a row; up $2.5 bn to $547.25 bn

The latest data marks the first time since May that the RBI's reserves have risen for two consecutive weeks

Ukraine sets up 3,720 emergency shelters amid widespread power outage

Ukrainian authorities have set up 3,720 emergency shelters across the country after a latest barrage of Russian missile strikes caused widespread electricity outage, a top official said

50 Ukrainian servicemen freed in latest prisoner swap with Russia

Among those released were two officers, as well as 48 sergeants and soldiers, Yermak wrote on Telegram on Thursday

Most Ukrainians left without power after fresh strikes by Russia

A punishing new barrage of Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure on Wednesday caused power outages across large parts of the country as well as neighbouring Moldova further hobbling Ukraine's battered electricity network and adding to civilians' misery as winter begins. Multiple regions reported attacks in quick succession and Ukraine's Energy Ministry said that the vast majority of electricity consumers were cut off. Officials in Kyiv said three people were killed and nine wounded in the capital after a Russian strike hit a two-story building. Russia has been pounding the power grid and other facilities with missiles and exploding drones for weeks and the energy system is being damaged faster than it can be repaired. In the aftermath of the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted that he has instructed Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations to request an urgent meeting of the Security Council. Murder of civilians, ruining of civilian infrastructure ar

With searches, Ukraine focuses suspicions on Orthodox Christian clergymen

An investigation of a centuries-old monastic complex in Ukraine's capital and other religious sites has underscored Ukrainian authorities' suspicions about some Orthodox Christian clergymen they see as loyal to Russia despite Moscow's nine month-old war on the country. The search by security service and police personnel at the Pechersk Lavra monastery, one of the most revered Orthodox sites in Kyiv, was unusual but did not happen in isolation. The Ukrainian counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism service reported Wednesday that its agents searched more than 350 church buildings in all also including sites at another monastery and a diocese in the Rivne region, 240 kilometers west of Kyiv. And the service, known by its Ukrainian initials SBU, accused the bishop of yet another diocese of pro-Moscow activity last week after searching church premises and finding materials that allegedly justified the Russian invasion. The SBU said the effort is part of its systematic work to counte

Russian rocket kills newborn in repeat attack on small town in Ukraine

A Russian rocket struck the maternity wing of a hospital in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing a newborn boy and critically injuring a doctor. The overnight explosion left the small-town hospital a crumbled mess of bricks, scattering medical supplies across the small compound. It was the second deadly strike on the small town of Vilniansk in a week, and Mayor Nataliya Usienko said she feared it would not be the last. The attack started and the first S300 rocket hit the road. The second rocket hit this place, the main general hospital, at the maternity wing where people were," she said. "One woman gave birth two days ago. She delivered a boy. Unfortunately this rocket took the life of this child who lived only two days.. Six days ago, she said, 11 people died when a Russian rocket hit an apartment building. It's very dangerous to be here, Usienko said. It's 90% certain to be hit again. Municipal workers worked well after sunset to shore up walls at risk of falling, relying o

US to send Ukraine $400 million in weapons, ammunition as war advances

The U.S. is sending another $400 million in ammunition and generators to Ukraine, the White House announced Wednesday, and is pulling the gear from its own stockpiles to get the support to Kyiv as fast as possible as Russia continues to target Ukraine's energy sources and winter sets in. Including the latest aid, the U.S. has committed more than $19 billion in weapons and other equipment to Ukraine since Russia attacked on Feb. 24. The new package of aid will be provided through presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons from its own stock and quickly ship them to Ukraine. The continued push of weapons to Kyiv is raising questions about how long the U.S. and partner nations can continue to sustain the fight without an impact to military readiness. Many European nations have already expressed that they have pushed forward all the excess they can afford to send. Last week, the Pentagon's top weapons buyer, Bill LaPlante, travelled to Brussels to meet

Pope Francis links plight of Ukrainians today to Stalin's 'genocide'

Pope Francis on Wednesday linked the suffering of Ukrainians now to the 1930s genocide artificially caused by Stalin," when the Soviet leader was blamed for creating a man-made famine in the country believed to have killed more than 3 million people. Francis' linking of the plight of Ukrainian civilians today to those killed by starvation 90 years ago, and his willingness to call it a genocide and squarely blame Josef Stalin, marked a sharp escalation in papal rhetoric against Russia. As of this year, only 17 countries have officially recognised the famine, known as the Holodomor, according to the Holodomor Museum in Kyiv. In comments at the end of his weekly Wednesday general audience, Francis renewed calls for prayers for the terrible suffering for the dear and martyred Ukrainian people. He recalled that Saturday marks the 90th anniversary of the start of the famine, which Ukraine commemorates every fourth Saturday of November with a Day of Memory. Saturday begins the anniversar

Ukraine nuclear power plant shelled; it risks major disaster, says IAEA

More than a dozen blasts shook Europe's biggest N-power plant

Nuclear agency warns of renewed shelling at Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region

Powerful explosions shook Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region that is the site of Europe's largest nuclear power plant on Sunday morning, the global nuclear watchdog said in a statement, calling for urgent measures to help prevent a nuclear accident in the Russian-occupied facility. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said two explosions one on Saturday evening and another on Sunday morning near the Zaporizhzhia plant abruptly ended a period of relative calm around the nuclear facility that has been the site of fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces since the start of the war on February 24. Fears of a nuclear catastrophe have been at the forefront since Russian troops occupied the plant during the early days of the invasion of Ukraine. Continued fighting in the area has raised the spectre of a disaster. In what appeared to be renewed shelling both close to and at the site, IAEA experts at the Zaporizhzhia facility reported heari

Ukrainian PM, EU top official discuss Russian war, fresh aid for Kiev

Due to the ongoing energy crisis, Ukraine needs more support from partners, including the supplies of energy equipment and additional financial assistance, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said

10 mn in Ukraine without power after Russia strikes, says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that some 10 million people across the war-torn country have been left without electricity following a fresh wave of Russian missile strikes

Russia-Ukraine grain deal extended by four months in win for food prices

A wartime agreement that unblocked grain shipments from Ukraine and helped temper rising global food prices will be extended by four months, the United Nations and other parties to the deal said on Thursday, preventing a price shock to some of the world's most vulnerable countries where many are struggling with hunger. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the 120-day extension a "key decision in the global fight against the food crisis". Struck during Russia's war in Ukraine, the initiative established a safe shipping corridor in the Black Sea and inspection procedures to address concerns that cargo vessels might carry weapons or launch attacks. The deal that Ukraine and Russia signed in separate agreements with the UN and Turkey on July 22 was due to expire on Saturday. Russia confirmed the extension but said it expected progress on removing obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilisers. Ukraine and Russia are key global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil