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Tag: Ukraine war

  • Ablakwa discloses death of 55 Ghanaians in Russia–Ukraine conflict

    Ablakwa discloses death of 55 Ghanaians in Russia–Ukraine conflict

    Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced that at least 55 Ghanaians have been killed fighting in the war in Ukraine, with two others currently being held as prisoners of war.

    Ukrainian authorities presented the figures during high-level discussions in Kyiv between Ghanaian representatives and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha.

    According to Mr Ablakwa, intelligence from Ukraine shows that 272 Ghanaians have been drawn into the war since 2022 through cross-border criminal trafficking networks. In addition, wider data shared at the meeting indicated that 1,780 Africans from 36 different countries are suspected to have been recruited in similar ways to fight against Ukraine.

    In a social media post reacting to the revelations, the minister described the development as heartbreaking, stating: “These are not mere statistics; they are Ghanaian lives cut short, and families shattered.”

    He emphasised that Ghana cannot afford to ignore the increasing exploitation of its young people in overseas conflicts.

    “This is not our war. We cannot allow our young people to be used as human shields in a conflict that does not concern Ghana,” he said.

    Signalling a stronger response at home, Mr Ablakwa announced plans to step up public awareness campaigns and take firm action against recruitment syndicates.

    “We are determined to track and dismantle every illegal recruitment scheme operating within our jurisdiction, including those on the dark web,” he stated.

    As part of the trip, Ghanaian officials placed wreaths at Kyiv’s Wall of Remembrance to honour victims of the war and engaged in talks aimed at deepening cooperation between the two countries, especially in the fight against human trafficking and unlawful recruitment.

    Meanwhile, the two detained Ghanaians who were given consular access are said to have warned others back home not to be tempted by offers of money, describing conditions on the battlefield as extremely dangerous.

    Concluding his remarks, Mr Ablakwa noted that measures are being strengthened to safeguard vulnerable youth and stop further loss of Ghanaian lives.

    The minister also disclosed that the two Ghanaian nationals detained in Ukraine are alive and in good health, describing his recent engagement as a major diplomatic breakthrough toward securing their release.

    The Minister revealed that he was granted rare access to a tightly secured detention facility where the two men are being held after being captured in the ongoing war in Ukraine. He described the visit as an important step in efforts to bring them home.

    “I can confirm that our citizens are alive and well. Their rights under international law have been commendably respected by Ukrainian authorities,” Mr Ablakwa stated.

    He expressed appreciation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the country’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha for approving what he characterised as an extraordinary request. The Minister noted that the approval is believed to mark the first time an African foreign minister has been permitted such access.

    According to him, Ukraine’s decision reflects the cordial relations between Accra and Kyiv and strengthens optimism that ongoing negotiations will yield positive results.

    “This significant gesture gives me more confidence that our negotiations for their release will be successful,” he said.

    For security considerations, the identities of the detainees have not been disclosed. However, the Minister indicated that both men have expressed a strong desire to turn their experience into advocacy against human trafficking networks.

    “It is refreshing to hear our two compatriots say that they are determined to become advocates against the modus operandi of trafficking networks and willing to devote the rest of their lives educating vulnerable Africans how to avoid such predicaments,” he added.

    Mr Ablakwa’s visit to Kyiv formed part of wider diplomatic engagements between Ghana and Ukraine. During the trip, he also held discussions with President Zelenskyy, with talks reportedly centred on bilateral cooperation and humanitarian concerns relating to the detained Ghanaians.

    The development signals notable progress in Ghana’s efforts to secure the safe return of its citizens and underscores the government’s commitment to protecting nationals caught up in conflicts beyond its borders.

  • Ukraine war: Missiles fired into Crimea and Russian city of Belgorod

    Ukraine war: Missiles fired into Crimea and Russian city of Belgorod

    Russian officials said they stopped a Ukrainian attack on a border city as the air war between the two countries gets worse.

    The authorities said that twelve missiles were destroyed before they reached Belgorod. Twenty-five people were killed in Belgorod on Saturday. Ukraine hasn’t said anything.

    The attacks happened after Russia did its biggest bombing from the air.

    Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Russia has fired around 300 missiles and used 200 drones in the last five days.

    Russia started bombing Ukraine again last week. Ukrainian soldiers fought back against the attack on Belgorod on Saturday, and more than 100 people got hurt.

    In his speech at night, he said Russia shot “almost 100 different types of missiles” on Tuesday. He said that the enemy planned to cause a lot of damage with these weapons.

    MrZelensky said that 10 very fast ballistic missiles were destroyed on Tuesday.

    Ukrainian leaders said on Wednesday that the attacks on Tuesday, including in the cities of Kharkiv and Kyiv, had hurt or killed over 130 people in the country.

    On Tuesday, one person died and five were hurt in Belgorod, according to the region’s governor. However, the 12 missiles that were launched at the area last night were stopped by Russia’s air defense system, according to the defense ministry.

    Explosions happened in Sevastopol, the biggest city in Russia-controlled Crimea. A missile was also shot down over the port. The governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said this on Telegram. No one was hurt and nothing was broken.

  • Ukraine war: Honouring memory of former British soldier who died in combat

    Ukraine war: Honouring memory of former British soldier who died in combat

    The family of a former soldier from Britain who was killed in Ukraine said he died while protecting people who needed help.

    Christopher Perryman, from County Durham, was killed in October while helping fighters in a country at war. His family lives in County Durham.

    His mother found out he was fighting there only after he had died.

    Soldiers went to Mr. Perryman’s funeral and the service was shown on video to his old unit in Ukraine.

    Mr Perryman joined the British Army when he was 16 years old. Two years ago, he went to Ukraine and got killed there in a bomb attack.

    MrPerryman was a skilled soldier in the British Army and had been to Iraq and Kosovo with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

    He was buried in Stanley, County Durham last Thursday.

    The 38-year-old, who was one of three babies born at the same time, passed away and left behind an 11-year-old son.

    Paul Perryman wants more help for Ukraine. His uncle is asking for support.

    “He said those guys out there have worked really hard,” “That’s brave, that’s really brave. ”

    “He’s a true soldier. ” “He’s a warrior, so he gets to go to Valhalla. ”

    Mr Perryman’s sister, Aimee Statt, said many people have been helping and supporting them a lot.

    She said being a triplet was tough sometimes. We used to fight a lot, but we were really close.

    We were always together, we couldn’t be separated. We were really good friends.

    We are not three people anymore. Family pictures will change.

    When asked what she would say to him if he could hear her now, she said: “You’re really silly, but great job, you’ve made a huge difference in many people’s lives. ”

    “He wanted to do it, and he did it. ”

    Tony Perryman, who is Christopher’s dad, was also a soldier. His grandfather and great-grandfather were also tall.

    “Tony said it’s part of who he is. ”

    “He didn’t like bullies. He thought Russia invading Ukraine was like being a bully. ”

    Tony said that even though his son has been through a lot of pain, he is very proud of him. He said, “I admire the boy. ”

    MrPerryman’s mom, Dorothy, believed he was in Ukraine teaching people how to fight.

    She said, “I’m very, very proud of him. ” “I’m upset with him because he died, and he shouldn’t have. ”

    “He died while keeping people safe. ”

    “He has left something for us to be proud of, and his son will also be proud as he grows older. ”

    Christopher also worked for a group that helps animals in places affected by war.

    A person from the Foreign Office said they are helping the family of a British man who passed away in Ukraine.

    The UK government says it’s not safe to go to Ukraine right now.

  • Ukraine war: Kharkiv missile strike results in six postal workers’ deaths

    Ukraine war: Kharkiv missile strike results in six postal workers’ deaths

    Six postal workers were killed and 16 more were hurt when a missile struck a distribution center in eastern Ukraine late on Saturday night.

    The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, reported on Telegram that the Nova Poshta sorting office in Kharkiv was hit.

    The photos on President Zelensky’s account showed a building with broken windows.

    The governor of Kharkiv, Oleh Syniehubov, said that all the people who were hurt worked for the postal company.

    The police said there were 22 people inside a building when a suspected S-300 rocket hit it right before 10:30 PM local time (8:30 PM BST).

    Investigators, along with crime experts and scientists, are looking at the bodies of the deceased, the police said on social media.

    Mr Syniehubov wrote on Telegram that the people who got hurt were between 19 and 42 years old. Some of them had wounds caused by flying pieces from the explosion.

    He said that the delivery company in the western Kharkiv suburb of Korotych was only for regular citizens and not for any military purposes.

    He said that the Russians have caused more fear and violence among the calm people in Kharkiv.
    President Zelensky said that they are still trying to rescue people and emergency services are working at the place where the incident happened.

    Russia has not said anything about the reported attack yet. But they have said before that they did not intentionally harm innocent people when they went into Ukraine.

    Mr Syniehubov mentioned that there were seven people in the hospital who were not too sick and seven men who were very sick.

    Kharkiv is a big city in Ukraine, and it is not too far from Russia.
    The city in the northeast was badly attacked with bombs in the early weeks of the war in February 2022.

    Earlier this month, the Mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, announced that a new school will be built underground in Ukraine. This unique school will provide a safe environment for children to attend classes in person.

    At the same time in the southern part, Ukraine has been fighting back since June.

    The country that has been badly affected by war wants to cut off the land connection Russia has to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia took over unlawfully in 2014.

    However, the counter-attack has been progressing slowly and has only resulted in small amounts of land being reclaimed.

  • Russian journalist and Ukraine war protester sentenced in absentia

    A court in Moscow has given a journalist named Marina Ovsyannikova a prison sentence of 8. 5She protested on live television against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    The person, who is 45 years old, was not present at their trial. They were found guilty of sharing untrue information about the Russian armed forces, knowing it was untrue.

    Last year, she ran away from being kept at home and left Russia with her daughter. She thinks the charges are ridiculous.

    Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022.

    However, in Russia it is against the law to refer to the war as an “invasion”. The government tells news organizations to call it a “special military operation”.

    Many people have been imprisoned or given money penalties for criticizing the country’s military. This crackdown on voicing disagreement is said to be the strongest under President Vladimir Putin.

    On Wednesday, the court in Moscow said that Maria Ovsyannikova was given a prison sentence of eight years and six months in a jail.

    It also stopped her from using anything related to electronic media, like the internet, for four years.

    The person was charged not long after they protested close to Moscow’s Kremlin, where President Putin lives, in July 2022.

    During the protest, she held a sign with Russian words saying “Putin is a killer. ” His soldiers are extremely right-wing and have oppressive beliefs.

    During the trial, some members of the Ovsyannikova family, such as her ex-husband and son, testified on behalf of the prosecution, as reported by Russia’s Mediazone website.

    It is not known where Ovsyannikova is right now. She said that the accusations against her are related to politics and not based on the truth.

    She wrote in a statement before the verdict that she definitely didn’t admit to being guilty.

    She said that she made a really hard but the only right moral decision and now has to live away from her home.

    Ovsyannikova made news in March 2022 when she interrupted a live news broadcast on Channel One TV. She held a sign saying, “no war, stop the war; don’t believe the propaganda; they’re lying to you here”.

    Even though the Russian authorities are after her, many Ukrainian journalists and Russian dissidents do not trust Ovsyannikova because of her previous work for the Russian state media.

    Last summer, she went to Ukraine to report on the war for Germany’s Die Welt newspaper. This made many Ukrainians very angry and they wanted her to be fired right away.

  • Ukraine war: Cloud of mushrooms after missile attacks on Russian storehouse

    Shocking video shows a big cloud shaped like a mushroom in the sky after a very strong explosion at a place where ammunition is stored in Ukraine, which is controlled by Russia.

    The explosion happened in a place called Sorokyne, also known as Krasnodon, in the eastern region of Luhansk. The explosion was caused by an air-launched missile attack carried out by Kyiv forces. Sorokyne is located about 86 miles away from the current frontline.

    A large amount of Russian explosives caught fire at the Yunost plant and caused a very scary and dangerous fire.

    In the past, it was used to make special electrical pieces for missiles and rockets.

    Reports indicate that it is now believed to be a crucial place where ammunition is stored and provided to Kremlin forces.

    Frightened kids are yelling in a video where a big cloud made of mushrooms goes up in the air.

    The incident caused schools to empty out as windows broke in nearby buildings.

    A person living in the area recorded the explosion and said they were trembling while filming it. There was a very big explosion.
    The explosion happened when Vladimir Putin’s forces were feeling scared and trapped in the village of Verbove in south-east Ukraine.

    According to the Independent, military experts say that the Ukrainian army has made big progress in the area.

    The Russian Airborne Forces, which is part of the Russian army, has been warned that there is a high risk their troops could be surrounded.

    The Institute for the Study of War, a group that watches and studies wars, gave a warning. They are based in the United States.

    The person from the VDV said that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s soldiers were getting close to surrounding the 56th VDV regiment, and they were only 7 kilometers away.
    According to reports, Ukrainian forces have captured a part of Verbove village on Friday and are now in control of about half of it.

    However, people have accused the Russian Ministry of Defence of trying to hide or conceal the progress.

    On Monday, President Vladimir Putin’s soldiers attacked the Ukrainian port city of Odessa using drones that can blow themselves up and missiles that move faster than sound.

    The attacks continue on Ukraine, which has been illegally invaded, and it has been 20 months since this started, but there is still no sign of it ending.
    The Russia-Ukraine war is a conflict happening between Russia and Ukraine. It’s important to have knowledge about it.

    Ever since Russia attacked Ukraine starting on February 24, the country has experienced a lot of damage and many people have lost their lives because of intense bombing.

    Lots of people have left the country, and many British people are offering their homes to help Ukrainian refugees.

    During the war, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky stayed in Kyiv, even though the city was continuously bombed.

    Zelensky has constantly asked for help and backing from global leaders, and he also wants to join NATO quickly.

    In the meantime, many people have criticized Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, for his aggression towards Ukraine.

    Because of what he did, he is now facing strict economic punishments, he is not allowed to participate in important sporting events, and countries are choosing not to use Russian oil.
    Earlier this month, the head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, said that the conflict would not end soon.

    He said to the German newspaper, Berliner Morgenpost: ‘We all want peace to happen quickly. ‘ However, we also need to understand that if President Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will cease to exist.

    If President Putin and Russia stop fighting, we would have peace.

    The war could be ended easily if Putin takes his troops out.

    Last week, both Russia and Ukraine launched very powerful attacks in the war, using drones and bombers.

  • Wagner’s leader “rushed mutiny” after learning of a plan to capture Russian military leaders

    Wagner’s leader “rushed mutiny” after learning of a plan to capture Russian military leaders

    Western authorities claim that mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was forced to improvise his insurrection after security agents discovered his intention to capture Russian military leaders.

    The Wall Street Journal says that the leader of the Wagner Group initially intended to kidnap both Valery Gerasimov, the army’s commander, and Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, during a trip to the south.

    However, it’s believed that he changed course after the FSB, the KGB’s successor, received a two-day warning and decided to target Rostov, the city where the Ukraine war is being fought.

    Western analysts believe that might explain why the unprecedented uprising fizzled out 36 hours later.

    However, his seizure of Rostov, a city of one million and home to a key military command point, suggests senior army officers could have been involved in the plot.

    They are said to include General Armageddon, Sergei Surovikin, deputy commander of the ‘special military operation’.

    He was replaced by Gerasimov earlier this year when his blitz of critical infrastructure targets failed to turn the tide of the conflict in Russia’s favour.

    US intelligence suggests Surovikin could have ‘helped plan’ the rebellion, the biggest challenge to Vladimir Putin’s leadership in the two decades since he came to power.

    The Kremlin dismissed the reports as ‘gossip’.

    Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: ‘There will now be a lot of speculation, gossip and so on around these events. I think this is one such example.’

    Despite the denial, Surovikin has not been seen in public since Saturday, when he came out and called for the mutiny to be halted.

    Security in Moscow was ramped up and residents were warned to stay indoors on Saturday as a convoy of Wagner fighters rumbled towards the capital.

    But a near-standoff at the gates was averted when Belarusian dictatorAleksandr Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally, struck a last-minute deal with Prigozhin ending the unprecedented uprising.

    Lukashenko said he had to persuade Putin not to ‘wipe out’ the mercenary chief, after the Russian president vowed to crush the mutiny, likening it to events in 1917 which ended in civil war.

    Prigozhin said he never intended to overthrow Russia’s leaders but had marched to save his militia and settle scores with Shoigu and Gerasimov.

    He boasted about the speed of the march towards Moscow, saying it exposed serious security flaws in the country.

    Under the reported terms of the deal, not all of which are known, Prigozhin was allowed to go into exile in Belarus and pardoned on charges of treason.

    Speaking to MSNBC on Tuesday, the US intelligence official Mark Warner said Prigozhin was holed up in one of the only hotels in Minsk without windows in a bid to guard against assassination.

  • Ukraine war: Second pre-dawn missile attack launches in three days

    Ukraine war: Second pre-dawn missile attack launches in three days

    The second early-morning attack by Russia in three days has seen a barrage of missiles fired towards Ukrainian cities.

    Pavlohrad, a logistics hub near the central city of Dnipro, was hit ahead of a much-anticipated counter-offensive by Ukraine.

    The strike sparked a major fire, destroyed dozens of houses, and wounded 34 people.

    Hours later, the air raid alert sounded across the country, with the capital Kyiv among the targets.

    Across the country, the Ukrainian army said it shot down 15 of the 18 cruise missiles that had been fired.

    The most significant damage was in Pavlohrad, a city in Ukrainian-held territory around 70 miles (110km) from the frontline. Pictures posted on social media showed a massive blaze.

    One resident, Olha Lytvynenko, said she was getting dressed to leave their house when “both doors were smashed out by the explosion wave”.

    “I ran outside and saw that the garage was destroyed. Everything was on fire, glass shards everywhere. Had we been outside, we would have been killed,” she said.

    Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk military administration described it as a “tragic night and morning”, saying an industrial site had been hit.

    Nineteen high-rise apartment blocks, 25 private houses, six schools and kindergartens and five shops were also damaged, it added.

    Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official, said the strike targeted railway infrastructure and fuel depots, in a message on Telegram with a thumbs-up gesture.

    Hours later, at around 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) the air raid alert sounded in Kyiv and lasted for about three hours.

    The military administration said all missiles and drones directed at the capital were destroyed.

    In the Kherson region – which is still partly controlled by Russia – Ukrainian regional authorities said Russia had carried out 39 shellings.

    They came from ground-based weapons, as well as drones and planes, the authorities said, adding that one person was killed.

    Recent days have seen an increase in attacks in Ukraine, with places away from the front lines being targeted. On Friday, 23 people were killed in the central city of Uman.

    Ukraine says it is finishing plans for a long-awaited offensive against Russian forces, supported by Western-supplied weapons and military equipment.

    Russia, meanwhile, is also preparing for a Ukrainian push, and has fortified its positions in occupied territory.

    In the latest change at the country’s military leadership, Cl Gen Mikhail Mizintsev – the Russian deputy defence minister who oversaw armed forces logistics – has been sacked, after being appointed to the role only last September.

    There have been longstanding complaints that front line troops are not getting sufficient military equipment, and suffer shortages of food and uniforms.

    Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official on Monday said the army had ousted Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut, an eastern city that has been under siege for months.

    General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of ground forces, said on Telegram the situation remained “quite difficult” – but “the enemy is unable to take control of the city”.

  • Ukraine war: Drone attack in Crimea sets oil tank ablaze

    Ukraine war: Drone attack in Crimea sets oil tank ablaze

    Local authorities have made claims that a drone attack in Crimea under Russian authority started a large fire at an oil store.

    Social-media footage showed flames billowing from the site in Sevastopol, Crimea’s main city, early on Saturday.

    The fire was later put out and no-one was hurt, the Moscow-appointed regional governor said.

    On Friday Russia launched a wave of air strikes in cities across Ukraine, killing at least 25 people. It was the first such attack in months.

    The Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, is home to the main naval base for Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet.

    “According to preliminary information, [the fire] was caused by a drone strike,” Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on the messaging app Telegram.

    It comes five days after Russian officials said they had fended off a drone attack by the Ukrainian military in the same area. Crimea has come under repeated attacks since the start of the war in Ukraine.

    Friday’s Russian barrage included a strike on a block of flats that killed 23 people – including four children – in the central Ukrainian city of Uman.

    And a woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed in the city of Dnipro.

    Rescuers work to clear rubble from a collapsed building
    Image caption,Rescuers in Uman pulled casualties from the rubble

    Kyiv was also targeted for the first time in 51 days. There were no reports of casualties in the capital.

    Twenty-one out of 23 missiles and two drones were shot down by Ukraine’s air defence system, officials said.

    The Russian defence ministry said its military had targeted Ukrainian army reserve units. Moscow has previously said it does not deliberately target civilians, but thousands have been injured and killed across Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks showed further international action needed to be taken against Russia.

    “Evil can be stopped by weapons… And it can be stopped by sanctions – global sanctions must be enhanced,” he said in a tweet on Friday.

    The attacks come as Ukrainian forces say they are ready to launch a military offensive with new equipment supplied by Western allies.

    Russia has struggled to make headway in a winter offensive, including a 10-month battle for control of the strategically important city of Bakhmut.

  • Why International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin, what we know so far

    Why International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin, what we know so far

    The International Criminal Court, which operates independently, is located in The Hague, Netherlands, and was created by a treaty called the Rome Statute first brought before the United Nations.

    Most countries on Earth – 123 of them – are parties to the treaty, but there are some notable exceptions, including Russia, as well as the US, Ukraine and China.

    The ICC is meant to be a court of “last resort” and is not supposed to replace a country’s justice system. The court, which has 18 judges serving nine-year terms, tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes.

    Putin arrest warrant: The ICC on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.

    The court said there “are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility” for the alleged crimes, for having committed them directly alongside others, and for “his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts.”

    Reports of Ukrainian children in Russia: The Ukrainian government says many missing children have been forcibly taken to Russia. The Russian government doesn’t deny taking Ukrainian children and has made their adoption by Russian families a centerpiece of propaganda.

    Some of the children have ended up thousands of miles and several time zones away from Ukraine. According to Lvova-Belova’s office, Ukrainian kids have been sent to live in institutions and with foster families in 19 different Russian regions, including Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tyumen regions in Siberia and Murmansk in the Arctic.

    In April 2022, the office of Lvova-Belova said that around 600 children from Ukraine had been placed in orphanages in Kursk and Nizhny Novgorod before being sent to live with families in the Moscow region. As of mid-October, 800 children from Ukraine’s eastern Donbas area were living in the Moscow region, many with families, according to the Moscow regional governor.

    UN report on alleged war crimes: The UN on Thursday said in a report that war crimes perpetrated by Russia included “attacks on civilians and energy-related infrastructure, wilful killings, unlawful confinement, torture, rape and other sexual violence, as well as unlawful transfers and deportations of children.”

    So, will Putin actually be arrested?: Probably not.

    Anyone accused of a crime in the jurisdiction of the court, which includes countries that are members of the ICC, can be tried. The court tries people, not countries, and focuses on those who hold the most responsibility: leaders and officials. While Ukraine is not a member of the court, it has previously accepted its jurisdiction.

    The ICC does not conduct trials in absentia, so Putin would either have to be handed over by Russia or arrested outside of Russia. That seems unlikely.

  • Russia preparing for a new cyber conflict with Ukraine

    Russia preparing for a new cyber conflict with Ukraine

    A Microsoft research analysis suggests that Russian hackers are preparing a fresh round of cyberattacks against Ukraine.

    The tech giant’s cyber security research and analysis team revealed a number of findings on Wednesday on the methods used by Russian hackers during the crisis in Ukraine and potential next steps.

    “From January 2023, Microsoft has witnessed Russian cyber threat activity shifting to strengthen damaging and intelligence collecting capacity on Ukraine and its partners’ civilian and military assets,” the paper stated.

    One group ‘appears to be preparing for a renewed destructive campaign’.

    Microsoft found that a particularly sophisticated Russian hacking team, known as Sandworm, was testing ‘additional ransomware-style capabilities that could be used in destructive attacks on organizations outside Ukraine that serve key functions in Ukraine’s supply lines’.

    epa10520615 Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with the Head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov (R), during their meeting in the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 13 March 2023. Kadyrov briefed Putin on the socio-economic achievements of Chechnya in 2022. EPA/MIKHAEL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN / POOL MANDATORY CREDIT
    Russian hackers appear to be preparing a renewed wave of cyber attacks against Ukraine, according to a research report by Microsoft (Picture: EPA)

    A ransomware attack typically involves hackers penetrating an organization, encrypting their data and extorting them for payment to regain access.

    Historically, ransomware has also been used as cover for more malicious cyber activity, including so-called wipers that simply destroy data.

    Since January 2022, Microsoft said it had discovered at least nine different wipers and two types of ransomware variants used against more than 100 Ukrainian organizations.

    ‘In 2023, Russia has stepped up its espionage attacks, targeting organizations in at least 17 European nations, mostly government agencies. Wiper attacks continue in Ukraine.’ said Clint Watts, general manager for Microsoft’s Digital Threat Analysis Center.

    These developments have been paired with a growth in more stealthy Russian cyber operations designed to directly compromise organizations in countries allied to Ukraine, according to the report.

    Ukrainian servicemen sit on a BMP military vehicle as they move towards Bakhmut in the region of Donbas, on March 13, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Aris Messinis / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
    Since January 2023, Microsoft has observed Russian cyber threat activity adjusting to boost destructive and intelligence gathering capacity on Ukraine (Picture: AFP)

    As of late November 2022, Microsoft and other security firms identified a new form of ransomware, called ‘Sullivan’, deployed against Ukrainian targets, in addition to the ‘Prestige’ ransomware Russia deployed in Ukraine and Poland in October 2022.

    ‘Our analysis suggests that Russia will continue to conduct espionage attacks against Ukraine and Ukraine’s partners, and destructive attacks within and potentially outside Ukraine as was done with Prestige,’ said Watts.

    Moscow has also taken to spreading propaganda aimed at Ukrainian refugees across Europe, trying to convince them that they could be deported and conscripted into the Ukrainian military.

    Russian media promoted protests supported by a pro-Russia political party encouraging citizens to demand the government pay for winter energy bills.

    TOPSHOT - A Ukrainian serviceman prepares a 105 shell to fire at Russian possitions near Bakhmut, on March 14, 2023. (Photo by Aris Messinis / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
    Since January 2022, Microsoft had discovered two types of ransomware variants used against more than 100 Ukrainian organizations (Picture: AFP)

    Another Russia-aligned campaign called ‘Moldova Leaks’ published alleged leaks from Moldovan politicians, just one of many of hack-and-leak operations aimed at sowing distrust between European citizens and their governments.

    The findings come as Russia has been introducing new troops to the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, according to Western security officials.

    Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov last month warned that Russia could accelerate its military activities surrounding the February 24 anniversary of its invasion.

    The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

  • Ukraine war: ‘Frank’ talks as Ukraine pushes Germany for tanks

    Ukraine war: ‘Frank’ talks as Ukraine pushes Germany for tanks

      Ukraine’s defence minister has said he had a “frank discussion” with his German counterpart about German Leopard 2 tanks, which Kyiv is urgently requesting to confront Russian armour.

      Germany has not yet decided whether to send the tanks to Ukraine, or allow other countries to donate theirs, despite pressure on Berlin to act.

      “We had a frank discussion on Leopards 2. To be continued,” Oleksii Reznikov said after meeting Western allies.

      Kyiv is to get many other Nato weapons.

      The meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany did bring an agreement to supply more armoured vehicles, air defence systems and ammunition.

      But the Leopard 2 is seen as a potential game-changer for Ukraine, as it is easy to maintain and designed specifically to compete with the Russian T-90 tanks, which are being used in the invasion.

        German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said opinions remained divided over supplying Leopards, and he denied that Berlin was blocking such a move.

        Under German export laws, other countries who want to supply Leopards – like Poland and Finland – are unable to do so until Berlin gives the all-clear.

        ‘A decision must be made’

        Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the Nato partners for their military assistance, but said “we will still have to fight for the supply of modern tanks”.

        “Every day we make it more obvious that there is no alternative, that a decision about tanks must be made.”

        Ukraine’s current tanks are mostly old Soviet models, often outnumbered and outgunned by Russian firepower.

        More than 2,000 Leopards are sitting in warehouses all over Europe. President Zelensky believes about 300 of them could help to defeat Russia.

        Mr Pistorius said Berlin was prepared to move quickly if there was consensus among allies, though he could not say when a decision on the tanks might be made.

        Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov (R) with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin (C) and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius
        Image caption,Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov (R) with Kyiv’s US and German allies in Ramstein

        Germany’s standoff

        Germany has found itself in this standoff due to several factors including international diplomacy and the legacy of World War Two.

        It used to have a policy of not sending arms to conflict zones, but that was reversed last February after Russia’s invasion.

        Late last year, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said Germany was now “among the allies providing most military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine”, by supplying artillery, air defence systems and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

        But Germany is reluctant to send Leopards unless they are part of a wider Nato package that preferably includes America’s powerful M1 Abrams tanks. The US has rejected this, saying the Abrams tanks are impractical for Ukraine’s forces because they are difficult and expensive to maintain.

        Regardless, there has been pressure in some corners for the US to send its tanks, to get Germany to do the same.

        US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin denied Berlin was waiting on the US to make the first move. “This notion of unlocking – in my mind it’s not an issue,” he said after Friday’s meeting of 54 countries at Ramstein Air Base.

        Germany also remains haunted by the Nazi-era devastation it caused in World War Two, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz is believed to be cautious about having anything to do with an escalation in Ukraine.

        A leading opposition Christian Democrat (CDU) politician in Germany, Johann Wadephul, condemned the government’s “policy of refusal” on the Leopards, saying it would affect Germany’s international reputation. “What is Scholz waiting for?” he asked.

        Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau also criticised Germany’s reluctance.

        “Arming Ukraine in order to repel the Russian aggression is not some kind of decision-making exercise. Ukrainian blood is shed for real. This is the price of hesitation over Leopard deliveries. We need action, now,” he tweeted.

        Western countries have committed billions in other weaponry – but without Germany’s commitment on tanks, it was not the result Ukraine was hoping for.

        Other countries have committed to sending tanks, including the UK, which will send 14 Challenger 2s.

        The US announced fresh support worth more than $2.5bn (£2bn) this week, including armoured vehicles.

        The Pentagon promised an extra 59 Bradley armoured vehicles, 90 Stryker personnel carriers and Avenger air defence systems, among other supplies.

        Nine European nations have also promised more support of their own after meeting on Thursday in Estonia. They included:

        • UK – 600 Brimstone missiles
        • Denmark – 19 French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzers (cannon)
        • Estonia – howitzers, ammunition, support vehicles and anti-tank grenade launchers
        • Latvia – Stinger air-defence systems, two helicopters, and drones
        • Lithuania – anti-aircraft guns and two helicopters
        • Poland – S-60 anti-aircraft guns with 70,000 pieces of ammunition
        • Czech Republic – produce further large calibre ammunition, howitzers and APCs.

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: Bakhmut defenders plea for Western tanks

        Ukraine war: Bakhmut defenders plea for Western tanks

        As the UK and other European nations prepare to send tanks to Ukraine to help it liberate more territory from Russia, our correspondent Andrew Harding has been to visit members of a front-line Ukrainian tank unit already engaging Russian forces near the fiercely contested towns of Bakhmut and Soledar.

        The explosions come every few seconds, sometimes in rapid clusters of six or more short blasts, sometimes deep and long and rib-cage-rattling, thundering across the snow-speckled hills that stretch along the front lines close to Bakhmut and Soledar.

        Then come the distant booms, the shorter punch of a mortar round blasting off on the roadside, and, occasionally, the bone-chilling, fizzing whoosh of an incoming artillery shell that sends us diving for cover on the frozen fields.

        This is the daily, constant, percussive chorus of war in the Donbas, where Ukrainian and Russian artillery, rocket and tank crews are slugging it out, trading blows in a fierce, but largely inconclusive struggle to break a months-long deadlock.

        “We have a target,” said Roman, a Ukrainian tank unit commander, suddenly pulling off his gloves, clambering up onto the slippery, snow-covered turret of a dark green T-72 tank, and swinging open a heavy steel hatch.

        Another crew member, Vlad, scrambled out of a nearby fox hole, where he had been warming his grimy hands over a fresh fire, to help out.

        Seconds later, a skull-shaking explosion echoed across the valley and towards Bakhmut, as a US-supplied tank shell tore out of the gun barrel with a flash of orange, heading towards Russian positions on the opposite hillside.

        “T-72s are old tanks – this one’s the same age as me,” said Bogdan, a 55-year-old Ukrainian volunteer, turning to pat the huge, squat, Soviet-era machine behind him. “I used to drive one of these nearly 40 years ago – I can’t believe I’m doing it again. But it works. It does the job.”

        “But a Leopard would be better,” said Volodymr, another member of their three-man crew, with a low chuckle.

        Plans to send German-made Leopard tanks and UK Challengers to the front lines here in the Donbas have been greeted with visible excitement by Ukrainian forces, who have been taking heavy casualties in recent weeks, around Bakhmut, and, more particularly, during the ferocious struggle for the nearby town of Soledar.

        “There were very heavy losses. It’s very pitiful. It’s hard,” said Danylo, an officer in charge of repairing tanks for the 24th Mechanised Brigade. He said the current deadlock would not be broken unless foreign tanks arrived in significant numbers.

        “Yes, we’ll be stuck here. We need these [Western tanks] to stop Russia’s aggression. With infantry, covered by tanks, we’ll win for sure,” he said.

        “Leopards, Challengers, Abrams – any foreign tank is good for us! I think we need at least 300. And we need them now!” said Bogdan.

        The Ukrainians all acknowledged that Russia had more modern tanks but were scathing about their tactics.

        “The Russian tanks are a bit better than ours. They’re fully modernised. But mostly the Russians are strong because they push forwards en masse, advancing over the bodies of their own soldiers. Our commanders care more about the lives of their crews, so we try to destroy [the enemy] while losing as few of our own men as possible,” said Bogdan.

        A more senior company commander in the 24th Brigade, with the code name Khan, took us to a rear position, past fresh trenches being dug in the fields by specialised machines, where several tanks were hidden under camouflage nets in a wooded area.

        “These T-72s have proved effective in winter conditions. But they’re old, and not really suited for modern warfare. These days it’s all about drones and the latest technology.” Khan said he believed it would take very little time for his crews to adapt to more modern European equipment.

        “If you’re a tank driver you’re already someone of above-average intelligence. They’ll be able to learn and adapt quickly,” he said.

        Suddenly, an incoming Russian artillery shell landed several hundred metres away. Seconds later, another landed closer, and then closer still, sending soldiers and journalists diving for cover.

        The war in Ukraine has, in many ways, been a distinctly old-fashioned conflict, based on attrition, on devastating artillery strikes, and on dug-in positions reminiscent of the trenches of World War One. But the war has also revealed the limitation of tanks – most clearly in the first weeks of the conflict when nimble Ukrainian infantry destroyed many huge Russian armoured columns with shoulder-launched rockets.

        “In the old days, it was all about tanks. Now it’s about these new rocket systems,” said Volodymr. But the coming months could yet see Western tanks – if deployed quickly, and in large numbers – play a decisive role.

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: Explosions hit capital Kyiv

        Russia has launched dozens of missiles at cities across Ukraine, officials there say.

        Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klischko said there had been several blasts in the city, causing damage and at least one death.

        The attacks happened two days after Russia carried out one of the largest air strikes since the start of the war.

        Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned Russia could launch more attacks to make Ukrainians “celebrate the New Year in darkness”.

        Mykolaiv Governor Vitaly Kim said on Facebook that Russian missile launches had been reported.

        “The occupiers have decided to try to spoil the day for us,” he said.

        In Kyiv, amid New Year celebrations, people rushed to shelters as air raid sirens sounded at lunchtime.

        Emergency workers were sent to three districts hit by explosions. Air defence has been activated in regions across the country.

      • Ukraine war: Drone attack on Russian bomber base leaves 3 dead 

        A Ukrainian drone attack on Engels bomber base in south Russia has left three people dead, Moscow says. 

        Air defences reportedly shot down the drone but falling debris caused the casualties in the overnight attack. 

        Russia accuses Ukraine of carrying out a similar attack on the airfield, home to strategic bombers, on 5 December. The base lies about 500km (310 miles) north-east of the border with Ukraine.

        The Ukrainian military has not officially commented on those attacks.

        Russia’s defence ministry says its air defences shot down the Ukrainian drone flying at low altitude at about 01:35 local time on Monday (22:35 GMT Sunday).

        Three Russian servicemen died of injuries caused by drone debris, it adds.

        Earlier, social media users posted videos where what sound like blasts and air sirens can be heard at the Engels airfield.

        The governor of Saratov region said there was “no threat to residents” of the town of Engels itself.

        In the previous reported attack on 5 December on the airfield and another air base in the Ryazan region, three servicemen were also killed by debris from a downed Ukrainian drone, Moscow said at the time. Two aircraft were lightly damaged.

        The Ukrainian military made no comment on the reported attacks. 

        The Engels air base has been repeatedly used by Russia to carry out missile strikes on various targets in Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February.

        The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of attacking its territory before, but the alleged attacks in December are deeper into Russia than previous ones. 

        A number of military experts in Ukraine and the West have described the reported strikes as embarrassing for the Russian military.

        Source: BBC

      • Body of Zambian killed fighting in Ukraine due home

        The body of Zambian student Lemekhani Nyirenda, who died fighting for Russia in Ukraine, is due to arrive back home on Sunday, Zambia’s foreign minister has announced.

        Stanley Kakubo told parliament that the body had now reached the Russian port city of Rostov-on-Don and a Zambian diplomat would accompany it back to Lusaka, the foreign ministry has tweeted.

        The 23-year-old died in September but news of the death only came out last month. It left his family and the Zambian government pressing the Russian authorities for answers.

        Nyirenda, who had been studying nuclear engineering in Moscow, was serving a drugs-related prison sentence in Russia.

        His sister Muzang’alu Nyirenda said he had been an unwitting drugs courier.

        The foreign minister told parliament on Friday that the Russian government confirmed Nyirenda was pardoned in August “to join a military operation in exchange for amnesty”.

        Mr Kakubo said he was still asking the Russians for more details about the death of the young Zambian.

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: New images show Russian army base built in occupied Mariupol

        Russia is consolidating its military presence in the captured port city of Mariupol by constructing a large army base, satellite photos released from the Earth observation company Maxar appear to show.

        The new, U-shaped compound sits near the centre of the city. On its roof, the red, white and blue star of the Russian army can be seen, with letters reading “Russian army, for the people of Mariupol”.

        The newly constructed Russian military base in MariupolMaxar
        The newly constructed Russian military base in Mariupol suggests Russia is seeking to dig in in the city

        Moscow’s forces laid siege to the city for almost three months earlier this year, and constant artillery barrages left much of it in ruins.

        Ukrainian officials estimated last month that some 25,000 civilians were killed in the strikes, while the UN said it had confirmed the deaths of 1,348 civilians, but said the true death toll was “likely thousands higher”.

        Images of the city’s graveyard appear to show it being extended. Russian troops have reportedly been removing dead bodies from destroyed buildings in recent months and taking them away for burial. Last month, an analysis of images obtained by BBC Panorama suggested 1,500 new graves have been dug at the cemetery.

        Mariupol cemetery in MarchMaxar
        Photos of the Mariupol cemetery taken in March 2022
        Mariupol cemetery in NovemberMaxar
        Images of the cemetery taken in November show new graves being dug in the right foreground and the left foreground

        A large protective screen has also been erected around the remains of the city’s theatre, where hundreds of people are believed to have died after Russian forces targeted it in a missile strike on 18 March. The attack – which Amnesty International called “clear war crime” by Russia – left the site in ruins.

        The remains of the Mariupol theatre after a missile strike in MarchMaxar
        The remains of the Mariupol theatre after a missile strike in March
        The screen around the theatre in the new imagesMaxar
        In new images, a large screen can be seen around the theatre

        Ukrainian officials estimate that up to 90% of the city’s infrastructure was left in ruins by the Russian bombardment, and the new images suggest that Moscow has started to demolish many of the residential buildings that were left beyond repair.

        Residential buildings after being targeted by Russian strikes in MarchMaxar
        Residential buildings after being targeted by Russian strikes in March
        New images show the damaged buildings have been destroyed in anticipation of reconstructionMaxar
        The new images show the damaged buildings have been demolished in anticipation of reconstruction

        Other images show huge amounts of building supplies at the city metro station. During the Russian bombardment of Mariupol, many civilians could be seen waiting outside the station for food and other necessities.

        Building supplies at the city metro stationMaxar
        An image showing building supplies at Mariupol’s metro station
        People lining outside the metro station in MarchMaxar
        The metro station in March

        The images come amid reports that Russia is slowly building up its defensive positions in Mariupol, as Ukrainian counteroffensives in the south and east increasingly put the city under threat.

        Last month, UK defence officials said the Russian military was using two plants in occupied Mariupol to produce large numbers of “dragon’s teeth” – concrete blocks designed to slow advancing enemy armour and other vehicles.

        The city is strategically important for Russia, forming part of its “land bridge” linking Russia to annexed Crimea.

         

      • Ukraine war: Zelensky aide reveals up to 13,000 war dead

        According to a top officer, up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since Russia’s incursion began.

        An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky named Mykhailo Podolyak estimated that between 10,000 and 13,000 soldiers had died.

        The Ukrainian military has not backed up Mr. Podolyak’s claims, and neither Russia nor Ukraine frequently disclose casualty totals.

        He said in June that every day, 100 to 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed.

        The most senior US general, Mark Milley, stated last month that since the start of the war, roughly 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded.

        Ursula Von der Leyen, the leader of the EU Commission, said that 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died in a video message on Wednesday. A representative for the EU Commission later stated that this was an error and that the number really included both the dead and the injured.

        Mr. Podolyak claimed that Kyiv was “openly discussing about the number of the killed” in an interview with Ukrainian television station Channel 24.

        He added: “We have official assessments by the General Staff and the commander-in-chief [Mr. Zelensky], and they range from 10,000 to 12,500-13,000 killed.

        He continued by saying that “substantial” numbers of civilians may have been killed. By the middle of June, 3,600 civilian fatalities had been reported by BBC News. The number is probably considerably higher now.

        According to Ms. von der Leyen, 20,000 civilians in Ukraine were slain. Although the EU Commission did not retract that figure, it was eliminated from later iterations of the movie along with the claim that 100,000 troops had been slain.

        Mr Podolyak also suggested that up to 100,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the invasion began on 24 February, and that a further 100,000 to 150,000 had been wounded, or were missing or unable to return to combat.

        The BBC’s Russian Service has established that at least 9,311 Russian soldiers of all ranks have been killed since the invasion on 24 February while the true death toll could be more than 18,600.

        In other developments:

        • The Ukrainian military said Russia was using dummy nuclear-capable missiles to exhaust Ukraine’s air defences. Russia was using rockets designed for nuclear use without explosive warheads, Ukrainian military experts said, suggesting this might be because the country has used so many of its other missiles in massive strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure
        • Another senior adviser to President Zelensky, Oleg Ustenko, accused BP of being entitled to hundreds of millions of pounds in “blood money” from investments in Russia. BP said it was no longer receiving any profits from Russian energy giant Rosneft
        • The US and French presidents have said they will keep working together to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its actions. At a press conference during a visit by President Emmanuel Macron to the White House, President Biden also said that he was “prepared to speak to Mr Putin” in order to broker an end to the war
        • TikTok is hosting dozens of videos glorifying violence by Russia’s Wagner group of mercenaries, according to a new report. The videos have been viewed more than a billion times, found US-based organisation NewsGuard. Tiktok said it will act against any content violating its policies.

      • Ukraine war: Germany wary of new influx of refugees

        On an old airfield, on the outskirts of Berlin, almost 1,000 people sleep in giant heated tents. The German capital is struggling to properly house Ukraine’s refugees.

        And, as winter deepens and Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, authorities here are hastily preparing more emergency shelters in anticipation of the arrival of what they estimate could be up to 10,000 more people.

        A million Ukrainians have fled to Germany since the start of the war, according to latest figures.

        That has awakened memories of 2015 and 2016 when a comparable number of people sought asylum here.

        As then, Germany initially extended a warm welcome. But there are now growing concerns about how best to accommodate such a large number of people.

        In Berlin, around 100 Ukrainians arrive every day at the city’s main reception centre for refugees which is sited in a terminal at a converted former airport.

        Workers in brightly coloured tabards lead them past defunct baggage carousels to the old departure halls which are now filled with crowded trestle tables.

        There’s food here, medical aid and a bed for a few nights.

        It’s designed to be temporary; strangers sleep in bunks in shared cubicles or tents.

        But many of the people here will stay longer; it’s getting harder to find permanent accommodation in a city where the rental market is under pressure, and sending people on to other parts of Germany is getting harder too.

        Operations manager Kleo Tümmler admits it’s a challenge: “We are built to take care of people for a few days. Sometimes they have to stay here for two weeks, maybe three weeks.”

        Despite the logistical difficulties, there’s a relaxed atmosphere in the centre.

        Ms Tümmler and her colleagues appear committed to making life as easy and comfortable as possible for the people here.

        They’re trying to adapt to the needs of longer-term guests. They’ve bought washing machines, they’re trying to provide some entertainment, and they’re extending the educational facilities for the 300 children on site, some of whom are home-schooling via video link to their Ukrainian schools.

        They have learnt, they say here, from the experience of 2015.

        But their positivity is not mirrored elsewhere.

        One politician from northwest Germany recently used an editorial in a national newspaper to warn that communities like his were “massively challenged” by numerous Ukrainian refugees as well as a growing influx of asylum seekers.

        The number of people seeking asylum has indeed risen, fuelled largely by people from Syria and Afghanistan.

        Frederik Paul said he was reminded of the atmosphere during the migrant crisis when an initially warm welcome gave way to a bitter national debate over how much support Germans could and should offer to those seeking asylum.

        He echoed comments made earlier in the year by Martina Schweinsburg, a district councillor from Thuringia, who said her area had relied on private landlords to house Ukrainians – mainly women, children and elderly people at first – but were now reluctant to do so.

        Turning over school gyms for emergency accommodation was, she said, something the public increasingly considered unacceptable.

        “Our capacities are exhausted,” she said. “Our backs are against the wall.”

        The mood is darkening; the authorities recorded 65 attacks on refugee accommodation so far this year, a significant increase on 2021.

        A Ukrainian flag flies from a building opposite a hotel used to house refugees from Ukraine that is now a charred ruin following what police suspect was an arson attack days before in the hamlet of Gross Stroemkendorf on October 24, 2022 n

        And a recent survey for the national broadcaster found that concerns about immigration had increased in the last year: 53% of those asked were concerned that too many people were coming to Germany, up by 11% from September 2021.

        Those fears and that social division are exactly what Russia’s Vladimir Putin has sought to exploit in his latest campaign to render Ukraine uninhabitable and drive yet more of its citizens into Europe.

        That will test the tolerance of this German government, which came to power with a far more liberal attitude towards refugees than its predecessor.

        How this country, itself much changed by the experience of the migrant crisis.

         

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: The surrender hotline for Russian soldiers

        The Ukrainian government has said a scheme it created for Russian soldiers to surrender is getting up to 100 enquiries a day.

        The “I Want To Live” project was started in September.

        By calling a hotline or entering details through messenger apps, Russian troops can arrange the best way to surrender to Ukrainian forces.

        Officials in Kyiv say they’ve had more than 3,500 contacts from invading personnel, as well as their families.

        There’s been an apparent increase since Russian President Vladimir Putin mobilised hundreds of thousands of Russian men, and since the city of Kherson was liberated.

        The BBC has been given recordings from some of the calls.

        As the dark hallways suggest, Ukraine’s headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War isn’t immune to the power blackouts which plague the country.

        In a small office we meet Svitlana, not her real name, a Ukrainian call handler who speaks to Russian soldiers daily.

        They can either get in touch over the phone or on most messenger apps, such as Telegram and WhatsApp.

        She explains the evenings are busiest, when troops have more spare time and can sneak off and make a call.

        “First of all, we hear a voice, mainly male,” she explains. “It’s often part-desperate, part-frustrated, because they don’t fully understand how the hotline works, or whether it’s just a set-up.

        “There’s also curiosity because many call not to surrender but to find out how they could if needed. It’s different every time.”

        Chats from the "I Want To Live" Ukrainian surrender hotline
        Image caption,The BBC was given access to some of the calls made to the hotline
        1px transparent line

        Svitlana isn’t allowed to tell us how many Russians she’s helped, or exactly how it happens. They’re just told to share their location before being given further instructions.

        Some Russian soldiers also get in touch to provoke them, she says, although she doesn’t think all of them believe the Kremlin’s baseless claims that Ukraine is run by Nazis.

        “We can’t judge an entire country,” she says. “The majority of them are worried about their lives.”

        Svitlana also recalls a call from one man who lived in occupied Crimea and had been mobilised to fight against his own family, and country.

        It seems Moscow has now blocked the phone numbers from being reached inside Russia. Calls from either a UK or Russian Sim card are greeted with an error message.

        Chats from the "I Want To Live" Ukrainian surrender hotline
        Staff at the I Want To Live project said each call is different
        1px transparent line

        “Ask yourself a question – what are you fighting for?” says the dramatic voice-over in Ukraine’s “I Want To Live” propaganda video aimed at Russian soldiers.

        Explosions appear in sync with evocative music, and there are images of Russian soldiers apparently surrendering before two phone numbers are shown at the end.

        They’re even told to wave a white flag if they’re too close to the front line.

        This is, of course, part of the information war. The anatomy of Ukraine’s attempts to weaken Russian morale.

        On the walls of Svitlana’s office are pictures of Ukrainian prisoners of war. They’re all thought to still be alive, and this hotline is central to Kyiv’s efforts to bring them home.

        Once they surrender, Russian prisoners of war (PoWs) can be used as currency in future exchanges.

        According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Kremlin is also carrying out more prisoner of war exchanges as it tries to soothe critics from inside Russia.

        There are thought to be thousands of PoWs on both sides, but the exact numbers aren’t clear.

        Vitalii Matviyenko, who heads up the I Want To Live project
        Image caption,Vitalii Matviyenko, who leads the I Want To Live project, says it was created to help save lives of those who surrender

        “We especially want to target the partially mobilised who not only can’t fight but are thrown in as cannon fodder,” says Vitalii Matviyenko, who heads up the scheme.

        “This project was created so their lives will be guaranteed if they surrender voluntarily.”

        For outnumbered Ukraine, it’s also hoped it will soften the belly of their larger invader.

        Additional reporting by Daria Sipigina, Hanna Chornous and Moose Campbell.

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: Merkel says she lacked power to influence Putin

         

        Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her policy towards Russia prior to the February invasion of Ukraine, saying she had run out of power to influence Vladimir Putin.

        She said she had tried to convene European talks with the Russian president and French President Emmanuel Macron in the summer of 2021.

        “But I didn’t have the power to get my way,” she told Spiegel news.

        “Really everyone knew: in autumn she’ll be gone,” she said.

        After four terms as chancellor Mrs Merkel left office in December. She paid a final visit to Moscow in August 2021, and told the German news magazine that “the feeling was very clear: ‘In terms of power politics you’re finished’.”

        She added that “for Putin, only power counts”.

        It was significant that, for their final meeting, Mr Putin brought Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with him, she said. Previously they had met one-to-one, she noted.

        In light of President Putin’s invasion – preceded by weeks of massive military build-up on Ukraine’s borders – many have argued that Mrs Merkel and other EU leaders should have adopted a tougher approach to the Kremlin.

        A foreign policy expert in her Christian Democrat (CDU) party, MP Roderich Kiesewetter, is among those who say she knew that Mr Putin was trying to split and weaken Europe, but she believed “soft power” was the right approach. He argued before the invasion that Germany was too dependent on Russian gas.

        In the Spiegel interview, Mrs Merkel said her stance on Ukraine in the Minsk peace talks had bought Kyiv time to defend itself better against the Russian military.

        A ceasefire deal was reached in Minsk after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and during its proxy war in the Donbas region. But key points, including disarmament and international supervision, were not implemented.

        Mrs Merkel said she did not regret leaving office in December, because she felt her government was failing to make progress not only on the Ukraine crisis, but also on the conflicts in Moldova, Georgia, Syria and Libya, all of which involved Russia.

        She and Mr Putin both had direct experience of life in communist East Germany – she grew up there and he served there as a Soviet KGB officer, doing secret intelligence work. Mr Putin speaks fluent German and Mrs Merkel speaks some Russian.

         

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: Hope returns to Kherson after Russian forces leave

        In the week since Russia pulled out of the southern city of Kherson, visceral relief has been replaced with an optimistic busyness.

        As an acoustic band plays Western covers, queues of people snake around the city’s main square.

        There are tents where residents can get a hot drink or first aid. Many gather at mobile phone masts like bees around honey.

        “We’re calm now,” Kostiantyn tells me as he queues for food donations with his daughter on his shoulders. “No water or power is fine.”

        The port city was captured by Russia in March, just days after forces invaded Ukraine. It was the only regional capital Russia managed to seize since February, but its military was forced to withdraw last week.

        Russian soldiers used to threaten Kostiantyn Belitskyi’s family with their weapons.Moose Campbell
        Russian soldiers used to threaten Kostiantyn Belitskyi’s family with their weapons

        Also happy to chat was Olena, who admits to getting used to the Russian occupation.

        “Ukrainian forces make us calm,” she says.

        “Now we can tell who is shelling and from where. If it’s the Ukrainians that makes us happy, we’re free now.”

        Olena Hatylo says she was collecting food donations for her disabled neighboursMoose Campbell
        Olena Hatylo says she was collecting food donations for her disabled neighbours

        “We have no light, no water but we have freedom!” exclaims Hryhorii Mykolayovych, who works in his local community kitchen.

        He’s frying sliced courgette over a log stove outside a block of flats.

        After I ask him how he is, he takes a deep swallow and says: “The shelling is a bit of a problem, but things will get better. All of this is temporary.”

        The city’s governor hopes so too. Yaroslav Yanushevych says his priority is “making everyone feel safer”. He also wants every Russian collaborator to be “punished”.

        In a picture of "cause and effect", bread is handed out under pro-Moscow billboards which read "Together with Russia".AFP

        In a picture of “cause and effect”, bread is handed out under pro-Moscow billboards which read “Together with Russia”.

        They were plastered across the city by Russian occupiers. Most have been torn down, but not all.

        These humanitarian efforts are being gratefully received. It’s clear they’re desperately needed after Kherson was cut off by Russia’s grasp for eight months.

        However, for the estimated 75,000 people who chose to stay in Kherson, a lot more is needed for this city to get back on its feet.

        It is, though, slowly reconnecting with Ukraine.

        Lorries instead of tanks now move into the city along damaged roads. Train services between Kyiv and Kherson have also resumed.

        While there is relief Kherson wasn’t destroyed like other occupied cities, such as Mariupol, no one is thinking the danger has gone away.

        Russian-occupied territory in the eastern bank of the Dnipro River.Moose Campbell
        Russian-occupied territory in the eastern bank of the Dnipro River

        The sandy banks of the Dnipro River in Kherson are now the front line in this part of Ukraine.

        Six hundred metres across is territory occupied by Russia. The thuds of artillery and whistling shells overhead illustrate how dangerous this part of the city has become.

        Despite its appearance, this boundary is far from clear. In pulling out, the Russians left thousands of soldiers and collaborators behind.

        It’s also not clear whether Ukraine’s counteroffensives will stop here, despite winter being round the corner.

        For Kherson, liberation has not brought calm. But for the majority, it is “better than before”.

         

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: Almost half Ukraine’s energy system disabled, PM says

        A recent wave of Russian missile and drone strikes have crippled almost half of Ukraine’s energy system, Ukraine’s prime minister has said.

        The damage comes as temperatures drop below freezing and the capital Kyiv experiences its first winter snow.

        One official in Kyiv warned that the city could face a “complete shutdown” of its power grid.

        President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said that 10 million Ukrainians have been left without power.

        And in his video address on Friday night, Mr Zelensky said “the difficult situation with energy supply persists in a total of 17 regions and in the capital”, but added that there were “significantly fewer emergency shutdowns” during the day as energy industry workers were racing to restore power.

        “Unfortunately Russia continues to carry out missile strikes on Ukraine’s civilian and critical infrastructure. Almost half of our energy system is disabled,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a news conference on Friday.

        Mykola Povoroznyk, deputy head of the Kyiv administration, said that the city is “preparing for different scenarios, including a complete shutdown”.

        He did not say what would happen in the event of the grid completely shutting down, but officials have said they are not considering evacuating any cities.

        Ukraine’s national grid operator Ukrenergo posted on Telegram: “The aggressor country has officially recognised that its goal is to destroy our energy infrastructure and leave Ukrainians without electricity and heat.”

        Maksym Tymchenko, the CEO Ukraine’s biggest private energy company DTEK, told the BBC that “the situation is getting worse”.

        “Unfortunately, after each attack we have less and less reliable and stable energy system. That’s reality,” he said.

        Snow in LvivGetty Images
        The first snow of winter has hit Ukraine, including the western city of Lviv

        On Thursday, Russia hit more energy installations and civilian buildings less than two days after one of its heaviest bombardments yet.

        This has been a recent Russian tactic following setbacks on the battlefield, and its impact is starting to be felt more acutely. Moscow says the attacks are a response to Kyiv’s “unwillingness” to hold peace talks.

        Those suffering power outages are mainly in the Kyiv, Odesa, Vinnytsia and Ternopil regions.

        The government has urged people to save energy by reducing use of domestic appliances such as ovens, washing machines, electric kettles and irons.

        In the recently liberated city of Kherson, the deputy head of Mr Zelensky’s office posted photos of people using electricity in designated tents due to there still being no power, adding that the government hopes to have electricity restored in the city “by the end of this week”.

         

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: Were Russian soldiers shot after surrendering?

        A video has emerged from the front line in eastern Ukraine showing the surrender of a group of soldiers in an incident that appears to end in their deaths.

        Russia has reacted to the footage, accusing Ukraine of executing Russian prisoners of war, which would be a war crime. Ukraine has not yet responded to the allegations.

        The BBC has not been able to establish Russia’s assertions from the video alone, but we’ve been studying the footage, trying to piece together what might have happened.

        Warning: This piece contains graphic images which some may find upsetting.

        The incident happened on or before Saturday 12 November in Makiyivka, a village on the front line in Luhansk region.

         

        Map of eastern Ukraine

        Drone footage appeared later that day and on Sunday on pro-Ukrainian sites showing the bodies of a number of uniformed soldiers lying on the ground in a farmyard.

        Image of farmyard taken from above

        Part of the footage from this scene also appears in a video posted online by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence about military operations in the Makiyivka area.

        Some social media posts suggest a mortar strike was responsible.

        But that version of events has been challenged by pro-Russian outlets who claim the soldiers were shot by personnel from Ukraine’s 80th airborne assault brigade.

        Then on 17 November more video footage emerged, this time filmed from ground level by someone present at scene, and shouting can be heard in Ukrainian for anyone hiding inside a shed to come out.

        They emerge one by one and lie down on the ground.

        Soldiers lying face down on groundTwitter
        The captured soldiers were ordered to lie face down on the ground

        Voices can be heard asking if everyone is out.

        The captors speak Ukrainian in the video, while the uniforms of the captives look Russian not Ukrainian. The Russian defence ministry and media has also said the prisoners are Russian.

        This video then shows a man dressed in dark clothing emerging. He appears to be armed and to open fire as he steps forward.

        We are unable to tell from the video whether the man is Russian or Ukrainian and exactly what he’s firing at.

        Still of man opening fire
        This is the moment a man dressed in a darker uniform bursts out of the building and opens fire

        The camera then falls away as gunfire rings out. The video ends in blurred confusion.

        The aerial footage (from the drone) and the video filmed on the ground appear to match the same scene.

        An entrance doorway – with what looks like a pole lying on it – is visible in both (highlighted in purple) as well as what looks like a red toy car in the farmyard (highlighted in orange).

        Graphic showing split screen comparing two images of site of killings
        Two videos have emerged showing the scene from the ground and the air

        Russia’s defence ministry has denounced what happened as a “deliberate and methodical murder” by shots to the head of more than 10 immobilised Russian servicemen. It goes on to say that it is “not the first and not the only war crime” by Ukrainian forces.

        Killing or wounding a combatant who has laid down their arms and surrendered is a war crime.

        Russia has been accused of multiple war crimes, including the killing of civilians in Bucha – which we have also investigated.

        Surrender and exchanges of prisoners of war have become a significant factor in this war that has lasted almost nine months.

        In a report this week, a UN mission in Ukraine reported abuses of prisoners by both sides. The vast majority of released Ukrainian prisoners they spoke to said they were tortured and ill-treated and nine people died.

        Unlike Russia, Ukraine allowed access to detained prisoners. Some told the mission of summary executions and several cases of torture and ill-treatment.

        Last weekend a gruesome video emerged that appeared to show the death of a mercenary at the hands of his own Russian Wagner group.

        Unverified footage showed Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, being hit on the head with a sledgehammer. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin later accused him of betraying Russia and his comrades.

        Still image from Nuzhin's interview with a Ukrainian journalistYuri Butusov/YouTube

        Nuzhin, a convicted killer, had appeared in a Ukrainian video after he was captured, announcing he had changed sides. Just how he ended up in Russian hands is not clear but Ukrainian officials said he had not surrendered voluntarily so was not considered somebody who could be exchanged.

        An exchange of prisoners of war took place on 11 November but Nuzhin was not one of them. He appears to have been attacked in Kyiv before being captured by the men who killed him.

         

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: Zambia demands answers for death of student

        Zambia has demanded answers over the death of a student who was fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

        Lusaka has asked Moscow “to urgently provide information on the circumstances” surrounding Lemekhani Nyirenda’s death.

        The 23-year-old, a student at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, had been serving nine years in jail for a drug offence.

        His family has unanswered questions and wants to identify the body in Russia.

        Mr Nyirenda died in September but Russia has only just informed Zambia’s government.

        The Zambian embassy in Russia established that Mr Nyirenda’s body had since been transported to the Russian southern border town of Rostov-on-Don in readiness for repatriation to Zambia, Zambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Stanley Kakubo said on Monday.

        “As minister, I have been personally in touch, and will maintain contact with the family of the deceased in order to provide an update on more details surrounding their loved one’s death,” Mr Kakubo commented.

        The student was working as a part-time courier when an unknown person handed him a package containing drugs, his father Edwin Nyirenda told Reuters news agency.

        The father also said “we don’t know” who conscripted his son from prison, and added that the family only “received a message from a man we do not know in Russia who told us that there was a will, which our son left, and we should travel to Russia”.

        Zambia has traditionally sent students to Russia to study on scholarships, as was the case with Mr Nyirenda.

        The circumstances of his release from prison are unknown, but Russia has offered freedom to some prisoners in exchange for fighting in its war in Ukraine.

        Zambia has taken a neutral position on the Russia-Ukraine war, as many other African countries have, but says it condemns any form of war.

         

        Source: African News

      • Ukraine war: Kyiv claims major gains as Russia exits Kherson

        The Ukrainian army says it has made major gains over the last day around Kherson, after Russia said it was withdrawing from the southern city.

        Ukrainian troops say they have taken back the key town of Snihurivka, 50km (30 miles) to the north of Kherson.

        Kyiv has also claimed big pushes on two fronts near Kherson, including advances of 7km in some places.

        Russia says it has started to exit the city – its top gain in the invasion – but the process could take weeks.

        Wednesday’s announcement was viewed as a major setback for Moscow’s war effort, though Ukrainian officials were sceptical – warning that the manoeuvre could be a trap.

        There was no immediate evidence of any mass-scale Russian withdrawal from Kherson.

        Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said on Thursday that he could not confirm or deny the pull-out – but said his own forces had made important advances.

        Gen Zaluzhny said his soldiers had driven forward on two fronts on the western bank of the Dnipro river – an area of land which encompasses Kherson – taking control of 12 settlements.

        The 7km gains were made “during the past day”, he said, as troops advanced along a northern-eastern axis and a separate western axis.

        Video footage showed soldiers being greeted by locals in a square, apparently after entering the town of Snihurivka.

        Snihurivka sits at a major road junction and is a rail hub for Mykolaiv region, which borders Kherson to the north and west.

        The regional administration in Mykolaiv posted on the Telegram messaging app touting “lots of good news today”.

        It fuelled speculation on Thursday night that Ukrainian troops had reached the outskirts of Kherson itself, after cryptically posting a single letter – “ch” in Ukrainian.

        This was taken as a possible clue that troops had reached the suburban village of Chornobayivka.

        In total, Ukrainian troops have recaptured more than 40 settlements from Russian control during their advances in southern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

        BBC graphic shows area of military control in south-eastern Ukraine - with Russian control of the area to the south and east of the Dnipro river, and limited control on the other side

         

        It was not possible for the BBC to independently verify the details of the latest territorial gains and losses – but the reports come after weeks of steady advances from the Ukrainian military.

        Kherson was the first – and only – regional capital to fall into Russian hands after it invaded Ukraine on 24 February.

        From late September, it was viewed by the Kremlin as Russian territory – following so-called “referendums” in occupied areas of Ukraine that were widely discredited by the international community.

        On Wednesday, Moscow said it was no longer possible to supply the city, saying it would step back from the western bank of the Dnipro – a river which bisects Ukraine.

        Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not take part in the televised announcement.

        Ukraine’s Gen Zaluzhny said Russia was left with no option but to flee, after its supply lines were destroyed and its command systems disrupted.

        Later on Thursday, Ukraine’s defence minister said it would take Russia at least a week to withdraw and that it was not easy to predict the actions of his enemy.

        Jens Stoltenberg, the chief of the Nato military alliance of Western nations, said it was clear Russia was under “heavy pressure” but that it was important to see “how the situation on the ground develops”.

        The UK defence secretary said Russia appeared to be setting up a defensive line on the other side of the Dnipro river using concrete installations.

        Commenting on the withdrawal, Ben Wallace said that “the world shouldn’t be grateful for Russia handing back stolen property”.

        A Ukrainian presidential adviser said it was too early to celebrate – accusing his enemy of wanting to turn Kherson into a “city of death” by leaving mines and plotting to shell it from afar.

        That could add to the casualty count of a war which has already killed or injured 100,000 soldiers on each side and 40,000 civilians, according to the latest estimate from a senior US general.

        Separately, the US has announced another $400m (£341m) military aid package for Ukraine – including Avenger air defence systems and Hawk missiles.

        Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said he had also discussed defence support from the UK with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

         

        Source: BBC

         

      • US estimates scale of Ukraine war fatalities

        The most senior US general estimates that around 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the war in Ukraine.

        Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also suggested that around 40,000 civilians had died after being caught up in the conflict.

        The estimates are the highest offered yet by a Western official.

        But he observed that signs Kyiv was willing to re-enter talks with Moscow offered “a window” for negotiations.

        In recent days, Ukraine has signalled a willingness to hold some discussions with Moscow, after President Volodymyr Zelensky dropped a demand that his opposite number, Vladimir Putin, must be removed from power before negotiations could resume.

        Source: BBC

      • Wagner group ‘using Africa wealth’ to fund Ukraine war

        The US says Russian mercenaries are exploiting natural resources in the Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan to fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

        Russia has rejected the charge as “anti-Russian rage”, Reuters news agency reports.

        US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Russia’s shadowy Wagner mercenary group was using the “ill-gotten gains” to “fund Moscow’s war machine in Africa, the Middle East, and Ukraine”.

        “Make no mistake: people across Africa are paying a heavy price for the Wagner Group’s exploitative practices and human rights violations,” she told a UN Security Council meeting on the financing of armed groups through illicit trafficking of natural resources.

        Russia denies any links to Wagner.

        The group has been active in Libya since 2016, where it supported General Khalifa Haftar’s advance on the official government in Tripoli in 2019.

        In 2017, the Wagner Group was invited into the Central African Republic (CAR) to guard diamond mines. It is also reported to be working in Sudan, protecting gold mines.

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: Many dead as rockets hit humanitarian convoy in Zaporizhzhia

        At least 23 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a Russian missile strike on a humanitarian convoy in south Ukraine, local officials say.

        A huge crater next to a row of vehicles in the city of Zaporizhzhia testifies to the violence of the attack. Windows and windscreens have been smashed in.

        The BBC saw half a dozen bodies lying at the scene, apparently civilians. Baggage and coats strewed the tarmac.

        A Russian-installed local official blamed Ukraine for Friday’s attack.

        The convoy was hit in the early hours of Friday as people were preparing to travel to the Russian-occupied part of the region to pick up their relatives and also deliver humanitarian aid.

        “The enemy launched a rocket attack on the outskirts of the regional centre,” Zaporizhzhia regional head Oleksandr Starukh said in a post on social media, describing it as “another terrorist act” by Russia.

        Near the missile’s impact crater, the BBC spoke to Kateryna Holoborod, sat on her suitcase in a state of shock.

        ‘We arrived in a line, to join a column going towards Kherson,” she said.

        “We got out to see what number we had in the queue. Then the first rocket hit, behind the wagons.

        “We dropped to the ground. Then the second one hit in the centre of the queue. There was glass everywhere, people screaming and running. I don’t remember much.

        “It was very scary. I then got up to see what happened, help the injured. I tried to help an injured young man when the third explosion happened.”

        Scene of the attack in Zaporizhzhia, southern Ukraine. Photo: 30 September 2022
        Ukraine said the attack was “another terrorist act” by Russia

        The attack comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a signing ceremony in Moscow to annex Zaporizhzhia along with Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions.

        The move follows self-styled referendums in the eastern and southern regions, which have been condemned by Ukraine and the West as a sham.

        Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, and Moscow currently controls the majority of the Zaporizhzhia region, including Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant there – but not the regional capital.

        Moscow-installed regional official Vladimir Rogov blamed “Ukrainian militants” for the Zaporizhzhia attack, Russian state-run media reported.

        Map
        Source: BBC

         

      • US provides $457.5 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine

        United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has announced that the US will offer Ukraine new civilian security assistance of $457.5 million.

        The aid is designed to help Ukrainian law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, Blinken tweeted.

        “We share their commitment to a democratic, independent, and sovereign Ukraine,” he added.

        Source: Aljazeera

      • Impose tax on fossil fuel firms ‘feasting’ on windfall profits – UN chief urges rich countries

        Although the UN’s chief cannot direct its members to implement windfall taxes, his remarks do send an “important signal”.
        All wealthy nations are being urged to impose a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies by the head of the United Nations.

        The industry is “feasting on hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and windfall profits while household budgets shrink and our planet burns”, Antonio Guterres told world leaders in New York.

         

        Money raised should be used to help people struggling with rising food and energy bills, as well as to compensate countries suffering the most severe effects of climate change, the secretary-general told the United Nations General Assembly, which is expected to be dominated by discussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

         

        In spite of demanding “polluters must pay”, Mr Guterres cannot mandate action from developed countries, many of which are grappling with extreme weather, high food and energy prices, and the Ukraine war.

         

        But Antony Froggatt, from international affairs, think tank Chatham House, said the statement “is an important signal” and highlights the “unequal nature of the current crisis, with some countries, companies, and citizens benefiting hugely”.

         

        But Mr Guterres has previously urged an end to funding for more oil and gas exploration and production, “which has not stopped these taking place”, Mr Froggatt added.

         

        The European Union plans to raise about €140bn (£121bn) by imposing windfall taxes on energy companies’ “abnormally high profits”, a move that could put pressure on Prime Minister Liz Truss

         

      • Ukraine war: Russia railway station strike kills 22, injures dozens

        A Russian rocket strike on a Ukrainian train station has killed 22 people, Ukraine says, on the day marking six months since Moscow’s invasion began.

        It says five of the victims of the attack in the eastern town of Chaplyne burnt to death in a vehicle. An 11-year-old boy was also killed.

        President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the strike in the middle of a UN Security Council meeting. He said about 50 people were injured.

        Russia has so far made no comment.

        It has repeatedly denied targeting civilian infrastructure.

        Mr Zelensky said he learned of the strike on Chaplyne, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as he was preparing to speak to the Security Council, adding: “This is how Russia prepared for the UN Security council meeting.”

         

        “Four passenger carriages are on fire now… the number of fatalities could increase,” he continued.

        Ukraine has spent Wednesday marking its annual independence day and Mr Zelensky had previously said Russia might do something “cruel” to disrupt the celebrations.

        Earlier he accused Moscow’s forces of turning the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant into a “war zone” that endangered the plant and the people of Europe, putting the world “on the brink of radiation catastrophe”.

        The UN Secretary General told the same meeting that the “senseless war” could push millions of people into extreme poverty, both in Ukraine and beyond.

        Around the world, there were gatherings of supporters in the streets to mark Ukraine’s independence today. World leaders also rallied to support the embattled nation to mark the occasion.

         

        UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared in Kyiv on an unannounced trip to show his country’s support, announcing £54m ($63.5m) in new military aid – a figure dwarfed by an announcement from US President Joe Biden of an extra $3bn (£2.5bn).

        Messages of support arrived from across the globe: from Australia, Germany, Finland, Poland, Turkey and more. In the Vatican, Pope Francis called for “concrete steps” to end the war and avert the risk of a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

        But in the streets of Kyiv, it was relatively quiet.

        Source: BBCnews

         

      • Zelensky warns Russian soldiers at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

        Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of using “nuclear blackmail” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest.

        Russia seized the plant in March and has been accused of turning it into a base from where it hits nearby towns.

        Both countries have traded blame for shelling it in recent days, prompting UN warnings of a nuclear disaster.

        Mr Zelensky says any Russian soldier who shoots at or under the cover of the plant will be a “special target”.

        The six-nuclear reactor Zaporizhzhia station is located in the city of Enerhodar, on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River (Dnipro in Ukrainian) in southern Ukraine.

        Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, seizing the plant within days. Moscow has kept Ukrainian personnel to operate the facility.

        The UN has warned that continued hostilities around the station could lead to a nuclear disaster affecting much of Europe.

        Russia has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing at the plant.

        It says it seized control of the plant to prevent leaks of radioactive materials during fighting in the region.

        Map showing Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and Nikopol

        During his video address late on Saturday, Mr Zelensky said Russia had engaged in “constant provocations” by firing on the plant and said forces stationed there had used it as a base to shell the cities of Nikopol and Marhanets – on the other bank of the river.

        This was being done, the president said, to “blackmail our state and the entire free world”. But he stressed that “Russian blackmail only mobilises even more global efforts to confront terror”.

        “Every Russian soldier who either shoots at the plant, or shoots under the cover of the plant, must understand that he is becoming a special target for our intelligence, for our special services, for our army,” the president said.

        He added that “every day” of Russia’s occupation of the plant “increases the radiation threat to Europe”.

        Ukraine’s defence intelligence agency also accused Russia of a provocation by parking a Pion self-propelled heavy artillery piece outside a nearby town and painting a Ukrainian flag on it, in an attempt to discredit Kyiv.

        A BBC investigation revealed earlier this week that many of the Ukrainian workers at the site are being kept under armed guard amid harsh conditions.

        On Thursday, foreign minsters from the G7 group of industrial democracies demanded that Russia withdraw from the site immediately.

        Their warning echoed statements from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which called for an end to “all military activities that endanger nuclear security”.

        UN Secretary General António Guterres has warned that the situation at the plant could “lead to disaster”.

        Source: BBC

      • Ukraine war: CIA chief says no intelligence that Putin is in bad health

        There is no intelligence that Vladimir Putin is unstable or in bad health, the director of the CIA has said.

        There has been increasing unconfirmed media speculation that Mr Putin, who turns 70 this year, may be suffering from ill health, possibly cancer.

        But William Burns said there was no evidence to suggest this, joking that he appeared “too healthy”.

        His comments came as the US announced it would provide Ukraine with more long-range weapons.

        Earlier Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia’s military focus in Ukraine was no longer “only” the east and implied Moscow’s strategy had changed after the West supplied Ukraine with such weapons.

        ‘Believer in control’

        “There are lots of rumours about President Putin’s health and as far as we can tell he’s entirely too healthy,” Mr Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

        Responding to laughter, he added that this was not a formal intelligence judgement.

        Mr Burns, who served as ambassador to Moscow, said he had been observing and dealing with the Russian leader for more than two decades.

        Mr Putin is “a big believer in control, intimidation and getting even” and these traits have hardened over the last decade as his circle of advisers has contracted, the CIA chief said.

        “He is convinced that his destiny as Russia’s leader is to restore Russia as a great power. He believes the key to doing that is to recreate a sphere of influence in Russia’s neighbourhood and he cannot do that without controlling Ukraine.”

        Mr Burns travelled to Moscow in November to warn about the serious consequences for invading Ukraine following intelligence the US had collected about Russia’s plans. But the CIA director said he left “more troubled than when I arrived”.

        The Russian president’s plans were based on “profoundly flawed assumptions and some real illusions especially about Ukraine and the will to resist”, Mr Burns said.

        “Putin really does believe his rhetoric. I’ve heard him say this privately over the years that Ukraine is not a real country.

        “Well, real countries fight back. And that’s what the Ukrainians have done.”

        The US estimates that Russian casualties in Ukraine so far have reached around 15,000 killed and perhaps 45,000 wounded, Mr Burns said. He estimated that Ukrainian losses were a little less.

        He added Russia’s current concentration of forces in the Donbas suggested the military had learned hard lessons.

        Russia invaded Ukraine in February, claiming falsely that Russian-speakers in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region had suffered a genocide and needed to be liberated.

        Five months on, Russia has occupied parts of the east and south of the country, but it failed in its original aim of capturing Kyiv and has since claimed its main objective was the liberation of Donbas.

        The US has accused Russia of preparing to annex parts of Ukraine.

        But earlier on Wednesday the Russian foreign minister implied the US supplying long-range weapons could broaden Moscow’s military focus in Ukraine.

        Despite Mr Lavrov’s apparent warnings, the US on Wednesday announced it would provide Ukraine with more long-range weapons.

        Ukraine will receive another four Himars advanced rocket systems to hold the advance of Russian troops, bringing the total number to 16, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

        Meanwhile Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska addressed US Congress, asking for more air-defence systems to “help us to stop this terror against Ukrainians”.

        She said the weapons could help assure a “joint great victory”.

        Source:bbc.com

      • Ghanaian universities to admit medical students displaced by Ukraine war Education Minister

        Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has said Ghanaian medical students in Ukrainian schools who were displaced because of the war will be admitted into Ghanaian universities to complete their programmes.

        According to the Minister who was responding to questions in Parliament on Wednesday, a committee chaired by the Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Nsiah Asare has been set up and has identified the affected students.

        He explained that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) is conducting an audit of the list after which eligible students will be admitted into Ghanaian medical schools.

        “Mr. Speaker regarding what is happening to them now, I have inaugurated a committee chaired by Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, the Presidential advisor on health to compile the list of all students who were displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war.

        “The Committee comprises representatives of all stakeholders including the Deans of all medical schools in Ghana. So far, the Committee has collated information on 300 students. The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) is currently validating their credentials, once the process is completed the eligible students will be admitted into our Ghanaian universities at various levels,” he said.

        The Russian-Ukraine war which started a couple of months ago affected many people in diverse ways. One of such people is Ghanaian students studying in Ukraine who have to run for their lives and now seeking support to go back to the classroom to continue their studies.

        The Government in May established a 13-member committee to come out with guidelines to help absorb them into Ghanaian universities to continue their studies.

        The Committee is constituted as follows: representatives of the Students Representative Council (SRC), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Health, Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Medical and Dental Council, Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Vice Chancellors of Medical Schools, the Rector of College of Physicians and Surgeons among others.

         

        Source: Myjoyonline

      • Ukraine war: Russia plans to annex Ukrainian land – US

        Russia plans to annex more Ukrainian territory using a similar “playbook” to its takeover of Crimea, the US says.

        Citing US intelligence, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Russia is already laying the groundwork for annexation.

        Occupied regions of Ukraine could hold “sham” referenda on joining Russia as soon as September, he said.

        Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 after a referendum which was widely viewed as illegitimate.

        “We want to make it plain to the American people,” Mr Kirby told reporters. “Nobody is fooled by it. [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is dusting off the playbook from 2014.”

        He accused Russia of installing illegitimate pro-Russian officials to run occupied regions of Ukraine, with the aim of organising referenda on becoming part of Russia.

        The results of the votes would be used by Russia “to try to claim annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory”, Mr Kirby said.

        Russia has already installed its own regional and local officials in the parts of Ukraine it has occupied.

        Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014 after a hastily-organised referendum – viewed as illegal by the international community, in which voters chose to join Russia.

        Many supporters of Kyiv boycotted the vote and the campaign was neither free nor fair.

        Similar votes held in other parts of Ukraine would almost certainly see a similar situation, with any opposition to joining Russia largely supressed.

        Mr Kirby said he was “exposing” the Russian plans “so the world knows that any purported annexation is premeditated, illegal and illegitimate”, and promised there would be a quick response from the US and its allies.

        The areas targeted for annexation include Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk, he said.

        Source: BBC