Page 9 - Ukraine

Ukrainian mining boss gets bail, declares wish to "fight Russians"

A Ukrainian billionaire and former legislator suspected of embezzling tens of millions of dollars was ordered freed from French custody on USD 1 million bail on Thursday, after he called the Ukrainian case against him politically driven and declared he wants to fight Russians who invaded his country. Mining magnate Kostiantyn Zhevago, 48, was arrested in the ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps last week based on an international warrant issued by Ukraine. It's really a political thing. I have always fought corrupt people in Ukraine, Zhevago told a court hearing on Thursday in the Alpine city of Chambery. His wife and daughter were also present. Ukrainian authorities submitted 244 pages of documents supporting their request for Zhevago's extradition, and the court adjourned until January 19 to study them. In the meantime, his team of lawyers said the court agreed to his release on 1 million euro (USD 1.05 million) bail and ordered him to report to local French police once a

Germany to supply armoured personnel carriers, Patriot battery to Ukraine

Germany will supply Ukraine with armoured personnel carriers and a Patriot missile battery, the government said on Thursday. The announcement came in a government statement after Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with US President Joe Biden. Germany's decision to supply Marder armoured personnel carriers comes after France said it will soon hold talks with Ukraine to arrange for the delivery of armoured combat vehicles France's presidency says that will be the first time this type of Western-made wheeled tank destroyer will be given to the Ukrainian military. The German government didn't specify how many Marder APCs will be supplied or when. It noted that the US last month announced that it would give a Patriot air defence missile battery to Ukraine and said that Germany will join the United States in supplying an additional Patriot air defense battery to Ukraine.

Ukraine under largest economic slump post-independence, war 'accountable'

In the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia which has resulted in widespread devastation of life and property, Ukraine has suffered its sharpest economic decline in over 30 years in 2022

Ukraine's economy fell 30.4% in 2022, largest annual drop in 30 years

Preliminary economy ministry data on Thursday showed a 30.4 per cent drop in gross domestic product last year and economic analysts said risks and uncertainty remain high

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Punish commanders: Russian fury grows over deadly strike in Donetsk

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia is preparing to step up its attacks on its eastern neighbour using Iranian-made exploding drones

Russia plans prolonged attacks with Iran-made drones, says Zelensky

"We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack with Shahed drones. Their bet may be on our exhaustion. The exhaustion of our people, our air defence, our electricity," he added

Around 400 Russian soldiers killed in missile attack, says Ukraine

The attack hit a building in Makiivka - a city in Russia-occupied Donetsk region - where Russian forces were said to be stationed

Defiant Ukrainians celebrate New Year despite missile strikes by Russia

Ukraine's Air Force command said it had destroyed 45 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight

Zelenskyy, Putin promise victory in contradictory New Year speeches

Zelenskyy, recalling some of the most dramatic moments and victories of the war, filled his emotional 17-minute video message with footage of Russia's attacks on the country

Russia-Ukraine conflict casts shadow on Putin's govt as it enters 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin's New Year's address to the nation usually is rather anodyne and backed with a soothing view of a snowy Kremlin. This year, with soldiers in the background, he lashed out at the West and Ukraine. The conflict in Ukraine cast a long shadow as Russia entered 2023. Cities curtailed festivities and fireworks. Moscow announced special performances for soldiers' children featuring the Russian equivalent of Santa Claus. An exiled Russian news outlet unearthed a video of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, now the Ukrainian president despised by the Kremlin, telling jokes on a Russian state television station's New Year's show just a decade ago. Putin, in a nine-minute video shown on TV as each Russian time zone region counted down the final minutes of 2022 on Saturday, denounced the West for aggression and accused the countries of trying to use the conflict in Ukraine to undermine Russia. It was a year of difficult, necessary decisions, the most important steps toward ...

Russia attacks Ukraine with 16 Iran-made drones, Kiev officials claim

Officials in Kiev have claimed that Russia attacked Ukraine with 16 Iran-made drones just a day after Moscow struck cities across the war-torn nation with the latest barrage of missile

Latest LIVE: Core sector output rises by 5.4% in November vs 3.2% YoY

Live news updates: Noting that doubling of tracks and electrification is underway at a record speed, he said that the eastern and western freight corridors will bring revolutionary changes

India unlikely to join Ukraine 'grain corridor', says MEA spokesperson

India is unlikely to join the Ukraine 'grain corridor', the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday, adding bilateral mechanisms are in place for India to extend food grain assistance to several countries in the global south. "We have been extending assistance to countries from the south bilaterally. I don't have any clarity if we will join, probably not, our focus has been on bilateral south-south mechanisms," MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said when asked if India is considering joining the grain corridor. "As of now, I don't have intimation that we are looking to join this initiative," he said. The Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports, also called the Black Sea Grain Initiative, is an agreement between Russia and Ukraine made with Turkey and the United Nations (UN) during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there was a complete halt of maritime grain shipments from ...

Russia rains down 120 missiles on Ukraine in biggest attack for weeks

Air raid sirens rang out across Ukraine on Thursday as Russia unleashed around 120 missiles in a savage barrage which targeted the capital Kyiv and several other major cities, media reports said

Fighting in Ukraine currently deadlocked, says spy chief Budanov

Ukraine's intelligence chief has said that fighting in the war-torn nation is currently in a deadlock as neither Kiev nor Russia is making significant advances.

Prez Zelenskyy discusses Ukraine's reconstruction with BlackRock CEO

They discussed prospects for channeling investment into the Ukrainian economy and agreed to focus on coordinating the efforts of potential investors

French defence chief vsists Ukraine, pledges army equipment, $212 million

France's defence minister on Wednesday pledged further military support for Ukraine insisting his government's backing is unflagging while efforts are also being made with Moscow to reach an eventual negotiated end to Russia's invasion. French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said his trip to Kyiv was important to identify the priorities of the Ukrainian defence ministry. France's support will include a 200 million euro (US$212 million) fund that would allow Ukraine to purchase weapons, Lecornu said. Lecornu travelled to Ukraine's capital after a trip to Poland, where he announced a deal Tuesday to sell Poland two French-made military satellites. While France has been less vocal about its military support for Ukraine than the United States and Britain, the country has sent a steady supply of weapons to Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. France hosted two aid conferences for Ukraine this month. But many in Ukraine remain critical of Paris' response to the war

Ukraine aims to develop combat unmanned aerial vehicle, says minister

Ukraine has bought some 1,400 drones, mostly for reconnaissance, and plans to develop combat models that can attack the exploding drones Russia has used during its invasion of the country, according to the Ukrainian government minister in charge of technology. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov described Russia's war in Ukraine as the first major war of the internet age. He credited drones and satellite internet systems like Elon Musk's Starlink with having transformed the conflict. Ukraine has purchased drones like the Fly Eye, a small used for intelligence, battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance. And the next stage, now that we are more or less equipped with reconnaissance drones, is strike drones, Federov said. These are both exploding drones and drones that fly up to three to 10 kilometres and hit targets. He predicted more missions with strike drones in the future, but would not elaborate. We are talking th

Ukraine wants to end war, hold peace summit says Foreign min Dmytro Kuleba

Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba has said that Kyiv wanted to hold a "peace summit" in February, which marks one year since the conflict began, to end the war with Russia, according to NHK World