DailyWorld News - The First International Newspaper From India https://dailyworld.in/ Tue, 23 Sep 2025 11:19:12 +0530 en https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-general-assembly-exclusively-allows-ukrainian-prez-to-speak-at-general-debate-360970.html United Nations Sep 17 The General Assembly has adopted a decision to exclusively allow the Ukrainian head of state to submit a prerecorded speech to the General Debate next week instead of physical presence Representatives of all other member states and observers will have to be physically present at the General Assembly Hall if they wish to make a statement at this years General Debate The decision on Friday said that Ukraine may submit a prerecorded statement of its head of state which will be played in the General Assembly Hall at the General Debate The President of the General Assembly will circulate the prerecorded statement as a document of the Assembly The decision says it will not set a precedent for future General Debates and mandated highlevel meetings planned for future highlevel weeks of the General Assembly Xinhua news agency reported The draft resolution tabled by Ukraine and some 50 other states was adopted with 101 votes in favuor 7 against and 19 abstentions Belarus tabled an amendment to the draft decision which would have allowed leaders of other member states who cannot participate in person for reasons beyond their control to speak by prerecorded statements The amendment was rejected by the General Assembly in a vote Before and after the vote on the draft decision tabled by Ukraine several member states voiced concern that such a decision would jeopardise sovereign equality among member states and politicise a procedural issue of the General Assembly IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-general-assembly-exclusively-allows-ukrainian-prez-to-speak-at-general-debate-360970.html Sat, 17 Sep 2022 05:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/germany-takes-control-of-major-oil-refinery-owned-by-russian-rosneft-360979.html Berlin Sep 17 Germany has taken control of a major domestic refinery owned by Russian oil company Rosneft the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action BMWK said Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining Marketing two German subsidiaries of the Russian company have been placed under the trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency The Agency will now take over the PCK refinery in Schwedt by far the biggest fuel supplier of the countrys capital Berlin Xinhua news agency reported So far the PCK refinery has been supplied with Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline However due to the EU import ban on Russian oil next year eastern German ports and a pipeline from Rostock to Schwedt are to be upgraded to create new transport routes for oil In addition the German government has approached the Polish government to discuss potential supply routes through Poland With nearly 12 per cent of Germanys oil processing capacity Rosneft Deutschland is one of the countrys largest companies in this sector The trusteeship is initially limited to six months Gazproms German subsidiary has been placed under the trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency at the beginning of April Russia has repeatedly blamed the Wests sanctions against it for the energy disputes 1 euro 1 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/germany-takes-control-of-major-oil-refinery-owned-by-russian-rosneft-360979.html Sat, 17 Sep 2022 07:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/negotiations-with-russia-currently-impossible-zelensky-359570.html Kiev Sep 11 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stressed that it remains impossible to negotiate the end of the war with Russia because it has failed to formulate any adequate positions Zelensky said at the panel discussion during the annual meeting of the Yalta European Strategy We want to end the war but our circumstances and capabilities have changed Our people do not want to negotiate with terrorists Although one can communicate even with terrorists because at least they know what they want the President added Zelensky emphasised that there is no confidence that the Russian side will keep any of the promises it makes I think they wont No one believes that they will You wouldnt want to make deals with them he said The President added that before diplomatic negotiations with the Russian Federation become possible the Russian army has to withdraw from Ukraine and Russia has to stop behaving like a terrorist In order for us to open a channel of diplomatic communication with Russia Russian leaders must demonstrate their political will they must demonstrate that they are ready to give back the land thats not theirs Then we can begin to discuss avenues that might open up certain diplomatic measures Zelensky said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/negotiations-with-russia-currently-impossible-zelensky-359570.html Mon, 12 Sep 2022 03:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-army-opens-heavy-fire-on-mykolaiv-nine-civilians-injured-359572.html Kiev Sep 11 Russian forces have bombarded the Ukrainian city of Mykoliav in which nine people were reportedly injured and several buildings have also been damaged Oleksandr Sienkevych Mayor of Mykolaiv said on Telegram on Sunday Mykolaiv was shelled heavily last night September 1011 Residential buildings have been damaged Preliminary reports indicate that nine people have sustained various degrees of injuries four of them are still hospitalised he added as quoted by Ukrainska Pravda report IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-army-opens-heavy-fire-on-mykolaiv-nine-civilians-injured-359572.html Mon, 12 Sep 2022 03:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-army-shells-sumy-oblast-with-mortars-and-self-propelled-artillery-359575.html Kiev Sep 11 The Russian amy hit five hromadas an administrative unit designating a town village or several villages and their adjacent territories of Sumy Oblast in Ukraine in a day There have been no casualties however a few buildings have been damaged said Dmytro Zhyvytskyi Head of Sumy Oblast Military Administration on Telegram On the morning of September 10 Russian forces conducted three artillery strikes on Mykolaivka hromada Ukrainska Pravda reported The Russian army attacked Krasnopillia hromada delivering four mortar strikes and later the Russian troops performed 14 artillery strikes And later a twohectare hay field caught fire due to mortar shelling a total of six strikes In SeredynaBuda hromada there were two strikes using a 120mm mortar and 15 strikes using a grenade launcher as well as 16 strikes from selfpropelled artillery A private home the windows of a neighbouring home a power grid gardens and a car were damaged There were five artillery strikes on Velyka Pysarivka hromada Esman hromada was hit with four bombs IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-army-shells-sumy-oblast-with-mortars-and-self-propelled-artillery-359575.html Mon, 12 Sep 2022 03:42:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-addresses-all-leaders-who-push-ukraine-into-russias-inappropriate-embrace-359577.html Kiev Sep 11 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stressed that Ukraine can see the path to regaining control of all its occupied territories more clearly now than ever before and added that it cannot stop now President said at the annual meeting of the Yalta European Strategy The path to the return of our entire territory is right here ahead of us and it becomes clearer every day We can see the contours of the restoration of the territorial integrity of our state We know that it is a difficult path but we know that it is possible to travel this difficult path and we are already doing it Zelensky added We cannot afford to stop This is my main message to anyone out there who is contemplating anything like that To those leaders who are pushing Ukraine in that direction into Russias inappropriate embrace No we cannot afford to stop He said that while the countrys path to regaining control of all of its territory will be difficult the next phase of the war the one that he expects to unfold in the coming winter might be decisive Ukrainska Pravda reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-addresses-all-leaders-who-push-ukraine-into-russias-inappropriate-embrace-359577.html Mon, 12 Sep 2022 04:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-completely-shut-down-energoatom-359596.html Kiev Sep 11 The sixth power unit of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant ZNPP was disconnected from the power grid at 341 pm on Sunday Preparations are underway for its cooling and transfer to a cold state said Ukraines national nuclear energy generating company Energoatom Energoatom has said that for the past three days the sixth power unit has been working in island mode at a critically low capacity feeding only the plants own needs as all of the ZNPP communication lines with the Ukrainian power grid were damaged due to Russian shelling On September 10 evening after operational capacity of one of these communication lines was restored it became possible to supply ZNPP with auxiliary power from the Ukrainian power grid Therefore a decision was made to shut down power unit 6 and transfer it to the safest state cold shutdown In the event of repeated damage to the lines of communication with the power grid the risk of which remains high the ZNPPs auxiliary power supply will be provided by diesel generators and their operation is constrained by their technology and the amount of available diesel fuel On September 1 the International Atomic Energy Agency Mission arrived at the ZNPP in occupied Enerhodar Ukrainska Pravda reported On September 5 four of the six participants of the IAEA mission completed their mission at the station while two representatives of the organisation were to remain there On September 6 the IAEA released a report on a visit to Enerhodar and confirmed that Russia had stationed military personnel and equipment at the ZNPP Sergiy Kyslytsya Ukraines Permanent Representative to the UN said that the Russians tried to put pressure on IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi while he was preparing the report on the ZNPP IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-completely-shut-down-energoatom-359596.html Mon, 12 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/we-have-shown-that-we-can-defeat-russians-but-we-still-need-more-weapons-ukraines-fm-359598.html Kiev Sep 11 The success of the counteroffensive shows that Ukraine can defeat Russia but more weapons are needed a Reuters report citing Dmytro Kuleba Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs at a press conference with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on Sunday Kuleba said that some allies initially hesitated to provide Ukraine with weapons citing the risk of angering Russian President Vladimir Putin but now thank God we no longer hear that argument We have demonstrated that we are capable of defeating the Russian army We are doing it with these armaments he added the more weapons we get the faster we will prevail against Russians and the faster this war will end As Reuters report said that Baerbock promised further military assistance and did not rule out the supply of Westernstyle battle tanks The Ukrainian army launched a counteroffensive on the Russianoccupied territories of Ukraine Ukrainska Pravda reported The Ukrainian Armed Forces have liberated an estimated 2000 square km of the territory of Ukraine from the Russian occupiers since the beginning of September In the vicinity of Kharkiv Ukrainian troops have taken control of over 30 settlements On September 10 it was reported that Russian troops had left the key city of Izium The Ukrainian military are also conducting a successful counteroffensive in the south of Ukraine currently they have advanced several dozens of kilometres in various areas IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/we-have-shown-that-we-can-defeat-russians-but-we-still-need-more-weapons-ukraines-fm-359598.html Mon, 12 Sep 2022 07:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-army-launches-missile-on-dnipro-city-fires-on-nikopol-using-grad-mlrs-injuring-people-359599.html Kiev Sep 11 Russian forces struck Dnipro and Nikopol cities on the intervening night of September 10 and 11 injuring four people said Valentyn Reznichenko Head of Dnipro Oblast state administration on Telegram on Sunday The Russian army have fired a missile on Dnipro city centre as they hit a residential quarter Ukrainska Pravda reported A 72yearold man was injured and taken to hospital in a critical condition Administrative buildings stores the market warehouses and residential buildings were severely damaged Nikopol was attacked three times during Saturday evening The Russian army struck the city with more than 35 projectiles from Grad MLRS and shelled from heavy artillery Three people were injured of which two were men and one woman The men were hospitalised as their condition is moderately critical Thirtyfive multistorey and private buildings several educational institutions an outpatient clinic an industrial infrastructure facility cars gas pipelines and power lines were severely damaged The Russian troops also hit Marhanets hromada administrative unit designating a town village or several villages and their adjacent territories but there no people were injured and no buildings were destroyed IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-army-launches-missile-on-dnipro-city-fires-on-nikopol-using-grad-mlrs-injuring-people-359599.html Mon, 12 Sep 2022 07:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraines-army-liberate-another-settlement-in-kharkiv-oblast-zelensky-359661.html Kiev Sep 11 The Ukrainian armed forces have liberated the urban village of Chkalovske in Kharkiv Oblast from Russian invaders said President Volodymyr Zelensky on social media on Sunday Zelensky added Another liberated settlement Thanks to the 14th Separate Mechanised Brigade named after Prince Roman the Great the Ukrainian flag returned to Chkalovske Kharkiv Oblast And it will be like that everywhere We will expel the occupiers from every Ukrainian town and village Thank you to all our heroes The Head of state shared a video of the Ukrainian flag being hoisted in this settlement Ukrainska Pravda reported The Ukrainian armed forces have launched a counteroffensive on the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia On September 8 the Ukrainian President confirmed information about the liberation of Balakliia Kharkiv Oblast by the Ukrainian army On September 9 Zelensky announced that Ukrainian defenders had regained control over more than 30 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast The liberation of Kupiansk and Izium was reported on September 10 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraines-army-liberate-another-settlement-in-kharkiv-oblast-zelensky-359661.html Mon, 12 Sep 2022 12:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-army-liberate-two-more-villages-in-kharkiv-oblast-zelensky-359474.html Kharkiv Oblast Ukraine Sep 11 The Ukrainian army has liberated the villages of Vasylenkove and Artemivka in Kharkiv Oblast President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram Step by step our fighters are liberating Ukrainian land Soldiers of the 113th Territorial Defence Brigade have liberated Vasylenkove and Artemivka in Kharkiv Oblast Zelensky added on Saturday The President continued to stress that freedom is not easy Ukrainska Pravda reported Ukrainian defenders are fighting for independence for each of us at the cost of their own lives he said On September 8 Zelensky confirmed the information that Ukrainian army units had liberated the city of Balakliia in Kharkiv Oblast and on September 10 it became known that the Ukrainian armed forces had liberated Kupiansk and Izium On September 9 Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian army had taken control of more than 30 cities and towns in Kharkiv Oblast Since early September the Ukrainian army have liberated nearly 2000 square kilometres of the countrys territory from Russian invaders IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-army-liberate-two-more-villages-in-kharkiv-oblast-zelensky-359474.html Sun, 11 Sep 2022 17:25:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kremlin-pledges-serious-response-in-case-of-eu-visa-restrictions-357859.html Moscow Sep 5 Moscow will take serious retaliatory measures if the EU formally introduces visa restrictions on Russian citizens Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is closely monitoring the EU decision and the retaliation symmetrical or not will definitely meet Russias interests Peskov told a local TV program on Sunday without disclosing what the retaliatory steps could be Foreign Ministers of the EU member states agreed to suspend a visa facilitation agreement the bloc has with Russia EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Wednesday The decision which has yet to be legalised will significantly reduce the number of new visas issued by the EU member states to Russian citizens and make the process to get a visa longer and more difficult Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kremlin-pledges-serious-response-in-case-of-eu-visa-restrictions-357859.html Mon, 05 Sep 2022 12:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-erdogan-discuss-bilateral-ties-ukraine-over-phone-357592.html Moscow Sep 4 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged views on bilateral ties during a phone call Putin and Erdogan reaffirmed their commitment to expanding trade and economic relations between the two countries including promoting joint strategic projects in the energy sector the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday According to the statement when discussing the situation in Ukraine the Turkish President stressed Russias constructive role in organising an International Atomic Energy Agency mission to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-erdogan-discuss-bilateral-ties-ukraine-over-phone-357592.html Sun, 04 Sep 2022 10:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/iaea-to-keep-experts-permanently-at-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-357348.html A woman cuts a pack of iodine tablets before distributing them to residents at a local school in case of a radiation leak in Zaporizhzhia Ukraine Friday Sept 2 2022 Heavy fighting continued Friday near Europes largest nuclear power plant in a Russiancontrolled area of eastern Ukraine a day after experts from the UNs nuclear watchdog agency voiced concerns about structural damage to the sprawling Zaporizhzhia site PTI Vienna Sep 3 International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA DirectorGeneral Rafael Grossi has said that two of the agencys experts would remain permanently at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine He told reporters on Friday upon arriving in Vienna after a visit to the facility that six of the 14member IAEA mission remained at the Zaporizhzhia plant after the team completed a visit there on Thursday Four of the six experts will leave the plant next week while the other two will stay there as the agencys continued presence in the longer term Xinhua news agency reported Earlier this week Grossi led the IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia plant which suffered strikes in recent weeks and raised international concerns about its safety The Chief of the UN nuclear watchdog said at Fridays press conference that Weve seen what I requested to see everything I requested to see during the visit We have seen military activity around the plant and I was able to see myself and my team impact holes markings on buildings of shelling he added expressing concerns for the plants physical integrity power supply and personnel conditions Grossi said he expects to produce a report on the situation of the Zaporizhzhia plant early next week He will also brief the UN Security Council on the issue next Tuesday The Zaporizhzhia plant one of Europes largest nuclear power plants has been controlled by Russian forces since early March but its Ukrainian staff has continued to operate it Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations of recent strikes on the facility IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/iaea-to-keep-experts-permanently-at-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-357348.html Sat, 03 Sep 2022 10:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/western-sanctions-cause-energy-price-hikes-supply-disruptions-russian-energy-minister-357350.html FILE A Russian construction worker speaks on a mobile phone during a ceremony marking the start of Nord Stream pipeline construction in Portovaya Bay some 170 kms 106 miles northwest from St Petersburg Russia on April 9 2010 Russian energy giant Gazprom said Friday Sept 2 2022 that it cant resume the supply of natural gas through a key pipeline to Germany for now because of what it said was a need for urgent maintenance work just hours before it was due to recommence deliveries Gazprom said it had identified oil leaks from four turbines at the Portovaya compressor station at the Russian end of the pipeline including the sole operational one PTI Moscow Sep 3 The unilateral restrictions that Western countries have imposed against Russia have caused energy supply disruptions and energy price hikes around the world Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said During a G20 energy transition ministerial meeting on Friday he added that the current energy crisis had impeded the achievement of the sustainable development goals particularly when it comes to ensuring access to affordable and reliable energy for all Shulginov noted that it would only be possible to overcome the crisis by eliminating its root causes and this would require restoring energy supply chains and establishing a balanced energy and climate policy Xinhua news agency reported The Group of Seven G7 Finance Ministers agreed to impose a price cap on Russian oil following a meeting on Friday Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak on Thursday called the G7s plan to introduce a price cap on Russian oil completely absurd Novak said Russia would not supply oil and petroleum products to those countries that support price caps on Russian oil as Russia does not plan to supply oil under nonmarket conditions IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/western-sanctions-cause-energy-price-hikes-supply-disruptions-russian-energy-minister-357350.html Sat, 03 Sep 2022 10:15:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/german-prez-calls-for-objection-to-russian-church-for-war-stance-356973.html Karlsruhe Germany Sep 1 German President FrankWalter Steinmeier has called on Christians to stand up to the Russian Orthodox Church in its stance in defence of the Russian war against Ukraine The leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church are currently leading their faithful and their entire church down a terrible blasphemous path that is downright hostile to the faith Steinmeier said on Wednesday at the start of the World Council of Churches WCC assembly in Karlsruhe They justify a war of aggression against Ukraine against their own against our own brothers and sisters in faith Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly defended President Vladimir Putins actions dpa news agency reported This propaganda against the free rights of the citizens of another country this nationalism that arbitrarily claims Gods will for the imperial dreams of the rule of a dictatorship this attitude must see our opposition the German President said Also here in this hall also here in this assembly He added that one must speak out and denounce the actions We must as a Christian community profess our support for the dignity and freedom and security of Ukrainians Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church are also taking part in the congress Steinmeier said that what he expects that they will not be spared the truth about this brutal war and the criticism of the role of their church leadership The German President added that dialogue is necessary but it must not be limited to religious wishes and remain vague It must name victims as well as perpetrators and their accomplices he said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/german-prez-calls-for-objection-to-russian-church-for-war-stance-356973.html Thu, 01 Sep 2022 20:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kiev-urges-those-in-countrys-east-south-to-flee-before-cold-sets-in-356976.html Kiev Sep 1 The Ukrainian government is advising people from contested areas in the east and south of the country to flee before the cold season begins I urge evacuation from Donetsk Kherson Zaporizhzhya and part of the Kharkiv region before the onset of cold weather Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told Ukrainian television on Wednesday Those who can should leave gradually in a planned manner She also advised no one to return to these areas before next spring even if the problem of heat supply was solved So far she said the government has only ordered forced evacuation for the Donetsk region This is currently being examined for other areas or parts of them Vereshchuk added The Ukrainian leadership is expecting a difficult winter because of the Russian war The supply of heat electricity and water will not function or will only function to a limited extent in some parts of the country because of the damage to the infrastructure dpa news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kiev-urges-those-in-countrys-east-south-to-flee-before-cold-sets-in-356976.html Thu, 01 Sep 2022 20:51:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-discusses-situation-with-military-leadership-again-356978.html Kiev Sep 1 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with the heads of the army the secret service and the police for the second time within a few days Zelensky said on Wednesday evening in Kiev that the military had reported on developments at the front He did not want to give details dpa news agency reported Ill just say one thing I want to thank on behalf of our intelligence all our people who are supporting us strongly in the south of the country especially in Crimea he added The intelligence service is grateful for the tips and wants to use them to the maximum he said in his evening video address In the first six months of Russias war the President rarely spoke of the consultations with the military leadership He had last reported such a meeting on Sunday after which intensified Ukrainian attacks began in the Russianoccupied Kherson region in the south on Monday IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-discusses-situation-with-military-leadership-again-356978.html Thu, 01 Sep 2022 20:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-bans-55-more-canadians-from-entry-356983.html Moscow Sep 1 The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced that an additional 55 Canadian citizens have been indefinitely barred from entering the country in response to Ottawas antiRussian sanctions In addition to the travel ban on these highranking military politicians and public figures the activities of three nongovernmental organisations from Canada are now recognised as undesirable in Russia the Ministry said on Wednesday A total of 818 Canadians including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have been under Moscows sanctions including an entry ban official data showed as quoted by Xinhua news agency report IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-bans-55-more-canadians-from-entry-356983.html Thu, 01 Sep 2022 21:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/food-aid-ship-leaves-ukrainian-port-for-yemen-un-agency-356657.html Sanaa Aug 31 A ship chartered by the World Food Programme WFP carrying 37000 metric tonne of wheat left the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Yuznhy for Yemen on Tuesday the UN agency said in a statement This is the second maritime shipment of WFP food assistance to leave Ukraine since the beginning of the RussianUkrainian conflict in February it added The shipment would provide assistance to nearly 4 million people in Yemen for one month it said Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 causing the countrys economy to collapse and pushing millions to the brink of famine Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/food-aid-ship-leaves-ukrainian-port-for-yemen-un-agency-356657.html Wed, 31 Aug 2022 17:55:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-expresses-deepest-sympathy-at-the-death-of-mikhail-gorbachev-356688.html Moscow Aug 31 Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his deepest sympathy upon hearing of the death of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin would be sending a telegram of condolence to the Gorbachev family on Wednesday morning Peskov added on late Tuesday evening as quoted by dpa news agency report The former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate died in Moscow on Tuesday at the age of 91 from complications arising from illness and old age according to the Interfax news agency IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-expresses-deepest-sympathy-at-the-death-of-mikhail-gorbachev-356688.html Wed, 31 Aug 2022 19:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/last-soviet-leader-nobel-peace-laureate-mikhail-gorbachev-is-dead-356590.html FILE Russias President Vladimir Putin right talks with former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev at the start of a news conference at the Castle of Gottorf in Schleswig northern Germany Tuesday Dec 21 2004 Russian news agencies are reporting that former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has died at 91 The Tass RIA Novosti and Interfax news agencies cited the Central Clinical Hospital PTI Moscow Aug 31 Mikhail Gorbachev Russian Nobel Peace laureate and the final leader of the Soviet Union has died in Moscow at the age of 91 This evening after a serious and long illness Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev died the Central Clinical Hospital CCH in the Russian capital announced late on Tuesday The statesman is to be buried next to his wife in Moscows Novodevichy Cemetery the burial place of many of Russias most famous politicians writers and composers The internationally respected statesman was often credited for bringing the Cold War to a peaceful end and for his instrumental role in German reunification East Germans in particular still revere Gorbi as the man who brought them freedom over three decades ago In the 1980s under Gorbachevs leadership the Soviet Union concluded groundbreaking treaties with the United States on nuclear disarmament and arms control while at home Gorbachev initiated an unprecedented reform process with his policies of glasnost openness and perestroika restructuring which brought unprecedented freedom to millions of people In 1990 Gorbachev received the Nobel Peace Prize for his courageous reforms However the massive economic upheavals that ensued across the Soviet Union ultimately led to the collapse of the 15nation communist empire and to Gorbachevs own political downfall when the country he led ceased to exist in 1991 A large part of the Russian population always saw the former party and state leader as the gravedigger of the Soviet Union and as a politician without an instinct for power and Gorbachev was never to enjoy the massive popularity he had in the West in his homeland Gorbachev resigned as President of the Soviet Union in 1991 as the vast state voted to dissolve itself creating 15 independent new countries Staunch Gorbachev critic Boris Yeltsin became an independent Russias first president in the same year and Gorbachev was largely written off as yesterdays man In the three decades between his fall from power and his death however Gorbachev made significant contributions to Russian civil society with his eponymous foundation advocating democratic values and a Russian rapprochement with the West Gorbachev also wrote numerous books including most recently one about his disappointment with Germany and the West Specifically he lamented what he saw as Russia constantly being cast as the enemy Unable to attend the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in autumn 2019 for health reasons Gorbachev received regular hospital treatment in recent years Gorbachev was cofounder of the newspaper Novaya Gazeta which is critical of the Kremlin and repeatedly exposes abuses in Russia In recent years Gorbachev had repeatedly called on Russian President Vladimir Putin not to further restrict the freedom of the media and elections Putin expressed his sympathies upon hearing of Gorbachevs death and would be sending a telegram of condolence to the Gorbachev family on Wednesday morning Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said late on Tuesday evening UN Secretary General António Guterres called Gorbachev a oneofa kind statesman who changed the course of history in a statement expressing his condolences He did more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold War Guterres said Guterres noted that when Gorbachev received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 he observed that peace is not unity in similarity but unity in diversity This was an insight he put into practice by pursuing negotiation reform transparency and disarmament the UN chief said The world has lost a towering global leader committed multilateralist and tireless advocate for peace he added European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Gorbachev a trusted and respected leader He played a crucial role to end the Cold War and bring down the Iron Curtain It opened the way for a free Europe This legacy is one we will not forget she said Britains outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was saddened to hear of Gorbachevs death In a time of Putins aggression in Ukraine his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all he added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/last-soviet-leader-nobel-peace-laureate-mikhail-gorbachev-is-dead-356590.html Wed, 31 Aug 2022 16:40:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/unicef-head-voices-concern-over-child-casualties-in-ukraine-conflict-354826.html United Nations Aug 23 UN Childrens Fund UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell has voiced concern over child casualties in the Ukraine conflict At least 972 children in Ukraine have been killed or injured by violence since the conflict escalated nearly six months ago an average of over five children killed or injured each day And these are just the figures the United Nations has been able to verify It is believed that the true number to be much higher said Russell in a statement on Monday She said that most of the child casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons which do not discriminate between civilian and combatant especially when used in populated areas Xinhua news agency reported The start of the school year in just over a weeks time is a stark reminder of how much children in Ukraine have lost Ukraines education system has been devastated by the escalation of hostilities across the country Schools have been targeted or used by parties resulting in families not feeling safe to send their children to school UNICEF estimates that one in 10 schools have been damaged or destroyed she said UNICEF continues to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and for all children to be protected from harm This includes ending the brutal use of explosive weapons in populated areas and attacks on civilian facilities and infrastructure Ukraines children urgently need safety stability access to safe learning child protection services and psychosocial support But more than anything Ukraines children need peace Russell added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/unicef-head-voices-concern-over-child-casualties-in-ukraine-conflict-354826.html Tue, 23 Aug 2022 10:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-and-neighbouring-eu-countries-establish-new-security-format-354831.html Kiev Aug 23 Ukraine and several EU countries have established the socalled Kiev Initiative to strengthen their regional cooperation Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said He named neighbours Poland Romania Slovakia and Hungary as well as the Baltic states of Estonia Latvia and Lithuania as participants and said on Monday that the door was open to other countries to join the format Zelensky described it as a very promising line of our work within the EuroAtlantic alignment but provided few details saying only that security issues would be the focus of their collaboration dpa news agency reported In his video address the President also touched on the second annual Crimea Platform a summit that will be held online on Tuesday and feature speeches by the leaders of Germany Japan Canada and NATO In total more than 50 participants from Europe Asia the Americas and Africa have been announced The Crimea Platform launched last year is used by Kiev to mobilise support for the return of the Crimean Peninsula to Ukraine The strategically important Black Sea territory was annexed by Russia in 2014 but continues to be part of Ukraine under international law IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-and-neighbouring-eu-countries-establish-new-security-format-354831.html Tue, 23 Aug 2022 10:29:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/in-implied-criticism-of-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-india-calls-it-affront-to-common-security-354795.html By Arul Louis United Nations Aug 23 In one of the strongest implied criticism of Russias invasion of Ukraine India has called it an affront to common security In keeping with Indias delicate balancing act without naming Russia Indias Permanent Representative to UN Ruchira Kamboj told the UN Security Council on Monday Any coercive or unilateral action that seeks to change the status quo by force is an affront to common security Further she said Common security is only possible when countries respect each others sovereignty and territorial integrity as they would expect their own sovereignty to be respecteda Kamboj laid out the pillars of common security of nations The underlying principles behind common security lies in upholding the rulesbased international order underpinned by international law premised upon respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states resolution of international disputes through peaceful negotiations and free and open access for all to the global commons she added India has abstained on the Security Council and General Assembly resolutions criticising Russia and has avoided naming it in statements applicable to the Ukrainian context Kambojs criticism at the Council meeting on Maintenance of International Peace and Security Promoting Common Security Through Dialogue and Cooperation while focused on Russia in the current context would also apply to two of Indias neighbours China which is trying to change borders through military force and Pakistan that has taken to cross border terrorism In points that apply to Islamabad and Beijing she said Common security is also only feasible when all countries stand together against common threats such as terrorism and do not engage in double standards while preaching otherwise Pakistan shelters terrorists and backs terrorist organisations while complaining about Afghanistanbased groups China meanwhile offers cover for international terrorists at the Security Council most recently blocking sanctions against Pakistanbased JaisheMohammed Deputy Chief Abdul Rauf Azhar last week Kamboj added Common security is also possible only if countries respect agreements signed with others bilateral or multilateral and do not take unilateral measures to nullify those very arrangements to those they were party to In her address Indias permanent representative also made a plea for reforming the Security Council to make it more representative Arul Louis can be contacted at aruliansin and followed at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/in-implied-criticism-of-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-india-calls-it-affront-to-common-security-354795.html Tue, 23 Aug 2022 06:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-appoints-fact-finding-mission-members-for-donetsk-prison-attack-354812.html United Nations Aug 23 UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres has appointed members of a factfinding mission to look into the July 29 attack on a Donetsk prison in Ukraine that reportedly killed dozens of prisoners of war said his spokesman Guterres announced his decision to launch the factfinding mission on August 3 following requests from the governments of Ukraine and Russia which accused each other of carrying out the fatal attack on the prison in Olenivka Xinhua news agency reported In Lviv Ukraine on Thursday the SecretaryGeneral announced his intention to appoint retired General Carlos dos Santos Cruz of Brazil to lead the mission The appointment has now been done said Stephane Dujarric the spokesman Guterres has also appointed the other members of the team Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir of Iceland and Issoufou Yacouba of Niger the spokesman added The terms of reference of the mission as well as the makeup of the team were shared with Ukraine and Russia The UN will now continue to work to obtain the necessary assurances to guarantee secure access to the site and any other relevant locations said Dujarric As the SecretaryGeneral said very clearly in Lviv to put it simply a factfinding mission must be free to find the facts The team must be able to gather and analyse necessary information Above all that means safe secure and unfettered access to people places and evidence without any interference from any party he added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-appoints-fact-finding-mission-members-for-donetsk-prison-attack-354812.html Tue, 23 Aug 2022 09:23:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/world-powers-appeal-for-military-restraint-at-ukrainian-nuclear-plant-354579.html Residents wheel their water bottles away after filling them up at a house with a private well in Kostiantynivka Donetsk region eastern Ukraine Sunday Aug 21 2022 The homeowner allows residents to fill up for two hours each day as the next closest well for many in this neighborhood which hasnt had running water for months is almost one kilometer 06 miles away PTI Berlin Aug 22 The leaders of Germany France Britain and the US have called for warring sides to show restraint around Ukraines embattled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and for UN inspectors to immediately have access to the sprawling site The Zaporizhzhya plant located in the southern Ukrainian city of Enerhodar was seized by Russia in early March Fighting intensified at the complex in recent weeks prompting ominous warnings by world powers of a potentially catastrophic escalation US President Joe Biden French President Emmanuel Macron German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke about Zaporizhzhya and the wider Ukrainian war in telephone call on Sunday They agreed on the need to avoid military operations near the plant and for nuclear experts with the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA to inspect the facility in order help ensure its safety and security a White House statement said In Germany Scholzs spokesman said they were in agreement that support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression would be continued on a sustained basis Europes largest nuclear power plant with six reactors is strategically important for Ukraines electricity supply Kiev says Russian troops use the plant as a shield from which to fire on locations on the opposite bank of the Dnipro reservoir because it knows Ukrainian forces will be hesitant to fire toward the sensitive site The Kremlin and its local representative claim that Ukrainian terrorists are the ones firing the shots Russia says that Ukraine is bombarding the plant with the help of drones heavy artillery and rocket launchers In most cases Russian air defence intercepts the projectiles it says Nevertheless some infrastructure has previously been hit although so far critical safety and control systems have not been damaged No increased radioactivity has been registered so far Russia has rejected international calls to withdraw its troops from the site but has said it would allow IAEA experts to assess the plant Yet a number of disagreements between Moscow and Kiev on the details including what a travel route for IAEA inspectors might look like has slowed down the mission Former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko the younger brother of Kiev mayor and fellow former superstar boxer Vitali Klitschko said it was unclear how Ukrainian operating staff still working inside the plant were holding up The world needs to understand if Zaporizhzhya is going off theres going to be Fukushima and Chernobyl in multiple times he told Britains Times Radio on Sunday He said the plant and the nuclear specialists working there were being held hostage by Moscow Elsewhere the Ukrainian General Staff said late Sunday it had repelled Russian advances in the eastern Donetsk region toward the cities of Slovyansk Kramatorsk and Avdiivka A lawmaker from the mostly Russianoccupied southern region of Kherson reported that Ukrainian forces succeeded in destroying a Russian ammunition depot during a counteroffensive at the weekend On Sunday day 179 of the war the Russian side stated that its own air defences had repelled several Ukrainian attacks over the weekend This included over the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea which was annexed by Russia in 2014 according to the Russian authorities Air defences had intercepted objects that were on approach to Russias Belbek military airfield near Sevastopol the major port citys head of administration Mikhail Razvoshev wrote on Telegram late Sunday Earlier on Saturday there had been an explosion in Sevastopol Russian reports said that a drone had targeted the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet but that there were no casualties In Crimea which belongs to Ukraine under international law there have recently been repeated blasts including on an ammunition depot Kiev welcomes the attacks but has not directly accepted responsibility for them IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/world-powers-appeal-for-military-restraint-at-ukrainian-nuclear-plant-354579.html Mon, 22 Aug 2022 14:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/pro-russia-authorities-claim-new-ukraine-shelling-at-nuclear-plant-354341.html Moscow Aug 21 Russianinstalled officials reported fresh shelling near the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine Critical safety and control systems were not damaged said the Russian military administration late Saturday evening in the city of Enerhodar where Europes largest nuclear power plant is located dpa news agency reported The NATOsupplied munitions were fired from the opposite bank of the Dnipro river and hit the site in the vicinity of an administration building it said adding that four projectiles were registered The information could not be independently verified Russia and Ukraine repeatedly accuse each other of shelling the plant and plotting attacks on the site raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster Vladimir Rogov a representative of the local Russian occupation authorities accused Ukraine of nuclear terrorism He said it had yet to be determined if there were any casualties from Saturdays strikes Europes largest nuclear power plant with six reactors was occupied by Russian troops starting in early March It is strategically important for Ukraines electricity supply The leadership in Moscow and the occupation authorities in Zaporizhzhya have rejected international demands to return the nuclear plant to Ukrainian control IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/pro-russia-authorities-claim-new-ukraine-shelling-at-nuclear-plant-354341.html Sun, 21 Aug 2022 12:08:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/europe-and-us-mark-second-anniversary-of-navalny-poisoning-354345.html Berlin Aug 21 Europe and the US marked the second anniversary of the poisoning of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny drawing connections between his plight and Moscows crackdown on those who dare to speak out against the war in Ukraine German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday called the Russian dissident and fierce Kremlin critic a courageous man saying he stands for the principles that offer good prospects for many citizens of Russia Navalny narrowly survived an attempt to poison him on Russian soil with the chemical agent Novichok on August 20 2020 for which he blames Russian President Vladimir Putin However the Kremlin denies involvement After recovering in Germany where the countrys then Chancellor Angela Merkel visited him at Berlins Charite hospital Navalny returned to Russia in January 2021 only to be arrested on arrival He is now incarcerated in a penal colony following a trial denounced by the West as politically motivated dpa news agency reported Scholz said Navalnys case shows that freedom and democracy were endangered in Russia even before Moscow launched its war on Ukraine in February But now freedom of expression is even more threatened and many are afraid to speak their minds in Russia he added Thats why its so important to think about Alexei Navalny he said in a video message In Brussels the European Unions top diplomat Josep Borrell said the EU continues to condemn in the strongest possible terms the attempt to assassinate Navalny through poisoning using a military chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group We call on the Russian Federation to abide by their commitments under the Chemical Weapons Conventions to investigate it in full transparency and without further delay and to fully cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons OPCW he added The 46yearold Navalny is currently serving a nineyear prison sentence in a penal colony for alleged fraud The dissident is viewed as a political prisoner with his jailing criticised as retribution for his ongoing criticism of the Russian authorities Washington reaffirmed its solidarity with Navalny and demanded his immediate release It is no coincidence that the Kremlins aggression in Ukraine has been accompanied by intensified repression at home US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement The Kremlin seeks to prevent the people of Russia from knowing about the atrocities its forces are inflicting on Ukrainian civilians and also from learning about the needless Russian military casualties for the sake of this unjust war of choice Price added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/europe-and-us-mark-second-anniversary-of-navalny-poisoning-354345.html Sun, 21 Aug 2022 12:20:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-inspects-ukraines-grain-export-in-istanbul-354357.html Istanbul Aug 21 UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres visited Istanbul and inspected the efforts of the Joint Coordination Center JCC in bringing Ukrainian grain to international markets He visited the JCC teams on Saturday who were inspecting a vessel anchored at the Marmara Sea and received a briefing about the inspection process Xinhua news agency reported Getting more food and fertilisers out of Ukraine and Russia is critical to further calm commodity markets and lower prices for consumers said Guterres while addressing the JCC personnel and media at the JCC center And the other part of this package deal is the unimpeded access to the global markets of Russian food and fertiliser which are not subject to sanctions he added hinting at the possible start of the exports from Russia which was agreed upon but not yet implemented Together Russia and Ukraine account for a vast amount of the worlds exported grains and fertilisers Following a landmark deal signed respectively by Russia and Ukraine with Turkey under the UN auspices in July the first grainladen ship from Ukraine passed through Istanbuls Bosphorus Strait on August 3 Up till now 43 ships with more than 600000 tons of cargocarrying capacity have been authorised to join the efforts to transport Ukrainian grain according to the data by the JCC As the food prices soared all over the globe the successful start of the deal comes as a big relief to many countries that depend on Russian and Ukrainian exports Guterres thanked all parties involved in the deal stressing the importance of cooperation Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that the efforts undertaken by the JCC will have an effect in easing the global food insecurity crisis and will drive the prices down It is our hope that the foundations for a permanent peace can also be established during this process Akar added According to the Minister the JCC which consists solely of civilians from Turkey Russia Ukraine and the UN is also expanding The center now hosts a total of 71 personnel up from a team of 20 at its start IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-inspects-ukraines-grain-export-in-istanbul-354357.html Sun, 21 Aug 2022 13:01:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/cyprus-to-oppose-proposal-to-ban-visas-for-russians-media-354359.html Nicosia Aug 21 Cyprus will oppose a proposal which is expected to be made by some member states of the European Union EU to impose a ban on visas for Russian citizens a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministrys Permanent Secretary Kornelios Korneliou told the staterun Cyprus News Agency on Saturday that the proposal is expected to be put forward by Baltic countries during the informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers Gymnich in Prague on August 30 and 31 Korneliou added that Greece and Germany have also opposed the proposal but he refrained from making a prediction as to the fate of the proposal Xinhua news agency reported There is also the Russianspeaking expatriate community in Cyprus and in other EU states With such a measure we would prevent the contacts of Russian citizens with their families and friends We do not believe that there is merit in such a decision he said He added that the idea had been proposed in the past in the context of the European Council by a Baltic country but was faced with fierce reactions He said that free movement of persons applies in the EU and so it would be contrary to our own principles to prohibit citizens of the Russian Federation from visiting EU member states IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/cyprus-to-oppose-proposal-to-ban-visas-for-russians-media-354359.html Sun, 21 Aug 2022 13:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/gutteres-celebrates-one-small-win-for-un-in-ukraine-war-restarting-grains-exports-354114.html By Arul Louis United Nations Aug 19 UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres is taking a sort of victory lap in Ukraine to celebrate the one small breakthrough for the UN which has been crippled by vetoes from acting on Russias invasion of that country While visiting Lviv in Ukraine Guterres on Thursday declared that the agreement to allow the export of Ukrainian foodgrains reflects a victory for diplomacy It will help vulnerable people in every corner of the world he told reporters in Lviv noting that global wheat prices dropped by as much as eight per cent following the signing of the agreements The UN chief worked relentlessly for what the UN proudly calls the Black Sea Grain Initiative by getting Russia Ukraine and Turkey to create a safe passage for ships to resume Ukraines foodgrain exports The arrangement reached in July also increased the profile of Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has emerged as the interlocutor between Russia and Ukraine and whose country plays a key role in facilitating the exports through its Straits of Bosphorus Guterres who met with Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Lviv on Thursday saw the diplomacy behind the grain initiative as a roadmap for ending the war The parties have worked professionally and in good faith to keep the food flowing he said while appealing to them for this to continue overcome all obstacles in a spirit of compromise and permanently settle all difficulties In less than one month 21 ships have departed from Ukrainian ports and 15 vessels have left Istanbul for Ukraine to load up with grain and other food supplies the UN chief said As we speak more than 560000 metric tonne of grain and other food produced by Ukrainian farmers is making its way to markets around the world he added He is scheduled to visit the port in Odessa which had been attacked by Russia to see for himself the resumption of exports The agreement came after every effort at the UN Security Council on Ukraine to even condemn the invasion was vetoed by Moscow showing up the UNs impotence on a matter of global importance and boosting scepticism about the UNs relevance While the UN General Assembly has condemned the Russian invasion unlike the Council it is powerless to act on it The attacks on Ukrainian ports and the mines in the Black Sea from the conflict had blocked foodgrains exports from that country imperilling the global food situation Because Ukraine accounts for more than 10 per cent of global wheat exports more than 15 per cent of corn and nearly 20 per cent of barley food prices had shot up around the world while many developing countries faced the spectre of imminent hunger A record 345 million people in 82 countries are now facing acute food insecurity while up to 50 million people in 45 countries are right on the edge of famine and risk being tipped over without humanitarian support the World Food Programme WFP has warned The WFP started the first humanitarian shipment from Ukraine this week sending 23000 tonne of wheat to countries in the Horn of Africa Under the Black Sea Initiative agreements the ships carrying foodgrains are monitored by a Turkeybased Joint Coordination Centre with the participation of the UN and the three countries Erdogan who had hosted unsuccessful talks between Ukraine and Russia in March but worked with Guterres on the foodgrain export agreement said in Lviv that he believed that the war would eventually end at the negotiating table and that Zelensky and Guterres are actually of the same opinion according to the Turkish Presidents Office Offering to be a mediator the Turkish President said It is all about finding out the shortest and fairest pathway to the negotiating table He added that he would brief Russias President Vladimir Putin on Thursdays discussions with Guterres and Zelensky Arul Louis can be contacted at aruliansin and followed at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/gutteres-celebrates-one-small-win-for-un-in-ukraine-war-restarting-grains-exports-354114.html Sat, 20 Aug 2022 02:40:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/gazprom-to-shut-off-nord-stream-1-gas-pipeline-for-three-days-354289.html Moscow FILE Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny gestures as he stands behind a glass panel of a cage in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow Russia Saturday Feb 20 2021 On the second anniversary of the poison attack on Alexei Navalny Germany and the United States have recalled the fate of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny who is imprisoned in Russia German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised the Russian opposition politicianÄôs courage in a video message Saturday PTI Moscow Aug 20 Russian energy giant Gazprom has announced that it would stop supplies to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline between August 31 and September 2 The company on Friday said that the move was down to routine maintenance dpa news agency reported Gazprom had already drastically reduced gas deliveries to Germany claiming the reduction was due to a missing turbine citing a turbine which was missing The turbine had been sent to Canada for repairs but was held up in the country due to Western sanctions on Moscow German officials have repeatedly maintained that the move was an attempt by Moscow to punish Berlin for its stance on the war in Ukraine and for imposing sanctions on Russia After the latest maintenance work nearly 33 million cubic metres of natural gas should be delivered daily This corresponds to 20 per cent of the daily maximum output During the three days of maintenance the only functioning turbine at the Portovaya compressor station is to be checked and overhauled Gazprom said This is to be done in cooperation with specialists from Germanys Siemens Energy When asked Siemens Energy made no comment on the announcement A spokesperson for the Federal Network Agency said on Friday evening that the situation was being closely monitored alongside the gas industry and the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action The gas flow through Nord Stream 1 was currently unchanged at 20 per cent the spokesperson said With the West and Moscow at loggerheads over Russias invasion of Ukraine which started nearly six months ago Berlin has been rushing to wean itself off Russian gas Across the country gas storage levels are at 78 per cent according to data from European gas storage operators During a video message on Friday evening Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using the gas pipelines for blackmail and mentioned Gazproms announcement about the threeday gas hiatus These streams are needed by Russia exclusively to supply problems to Europe not to help someone there with gas Now it is absolutely obvious he said in Kiev The longer the terrorist state remains on the European and world energy market the longer it will not be stable And the sooner everyone in Europe prepares their energy systems to exist without any supply of energy carriers from Russia the sooner they will be able to calmly go through any winter Germanys dependence on Russian gas has prompted serious concerns about energy shortages during the cold winter months when millions of households rely on gas for heating However a senior member of the Free Democrats FDP a junior coalition partner in Chancellor Olaf Scholzs government suggested that the stalled Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia could be the answer to a looming winter energy emergency We should hasten to open Nord Stream 2 in order to fill up our gas tanks for the winter FDP deputy leader Wolfgang Kubicki told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland media group There was no sensible reason not to do so he added His remarks however drew widespread criticism on Friday including from his own FDP Party parliamentary leader Christian Durr told dpa news agency that we are conducting intense discussions on how to avoid a looming energy crisis this winter As a party we have made a number of proposals on this matter Opening Nord Stream 2 is not one of them He also said that opening the pipeline which had been due for certification days before Russia invaded Ukraine in February would send the wrong signal to our European partners Instead Durr called for Germanys three remaining nuclear plants to continue operating for the time being in order to ease the strain on the energy market The reactors are due to shut down at the end of the year as part of Germanys exit from nuclear energy Without naming Kubicki Zelensky spoke of absurd statements in Germany to put Nord Stream 2 into operation in his video message The leader of the Greens Omid Nouripour told dpa that Kubickis proposal would be ineffective as Russia was already cutting down the volume of gas delivered through the operational Nord Stream 1 pipeline It is completely irrelevant how many empty pipelines you open he said A spokesperson for Scholzs Social Democrats Nils Schmid accused Kubicki of adopting Russian propaganda The problem was not a lack of pipelines but a refusal by Russian President Vladimir Putin to deliver more gas he noted IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/gazprom-to-shut-off-nord-stream-1-gas-pipeline-for-three-days-354289.html Sat, 20 Aug 2022 19:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-shelling-in-ukraines-kharkiv-kills-6-353776.html Kiev Aug 18 At least six people were killed and 16 others injured by Russian shelling on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv according to local sources A skyscraper was hit in the shelling late Wednesday Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram Local media said that a cruise missile struck the building which then caught fire reports dpa news agency Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said that other locations in the city were also hit adding that the shelling was pretty chaotic President Volodymyr Zelensky called the shelling a vile and cynical attack on civilians for which there is no justification Kharkiv Ukraines second largest city had been heavily shelled by Russian artillery the night before IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-shelling-in-ukraines-kharkiv-kills-6-353776.html Thu, 18 Aug 2022 19:16:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/5th-caravan-of-grain-ships-departs-from-ukraine-352450.html The Fulmar S vessel carrier with 12000 ton of corn makes its way from the port in Odesa Ukraine Saturday Aug 13 2022 Ukraine signed an agreement with Turkey and the UN on July 22 clearing the way for Ukraine to export 22 million tons of corn and other grain stuck at ports and in silos since the Russian invasion and to make room for the export of the upcoming harvest PTI Kiev Aug 13 The fifth caravan of ships carrying grain sailed from Ukraines Black Sea ports under a deal to prevent a global food crisis the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry said on Facebook The general cargo ship SORMOVSKIY 12 and the bulk carrier STAR LAURA together carrying 63000 tons of food departed from the ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdenny respectively the Ministry added on Friday Later on Friday two more ships BRAVE COMMANDER and PETREL S will arrive at Chornomorsk and Pivdenny ports for loading the Ministry said adding that the ships will carry more than 40000 ton of grain from Ukraine On July 22 Ukraine and Russia separately signed a deal with Turkey and the UN in Istanbul to resume food and fertiliser shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets through the Black Sea Xinhua news agency reported On August 1 the first cargo vessel carrying grain left the Ukrainian port of Odesa for the port of Tripoli in Lebanon IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/5th-caravan-of-grain-ships-departs-from-ukraine-352450.html Sat, 13 Aug 2022 15:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/missile-attack-near-ukrainian-nuke-plant-kills-11-352012.html Kiev Aug 10 At least 11 people were killed in missile attacks overnight in Ukraines Dnipropetrovsk region not far from the Russiaoccupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant the local military said on Wednesday A tragic night in the Nikopol area the Russian army killed 11 people and injured 13 the head of the Dnipropetrovsk military administration Valentyn Reznichenko said in a Telegram post Both of the affected areas are on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant which has been shelled several times in recent days reports dpa news agency The small town of Marhanets was worst hit with 20 multistorey buildings damaged including two schools a dormitory and a cultural centre Reznichenko said Ten people were killed in the town and 11 others injured seven of them seriously he said In another village close to Nikopol city another woman died in her home as a result of the attack and a couple was injured The two villages are on the north bank of the Dnipro Rivers Kakhovka reservoir On the southern side less than 20 km away is the nuclear plant that has come under fire sparking international safety fears Ukraine and Russia both accuse each other of being behind the attacks IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/missile-attack-near-ukrainian-nuke-plant-kills-11-352012.html Wed, 10 Aug 2022 19:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/no-immediate-danger-at-zaporizhzhya-nuclear-power-plant-iaea-351799.html Vienna Aug 10 The International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA sees no immediate threat to nuclear safety following the shelling of Europes largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya Ukraine Based on the information provided by Ukraine IAEA experts assessed that there was no immediate threat to nuclear safety as a result of Saturdays incident IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday He added that the Ukrainian authorities had informed the IAEA that there was damage but that radiation measurements were still at normal levels dpa news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/no-immediate-danger-at-zaporizhzhya-nuclear-power-plant-iaea-351799.html Wed, 10 Aug 2022 06:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/british-lawmaker-warns-people-not-to-become-desensitised-on-ukraine-351800.html London Aug 10 British Conservative peer and former party leader Lord Hague of Richmond has warned of the danger of getting desensitised to Russias war in Ukraine Amid the Tory leadership contest the former Foreign Secretary described Russias actions as the main thing happening and the threat to everybodys security and economic prosperity He told Times Radio Imagine if there hadnt been a Ukraine war that if suddenly terrorists had taken over one of the biggest nuclear power plants in Europe and were stacking explosives around it and starting to shell people from it that would be the biggest news in the world it would be what everybody in Europe would be talking about Were getting so used to oh theres a war going on over there that when that happens the Russians are firing from around that plant to put explosives and mines there potentially a potential nuclear catastrophe in the view of the International Atomic Energy Agency its not such big news any more is it I mean it is on the news but its not dominating things so this sort of getting desensitised to the war is a dangerous thing because it is the main thing happening and the threat to everybodys security and economic prosperity in the end Lord Hague cautioned Europe against appeasement warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin will come back for more dpa news agency reported He added We wont solve anything in our own domestic situation if we lose the will to support a country that is struggling for its own democracy fighting for its own territory Theres a danger here that some people might think in Britain or perhaps more so in Italy Germany France that this problem can be bought off Really the point is it cant be bought off because if you buy it off Putin will come back for more and we have learnt through history that this can be a terrible error appeasing a dictator So we do have to Im raising this argument because I think there is a danger of people forgetting the main thing thats happening and the dangers that it presents over the coming months According to UK Defence Intelligence Russias actions have likely undermined the security and safety of operations at Europes largest nuclear power plant The Ministry of Defence earlier raised concerns regarding the Zaporizhzhia facility which was taken over by Russian troops in March shortly after the February 24 invasion of Ukraine UN Nuclear Chief Rafael Grossi last week said the power plant in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Enerhodar is completely out of control In a phone call on Tuesday afternoon Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed the importance of not allowing western war fatigue to disrupt efforts to support Ukraine A Downing Street spokesperson said On Ukraine the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Macron both stressed the importance of the international community continuing to support the people of Ukraine in their struggle They agreed that UK and French efforts to train and equip Ukrainian troops were making a significant difference in the war and that western war fatigue cannot be allowed to set in President Macron praised the Prime Ministers leadership on Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/british-lawmaker-warns-people-not-to-become-desensitised-on-ukraine-351800.html Wed, 10 Aug 2022 06:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kremlin-slams-zelenskys-call-for-intl-travel-ban-on-russians-351813.html Moscow Aug 10 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys demand for an international travel ban on all Russians has triggered heavy criticism in Moscow but found support in Baltic countries Zelenskys appeal was received extremely negatively Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday according to the Interfax agency The irrationality of the thought process exceeds every measure he said The President told the Washington Post in an interview published on Monday that the most important sanctions are to close the borders because the Russians are taking away someone elses land reports dpa news agency In reply to his travel sanctions suggestion former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday called him the greatest Ukrainian clown on Twitter and even compared him to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler Since the start of Russias invasion Medvedev has repeatedly hurled insults at Ukraine a country he recently suggested may soon not even exist on the world map Moscow frequently justifies its war by saying it is carrying out the the deNazification of Ukraine a phrase that causes particular outrage because Zelensky is of Jewish descent EU countries neighbouring Russia have become more vocal recently on the issue of tourist visas for Russians The Finnish Foreign Ministry raised concerns that Finland is being used as a transit country by some Russian tourists to enter the EU before travelling on to their final destination within the bloc Tourist visa for countries that are part of the socalled Schengen area which is made up of 22 EU countries as well as Iceland Norway Switzerland and Lichtenstein allow tourists to travel freely between the countries The Finnish Foreign Ministry is now considering whether to stop issuing new visas to people who have used Finland as a transit hub in the past Its not right that at the same time as Russia is waging an aggressive brutal war of aggression in Europe Russians can live a normal life travel in Europe be tourists Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Finnish public broadcaster Yle My personal position is that tourism should be restricted she added Finlands call to sanction tourist visas is echoed by EU countries Estonia and Latvia who also share a land border with Russia Stop issuing tourist visas to Russians Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Twitter on Tuesday adding that travelling to Europe is a privilege not a human right Meanwhile Latvia has already tightened visa requirements Although the European Commission proposes options to sanction Russia a spokesperson declined to comment on the calls to restrict visa travel for Russian travellers in the EU IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kremlin-slams-zelenskys-call-for-intl-travel-ban-on-russians-351813.html Wed, 10 Aug 2022 09:15:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-installs-air-defence-system-at-ukrainian-nuke-plant-351826.html Moscow Aug 10 Russian forces have started installing an air defence system at Europes largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya in occupied Ukraine after shelling triggered fears of a catastrophic accident The power plants air defence systems are being reinforced the head of the Moscowappointed military administration in the region Yevhen Balytskyi told Russian state television on Tuesday The Russian military administration said that the Zaporizhzhya plant is currently operating normally while power lines and damaged units of the reactor have been repaired reports dpa news agency The nuclear plant in southern Ukraine which is under Russian control has been shelled several times in recent few days sparking international concerns about the safety of the facilities Moscow and Kiev have blamed each other for the attacks Russia has suggested it may support a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency monitors to the nuclear plant in southern Ukraine From our side we are ready to provide the maximum possible assistance to resolve organisational issues the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday Moscow also accused the UN of having cancelled an inspection trip that was already planned causing a new escalation IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-installs-air-defence-system-at-ukrainian-nuke-plant-351826.html Wed, 10 Aug 2022 10:15:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/war-must-end-with-crimeas-liberation-zelensky-351856.html Kiev Aug 10 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the ongoing war with Russia will not end until the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea which was annexed by Moscow is liberated Crimea is Ukrainian and we will never give it up dpa news agency quoted the President as saying in his nightly video address on Tuesday The Black Sea region cannot be safe as long as Crimea is occupied he said There will be no stable and lasting peace in many countries on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea as long as Russia is able to use our peninsula as its military base This Russian war against Ukraine and against the entire free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea with its liberation Zelensky added Earlier on Tuesday a series of explosions hit the Saky military base near Novofedorivka located in the west of Crimea killing one person While Russia has played down the explosions a top Ukrainian adviser denied that Kiev was responsible Crimea is officially part of Ukraine but was annexed by Russia in 2014 after a referendum which the international community sees as illegitimate In his address Zelensky however did not mention the blasts IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/war-must-end-with-crimeas-liberation-zelensky-351856.html Wed, 10 Aug 2022 12:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-proposes-new-sanctions-on-russia-351726.html Kiev Aug 9 The Ukrainian Parliament has unveiled a draft law to impose new sanctions on Russia The bill which was submitted by President Volodymyr Zelensky envisages 10 new restrictive measures to be introduced against Russia for the next 10 yearsreports Xinhua news agency In particular the draft law stipulates a ban on transferring funds from Ukraine to Russiarelated individuals and legal entities Besides it prohibits Russialinked individuals from participating in the privatisation and lease of Ukrainian state property and purchasing land plots in Ukraine The bill also proposes to ban Russian and Russialinked ships and planes from entering Ukraine among other measures IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-proposes-new-sanctions-on-russia-351726.html Tue, 09 Aug 2022 20:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/2nd-ukraine-grain-ship-cleared-after-inspection-off-istanbul-351281.html A man takes a picture as the Glory bulk carrier makes its way from the port in Odesa Ukraine Sunday Aug 7 2022 According to Ukraines Ministry of Infrastructure the ship under the Marshall Islands flag is carrying 66 thousand tons of Ukrainian corn PTI Istanbul Aug 7 A second ship carrying Ukrainian grain exports has been inspected off Istanbul and is now cleared to proceed through the Bosporus Strait to its final destination the Turkish Defence Ministry said The Navi Star sailing under the flag of Panama and carrying 33000 tonnes of maize is bound for Ireland after checks by an international team from Ukraine Russia Turkey and the UN reports dpa news agency The Navi Star is one of the three vessels that left Ukraines Black Sea ports of Odesa on Friday after an agreement that has been widely hailed as a sign of hope in the conflict The initial three vessels are reportedly carrying 57000 tonnes of maize in total Last week the first grain cargo ship to leave a Ukrainian port since the Russian invasion in February the Razoni was inspected in Istanbul before proceeding to the Lebanese port of Tripoli Under the deal agreed in July to lift Russias monthslong blockade of the ports Ukraine pledged to guide the ships through waters that have been mined and Moscow promised to not target the ships and certain port infrastructure The deals brokers the UN and Turkey are helping safely coordinate the exports and monitoring the shipments to make sure the vessels are not smuggling weapons into the war zone The shipments are seen as essential for stabilizing grain prices on global markets amid fears of famine in the Middle East and Africa Experts however warned shipping the millions of tonnes of blockaded grain from Ukrainian ports in time is barely possible as the new harvest begins There are growing calls for alternative export routes to be found as a return to prewar levels of Ukrainian exports remains challenging despite the reopening of maritime routes Ukraine known as the breadbasket of Europe was the worlds largest exporter of sunflower oil the third largest exporter of rapeseed and barley the fourth largest exporter of maize and the fifth largest exporter of wheat before Russia began its ongoing invasion in February IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/2nd-ukraine-grain-ship-cleared-after-inspection-off-istanbul-351281.html Sun, 07 Aug 2022 14:08:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-fortifications-in-donbas-under-pressure-from-russia-351337.html Kiev Aug 6 Ukraines General Staff on Saturday said that Russian troops were fiercely attacking Bakhmut a cornerstone of the defence system around the last Ukrainianheld urban area in the eastern Donbas region The enemy is carrying out an attack on Bakhmut The fighting continues the General Staff said in its latest situation report The proRussian rebels had reported the day before that there was fighting already inside the city area reports dpa news agency The statements from both sides however could not be independently verified Since the capture of the Luhansk region in early July Russian offensive efforts in eastern Ukraine have concentrated on the neighbouring Donetsk region Luhansk and Donetsk make up the Donbas region a predominantly Russianspeaking area which has been the focus of Moscows war aims for months Step by step the Russian invaders have been able to push back the Ukrainian defenders in recent weeks They now control about 60 per cent of the territory the situation report said The headquarters of the Ukrainian troops in Donbas is located in the builtup urban area of SlovyanskKramatorsk where some half million people lived before the war From the east this area is secured by the SiverskSoledarBakhmut line of defence This line is now wavering in several places Russian troops are also outside Siversk and Soledar However the heaviest fighting is currently going on around the Bakhmut traffic junction which the Russians are shelling with artillery and tanks Fighting is also continues directly outside the former regional capital Donetsk which has been in the hands of proRussian separatists since 2014 The troops loyal to Moscow are trying to push the Ukrainians further back In the area of the small town of Avdiivka north of Donetsk there were several attempted attacks which were repelled the Ukrainian general staff reported Large areas of the region are being shelled with artillery In the south of the country however the initiative is going the Ukrainians way There Russian troops are concentrating on defending their positions in the occupied areas the situation report said The Ukrainian militarys Southern Command had previously reported having destroyed at least six Russian weapons and ammunition depots as well as two command points in the Kherson region IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-fortifications-in-donbas-under-pressure-from-russia-351337.html Sun, 07 Aug 2022 17:47:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/concerns-rise-over-shelling-of-ukrainian-nuke-plant-351181.html Kiev Aug 6 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for sanctions to be imposed on Russias nuclear industry following the shelling of Ukraines Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant Anyone who creates nuclear threats to other peoples is definitely not in a position to use nuclear technology safely dpa news agency quoted Zelensky as saying in his daily video address on Friday night calling for punitive measures to be taken against Russian nuclear energy authority Rosatom Kiev and Moscow on Friday both accused each other of firing on Europes largest nuclear power station in the Russianoccupied city of Enerhodar Ukraine accused Russian troops of attacking the site itself in what Zelensky called an act of terrorism The Defence Ministry in Moscow on the other hand blamed Ukrainian soldiers for the shelling and said that while a fire at the plant had been extinguished one of the plants reactors had been forced to partially shut down Earlier this week the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA had expressed concerns over the safety of the power plant and said that a technical inspection was urgently needed The Foreign Ministry in Kiev appealed to the international community to work with Moscow to return control of the plant to the Ukrainian authorities warning that if an operational reactor were to be hit the consequences could be equivalent to the use of a nuclear bomb The mayor of Enerhodar Dmytro Orlov warned the citys remaining inhabitants that residential areas were being shelled from the site of the power plant Britains Ministry of Defence also said that Russian forces were likely jeopardizing the security and safety at the power station in an intelligence update published Friday Following five months of occupation Russias intentions regarding the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant remain unclear the report said However the actions they have undertaken at the facility have likely undermined the security and safety of the plants normal operations it continued It added that the Russians had used the area around the plant in particular the adjacent city of Enerhodar to rest and regroup their forces utilising the protected status of the nuclear power plant to reduce the risk to their equipment and personnel from overnight Ukrainian attacks IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/concerns-rise-over-shelling-of-ukrainian-nuke-plant-351181.html Sun, 07 Aug 2022 03:41:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/eu-member-states-evacuated-1-000-patients-from-ukraine-351186.html Brussels Aug 6 The European Union EU has evacuated 1000 patients from Ukrainian hospitals as the wartorn countrys health system comes under increasing strain amid the ongoing Russian invasion The EU is stepping up operations to help Ukraine cope with the skyrocketing medical needs dpa news agency quoted European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic as saying in a statement on Friday Since March in the early stages of the Russian invasion the bloc has coordinated medical transfers for Ukrainian hospital patients to available EU hospitals the commission statement said So far 18 EU member states including France Germany Austria Spain Portugal Belgium Luxembourg and Poland have sheltered the 1000 patients according to European Commission data In the latest EU medical evacuations two patients transferred to the Czech Republic four to the Netherlands and 15 to Germany along with two more to Norway the Commission said The transfers took place via an EU humanitarian support programme and eased pressure on the healthcare systems of Ukraines neighbouring countries EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/eu-member-states-evacuated-1-000-patients-from-ukraine-351186.html Sun, 07 Aug 2022 04:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/1st-ship-with-grain-leaves-ukraines-odesa-port-350212.html Kiev Aug 1 The first cargo ship carrying grain has left Ukraines Odesa port in line with a grain exports deal signed between Kiev and Moscow last month in Istanbul Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Monday The vessel Razoni under the flag of Sierra Leone carrying 26000 tonnes of corn is bound for the port of Tripoli in Lebanon Kubrakov wrote on Facebook He said the ship will move along a maritime corridor the security of which was guaranteed by Turkey and the UN reports Xinhua news agency The resumption of Ukraines grain exports would help to prevent a global food crisis contribute at least 1 billion to the Ukrainian economy and pave the way for the countrys farmers to prepare for next years sowing campaign Kubrakov said The cargo ship will first reach Istanbul or inspection on Tuesday where it will be inspected by a joint monitoring centre according to an agreement that Russia and Ukraine made with Turkey and the UN the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday Following Razoni other convoys will set off from the port of Odesa the Ministry added Turkey inaugurated the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul last week to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment process The centre consists of 20 representatives from Russia Ukraine Turkey and the UN with five from each party The Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia and Ukraine with Türkiye under the UN would allow significant volumes of food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea namely Odesa Chernomorsk and Yuzhny The deal aims to ensure the safe passage for ships carrying grain to world markets amid concerns about food shortages due to the ongoing RussiaUkraine war Russia and Ukraine are major global wheat suppliers Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal will enable his country to export 20 million tonnes of last years grain harvest and part of this years harvest IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/1st-ship-with-grain-leaves-ukraines-odesa-port-350212.html Tue, 02 Aug 2022 16:42:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/lavrov-blinken-discuss-situation-in-ukraine-over-phone-349382.html Moscow July 30 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the situation in Ukraine during a phone conversation the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Lavrov outlined Russias principled approaches in light of the ongoing special military operation stressing that its goals and objectives will be achieved the statement added on Friday It said that they also discussed global food security and problems of bilateral relations Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/lavrov-blinken-discuss-situation-in-ukraine-over-phone-349382.html Sat, 30 Jul 2022 13:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-political-affairs-chief-warns-of-bleak-prospects-for-ending-russia-ukraine-conflict-349392.html United Nations July 30 Rosemary DiCarlo UN UnderSecretaryGeneral for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs has said that the RussiaUkraine conflict shows no signs of ending despite an encouraging grain deal Ambassadors were briefed by the UN Political Affairs Chief who pointed to the recent agreement on the safe resumption of grain exports through the Black Sea as a bright light in the conflict though acknowledging the dim prospects for peace The grain agreement is a sign that dialogue between the parties is possible in the search to ease human suffering DiCarlo added She said that the UN is making every effort to support implementation of the deal which was signed last week in Turkey Xinhua news agency reported The conflicts impact globally is glaringly clear said DiCarlo noting that the consequences will only become more pronounced the longer fighting lasts particularly with the onset of winter Despite the encouraging developments on grain and fertilisers we remain deeply concerned about the lack of prospects for a shift towards a meaningful resumption of diplomatic efforts to end the war she told the UN Security Council Escalatory rhetoric from any side including about expanding the conflict geographically or denying Ukraines statehood is not consistent with the constructive spirit demonstrated in Istanbul she said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-political-affairs-chief-warns-of-bleak-prospects-for-ending-russia-ukraine-conflict-349392.html Sat, 30 Jul 2022 14:07:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-red-cross-should-probe-pow-deaths-ukraine-349408.html Kiev July 30 Authorities in Ukraine have called on the UN and International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC to probe an attack in an occupied territory in Donetsk which led to the deaths of at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war POWs On Friday morning Russian media outlets announced the shelling of a prison camp in Olenivka reports Ukrayinska Pravda While the Russian outlets blamed the Armed Forces of Ukraine of targeting the camp where the POWs were being held Kiev said that Moscow conducted the shelling to cover up the torture and murders of the captured soldiers On Friday night President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with military intelligence and security chiefs as well as the Parliament Commissioner of Human Rights to discuss the attack Following the meeting a joint statement was issued by the Security Service of Ukraine which called on the UN and the ICRC which acted as guarantors of the life and health of Ukrainian POWs to immediately respond to the terrorist act committed by the Russian Federation The statement also demanded that representatives of the world bodies should be sent immediately to Olenivka with the purpose of an inspection mission In his nightly video address President Zelensky said the attack was a deliberate mass murder of Ukrainian POWs by Russian forces Every occupier who abuses Ukrainians who tortures and kills should know that there will be punishment for this If some of the Russian killers hope that they will not be brought to justice that they will hide somewhere let them know they will be held accountable in any case Geography time borders and walls will not stop a just retribution There should be a clear legal recognition of Russia as a terrorist state Russia has proven with numerous terrorist attacks that it is the biggest source of terrorism in todays world Its a fact he added According to the BBC those detained at the prison were said to have included members of the Azov Battalion who were captured defending the southern city of Mariupol in May and whom Russia has sought to depict as neoNazis and war criminals There was also outrage in Ukraine on Friday at a shocking video circulating online that showed a POW being castrated in another area of Russianoccupied Donbas The Russian soldier filmed carrying out the attack in the town of Severodonetsk was identified as a member of a unit belonging to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-red-cross-should-probe-pow-deaths-ukraine-349408.html Sat, 30 Jul 2022 15:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-parliament-adopts-draft-law-on-special-status-for-polish-citizens-349066.html Kiev July 29 The Ukrainian parliament has adopted a draft law to grant special status to Polish citizens in Ukraine a parliament member said The presidential proposal on granting special status to Polish citizens in Ukraine was supported by 283 lawmakers in the 450seat Assembly Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote on Telegram on Thursday The new legislation adopted on Thursday allows Polish citizens to legally stay in Ukraine for 18 months after the adoption of the law Zheleznyak said The law grants Polish citizens equal rights as Ukrainians in employment economic activities as well as in getting education and medical assistance in Ukraine On July 11 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to the parliament the draft law on establishing legal and social guarantees for Polish citizens in Ukraine as a sign of gratitude to the Polish people for their solidarity and support for Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-parliament-adopts-draft-law-on-special-status-for-polish-citizens-349066.html Fri, 29 Jul 2022 07:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/austrian-chancellor-says-eu-embargo-on-russian-gas-impossible-349068.html Vienna July 29 Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has said that an embargo on Russian gas in the European Union EU is impossible due to EU countries heavy dependence on Russian energy His comments came after a meeting with visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Vienna on Thursday Xinhua news agency reported According to Austrian news agency APA Nehammer added at a press conference that Germany and Austrias dependence on Russian gas makes an EU embargo impossible as the decline of the German economy would also impact Austria and lead to mass unemployment On Tuesday EU member states agreed on a 15per cent voluntary reduction of natural gas demand from the average of 20172021 in preparation for possible supply disruptions this winter At the press conference the Austrian Chancellor also criticized the EUs slowness in establishing a joint energy purchase mechanism A common energy platform is now more important than ever to avoid competition between EU countries he said We are seeing many announcements by the European Commission but very little implementation he added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/austrian-chancellor-says-eu-embargo-on-russian-gas-impossible-349068.html Fri, 29 Jul 2022 08:09:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/three-ukrainian-black-sea-ports-resume-operation-348935.html Kiev July 28 Operations have resumed in three Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odesa Chornomorsk and Pivdenny in line with a grain exports deal signed between Kiev and Moscow last week in Istanbul the Ukrainian Naval Forces said in a statement Currently work is underway to prepare the ports for safe navigation with military and civilian experts searching for underwater objects and installing special navigation equipment Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying The ships navigating in the Ukrainian ports will form a caravan which will be escorted by a lead ship for greater security it said On July 22 Ukraine and Russia separately signed the deal with Turkiye and the UN in Istanbul to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets via the Black Sea President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal will enable Ukraine to export 20 million tonnes of 2021s grain harvest and part of this years harvest IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/three-ukrainian-black-sea-ports-resume-operation-348935.html Thu, 28 Jul 2022 18:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraines-campaign-to-retake-kherson-gathering-pace-sources-348973.html Kiev July 28 Ukraines campaign to retake Kherson the southern city which was the first to fall to Russia in March is gathering pace according to Western military sources The sources described Kherson as politically the nearest Russia has to a jewel in the crown of its occupation and its loss they say would severely undermine Russias attempts to paint the occupation as a success the BBC reported The key Antonivskiy Bridge into Kherson was forced to shut on Wednesday after being damaged by a Himars artillery rocket system fired by Ukrainian forces The attack left the crossing completely unusable the sources said Moscow depended on the crossings to resupply their troops stationed west of the river and are now at risk of becoming isolated from the rest of Russias occupying forces they added Meanwhile Russian officials posted in Kherson also confirmed that a Ukrainian artillery strike had seriously damaged the Antonivskiy Bridge forcing its closure to traffic For days the Ukrainian military has targeted bridges using highly effective rocket systems supplied by the US reports the BBC According to the Western military sources Wednesdays attack was part of a Ukrainian counter effort to isolate Russian troops with the ultimate goal of recapturing the entire Kherson region In his nightly Wednesday address President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that Ukraine would eventually rebuild the Antonivskiy Bridge as well as other crossings in the Kherson region We are doing everything we can to ensure that the occupiers logistical operations on our land are thwarted Whatever their plans are we will prevent their realisation Ukrayinska Pravda quoted Zelensky as saying The President stressed that Ukraine will liberate its territory with military diplomatic and every other tool at its disposal IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraines-campaign-to-retake-kherson-gathering-pace-sources-348973.html Thu, 28 Jul 2022 21:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/gazprom-says-siemens-failed-to-fulfill-obligations-to-repair-nord-stream-turbine-engines-348861.html Moscow July 28 Russias gas giant Gazprom has said that Siemens failed to fulfill its obligations and had not returned a repaired turbine engine for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline Back in May we expected to receive one repaired engine from Siemens but to date we have not received this engine local media reported citing Vitaly Markelov Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom on Wednesday Open questions still remain in relation to sanctions risks which prevent the return of this gas turbine engine to Russia and the transportation of other engines for repair he added According to Markelov problems remain with unrepaired engines at the compressor station and Siemens is not carrying out work to eliminate these problems He said that six gas pumping units are usually used at the compressor station and only one engine is in working order while the rest are not working due to technical problems Xinhua news agency reported He added that the company hadnt experienced problems with the repair of the engines prior to the imposition of antiRussian sanctions IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/gazprom-says-siemens-failed-to-fulfill-obligations-to-repair-nord-stream-turbine-engines-348861.html Thu, 28 Jul 2022 14:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/1st-german-air-defence-systems-arrive-in-ukraine-348467.html Kiev July 26 Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov announced that the first Gepard air defence systems from Germany have arrived in the wartorn nation Today the first three Gepards officially arrived These are antiaircraft systems for which we have received tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition Ukrayinska Pravda quoted the Minister as saying on Monday We are waiting for the first 15 Gepards Three arrived in Ukraine today They are already at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine he added Earlier this month Germany had announced an official list of weapons it planned to send to Ukraine including 30 Gepard air defence systems The supply of ammunition for Gepard was previously considered a problem as only slightly fewer than 60000 35 mm shells were available After several weeks the German government and the Norwegian Ministry of Defence found a manufacturer that could produce additional ammunition Previously the manufacturer trained Ukrainian soldiers in Germany on how to use the systems IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/1st-german-air-defence-systems-arrive-in-ukraine-348467.html Wed, 27 Jul 2022 01:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-appoints-new-commander-of-special-operations-forces-348569.html Kiev July 26 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree to appoint a new commander of the Special Operations Forces SOF a branch of the Armed Forces According to the decree published on the presidential website Viktor Khorenko was appointed the commander of the SOF reports Xinhua news agency Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko wrote on Facebook that Khorenko previously served as a commander of the special reserve of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defence Ministry Khorenko will replace Hryhorii Halahan who was dismissed by Zelensky earlier on Monday Last week Zelensky dismissed Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov blaming them for insufficiently dealing with a large number of traitors in their agencies IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-appoints-new-commander-of-special-operations-forces-348569.html Wed, 27 Jul 2022 12:55:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/brazilian-prez-rejects-sanctions-against-russia-to-guarantee-fertiliser-imports-348437.html Sao Paulo July 26 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reiterated his opposition to economic sanctions against Russia in order to retain the supply of Russian fertiliser imports to Brazilian agribusiness We are not going to adhere to sanctions against Russia We maintain a balanced position because without Brazils balance on this issue today we would not have fertilisers for our agribusiness Bolsonaro said on Monday during the Global Agribusiness Forum 2022 in the city of Sao Paulo The President defended the countrys decision to maintain trade ties with Russia to ensure food production Xinhua news agency reported Without fertilisers our guarantee of food security and that of 1 billion people in the world would be threatened he added Bolsonaro also said that in December 2021 his government decided to expand the national fertiliser programme in search of alternatives to imports Brazil Latin Americas largest economy is the worlds leading soybean producer and the worlds leading exporter of animal protein IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/brazilian-prez-rejects-sanctions-against-russia-to-guarantee-fertiliser-imports-348437.html Tue, 26 Jul 2022 22:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-plans-to-start-grain-exports-via-seaports-this-week-348414.html Kiev July 26 Ukraine is preparing to start grain exports through the Black Sea ports this week under the grain deal signed last week in Turkiye Ukrainian officials said Speaking at a media briefing aired on the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministrys Facebook page Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Monday that the movement of ships from the Black Sea ports is due to start by the end of the current week The demining process will be carried out exclusively in the corridor for the passage of cargo ships and all ship caravans will be accompanied by Ukrainian rescue vessels Kubrakov added Ukrainian Deputy Infrastructure Minister Yurii Vaskov who also participated in the briefing said the first grain deliveries will be made from the port of Chornomorsk Xinhua news agency reported We expect the first shipment to be made this week Vaskov added Within two weeks Ukraine also plans to start exporting grain through the ports of Odesa and Pivdenny he said According to him the coordination centre tasked with supervising and coordinating the functioning of the humanitarian corridor will start its work on July 27 The supplies of Ukrainian grain to the global market have been affected in recent months due to the blockade of the Ukrainian sea ports by the Russian military On July 22 Ukraine and Russia separately signed a deal with Turkiye and the UN in Istanbul to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets through the Black Sea Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal will enable Ukraine to export 20 million ton of last years grain harvest and part of this years harvest IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-plans-to-start-grain-exports-via-seaports-this-week-348414.html Tue, 26 Jul 2022 20:44:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-accuses-russia-of-barbarism-over-odesa-port-attack-347713.html Kiev July 24 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of barbarism over a missile attack on the Odesa port which took place just hours after a landmark grain export deal was signed between Kiev and Moscow Under Fridays deal signed in Istanbul Russia agreed not to target Ukrainian ports while grain shipments were in transit the BBC reported But just hours after the agreement was signed two Kalibr missiles hit the Odesa port according to the Ukrainian militarys southern command centre Another two missiles were shot down by air defence systems the centre added Russian officials have however said that Moscow had nothing to do with the attack During a meeting on Saturday in Kiev with a visiting delegation of US Congressmen Zelensky said that Russia will find ways not to fulfil what it signs reports Ukrayinska Pravda This attack proves only one thing no matter what Russia says and promises it will find ways not to implement it Geopolitically with weapons bloodily or not but it has several vectors as it always acts he said He also vowed to do everything possible to acquire air defence systems able to shoot down such missiles in the future The attack has been widely condemned US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of worsening a global food crisis and said the attack cast serious doubt on the credibility of Russias commitment to the pact Russia must stop its aggression and fully implement the grain deal to which it has agreed he said on Saturday Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on the UN and Turkey to ensure that Russia complies with its obligations under the terms of the safe functioning of the grain corridor On Friday officials from Kiev and Moscow signed the deal to allow millions of tonnes of grain trapped in Ukraine to be exported the BBC reported The agreement was hailed as a beacon of hope by the UN after months of fighting The deal which took two months to reach is set to last for 120 days with a coordination and monitoring centre to be established in Istanbul staffed by UN Turkish Russian and Ukrainian officials It can be renewed if both parties agree IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-accuses-russia-of-barbarism-over-odesa-port-attack-347713.html Sun, 24 Jul 2022 11:42:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-losses-significantly-reduced-since-peak-of-war-zelensky-347556.html Kiev July 23 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that about 30 soldiers were dying on the frontline everyday now a significant reduction since the peak of the ongoing war in May and June when 100200 troops were killed on a daily basis In an interview with The Wall Street Journal the President said that at the height of the hostilities in May and June Ukraine was losing 100200 servicemen per day but now that number has dropped to 30 with about 250 injured per day reports Ukrayinska Pravda I can tell you for sure because I live with this every day he asserted Zelensky however refused to reveal Ukraines total military losses since the war started on February 24 but said they were several times lower than Russias He noted that the recent supply of weapons by the US and the Western allies particularly the HIMARS rocket launcher systems and 155mm howitzers has helped to stabilise the situation in the eastern Donbas region Earlier the Russians had been firing 12000 artillery shells daily against 12000 Ukrainian shells but now Ukraine can produce about 6000 shells per day while Russia is beginning to experience shortages of ammunition and troops the President was quoted as saying According to Zelensky this change in the balance of firepower has helped reduce Ukrainian losses The President said that the stabilisation of the frontline in Donbas will enable Ukraine to advance in other directions However he refused to discuss where and when Ukraine plans to launch a counteroffensive Ukrayinska Pravda quoted Zelensky as saying He also emphasised that Ukraine needs air defence equipment to protect Ukrainian cities from Russian missiles Air defence equipment would cost the US and Europe much less than keeping the Ukrainian economy afloat with a monthly budget deficit of 5 billion the President added Earlier Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov had said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered their greatest losses in Mayr when up to 100 soldiers were dying per day and between 300 and 400 were being wounded IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-losses-significantly-reduced-since-peak-of-war-zelensky-347556.html Sat, 23 Jul 2022 16:12:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/5-100-ukrainian-kids-deported-to-russia-so-far-official-347560.html Kiev July 23 A top Ukrainian official has revealed that 5100 children have been deported to Russia since Moscow launched its ongoing war against Kiev on February 24 In a televised address to the nation on Friday Daria Herasymchuk presidential adviser for child rights and rehabilitation of children said Requests continue to be submitted everyday and therefore I urge everyone to report cases of child abduction to the National Information Bureau This will allow us to start searching for a specific child According to Herasymchuk Ukraine transfers the collected data to the Red Cross and other international organisations that help locate the children reports Ukrayinska Pravda She also said that abducted children are not only orphans sometimes they are taken away together with their parents or relatives or forcibly separated from them A total of 46 children have been returned to Ukraine each time it is a separate special operation there is no single algorithm and most likely there wont be Herasymchuk said The presidential adviser also said that 353 children have died and 679 others injured since the beginning of the war It is impossible to state the exact number of victims The Russians do not let anyone enter the occupied territories even to bury children She also announced that a platform called Children of War will be launched on August 1 which will provide information and statistics about all the Ukrainian children affected by the the war and the data will be collected and updated daily This platform that will become the main source of information for citizens who want to help such children for journalists and for law enforcement agencies Herasymchuk added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/5-100-ukrainian-kids-deported-to-russia-so-far-official-347560.html Sat, 23 Jul 2022 16:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-bans-entry-for-384-japanese-lawmakers-in-tit-for-tat-move-345706.html Moscow July 16 Russia has banned entry for 384 Japanese lawmakers in a retaliatory move the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement In response to Japans decision to impose personal sanctions against a large group of Russian lawmakers in April this year a decision has been made to deny entry into Russia for 384 members of the House of Representatives of the National Diet of Japan from July 14 the statement added on Friday The Japanese officials have taken a hostile antiRussian stance and have made baseless accusations against Russia in the context of the countrys special military operation in Ukraine it said The Japanese Foreign Ministry imposed additional sanctions against Russian individuals and entities on April 12 over the situation in Ukraine Xinhua news agency reported Japan froze the assets of 398 Russian individuals most of whom were members of the State Duma IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-bans-entry-for-384-japanese-lawmakers-in-tit-for-tat-move-345706.html Sat, 16 Jul 2022 11:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/eu-to-ban-russian-gold-imports-in-new-sanctions-package-345707.html Brussels July 16 The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a seventh package of measures that will ban the importation of Russian gold The proposal adopted on Friday is part of a new set of measures that are intended to improve the implementation and effectiveness of the EUs six earlier packages of sanctions against Russia In a statement the Commission said the proposal will be discussed by the member states in the EU Council next week before it is adopted Xinhua news agency reported The proposal was issued jointly by the Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs Dabbed the maintenance and alignment package it clarifies earlier provisions to strengthen legal certainty for operators and enforcement by the member states Among others it proposes to tighten dualuse and advanced technology export controls It also aims to further align the EUs sanctions with those of its allies and partners especially the G7 countries We are proposing today to tighten our hardhitting EU sanctions against the Kremlin enforce them more effectively and extend them until January 2023 Moscow must continue to pay a high price for its aggression said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a statement The EUs high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Josep Borrell added The EUs sanctions are tough and hardhitting We continue to target those close to Putin and the Kremlin He said he will also propose to expand the EUs list of sanctioned individuals and entities who are subject to assets freezes and their ability to travel is curtailed The Commission stressed that EU sanctions do not target in any way the trade in agricultural products between third countries and Russia The next review of EU sanctions is scheduled at the end of January 2023 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/eu-to-ban-russian-gold-imports-in-new-sanctions-package-345707.html Sat, 16 Jul 2022 12:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/iran-rejects-us-claim-of-sending-drones-to-russia-as-baseless-345719.html Tehran July 16 Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein AmirAbdollahian has rejected a recent US claim that Iran is providing Russia with drones for use in Ukraine as baseless and politically motivated AmirAbdollahian made the remarks on Friday in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba according to a press release on the Foreign Ministrys website after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Monday that information indicates Iran is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones including weaponscapable ones Xinhua news agency reported Such allegations which came just ahead of the ongoing US President Joe Bidens Middle East tour are aimed at achieving specific political goals and purposes the top Iranian diplomat said Just as we said at the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis we are opposed to war in Afghanistan Yemen Palestine and also Ukraine AmirAbdollahian told Kuleba IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/iran-rejects-us-claim-of-sending-drones-to-russia-as-baseless-345719.html Sat, 16 Jul 2022 12:34:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-accumulates-595-of-natural-gas-needed-for-heating-season-pm-345725.html Kiev July 16 Ukraine has accumulated 113 billion cubic metres of natural gas in its storage or 595 per cent of the countrys needs for powering its heating facilities during the cold season Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said He told a cabinet meeting on Friday that Ukraine has pumped 3 billion cubic metres of gas into its reserves since the start of the year the government press service reported He added that Ukraines coal reserves reached 15 million tons in midJuly more than two times higher than the guaranteed reserves for this time determined by official documents Xinhua news agency reported This month Ukraine agreed with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on obtaining about 300 million to prepare for the heating season Shmyhal added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-accumulates-595-of-natural-gas-needed-for-heating-season-pm-345725.html Sat, 16 Jul 2022 12:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/death-toll-in-russian-strikes-on-ukrainian-city-reaches-23-345581.html People sort out objects and belongings at the site of a Russian shelling on Thursday in Vinnytsia Ukraine Friday July 15 2022 Russian missiles struck the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine on Thursday killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 100 others Ukrainian officials said PTI Kiev July 15 The death toll in Russian strikes in Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia has mounted to 23 At least 23 people have died and 115 others appealed for help Ukrainska Pravda reported Around 64 civilians have been hospitalised with injuries including two children Of the injured 34 are in serious condition and another five are in critical condition State Emergency Sources said Thirtynine people are missing and search and rescue operations are underway police said Russian forces on Thursday hit the centre of Vinnytsia with rockets causing several fires to break out The Russians attacked Vinnytsia with Kalibr missiles which were launched from a submarine in the Black Sea as per the Air Force COmmand Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has termed this missile attack terrorist act IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/death-toll-in-russian-strikes-on-ukrainian-city-reaches-23-345581.html Fri, 15 Jul 2022 18:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/tech-cooperation-with-russia-dates-back-to-days-before-ukraine-crisis-iran-344907.html Tehran July 13 The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said that the technological cooperation between Iran and Russia dates back to the days before the Ukrainian crisis Nasser Kanaani the ministrys spokesman made the remarks when asked about US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivans claim that Iran is preparing to provide Russia with hundreds of drones including weaponscapable ones Xinhua news agency reported Irans stance on the RussianUkrainian conflict which broke out in late February is absolutely clear and has been declared time and again officially he noted Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein AmirAbdollahian said recently that the Ukrainian crisis is rooted in the expansion of the NATO a Western military alliance toward Russias borders and its provocations against Moscow Ukraines crisis should be resolved through the course of dialogue and negotiation the minister said Kanaani also accused the United States and European states of turning countries including some in West Asia into an arsenal of their diverse lethal arms IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/tech-cooperation-with-russia-dates-back-to-days-before-ukraine-crisis-iran-344907.html Wed, 13 Jul 2022 08:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-pm-welcomes-1-bn-euro-aid-from-eu-344930.html Kiev July 13 Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has welcomed the decision of the European Union EU to grant Ukraine a new aid package of 1 billion euros The aid which was approved by the finance ministers of the EU member states earlier in the day would help Ukraine to maintain financial stability amid the conflict with Russia Shmyhal wrote on Telegram Ukraine also plans to attract up to 200 million euros on preferential terms from Italy Shmyhal was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency Earlier in the day the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said that Kiev has received a grant of 17 billion from the US and will use it to cover state budget expenditures for medical services under the medical guarantee program Kiev plans to raise 20 billion in international aid from its Western partners by the end of 2022 said Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko at a public event last month IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-pm-welcomes-1-bn-euro-aid-from-eu-344930.html Wed, 13 Jul 2022 09:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-erdogan-discuss-bilateral-relations-situation-in-ukraine-over-phone-344868.html Moscow July 12 Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the development of bilateral economic cooperation and the situation in Ukraine during a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Both leaders focused on tasks to further promote economic cooperation including measures to improve the contractual legal framework boost trade and use national currencies in transactions as well as to ensure uninterrupted supplies of Russian energy the Kremlin said on Monday The two leaders agreed on close interaction in these areas at the level of the cochairs of the bilateral intergovernmental commission and the leaders of relevant agencies it added Putin and Erdogan also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine including ways in which both countries can coordinate efforts to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea and the export of grain to global markets Xinhua news agency reported The Turkish President said that it is time for the UN to take action for the plan regarding the formation of secure corridors through the Black Sea for the grain export according to Turkeys presidential office He added Turkey is ready to provide all kinds of support for the revival of the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-erdogan-discuss-bilateral-relations-situation-in-ukraine-over-phone-344868.html Tue, 12 Jul 2022 20:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-cancels-licensing-of-wheat-exports-344341.html Kiev July 9 The Ukrainian government has cancelled the licensing of the exports of wheat and meslin a mixture of wheat and rye the countrys Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry said in a statement on Friday In March Ukraine imposed a ban on oats exports and added wheat to the list of goods requiring export licenses In April Ukraines union of producers processors and exporters of grain Ukraine Grain Association asked the government to cancel wheat exports licensing to simplify the sales and free storage capacity for the new crop In the 20212022 marketing year between July 1 2021 and June 30 2022 Ukraine exported 6152 million tons of cereals and oilseeds including 187 million tons of wheat and 12600 tons of oats IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-cancels-licensing-of-wheat-exports-344341.html Sat, 09 Jul 2022 08:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/european-railways-to-help-ukraine-with-grain-export-344358.html Kiev July 9 Due to the ongoing Russian blockade about 30 chiefs of European railways plan to sign the Ukrainian Declaration in Vienna on Saturday help Kiev export grain Among other things the document stipulates that new terminals and transshipment points would have to be built to better export the grain by rail Ukrayinska Pravda reported According to Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz even if the war ends quickly it will probably take longer before the sea route is fully usable again because of the mines Lutz also noted that Kiev is working on bringing its railway track in line with the European one which is narrower This is another signal that Ukraine is moving towards the European family at full speed he was quoted as saying Ukraine has to export about 22 million tonnes of grain while the railway allows it to export about 800 thousand tonnes per month Previously the former deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Senik said that in the conditions of the sea blockade of Russia Kiev had established two grain export channels across Poland and Romania reports Ukrayinska Pravda It is also negotiating with the Baltic states President Volodymyr Zelensky recently confirmed Ukraine is negotiating with Turkey and the UN regarding the export of grain by sea IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/european-railways-to-help-ukraine-with-grain-export-344358.html Sat, 09 Jul 2022 10:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-navy-receives-1st-submarine-carrying-nuke-powered-drones-344360.html Moscow July 9 The Russian navy has received the first submarine Belgorod which is designed to carry Poseidon nuclearpowered underwater drones The submarine opens new opportunities for Russia to implement various scientific research tasks and conduct rescue operations in remote areas of the oceans Xinhua news agency quoted Nikolay Yevmenov commanderinchief of the Navy as saying at a ceremony on Friday The nuclearpowered Belgorod was floated out in April 2019 and was initially planned to be delivered to the navy in 2020 Two more such submarines will be commissioned by 2027 According to an earlier report by the TASS News Agency the Poseidon drone is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 2 megatonnes to destroy enemy naval bases It can travel fast in an intercontinental range with an operational depth of over 1 km IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-navy-receives-1st-submarine-carrying-nuke-powered-drones-344360.html Sat, 09 Jul 2022 10:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/about-1-mn-people-defending-ukraine-defence-minister-344475.html Kiev July 9 Ukraines Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that about 1 million people are participating in defending the countrys in the wake of Russias ongoing war Some 700000 soldiers of Ukraines Armed Forces 100000 officers of the National Police 90000 members of the National Guard and 60000 border guards are involved in the activities of the security and defence sector in Ukraine Xinhua news agency quoted Reznikov as saying Ukraine is interested in attracting more investment in its militaryindustrial complex and creating joint ventures with partners to meet the needs of the defence forces the Minister said Due to the war which began on February 24 Ukraine has become a kind of huge training facility where new types of weapons and innovative solutions are used Reznikov noted IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/about-1-mn-people-defending-ukraine-defence-minister-344475.html Sat, 09 Jul 2022 19:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-probing-over-21-000-alleged-russian-war-crimes-343808.html St Petersburg Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman and the head of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev speaks during a meeting in St Petersburg Russia Wednesday July 6 2022 Medvedev warned the US Wednesday that it could face the wrath of God if it pursues efforts to help establish an international tribunal to investigate Russias action in Ukraine PTI Kiev July 7 Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said that over 21000 war crimes and crimes of aggression allegedly committed by Russia since it began its invasion of Kiev on February 24 is being investigated Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday Venediktova claimed that she was receiving reports of between 200 to 300 war crimes on a daily basis She admitted that many trials would be held in absentia but stressed that it was a question of justice to continue with the prosecutions Venediktova told the BBC that Russian soldiers who killed tortured or raped civilians should understand that its only a question of time when they all will be in court She said that although her team was working in regions across Ukraine it was unable to investigate all cases properly and effectively because of a lack of access to some people and areas In May Venediktova had said that about 600 suspects had already been identified and 80 prosecutions had begun The first Russian soldier to be put on trial in Ukraine Sgt Vadim Shishimarin was sentenced to life in prison for killing a civilian The International Criminal Court has described Ukraine as a crime scene dispatching its largest team of detectives ever to the country to assist in multiple investigations Russia has however repeatedly denied all war crimes allegations and claims of targeting civilians IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-probing-over-21-000-alleged-russian-war-crimes-343808.html Thu, 07 Jul 2022 10:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/five-civilians-killed-in-russian-shelling-in-ukraines-donetsk-oblast-343871.html Kiev July 6 Five civilians were killed in shelling by Russian forces in Ukraines Donetsk Oblast Russia continues to kill civilians On 5 July the Russians killed five civilian residents of Donetsk Oblast two in Avdiivka one in Sloviansk one in Krasnohorivka and one in Kurakhove Ukrayinska Pravda quoted Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko as saying Twentyone civilians sustained injuries in the Russian attacks At least 570 residents of Donetsk Oblast have been killed since Russias invasion of Ukraine The number of casualties and fatalities in Mariupol and Volnovakha could not be determined Kyrylenko added On Monday Russian President Vladimir Putin had declared victory in eastern Ukrainian region Luhansk after Ukrainian forces withdrew from their last stronghold in Lysychansk IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/five-civilians-killed-in-russian-shelling-in-ukraines-donetsk-oblast-343871.html Thu, 07 Jul 2022 14:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraines-economy-to-shrink-by-at-least-35-in-2022-343948.html Beijing July 6 Ukraines GDP will shrink at least 35 per cent this year due to the conflict with Russia the InterfaxUkraine news agency reported citing Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal While addressing the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Switzerland Shmyhal said that the Ukrainian economy has started recovering from the shock coma of the first weeks of the conflict The government carried out a relatively successful grain sowing campaign and resumed logistics across the western border Shmyhal said noting that the economy still faces many challenges Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraines-economy-to-shrink-by-at-least-35-in-2022-343948.html Thu, 07 Jul 2022 18:32:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-mulls-training-ukrainian-military-ambassador-343474.html Kiev July 5 The US is considering the possibility of providing training to the Ukrainian military says Washingtons Ambassador to Kiev Bridget Brink I cant tell the exact number or the plan but I can say that I talked about it with officials from the Pentagon Xinhua news agency quoted Brink as saying The US is working to provide Kiev with more aid designed to strengthen Ukraines positions on the frontline she added On June 15 the US Embassy in Ukraine said that the Washington government had provided 46 billion worth of defense aid for Kiev in the face of Russias ongoing war According to the mission the US sent to Ukraine 26500 Javelin and other antiarmour systems 1400 Stinger antiaircraft systems 108 howitzers and 75000 sets of body armour and helmets On June 23 Ukraines Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said his country received High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems HIMARS from the US Since Russia launched its invasion of Kiev on February 24 the US has committed approximately 69 billion in security assistance to Ukraine The latest US assistance worth 820 million announced on July 1 includes advanced antiaircraft and aerial defense systems as well as additional ammunition for advanced rocket systems IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-mulls-training-ukrainian-military-ambassador-343474.html Wed, 06 Jul 2022 03:34:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kiev-says-ukraines-military-operation-in-lugansk-region-successful-343419.html Kiev July 5 Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych has described as successful Ukraines military operation in the key cities in the eastern Lugansk region The defence of the LysychanskSeverodonetsk agglomeration is a successful military operation Arestovych wrote on Facebook He added that Ukraine has performed all four key tasks of the defensive operation including interdicting key enemy forces inflicting losses on the enemy forces buying time for receiving weapons and creating conditions for offensive operations in other sectors of the frontline Xinhua news agency reported Currently Ukraine is carrying out counterattacking actions in the eastern Donetsk region and in the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions Arestovych said On Sunday Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu apprised President Vladimir Putin of the control of the Lugansk region according to Russias Defence Ministry Late on Sunday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces withdrew from Lysychanska a key city of Lugansk but vowed that Ukrainian forces will return IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kiev-says-ukraines-military-operation-in-lugansk-region-successful-343419.html Tue, 05 Jul 2022 20:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/switzerland-hosts-first-ukraine-recovery-conference-343434.html Lugano July 5 Tasked with establishing the principles and framework for the future reconstruction of the conflicttorn country a twoday Ukraine Recovery Conference has opened here The conference participants are expected to define the criteria for handling assistance to Ukraine and for the distribution of roles among the various partners Ignazio Cassis president of the Swiss Confederation and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said in his opening address on Monday He said he expected the senior officials from around 40 countries and representatives from 18 international organisations attending the conference to adopt the Lugano principles conducive to the sustainable recovery of Ukraine Xinhua news agency reported The sustainable restructuring of the economy should be guided by the principle of building back better and creating the conditions for prosperity and intact livelihoods he said Ukraines Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal who attended the conference in person said that his country will need 750 billion for a threestage reconstruction plan which he presented in detail Addressing the conference by video link from Kiev Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the plan also covers the countrys institutional development Among the key principles and goals Zelensky singled out heightened security technological development compliance with environmental standards transparency and the rooting of the reconstruction project in Ukraines real economic life Ursula von der Leyen president of the European Commission told Mondays opening session that her institution has proposed to the government of Ukraine the creation of a reconstruction platform to map investment needs coordinate action channel resources and support an ambitious reform agenda The event cohosted by the governments of Switzerland and Ukraine was originally planned as the 5th annual Ukraine Reform Conference It was renamed earlier this year to reflect the new focus of the gathering The way to rebuild Ukraine is through a broadbased political and diplomatic process Switzerland and Ukraine want to start this process in Lugano the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a statement British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that next years Ukraine Recovery Conference will be hosted by the UK IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/switzerland-hosts-first-ukraine-recovery-conference-343434.html Tue, 05 Jul 2022 22:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-negotiating-with-turkey-un-over-grain-export-through-ports-zelensky-343446.html Kiev July 5 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his country is presently negotiating with Turkey and the UN regarding the export of grain through ports During a briefing in Kiev on Monday alongside visiting Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson Zelensky said that implementing this project will be difficult in some places but definitely possible because both Ukraine as a grain exporting country and farmers who need exports to prepare for next years sowing are interested in this reports Ukrayinska Pravda The President noted that 22 million tonnes of grain are currently blocked in Ukraine We are currently negotiating with the Turkish side and the UN Our representatives who are responsible for the safety of grain exiting our ports But it is a very important moment for someone to guarantee the safety of the ships of certain countries that will come to us to load food products other than Russia which we do not trust he was quoted as saying He noted that the UN takes a leadership position in this process and does not act as a moderator They seem ready to lead this process The President also added that Ukraine is not wasting time and we are working on various ways both by rail and by river to export our grain The Russian military fleet is blocking sea routes to Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea coast making it impossible to safely transport grain to other countries Ukrayinska Pravda reported The international community fears that a shortage of Ukrainian grain on the global food market could trigger even greater instability Meanwhile Turkey is trying to mediate port unblock talks by demining the Black Sea and escorting bulk carriers for their safety However Ukraine insists that acceptable guarantees for demining ports are weapons that Ukraine can deploy in the region On Monday Kievs ambassador to Ankara Vasyl Bodnar announced that a cargo ship carrying grain from a Russianoccupied region of Ukraine has been detained by Turkish customs authorities It remained unclear where the cargo came from or how it was obtained IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-negotiating-with-turkey-un-over-grain-export-through-ports-zelensky-343446.html Tue, 05 Jul 2022 23:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-says-russia-lost-nearly-36-000-military-personnel-343095.html Kiev July 3 The Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed on Sunday that it has killed about 35970 Russian soldiers between February 24 and July 3 including 100 in the past day alone The claim was made by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a Facebook post According to the post the Ukrainian troops have also destroyed 1584 Russian tanks 3744 armored fighting vehicles 801 artillery systems 246 multiple launch rocket systems 105 air defence systems 217 warplanes 187 helicopters 654 operational and tactical level UAVs 144 cruise missiles 15 warshipsboats 2618 other vehicles and tanker trucks and 64 pieces of special equipment The enemy suffered the greatest losses in the past day in the Kramatorsk and Bakhmut directions the General Staff said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-says-russia-lost-nearly-36-000-military-personnel-343095.html Mon, 04 Jul 2022 17:45:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-plans-to-annex-kherson-region-by-autumn-uk-intel-343169.html Kiev July 3 The UK Ministry of Defence in its latest intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine has said that the Russianbacked officials plan to hold a referendum on the Kherson region joining Russia by autumn 2022 Russianbacked officials have said they will hold a referendum on Kherson Oblast joining the Russian Federation by autumn 2022 Russia is likely prioritizing a pseudoconstitutional vote in an attempt to legitimize its control of the region the ministry was quoted as saying by Ukrinform news agency According to the update despite the arrest of Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev on June 28 2022 widespread armed and peaceful resistance continues across occupied areas Kherson is the region which has been brought under the new Russian occupation most comprehensively since February Finding a constitutional solution for the occupation is likely a priority policy objective for Russia It will highly likely be prepared to rig voting to achieve an acceptable result the ministry said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-plans-to-annex-kherson-region-by-autumn-uk-intel-343169.html Mon, 04 Jul 2022 23:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-earns-222-bln-usd-from-grain-oilseeds-exports-in-2021-2022-342922.html Kiev July 3 Ukraine has earned 222 billion from exporting grain and oilseeds in the 20212022 marketing year the staterun Ukrinform news agency reported The revenues were earned from the export of 6152 million ton of cereals and oilseeds between July 1 2021 and June 30 2022 Ukrinform reported on Saturday citing Taras Kachka the countrys trade representative and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Trade and Agriculture Ukraines earnings last season were driven primarily by corn and sunflower oil exports together contributing 116 billion Kachka said In 2021 Ukraine harvested a record crop of grain legumes and oilseeds totaling more than 106 million ton Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-earns-222-bln-usd-from-grain-oilseeds-exports-in-2021-2022-342922.html Mon, 04 Jul 2022 01:48:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-confirms-fall-of-lysychansk-city-to-russia-343019.html Ukrainian platoon commander Mariia talks on the phone in a position in the Donetsk region Ukraine Saturday July 2 2022 Ukrainian soldiers returning from the frontlines in eastern UkraineÄôs Donbas region describe life during what has turned into a grueling war of attrition as apocalyptic Mariia 41 said that frontline conditions may vary depending on where a unit is positioned and how well supplied they are PTI Kiev July 4 Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from their positions in Lysychansk after the key eastern city in the separatist Luhansk region fell to the Russians the military in Kiev confirmed In a social media post late Sunday night the General Staff said After heavy fighting for Lysychansk the armed forces of Ukraine have been forced to withdraw from their occupied positions and lines Given the overwhelming advantage of the Russian occupying forces in terms of artillery aircraft multiple rocket launchers ammunition and personnel continuing the defence of the city would have led to fatal consequences In order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders the decision was taken to withdraw Lysychansks fall came a week after its twin city Severodonetsk was captured by the Russian forces on June 25 Capture of the two cities means Russia now controls nearly all of Luhansk region and much of neighbouring Donetsk the two Russianbacked separatist regions that form the industrial Donbas Lysychansk and Severodonetsk were the last remaining Ukrainian positions in Luhansk In his video address to the nation President Volodymyr Zelenksy on Sunday night insisted that Ukrainian forces will return to Lysychansk thanks to our tactics thanks to the increased supply of modern weapons Ukrayinska Pravda reported He added that Ukraine is surrendering nothing Regarding Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigus statement earlier in the day that his forces had captured Lysychansk and taken full control of Luhansk region Zelenksy said When Moscow officials report on the situation in Luhansk Oblast let them remember the reports and promises they made before February 24 during the first days of the invasion in the spring and now Let them make a realistic assessment of what they have achieved during this time and the price they paid for it Because their current reports will be reduced to dust just as their past ones were The President further noted that Ukrainian forces continue to gradually advance in Kharkiv Kherson and the Black Sea IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-confirms-fall-of-lysychansk-city-to-russia-343019.html Mon, 04 Jul 2022 12:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-claims-control-on-lysychansk-ukraine-denies-342833.html MoscowFILE Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Moscow Russia Wednesday June 22 2022 marking the 81st anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that Russias troops together with members of a local separatist militia have established full control over the city of Lysychansk a ministry statement said Sunday July 3 2022 PTI MoscowKiev July 3 Russia on Sunday said that its troops along with separatist forces have taken full control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk a claim that has been refuted by the Ukrainian side Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin on the liberation of the Lugansk Luhansk Peoples Republic LPR the Russian Defence Ministry announced on Sunday On July 3 2022 the Russian Minister of Defense General of the Army Sergey Shoigu reported to the Supreme CommanderinChief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin on the liberation of the Lugansk Peoples Republic the ministry was quoted as saying by Russias Tass news agency Ukrainian Defence Ministry spokesman Yuriy Sak has said that the city of Lysychansk is not under the full control of Russian forces the BBC reported However the spokesman added that the situation in the city had been very intense for quite a while now with Russian ground forces attacking the city nonstop Earlier on Sunday the Russian Defence Ministry had said that its troops have captured the villages surrounding Lysychansk and are now fighting Ukrainian troops inside the city Russian troops and units of the Luhansk Peoples Republic are fighting inside Lysychansk completely defeating the encircled enemy IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-claims-control-on-lysychansk-ukraine-denies-342833.html Sun, 03 Jul 2022 18:09:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-begins-exporting-electricity-to-europe-342388.html Kiev July 1 Ukraine has began exporting electricity to Europe Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said The longawaited export of Ukrainian electricity to Europe has begun Shmyhal wrote on Telegram on Thursday He added that the first flow of Ukraines electricity went to Romania at an initial capacity of 100 megawatts Xinhua news agency reported In the future Ukraine aims to increase the capacity of electricity flow to Europe to 25 gigawatts he said According to Shmyhal Ukraine has the potential to earn more than 70 billion hryvnyas about 24 billion per year from electricity exports to European countries In March Ukraines electricity grid was synchronised with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-begins-exporting-electricity-to-europe-342388.html Sat, 02 Jul 2022 01:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-to-announce-news-on-eu-membership-negotiations-342411.html Kiev July 1 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will announce news regarding his countrys European Union EU membership negotiations on Friday In a video address to the nation late Thursday the President said Our priority which will also be a task that all representatives of our country will have to complete as quickly as possible is to prepare for the beginning of the negotiations on our EU membership Government officials deputies and diplomats need to work on this 24 hours a day seven days a week Tomorrow there will be news on this issue Ukraines European integration cannot be stopped At a summit in Brussels on June 23 EU leaders approved the decision to grant Ukraine and Moldova candidate status to join the 27member bloc Ukrayinska Pravda reported The following day Zelensky urged people to focus for now on the fact that Ukraine has been granted EU candidate status rather than on how much still needs to be done in order to join IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-to-announce-news-on-eu-membership-negotiations-342411.html Sat, 02 Jul 2022 04:32:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-russia-carry-out-largest-prisoner-exchange-since-war-began-342038.html Kiev June 30 Ukraine and Russia carried out their largest prisoner exchange since the beginning of the ongoing war on February 24 the Main Intelligence Directorate of Kievs Defence Ministry said in a statement The agency said 144 Ukrainians aged 19 and 65 years returned home as a result of the exchange on Wednesday reports Xinhua news agency According to the statement under the swap Russia released 59 soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine including 43 from the Azov regiment which fought for Mariupols Azovstal steel plant Most of the released Ukrainians have severe injuries it said Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange on March 24 The agency noted that most of the released Ukrainians have serious injuries gunshot and shrapnel wounds explosivesrelated injuries burns fractures and amputated limbs All of them are receiving proper emergency medical and psychological care it added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-russia-carry-out-largest-prisoner-exchange-since-war-began-342038.html Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:40:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-summons-norwegian-charge-daffaires-over-transit-ban-issue-341948.html Moscow June 30 The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Norwegian Charge dAffaires Solveig Rossebo over Norways decision to block the delivery of goods to Spitsbergen the Ministry said in a statement Rossebo was informed about the unacceptable situation around the delivery of cargos to Spitsbergen blocked by the Norwegian side that were designated for the operations of the Arktikugol federal state unitary enterprise on the archipelago the Foreign Ministry added on Wednesday as quoted by Xinhua news agency report As a result of the Norwegian restrictions imposed against Russian transport on the RussianNorwegian border in April vital goods such as food and medical equipment which are necessary for the normal functioning of the enterprise and Russias Consulate General on Spitsbergen are being blocked according to the Ministry Russia demanded that Norway resolve the issue as soon as possible pointing out that such hostile actions would inevitably lead to appropriate retaliatory measures IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-summons-norwegian-charge-daffaires-over-transit-ban-issue-341948.html Thu, 30 Jun 2022 10:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-prez-urges-more-defence-financial-aid-at-nato-summit-341977.html Kiev June 30 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed a NATO summit through a video link urging more defence and financial assistance for Ukraine the presidential press service reported In his speech Zelensky on Wednesday said that Ukraine needs modern missile and air defence systems to protect its cities and artillery to stand against Russia on the battlefields Xinhua news agency reported Financial support for Ukraine is no less important than aid with weapons he said adding that his country needs nearly 5 billion per month for defence and protection The Ukrainian leader also called on the NATO member states to continue sanctions against Russia and provide Ukraine with security guarantees We need security guarantees and you have to find a place for Ukraine in the common security space Zelensky stressed The threeday NATO summit kicked off in Madrid of Spain on June 28 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-prez-urges-more-defence-financial-aid-at-nato-summit-341977.html Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:40:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/nato-to-put-300-000-troops-on-high-alert-in-response-to-russia-threat-341668.html Madrid June 28 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this weeks Madrid summit will agree the alliances most significant transformation for a generation putting 300000 troops at high readiness in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine Stoltenberg said the military alliances forces in the Baltic states and five other frontline countries would be increased up to brigade levels doubled or trebled to between 3000 and 5000 troops the Guardian reported That would amount to the biggest overhaul of our collective defence and deterrence since the cold war he said before the meeting of the 30country alliance which runs from Tuesday to Thursday this week The rapidreaction Nato Response Force currently numbers up to 40000 and the proposed change amounts to a broad revision in response to Russian militarisation Under the plans Nato will also move stocks of munitions and other supplies farther east a transition due to be completed in 2023 the Guardian reported The Secretary General conceded he could not make any promises about the progress of applications by Sweden and Finland to join Nato because objections raised by Turkey to their membership remained unresolved Stoltenberg said Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed to meet Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finlands president Sauli Niinisto on Tuesday in Madrid to try to resolve the issue But he played down hopes of a breakthrough at the meeting on the margins of the nato event Its too early to say what kind of progress you can make by the summit he told a press conference IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/nato-to-put-300-000-troops-on-high-alert-in-response-to-russia-threat-341668.html Wed, 29 Jun 2022 10:47:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-moldovan-presidents-discuss-eu-integration-341554.html Kiev June 28 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his visiting Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu discussed bilateral cooperation and the two countries integration into the European Union EU At a news conference after the talks on Monday Zelensky said that Ukraine and Moldova have all opportunities to deepen their partnership in the humanitarian sphere economy politics and crossborder cooperation reports Xinhua news agency The two sides also discussed the partnership in the transport sector in particular Ukraines assistance in the reconstruction of the Moldovan railway as well as strengthening energy cooperation Zelensky also urged Sandu to deepen security cooperation between Ukraine and Moldova For her part Sandu said that obtaining the status of candidates for EU membership is a historic event for Ukraine and Moldova She added that her country is ready to assist Ukraine in the postconflict reconstruction and in transiting goods Sandu arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for her first visit to Ukraine since the start of the war Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after the conflict began and was granted along with Moldova the status of candidate for EU membership last week IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-moldovan-presidents-discuss-eu-integration-341554.html Tue, 28 Jun 2022 22:09:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-has-less-than-2-years-to-live-as-he-suffers-from-multiple-grave-illnesses-ukrainian-intelligence-chief-341361.html Kiev June 28 Vladimir Putin has less than two years to live as he suffers from multiple grave illnesses according to the head of the Ukrainian intelligence service multiple media outlets reported Major General Kyrylo Budanov said Kiev spies who infiltrated the Kremlin made the claims based on human intelligence Daily Mail reported Putin doesnt have a long life ahead of him Budanov was quoted as saying by USA Today reported Putins health has been subject to fierce rumour for months escalating after he was pictured gripping a table during a meeting with defence minister Sergei Shoigu Earlier this month the 69yearold Presidents legs appeared to buckle during a speech in Moscow adding to the growing rumours of the Russian leaders health woes Putin was attending an awards ceremony at the Kremlin when he looked unsteady on his feet Daily Mail reported He swayed back and forth before his speech as Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov accepted a prize It came just days after a Kremlin insider claimed Putin had been advised by doctors not to make any lengthy public appearances having fallen ill amid recent discussions with his military chiefs The Russian President felt a sharp sickness weakness and dizziness while getting up from his desk following a recent video conference with advisers and military leaders Telegram channel General SVR reported Putins poor posture and seemingly bloated face and neck sparked speculation about the leaders health which is said to have ailed since the invasion of Ukraine The Kremlin leader was said in April to be in need of an urgent cancer operation Putin also reportedly suffers from Parkinsons and schizophrenic symptoms according to a selfstyled Kremlin insider IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-has-less-than-2-years-to-live-as-he-suffers-from-multiple-grave-illnesses-ukrainian-intelligence-chief-341361.html Tue, 28 Jun 2022 04:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/missile-strike-on-ukrainian-shopping-mall-a-terror-act-zelensky-341400.html Kiev June 28 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy called the missile strike on a shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk that killed 16 people as one of the most brazen terrorist acts in European history According to the President there were some 1000 civilians inside the busy Amstor mall which was hit by two missiles at about 350 pm on Monday the BBC reported The strikes completely destroyed the shopping mall Blaming Russia for te strike Zelensky said the mall had no strategic value to Moscow and posed no danger to its forces only the attempt of people to live a normal life which so angers the occupiers Only totally insane terrorists who should have no place on earth can strike missiles at such an object Russia continues to place its powerlessness on ordinary citizens he added In a statement the Office of the Prosecutor General said that 59 people were also injured in the attack while 40 others remain missing The Office noted that almost half of the injured were in critical condition Ukrayinska Pravda reported According to Oleksii Danilov Secretary of the Security and Defence Council a city stadium was also hit on Monday but did not prove any further details Dmytro Lunin the acting Governor of Poltava Oblast where Kremenchuk is located said the attack was a crime against humanity adding that an obvious and cynical act of terror against the civilian population The missile strike took place as the leaders of Canada France Germany Italy Japan the US and UK gathered in Germany for the G7 Summit to discuss among other things toughening sanctions against Russia the BBC reported In a joint statement the G7 leaders called the strikes abominable and said that indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime They vowed to continue to provide financial humanitarian as well as military support for Ukraine for as long as it takes This is not the first time Kremenchuk one of Ukraines largest an industrial cities with a population of nearly 220000 people has been hit by missiles says the BBC There was one strike recorded in April and another at a nearby oil refinery earlier this month IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/missile-strike-on-ukrainian-shopping-mall-a-terror-act-zelensky-341400.html Tue, 28 Jun 2022 10:48:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-expels-8-greek-diplomats-in-tit-for-tat-move-341404.html Moscow June 28 In a retaliatory move Russia has declared eight Greek diplomats personae non gratae ordering them to leave the country within eight days the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Greek Ambassador to Moscow Ekaterini Nassika was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in protest over the expulsion of Russian diplomats in Athens and Greeces supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued on Monday as saying The measures were taken as a direct response to the hostile actions of the Greek authorities and Moscow will reserve the right to respond if Athens continues to take such an antiRussian course it added Greece however expressed deep regret over Russias move We express our deep regret for the decision of the Russian authorities to declare eight members of the Greek Embassy in Moscow as well as the Consulate General in Moscow as personae non grata said a Greek Foreign Ministry statement There is no basis for the decision of the Russian authorities to expel members of the staff of the Greek diplomatic and consular authorities in Russia it added The Greek Embassy in Moscow and consular authorities in Russia will continue to make every effort with all means at their disposal in order to continue to carry out their mission under particularly adverse conditions the Ministry added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-expels-8-greek-diplomats-in-tit-for-tat-move-341404.html Tue, 28 Jun 2022 11:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/g7-vows-to-back-ukraine-for-as-long-as-it-takes-341456.html Krun Germany June 28 The G7 leaders who have gathered in Germany for their ongoing Summit promised to continue providing Ukraine with financial humanitarian military and diplomatic support and stand with the wartorn nation for as long as it takes in the face of Russias continued invasion of Kiev In a joint statement issued on Monday the leaders said that the G7 is steadfast in our solidarity with Ukraine and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to support the government and people of Ukraine in their courageous defence of their countrys sovereignty and territorial integrity and in their fight for a peaceful prosperous and democratic future The G7 leaders from Canada France Germany Italy Japan the UK and the US who have been joined in Krun Germany by two representatives from the European Union EU also welcomed the European Councils decision last week to grant the status of candidate country to Ukraine While condemning Russias brutal unprovoked unjustifiable and illegal war against Ukraine the leaders said that they will not recognise Russias continued attempts to redraw borders by force This devastating war has produced dramatic consequences far beyond Europe It constitutes a blatant violation of international law in particular a grave breach of the UN Charter The G7 reiterated its demand for Russia to put an end to this war of choice and immediately unconditionally cease all hostilities and withdraw its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders The leaders also condemed Russias unjustified use of nuclear rhetoric and signaling and said that Moscow must abide by its international commitments including those which ban the use of chemical biological or nuclear weapons They also expressed serious concern over Russian President Vladimir Putins announcement on June 25 that Moscow will supply IskanderM nuclear capable missiles to Belarus in the coming months In their joint statement the G7 leaders said they remain committed to sustaining and intensifying sanctions against President Putins government and enablers in neighbouring Belarus There will be sanctions on gold and oil exports and also targeted sanctions on those responsible for war crimes The G7 also demanded that the Kremlin allow food to leave Ukraines ports and blamed Moscow for rising threats to global food insecurity as a result of the conflict We urgently call on Russia to cease without condition its attacks on agricultural and transport infrastructure and enable free passage of agricultural shipping from Ukrainian ports said the G7 statement Earlier in the day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky virtually addressed the leaders and appealed for more heavy weapons from the Western allies He also hoped the war would be over by the end of the year before winter sets in and urged the allies to keep the pressure on Russia with more sanctions IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/g7-vows-to-back-ukraine-for-as-long-as-it-takes-341456.html Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:44:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/339-kids-killed-in-ukraine-since-war-began-341136.html Kiev June 26 Since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Kiev on February 24 at least 339 children have been killed in Ukraine so far the Prosecutors General Office said In a statement on Saturday the Office said According to official information from juvenile prosecutors 339 children have died 611 have been injured These numbers are not final as work is underway to establish them in places of active hostilities and in the temporarily occupied and liberated territories According to the Prosecutors General Office majority of the children were injured in Donetsk 335 followed by Kharkiv 179 Kyiv 116 Chernihiv 68 Luhansk 55 Kherson 52 Mykolaiv 48 Zaporizhzhia 31 and Sumy 17 It also said that bombing and shelling by the Russian armed forces has so far damaged 2061 educational institutions 213 of which have been completely destroyed IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/339-kids-killed-in-ukraine-since-war-began-341136.html Mon, 27 Jun 2022 02:37:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-on-the-brink-of-its-first-debt-default-since-1998-341172.html Moscow June 26 Russia is on the brink of its first debt default since 1998 as the Sunday deadline to make a 100 million interest payment seems certain to be missed the media reported Russia has the money and is willing to pay but sanctions make it impossible to get the payments to international creditors reports the BBC The Kremlin has been determined to avoid a first default since 1998 and a major blow to the nations prestige Russia has seemed on an inevitable path to default since sanctions were first imposed by the US and EU following the invasion of Ukraine These restricted the countrys access to the international banking networks which would process payments from Russia to investors around the world The Russian government has said it wants to make all of its payments on time and so far it has succeeded About 40 billion of Russias debts are denominated in dollars or euros with around half held outside the country A default would be the first since 1998 at the chaotic end of Boris Yeltsins regime the BBC reported The 100 million interest payment was due on May 27 Russia says the money was sent to Euroclear a bank which would then distribute the payment to investors But that payment has been stuck there according to Bloomberg News and creditors have not received it Euroclear wouldnt say if the payment had been blocked but said it adheres to all sanctions IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-on-the-brink-of-its-first-debt-default-since-1998-341172.html Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-supply-iskander-m-nuke-capable-missiles-to-belarus-putin-341099.html Moscow June 26 Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko that Moscow will supply IskanderM nuclear capable missiles to Minsk in the coming months As you and I have agreed upon you were asking about this we made a decision In the coming months we will supply Belarus with IskanderM tactical missile systems which as it is known can use both ballistic and cruise missiles both in the standard and nuclear modifications TASS News Agency quoted Putin as saying to Lukashenko on Saturday during a televised meeting in St Petersburg He also proposed to instruct Russian and Belarusian Defence Ministers and Chiefs of Staff to work through all the details related to this issue Its a deal Putin said to which the Belarusian leader replied I agree absolutely The systems have a range of up to 500 km Putin also offered Lukashenko to upgrade at Russian aircraft factories SU25 aircraft that are in service with the Belarusian army and to begin training flight crews Iskander missiles have already been deployed in Kaliningrad a small Russian Baltic exclave between NATO members Lithuania and Poland the BBC reported During the meeting the two Presidents also discussed Lithuanias decision to prevent some goods being transported to and from Kaliningrad a move that has angered Moscow the BBC reported Lukashenko said Lithuanias move was a sort of declaration of war and termed it unacceptable As the two Presidents held their meeting Russian forces fired up to 50 missiles at targets across Ukraine on Saturday night reports Ukrayinska Pravda Most of these missiles were fired by Russian aircraft from Belarus Russian planes entered Belarusian airspace approached the border with Ukraine and conducted airstrikes Ukraines Chief Intelligence Directorate believes that the Kremlin wants to use the missile strikes to draw Belarus into the war IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-supply-iskander-m-nuke-capable-missiles-to-belarus-putin-341099.html Sun, 26 Jun 2022 20:51:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/guterres-urges-reintegrating-food-fertiliser-from-ukraine-russia-into-world-markets-340917.html United Nations June 25 UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres HAS stressed the importance of reintegrating the food and fertilizer products from Ukraine and Russia into world markets In a video message for a Berlin ministerial conference on global food security Guterres warned that multiple famines could be declared in 2022 and that 2023 could be even worse reports Xinhua news agency The main costs to farmers are fertilizers and energy Fertilizer prices have risen by more than half in the past year and energy prices by more than twothirds All harvests will be hit including rice and corn affecting billions of people across Asia Africa and the Americas he said This years food access issues could become next years global food shortage No country will be immune to the social and economic repercussions of such a catastrophe The current crisis goes beyond food and requires a coordinated multilateral approach with multidimensional solutions he said There can be no effective solution to the global food crisis without reintegrating Ukraines food production as well as the food and fertilizers produced by Russia into world markets despite the ongoing war in Ukraine he said Guterres said he has been in intense contact with Ukraine Russia Turkey the US the European Union and others on this issue UN Conference on Trade and Development SecretaryGeneral Rebeca Grynspan and UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths are continuing the talks aiming to achieve a package deal that will enable Ukraine to export food not only by land but through the Black Sea and will bring Russian food and fertilizer to world markets without restrictions he said Solving the food crisis requires solving the financial crisis in the developing world said Guterres Hundreds of millions of people on the poverty line have been crushed by this crisis Developed countries and international financial institutions need to make resources available to help governments support and invest in their people he said Developing countries that face debt default must have access to effective debt relief to keep their economies afloat and their people thriving Financial institutions must find the flexibility and understanding to get resources where they are needed most he said We need strong political and privatesector leadership for a coordinated multilateral response We cannot accept mass hunger and starvation in the 21st century said Guterres IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/guterres-urges-reintegrating-food-fertiliser-from-ukraine-russia-into-world-markets-340917.html Sun, 26 Jun 2022 08:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-expects-parliament-to-adopt-european-integration-bills-as-priority-340753.html Kiev June 25 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects the Verkhovna Rada or parliament to adopt European integration bills as a priority The Presidents remark came a day after the European Unions EU decisded to grant the candidate status to Ukraine for the nations accession to the 27member bloc In his regular video message to the nation he said on Friday We have a lot of work ahead Our key to success is the cohesion of all branches of government and society Despite the war we continue to implement EU legislation norms and rules in all spheres of our life The government will develop a roadmap We know our next steps We have the European Commission recommendations We expect the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to adopt European integration bills as a priority From all of you high civic consciousness devotion to our values and awareness that no one will build us a European Ukraine except us Earlier in the day Deputy Prime Minister for European and EuroAtlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna said the Verkhovna Rada was getting ready to vote for more than 30 bills within the framework of Kievs European integration by the end of the year reports Ukrayinska Pravda She also said that Ukraine expects to implement the European Commission recommendations on granting EU candidate status by the end of the year During a twoday summit in Brussels the European Council on Thursday accepted Ukraine as a candidate for membership of the bloc Just four days after Russia launched its invasion of Kiev on February 24 Zelensky had signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-expects-parliament-to-adopt-european-integration-bills-as-priority-340753.html Sat, 25 Jun 2022 14:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/lavrov-compares-eu-nato-to-hitler-340800.html Baku June 25 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the European Union EU and NATO were building a coalition to engage in a war with Moscow and compared them to Hitler during World War II When World War II broke out Hitler united a significant number if not most of the European countries under his banner for a war against the Soviet Union TASS News Agency quoted Lavrov as saying at a press conference following talks with Azerbaijani top diplomat Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku on Friday Today the EU and NATO are acting in a similar way building a modern coalition of the same kind for a fight and pretty much a war against Russia he added Regarding the EU candidate status for Ukraine the Minister said that Russia does not see any risks to its interests The EU is not a political bloc like the NATO The development of its relations with any willing countries does not create threats or risks for us Lavrov further said that his country is under no illusion that the EU will change its attitude to Russia or abandon Russophobic policies The EU keeps making it clear that it does not intend toimplement the existing economic humanitarian and internal security agreements between Russia and EU nations It doesnt want to carry out the tasks that were outlined based on the lofty goals of creating a common space from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean All this has been left behind becoming a thing of the past IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/lavrov-compares-eu-nato-to-hitler-340800.html Sat, 25 Jun 2022 17:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-based-publishing-houses-ceo-journalist-killed-in-action-340390.html Kiev June 22 Chief Executive Officer of Ukrainebased BlitzInform Publishing House Volodymyr Chepovyi has been killed in action when defending Ukraine against Russian forces The statement was made on Telegram by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine referring to spokesperson of the Deputy Head of Kiev City State Administration Liudmyla Shykota a Ukrinform news agency reported Today it has been confirmed that BlitzInform Publishing House CEO Business publication EditorinChief Business 100 project initiator Volodymyr Chepovyi was killed in action Enthusiastic cheerful active Shykota wrote Chepovyis death was also confirmed by political expert Vitalii Kulyk Volodymyr Chepovyi went to war as a volunteer fighter of the Territorial Defense Forces and was killed in the early weeks of June His body was identified just yesterday Kulyk noted Volodymyr Chepovyi became the 34th media professional to have been killed since the RussiaUkraine war started IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-based-publishing-houses-ceo-journalist-killed-in-action-340390.html Fri, 24 Jun 2022 00:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/indonesian-prez-to-visit-russia-ukraine-340439.html Jakarta June 22 Indonesian President Joko Widodo will visit Moscow and Kiev by the end of June and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky respectively Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a press briefing on Wednesday Retno said that during the visits Widodo will discuss the food crisis caused by the RussiaUkraine conflict Xinhua news agency reported The special visits would show that Indonesia as the host country of Group of 20 G20 Summit in November was actively responding to the ongoing geopolitical issue Indonesia has fully expected that Russia one of G20 members will attend the summit while Ukraine was also invited for the meeting as a guest country We fully understand that the situation now is very complicated and all of the countries in the world know that Thus through the visits the president wants to contribute to overcoming the food crisis that has been caused by the war and has impacted the poor countries The President wants to push for the spirit of peace Retno said She pointed out that President Widodo would be the first president from the Southeast Asia region to visit both countries since the conflict broke out in February The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been going on since then which has been widely reported to trigger a rise in global food and energy prices Before travelling to Moscow and Kiev Widodo will first attend the G7 Summit in Germany IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/indonesian-prez-to-visit-russia-ukraine-340439.html Fri, 24 Jun 2022 08:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/europe-told-to-prepare-immediately-for-russia-to-turn-off-all-gas-exports-340442.html London June 22 Europe needs to prepare immediately for Russia to turn off all gas exports to the region this winter according to the head of the International Energy Agency who has called on governments to work on reducing demand and keeping nuclear power plants open Fatih Birol said that the reductions in supplies in recent weeks the Kremlin has attributed to maintenance work could in fact be the beginning of wider cuts designed to prevent the filling of storage facilities in preparation for winter as Russia seeks to gain leverage over the region The Guardian reported Europe should be ready in case Russian gas is completely cut off he said in an interview with the Financial Times The nearer we are coming to winter the more we understand Russias intentions I believe the cuts are geared towards avoiding Europe filling storage and increasing Russias leverage in the winter months EU countries are racing to refill storage sites with Germany hoping to reach 90 per cent of capacity by November Its stores are only half full The Guardian reported Member states have also been working to reduce their reliance on Russian fossil fuels by sourcing gas from other countries including the US and by speeding up the switch to renewable energy although officials have conceded that the race to phase out Russian oil and gas would mean burning more coal and keeping nuclear plants going Birol said emergency measures taken by European governments to reduce energy demand had probably not gone far enough and urged countries to work on preserving energy supplies I believe there will be more and deeper demand measures as winter approaches Birol said He added that gas supplies may need to be rationed if Russia were to further reduce gas exports Moscow has reduced or even cut off gas deliveries to several EU countries in recent weeks in response to their decision to impose sanctions on the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine Russian gas supplies to Europe received through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline which runs under the Baltic Sea to Germany have been falling The Guardian reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/europe-told-to-prepare-immediately-for-russia-to-turn-off-all-gas-exports-340442.html Fri, 24 Jun 2022 09:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-voices-concern-about-lithuania-russia-tension-over-kaliningrad-340143.html United Nations June 22 UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres has expressed grave concern about the current tension between Lithuania and Russia over Kaliningrad said his spokesman We are obviously following these developments very closely in and around Kaliningrad including the warnings we have seen of possible escalation which are very concerning said Stephane Dujarric the UN spokesman on Tuesday Its very important for us that all sides deal with their concerns through effective dialogue with appropriate diplomatic channels in accordance with international law and to refrain from any statement or from any action that could aggravate the tense situation he added Lithuania announced last week that it would ban the rail transit of goods subject to EU sanctions through its territory to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad Xinhua news agency reported The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned the Lithuanian charge daffaires and demanded the restrictions be immediately lifted calling them provocative and openly hostile The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Head of the European Union Delegation to Russia and demanded the restrictions be lifted immediately saying retaliation would follow if cargo transit was not restored IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-voices-concern-about-lithuania-russia-tension-over-kaliningrad-340143.html Thu, 23 Jun 2022 03:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-calls-for-speedy-approval-of-next-package-of-eu-sanctions-against-russia-340163.html Kiev June 22 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the seventh package of EU sanctions against Russia must be approved as soon as possible In all negotiations with foreign partners I constantly emphasize that the seventh package of EU sanctions is needed as soon as possible Russia must feel the growing pressure for the war and its aggressive antiEuropean policy Zelensky was quoted as saying Ukrinform news agency According to the Ukranian President new Russian threats to Lithuania the next wave of energy pressure and the next portion of lies from Russian officials about the food crisis are arguments behind the need to approve the seventh package of sanctions The European Union is considering imposing sanctions on Russian gold as part of the next package of restrictive measures against Moscow for its aggression against Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-calls-for-speedy-approval-of-next-package-of-eu-sanctions-against-russia-340163.html Thu, 23 Jun 2022 07:05:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/amount-of-financial-aid-to-ukraine-since-invasion-stands-at-30bn-340171.html Kiev June 22 The total amount of assistance declared and provided to Ukraine since the invasion launched by Russsia by international partners is 30 billion according to the June 2022 financial stability report by the National Bank of Ukraine Ukraines partners also provide significant amounts of financial support directly to finance budget expenditures The volume of loans from the IMF the EU the EIB the World Bank and foreign governments since the outbreak of the war as of midJune exceeded 7 billion In total about 30 billion in financial assistance has been provided and announced the statement reads It is noted that up to a third of the funds provided are nonrepayable grants the rest are lowinterest loans and credit guarantees This money is the main source of covering the state budget deficit which arose against the background of Russian military aggression Ukrinform news agency reported The National Bank clarified that the financing of defence and social spending as well as economic support will continue to be critically dependent on international aid and its timely receipt In particular 5 billion a month is needed to cover the budget deficit Canadian Deputy Prime Minister for Finance Christia Freeland and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen have earlier reaffirmed their determination to continue supporting Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/amount-of-financial-aid-to-ukraine-since-invasion-stands-at-30bn-340171.html Thu, 23 Jun 2022 08:34:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-fm-in-iran-to-discuss-nuclear-talks-bilateral-ties-340203.html In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency President Ebrahim Raisi right greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the start of their meeting at the presidency office in Tehran Iran Wednesday June 22 2022 PTI Tehran June 23 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Tehran to discuss with the Iranian side bilateral cooperation and ways to solve the impasse on the Iran nuclear talks state IRIB TV reported The Russian Foreign Minister arrived in Tehran on Wednesday Xinhua news agency reported The IRIB reported that Lavrov who is on his twoday trip to Iran at the invitation of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein AmirAbdollahian held a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shortly after his arrival Having not revealed any details of the meeting between Raisi and the Russian diplomat the staterun television said the Russian Foreign Minister is expected to meet Irans senior officials to discuss the negotiation that aims to restore a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers The two sides would also discuss situations in Ukraine Syria and Afghanistan as well as ways to boost bilateral ties in trade and energy it added Both Iran and Russia are subject to strict US sanctions which have restricted their ability to transport their energy to international markets Iran signed the nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA with the world powers in July 2015 accepting to put some curbs on its nuclear programme in return for the removal of the sanctions on Tehran However former President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed Washingtons unilateral sanctions on Tehran prompting Iran to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the agreement in retaliation Since April 2021 several rounds of talks have been held in the Austrian capital between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties to revive the deal Iran insists on obtaining guarantees that the succeeding US governments would not drop the deal again and calls for lifting the sanctions in a verifiable manner After witnessing good progress signaling that an agreement was only a few days away the diplomatic process has however faced a pause since March raising concerns over the fate of the negotiation IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-fm-in-iran-to-discuss-nuclear-talks-bilateral-ties-340203.html Thu, 23 Jun 2022 11:34:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russias-blockade-of-ukrainian-grain-is-real-war-crime-eus-foreign-policy-chief-339901.html Luxembourg June 20 European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called the Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain exports a real war crime adding that the blocs sanctions on Russia have played no part in the global food crisis CNN reported Speaking to journalists on his way to a EU Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday the EUs High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said that its not the European sanctions that are creating this crisis Russias war in Ukraine could push up to 49 million people into famine or faminelike conditions because of its devastating impact on global food supply and prices the United Nations has said Countries are scrambling to find a way around the blockade and the US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin absolutely has weaponized food by blockading grain exports out of Ukraine CNN reported Borrells remarks came after Putin said that Russias actions in Ukraine are not responsible for the global food crisis and accused the United States of driving up food prices in his speech to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday Famine in the poorest countries will be on the conscience of the US administration and the Eurocrats he said Borrell countered these claims on Monday saying that the the problem comes from the Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain Countries who want to buy Russian fertilizers are free to do so Borrell said reiterating that the blocs sanctions do not target food or fertilizers He added that he didnt see the food crisis lasting much longer expressing his hope that the UN reaches an agreement with Russia soon to unblock Ukrainian grain exports CNN reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russias-blockade-of-ukrainian-grain-is-real-war-crime-eus-foreign-policy-chief-339901.html Wed, 22 Jun 2022 10:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-demands-lithuania-lift-ban-on-transit-of-goods-to-kaliningrad-region-339939.html Moscow June 20 Lithuanias decision to block the transit of sanctioned goods to Russias exclave of Kaliningrad is unparalleled Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Monday Speaking to the media Peskov described Lithuanias move as truly unprecedented and a violation of anything and everything He said Moscow understands that Lithuanias decision is connected to EUs move to also impose sanctions on goods in transit However according to Peskov Russia sees this extension of the punitive measures as illegal RT reported The situation is more than serious and calls for deep analysis before any measures and decisions are formulated Peskov noted He added that this deep analysis would be conducted in the coming days When asked if Lithuanias actions were a blockade of the Russian exclave Peskov replied by saying this is an element of a blockade of course Meanwhile Russias Foreign Ministry has issued a statement demanding that Lithuania immediately lift the ban imposed on the transit of certain goods to Kaliningrad Region RT reported On Saturday Lithuanian authorities announced that goods subject to EU sanctions would no longer be allowed to pass through its territory to enter the Kaliningrad region Among the goods are coal metals construction materials and advanced technology The regions governor Anton Alikhanov said the ban means that as much as 50 per cent of all the goods destined for the Kaliningrad region would be affected Lithuanias state railway service LTG Cargo confirmed the same day that according to clarifications from the European Commission even if sanctioned goods and cargoes travel from one part of Russia to another but through the territory of the EU their transit should still be prohibited RT reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-demands-lithuania-lift-ban-on-transit-of-goods-to-kaliningrad-region-339939.html Wed, 22 Jun 2022 13:25:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-warns-against-greater-russian-hostility-amid-eu-bid-339733.html Kiev June 20 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of greater hostile activity by Russia in the coming days as Kiev awaits news on its bid to join the European Union EU the media reported on Monday In his nightly video address to the nation the President said on Sunday Tomorrow a historic week begins One of the most important since 1991 A week when we will hear the answer from the European Union on the candidate status for Ukraine And in such a week we should expect greater hostile activity from Russia Purposefully demonstratively And not only against Ukraine but also against Europe We are preparing We warn partners And we are grateful to everyone whose strength today means our victory tomorrow Just four days after Russia launched its invasion of Kiev on February 24 Zelensky had signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure And on June 11 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will finalise the assessment on granting Ukraine EU candidate status by the end of that week Von der Leyen gave the EU membership questionnaire to the Ukrainian President during her visit to Kiev in April The first part of the document was submitted to the EU on April 18 while the second was delivered on May 9 However observers say even with candidate status it may take years if not decades for Ukraine to obtain EU membership Zelenskys warning comes amid an ongoing Russian assault in the east of Ukraine the BBC reported Moscows forces in the region have been attempting to take complete control of the Donbas parts of which were already held by proRussian separatists prior to the invasion IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-warns-against-greater-russian-hostility-amid-eu-bid-339733.html Tue, 21 Jun 2022 16:41:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-costs-modi-his-us-diaspora-support-339642.html President Joe Biden and fist lady Jill Biden left walk with their granddaughter Naomi Biden second from right and her fiancà Peter Neal right and Neals dog Charlie across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington Monday June 20 2022 as they return from a weekend at the Bidens beach home in Delaware PTI By Yashwant Raj Washington June 21 Indian Americans have been a strong and critical pillar of Indias strategic relationship with the US But the Modi governments current stand on the Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed them furthest than they have ever been from New Delhi A bipartisan group of Indian Americans will loudly declare their estrangement from the Modi government on this issue at an event on Capitol Hill home to the US Legislature The idea is for the event billed as Indian Americans Against Genocide in Ukraine to demonstrate that the diaspora is just as horrified and appalled by the invasion of Ukraine as the rest of the US and not just the government and lawmakers but most lay Americans barring some rightwing commentators such as Tucker Carlson The event which was first reported by IANS in May is taking place on Wednesday and many lawmakers from both parties are expected to speak including the four Indian American members of the House of Representatives all of whom have been stridently critical of the Russian invasion and Indias refusal to condemn it Raja Krishnamurthis picture figures on a flyer distributed by the organisers along with President Joe Bidens The American President is not attending of course But his picture is supposed to signal that the event is in the knowledge of the White House according to the organisers and dispel any misgivings that may have been felt there about Indian Americans who are often seen as cheerleaders for New Delhi Indian Americans have indeed aligned themselves closely with policies of the government in New Delhi in the past and have been activists on their behalf They were an integral part of the Vajpayee governments efforts to blunt the impact of the sanctions imposed by the Clinton administration for the Pokhran II nuclear tests in 1998 and played an outsize role in the ratification by the US Congress of the IndiaUS civil nuclear deal which ended Indias nuclear pariah status globally and most importantly ushered a new warmth in the bilateral relationship that continues to this day endorsed and bolstered by successive governments Democrats and Republicans The June 22 event is jointly hosted by unequivocally Democratic USIndia Security Council Inc and Republicanleaning Hindu American Coalition They are on the opposite sides of the aisle in US politics but are joined at the hip in their support for the Modi government And that is the most notable aspect of this event Prime Minister Narendra Modi has enjoyed unparalleled popularity thus far among Indian Americans many of whom have either travelled to India to help his campaign or worked the phones from here to canvas voters in India But his personal equity unfortunately may be insufficient to offset the blowback in America to his Ukraine policy Yashwant Raj can be reached at yashwantgmailcom IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-costs-modi-his-us-diaspora-support-339642.html Tue, 21 Jun 2022 12:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/39-ships-from-14-countries-blocked-in-odesa-339294.html Kiev June 19 A top Ukrainian official confirmed that 39 civilian ships sailing under the flags of 14 countries are currently blocked in the ports of Odesa as a result of the ongoing war The news was confirmed by Maksym Marchenko head of the Odesa Oblast Military Administration during a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the southern port city on Saturday reports Ukrayinska Pravda During the meeting discussions also took place on ways to organise a corridor for the export of agrarian and industrial products from the ports Marchenko also informed the President on the consequences of missile strikes by the Russian forces on the city According to reports 55 people were killed in Odesa due to Russian shelling which also destroyed and damaged a number of infrastructure facilities Despite the grim developments Marchenko expressed confidence in solving the difficult issues with the help of the head of the country and in deblockading our ports and ensuring they can resume their operations This was Zelenskys first trip to Ukraines wartorn southern frontline as his forces mount a slowmoving advance in the region reports the BBC During a separate meeting with troops stationed in Odesa he said It is important that you are alive As long as you live there is a strong Ukrainian wall that protects our country I want to thank you from the people of Ukraine from our state for the great work you are doing for your impeccable service The President also visited Mykolaiv about 132 km from Odesa where he handed out medals to soldiers and urged them to take care of Ukraine the only thing we have And take care of yourself only you can do it The city has long been a key target for Russian forces and has been subject to heavy rocket and artillery bombardments It also lies just 100 km northwest of Kherson a city that fell to the Russian forces during the early days of the war IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/39-ships-from-14-countries-blocked-in-odesa-339294.html Mon, 20 Jun 2022 05:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-secures-release-of-civilians-captured-by-russians-in-kiev-region-339305.html Kiev June 19 Ukraine has secured the release of five civilians of which four were captured by Russian forces in the Kiev region In a statement on Saturday the Chief Intelligence Directorate under the Defence Ministry said Today the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War conducted another fiveforfive exchange Five citizens of Ukraine returned home All those released were civilians who had been illegally detained by the Russian occupying forces Four of the civilians were taken prisoner by the occupiers during the fighting in Kiev Oblast three of them during the occupation of Hostomel The body of one deceased Ukrainian security personnel was also returned Ukrayinska Pravda quoted the statement as saying On Friday President Volodymyr Zelensky had announced that the Ukrainian paramedic Yulia Paievska who was captured by the Russians in Mariupol in March had been released from captivity Some of the bodies of security personnel of Mariupol from Azovstal have also been returned to Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-secures-release-of-civilians-captured-by-russians-in-kiev-region-339305.html Mon, 20 Jun 2022 06:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/west-moving-towards-war-in-space-russia-space-agency-339364.html Moscow June 19 Western astronautics are heading for war Russian Space Agency Roscosmos said and claimed that the alleged collection of data for Ukraine by private Western companies proves this In an interview with Russia 24 Roscosmos Director Dmitry Rogozin claimed that private American companies such as Lockheed Martin Boeing SpaceX and others are now tasked with one specific goal to ensure the collection of information in real time both visual  through infrared radar devices and through conventional surveillance RT reported This data is collected for the Ukrainian forces to use for ballistic missile guidance or multiple launch rocket system operation he was quoted as saying This also applies to satellite communication companies such as Starlink the Roscosmos director added Asked if Russian satellites were able to monitor Ukrainian territory Rogozin said of course Earlier this month he claimed that private American space companies are at best trusted contractors of the Pentagon at worst agents of the Pentagon or the CIA under the guise of private independent companies Rogozins remarks came soon after the head of US Cyber Command General Paul Nakasone admitted for the first time that Washington was supporting Ukraine by conducting offensive hacking operations RT reported Weve conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum offensive defensive and information operations he told Sky News Nakasone did not provide any details of these operations but claimed they are completely lawful IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/west-moving-towards-war-in-space-russia-space-agency-339364.html Mon, 20 Jun 2022 13:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-johnson-meet-on-defence-security-issues-338804.html Kiev June 18 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with visiting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss defence and security issues the presidential press service said In particular Zelensky and Johnson discussed in detail the current situation on the frontline in the east and the south of Ukraine as well as the supplies of weapons Xinhua news agency reported We talked about the need to increase the supply of heavy weapons The main thing today is to provide air defense for Ukraine as well We started to move in this direction Zelensky told reporters after the talks For his part Johnson said that his country stands ready to continue providing weapons to Ukraine and organising military training for its use Besides the parties have discussed security guarantees for Ukraine and the efforts to clear the Ukrainian territory from landmines Other key topics of the conversation were financial and economic support for Kiev the blockade of Ukrainian ports as well as efforts to address the energy crisis in Ukraine Johnson arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for his second visit since the start of the RussiaUkraine conflict Previously the British prime minister visited the Ukrainian capital on April 9 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-johnson-meet-on-defence-security-issues-338804.html Sat, 18 Jun 2022 04:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-to-introduce-visa-regime-for-russian-citizens-338842.html Kiev June 18 Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the cabinet has decided to introduce a visa regime for Russian citizens starting from July 1 The decision was adopted at the request of President Volodymyr Zelensky Xinhua news agency quoted Shmyhal as saying in a social media post on Friday Earlier in the day Zelensky said the country has decided to end visafree travel for Russian citizens due to the unprecedented threats to the national security sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine Previously Russian citizens did not need visas to enter Ukraine and they were allowed to stay for less than 90 days in the 180day period from the date of the first entry IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-to-introduce-visa-regime-for-russian-citizens-338842.html Sat, 18 Jun 2022 12:29:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-to-provide-1bn-additional-security-assistance-to-ukraine-338534.html Washington June 16 US President Joe Biden said his administration is providing Ukraine with additional security assistance worth 1 billion as well as 225 million worth of humanitarian assistance In a statement the White House said that Biden made the commitment during a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday Biden said that the new security assistance for Ukraine also includes additional artillery and coastal defence weapons as well as ammunition for the artillery and advanced rocket systems that the Ukrainians need to support their defensive operations in the eastern Donbas region where fierce battles are currently raging According to the US President the additional humanitarian assistance to help people inside Ukraine the include supply of safe drinking water critical medical supplies and health care food shelter and cash for families to purchase essential items Also on Wednesday US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin convened a meeting of more than 45 nations in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss support for Ukraine We also discussed Secretary Austins efforts in Brussels today to coordinate additional international support for the Ukrainian armed forces Biden was quoted as saying in the statement The bravery resilience and determination of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire the world And the US together with our allies and partners will not waver in our commitment to the Ukrainian people as they fight for their freedom he added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-to-provide-1bn-additional-security-assistance-to-ukraine-338534.html Fri, 17 Jun 2022 01:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/dragging-ukraine-into-nato-was-a-criminal-act-lavrov-338592.html Moscow June 17 In an interview regarding the ongoing war in Kiev Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country didnt invade Ukraine but declared a special military operation because we had absolutely no other way of explaining to the West that dragging Ukraine into NATO was a criminal act He made the remarks on Thursday while speaking to the BBC one of the very interactions that he has had with the Western media since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Kiev on February 24 As the Minister reiterated Russias repeated claim that there were Nazis in Ukraine he was asked about an official UN report about Yahidne village in Ukraines Chernihiv region where 360 residents including 74 children and five persons with disabilities were forced by Russian armed forces to stay for 28 days in the basement of a school and if that was fighting Nazis In reply Lavrov told the BBC Its a great pity but international diplomats including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights the UN SecretaryGeneral and other UN representatives are being put under pressure by the West And very often theyre being used to amplify fake news spread by the West Russia is not squeaky clean Russia is what it is And we are not ashamed of showing who we are Regarding UKRussia ties Lavrov said he did not think theres even room for manoeuvre any more Both UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss say openly that we should defeat Russia we should force Russia to its knees Go on then do it he told the BBC Last month Truss had said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was humiliating himself on the world stage and that we must ensure he faces a defeat in Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/dragging-ukraine-into-nato-was-a-criminal-act-lavrov-338592.html Fri, 17 Jun 2022 10:23:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/canada-to-provide-further-military-aid-for-ukraine-338348.html Ottawa June 16 Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand has announced that Canada will provide Ukraine with 10 replacement barrels to enable the sustainment of M777 howitzer artillery guns In a news release the defence minister said this military aid valued at approximately 9 million Canadian dollars 72 million complements Canadas previous donation of M777 howitzers over 20000 rounds of compatible artillery ammunition and the Canadian Armed Forces training of Ukrainian Forces in the use of this equipment Anand made the announcement during her participation in the USled Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting after discussing with Ukraines Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov during a bilateral meeting Xinhua news agency reported According to the news release this military assistance expands on the military aid that Canada has pledged to Ukraine since February 2022 which includes the contribution of M777s from Canadian Armed Forces stocks and commitment to financing over 20000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition sourced from the US The purchase of 10 immediatelyavailable replacement barrels will ensure that the M777 howitzers maintain their distance range and accuracy as worn barrels require regular replacement the release said Since February 2022 Canada has committed 274 million Canadian dollars 219 million in military assistance to Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/canada-to-provide-further-military-aid-for-ukraine-338348.html Thu, 16 Jun 2022 10:42:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/thousands-of-civilians-stuck-in-key-ukrainian-city-338382.html Kiev June 16 The UN has warned that thousands of civilians are stuck in Severodonetsk a key city in Ukraines Luhansk region where fierce battles are currently raging with essential supplies running out All three bridges into Severodonetsk have been destroyed as a result of the fierce battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces the BBC reported Capturing Severodonetsk and the nearby city of Lysychansk would give Moscow control of the entire Luhansk region much of which is already controlled by Russianbacked separatists Speaking to the BBC spokesperson for the UNs Humanitarian Affairs office Saviano Abreu said that many of the the stranded civilians were sheltering in bunkers beneath the citys Azot chemical plant As the last bridge leading out of the city was destroyed earlier this week it effectively trapping its 12000 remaining residents inside The lack of water and sanitation is a big worry Its a huge concern for us because people cannot survive for long without water Abreu told the BBC He added that food supplies and health provisions were also running out in Severodonetsk In a social media post Severodonetsks Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said that Ukraine was still in control of the citys eastern district Efforts are being made to push the enemy back towards the city centre Its a permanent situation with partial success and tactical retreat in places he added Citing reports the BBC said that 70 per cent of Severodonetsk is now under Russian control Earlier President Volodymyr Zelensky had said that Ukrainian troops in the city were fighting Russian forces for literally every metre IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/thousands-of-civilians-stuck-in-key-ukrainian-city-338382.html Thu, 16 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/3-balkan-nations-officially-back-ukraines-eu-candidate-status-338394.html French President Emmanuel Macron center German Chancellor Olaf Scholz right and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi travel on board a train bound to Kyiv after departing from Poland Thursday June 16 2022 The Europeans leaders are expected to meet with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they prepare for a key European Union leaders summit in Brussels next week and a June 2930 NATO summit in Madrid PTI Kiev June 16 The leaders of Albania Montenegro and North Macedonia have officially stated their support of Ukraines European Union EU candidate status says President Volodymyr Zelenksy Zelensky made the announcement after his meeting with the three leaders on Wednesday reports Ukrayinska Pravda While the President met Prime Ministers of Albania and Montenegro Edi Rama and Dritan Abazovic respectively in Kiev North Macedonias premier Dimitar Kovacevski joined the meeting virtually I am grateful to Rama I am grateful to Abazovic Kovacevski for a joint statement today in support of granting Ukraine candidate status Ukrayinska Pravda quoted Zelensky as saying Our states must become full members of the European Union and we agree that our states are not competitors on this European path We complement and strengthen each others capabilities he added Wednesdays development came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said that the EU will finalise the assessment on granting Ukraines candidate status by the end of this week Addressing the media in Kiev on June 11 she said that the European Commission is currently preparing its recommendations the socalled conclusion for EU member states We have been working on this assessment day and night On February 28 Zelensky signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine through a new special procedure The European Commission President gave the EU membership questionnaire to the Ukrainian President during her visit to Kiev in April The first part of the document was submitted to the EU on April 18 while the second was delivered on May 9 However observers say even with candidate status it may take years if not decades for Ukraine to obtain EU membership IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/3-balkan-nations-officially-back-ukraines-eu-candidate-status-338394.html Thu, 16 Jun 2022 14:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/terror-attack-against-ukrainian-leaders-foiled-338405.html Kiev June 16 Ukrainian law enforcement officers have foiled a terrorist attack on the countrys leadership a Minister announced here The information from our sources has allowed us to prevent a terrorist attack on the leadership of our country We will be able to reveal more details after our victory in the war Ukrayinska Pravda quoted Yevhenii Yenin First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs as saying in a statement on Wednesday According to Yenin Ukrainian civilians are assisting the police in conducting countersabotage operations In particular civilians are helping law enforcement by observing all temporary restrictions and the curfew as well as by reporting suspicious persons to law enforcement officers he was quoted as saying The Minister urged civilians to continue reporting suspicious persons to the police and to remain vigilant even in cities towns and villages that are far from the frontline There are a total of 123 countersabotage groups comprising at least 1500 members operating as part of law enforcement agencies according to yenin Over 800 people suspected of sabotage and reconnaissance have been detained and handed over to the Security Service of Ukraine he added During the beginning of the Russian invasion sabotage and reconnaissance groups tended to comprise 510 members their goal was to organise terrorist attacks and sabotage operations including in central Kiev Ukrayinska Pravda reported Later the saboteurs have become more involved in artilleryforward observations highlighting the positions of Ukrainian armed groups and recording and reporting the results of rocket and artillery attacks According to Yenin police officers at checkpoints have been able to effectively deploy artificial intelligence to uncover saboteurs Police officers can use special software installed on their tablets to run a check on suspicious persons across multiple databases within minutes IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/terror-attack-against-ukrainian-leaders-foiled-338405.html Thu, 16 Jun 2022 15:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-imposes-personal-sanctions-against-uks-media-representatives-defence-figures-338082.html A man works with molten steel before pouring it into a mold at a foundry at the mechanical casting plant in Berdyansk the Zaporizhzhia region in an area under Russian military control southeastern Ukraine Tuesday June 14 2022 The Zaporizhzhia region has been under control of the Russian forces since the early days of the Russian military action in Ukraine This photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense PTI Moscow June 15 Russia has imposed personal sanctions against 29 media representatives and 20 defence figures of the UK in a retaliatory move the Russian Foreign Ministry has said The media representatives including journalists working for The Guardian BBC and others and the defense figures including British Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin would be denied entry into Russia According to the ministry the move is a response to personal sanctions introduced by the UK government against leading Russian journalists and heads of Russian defence companies The British journalists included in the list are involved in the deliberate dissemination of false and onesided information about Russia and events in Ukraine and Donbass the ministry said adding that with their biased assessments they also contribute to fueling Russophobia in British society The 20 individuals linked to the UK defence industry were involved in making decisions on the supply of weapons to Ukraine which are used by local punishers and Nazi formations to kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure the ministry said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-imposes-personal-sanctions-against-uks-media-representatives-defence-figures-338082.html Wed, 15 Jun 2022 10:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/every-bridge-leading-to-key-ukrainian-city-destroyed-337793.html Kiev June 14 A top official has said that every bridge leading to the key Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk where fierce battles are currently raging has been destroyed In a social media post on Monday Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said all three bridges into Severodonetsk were destroyed and the residents remaining in the city were being forced to survive in extremely difficult conditions the BBC reported For several weeks now Severodonetsk has witnessed fierce battles as Russia is now concentrating on capturing the entire eastern part of Ukraine Taking Severodonetsk and the nearby city of Lysychansk would give Moscow control of the entire Luhansk region much of which is already controlled by Russianbacked separatists Haidai further said that delivering supplies and evacuating civilians was now impossible as the city has been effectively cut off Citing reports the BBC said that 70 per cent of Severodonetsk is now under Russian control Earlier President Volodymyr Zelensky had said that Ukrainian troops in the city were fighting Russian forces for literally every metre Also on Monday Eduard Basurin a military representative of the proRussian selfproclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic told reporters that Ukrainian troops remaining in Severodonetsk must surrender or die IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/every-bridge-leading-to-key-ukrainian-city-destroyed-337793.html Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:44:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/new-mass-grave-discovered-in-kiev-region-337862.html Kiev June 14 A new mass grave was discovered in Kiev region with seven bodies of civilians who were shot dead the police said Following the discovery of the grave on Monday Andrii Niebytov Chief of the National Police of Kiev region said the seven civilians were tortured and then brutally shot in the head by the Russians reports Ukrayinska Pravda Many victims had their hands tied and had been shot in the knees We are currently working to identify the people killed he added The grave is near the village of Myrotske in Bucha district where Russian troops were stationed according to the police chief This is the latest discovery of a mass grave after several others were found after the war began on February 24 On April 29 President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a massive mass grave was discovered in the Kiev region with 900 bodies in an area which was occupied by the Russian forces in March On April 23 Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk had announced that 412 civilians killed by the Russian military had been found in mass graves in the town about 31 km from Kiev city Investigators have so far found some 1100 bodies in mass graves across the Kiev region At least three mass graves have also been found on the outskirts of Mariupol city containing the bodies thousands of civilians IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/new-mass-grave-discovered-in-kiev-region-337862.html Tue, 14 Jun 2022 13:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-accused-of-war-crimes-in-kharkiv-337695.html Kiev June 13 Amnesty International has accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine saying attacks in the second largest city of Kharkiv many using banned cluster bombs have killed hundreds of civilians The rights group made the remark in a report titled Anyone Can Die At Any Time published on Monday the Guardian reported The repeated bombardments of residential neighbourhoods in Kharkiv are indiscriminate attacks which killed and injured hundreds of civilians and as such constitute war crimes the report said This is true both for the strikes carried out using cluster munitions as well as those conducted using other types of unguided rockets and unguided artillery shells The continued use of such inaccurate explosive weapons in populated civilian areas in the knowledge that they are repeatedly causing large numbers of civilian casualties may even amount to directing attacks against the civilian population it added The Amnesty said it had uncovered proof in Kharkiv of the repeated use by Russian forces of 9N210 and 9N235 cluster bombs and scatterable land mines all of which are banned under international conventions the Guardian reported Cluster bombs release dozens of bomblets or grenades in midair scattering them indiscriminately over hundreds of square metres Scatterable land mines combine the worst possible attributes of cluster munitions and antipersonnel land mines the Amnesty report said adding that unguided artillery shells have a margin of error of over 100m The report details how Russian forces began targeting civilian areas of Kharkiv on the first day of the invasion on February 24 The relentless shelling continued for two months wreaking wholesale destruction on the city of 15 million People have been killed in their homes and in the streets in playgrounds and in cemeteries while queueing for humanitarian aid or shopping for food and medicine said Donatella Rovera Amnesty Internationals Senior Crisis Response Adviser The repeated use of widely banned cluster munitions is shocking and a further indication of utter disregard for civilian lives The Russian forces responsible for these horrific attacks must be held accountable Kharkivs Military Administration told Amnesty that 606 civilians had been killed and 1248 wounded in the region since the war began the Guardian reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-accused-of-war-crimes-in-kharkiv-337695.html Mon, 13 Jun 2022 17:55:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-urges-us-to-explain-military-biological-activities-337561.html Moscow June 13 Russia has asked the United States to explain its military biological activities in some postSoviet countries On Sunday Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the United States must fulfill its obligations under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention BTWC which is essential for international security Russia plans to hold consultations with other BTWC members on measures to increase control over the activities carried out by the United States in biolabs in the postSoviet space Zakharova added During a special military operation in Ukraine the Russian military found that USfunded biological laboratories conducted research on dangerous viruses according to the Russian Defense Ministry The Russian side has repeatedly urged Washington to explain the purpose of these facilities to the international community Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-urges-us-to-explain-military-biological-activities-337561.html Mon, 13 Jun 2022 05:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/mcdonalds-successor-reopens-in-russia-after-us-giant-withdrawal-337562.html Moscow June 13 The successor to McDonalds in Russia Vkusno i tochka reopened the first batch of 15 restaurants in Moscow and its suburbs three months after the US fastfood chain ended its business in Russia Oleg Paroev General Director of the company on Sunday announced the new brand meaning Delicious and thats it during a ceremony at the restaurant in downtown Moscows Pushkinskaya Square the first McDonalds restaurant in the Soviet Union that opened in 1990 Another 50 outlets will be reopened on Monday and nearly 200 outlets are expected to reopen by the end of June All of McDonalds former 850 restaurants across Russia are expected to reopen by the end of summer Paroev told reporters According to a previous deal the rebranded fastfood network will use new names on the menu and retain all employees under equivalent terms for at least two years Xinhua news agency reported McDonalds suspended its business in Russia on March 14 The company announced its withdrawal from Russia on May 16 and three days later sold the assets to Russian businessman Alexander Govor a former McDonalds licensee IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/mcdonalds-successor-reopens-in-russia-after-us-giant-withdrawal-337562.html Mon, 13 Jun 2022 05:37:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-may-lose-over-40-000-troops-by-june-end-zelensky-337623.html Kiev June 13 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia may lose more than 40000 soldiers by the end of June In a video address on Sunday the President said The Russian army is trying to deploy reserve troops in Donbas But what reserves can they speak of right now It seems that they will throw poorly trained conscripts into the battle as well as those who had been recruited via covert mobilisation efforts Russian generals consider their people simply as cannon fodder which they need to ensure they outnumber us in military personnel in military equipment But this only adds up to one thing Russian losses in June might exceed 40000 military personnel They have not lost as many soldiers in any of the wars in many decades Zelenksy went on to say that currently the most fierce battles between the two warring nations are taking place in Sievierodonetsk a city in the separatist Luhansk region in Donbas reports Ukrayinska Pravda Ukrainian Defence Forces are fighting for every inch of Ukrainian land he said adding that Russian forces were also advancing on Lysychansk Bakhmut and Sloviansk While Lysychansk is in Luhansk both Bakhmut and Sloviansk are in Donestsk also a part of Donbas Meanwhile the Luhansk regions military administration said that Russian forces have been relentlessly firing on Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk over the course of Sunday A six yearold child was killed as a result of Russian shelling it said adding that Russian forces were trying to press past the Ukrainian defence line by exerting fierce artillery fire IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-may-lose-over-40-000-troops-by-june-end-zelensky-337623.html Mon, 13 Jun 2022 12:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-forces-attack-ukrainian-thermal-power-plant-337638.html Kiev June 13 Ukrainian authorities have said that Russia forces conducted an artillery attack on the Vuhledar Thermal Power Plant in Donetsk causing a fire on its premises Citing the authorities a local media outlet said that an administrative building on the power plants territory has been destroyed as a result of the Russian attack on Sunday reports Ukrayinska Pravda An intense fire is raging on the territory of the power plant it added Although the Vuhledar Thermal Power Plant is controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine Russia currently occupies city of Svitlodarsk some 5 km to the south of the plant Fierce fighting for control of the Vuhledar power plant is continuing IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-forces-attack-ukrainian-thermal-power-plant-337638.html Mon, 13 Jun 2022 14:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-pm-authorises-russias-withdrawal-from-unwto-337291.html Moscow June 11 Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order authorising the countrys withdrawal from the World Tourism Organisation UNWTO The proposal was made by the Russian Foreign Ministry which had reached an agreement with relevant government bodies according to the published order released on Friday UNWTO members voted to suspend Russia from the organisation on April 27 when the Russian delegation announced its withdrawal Xinhua news agency reported Later on Friday the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the UNWTO was monopolised by the European Union countries which use it in their own interests Moscow criticized the politicisation of the UNWTOs activities and the discrimination against Russia IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-pm-authorises-russias-withdrawal-from-unwto-337291.html Sun, 12 Jun 2022 00:08:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-holds-baltic-drills-amid-nato-exercises-337293.html Moscow June 11 Russian warships are conducting drills in the Baltic Sea the Russian Defense Ministry said as the NATO is holding exercises in the same region Nearly 60 surface warships boats and supply vessels about 45 aircraft and helicopters and some 10000 soldiers are involved in the massive exercises the Ministry said in a statement on Friday The sailors will practice searching ships of the mock enemy and carry out measures for antiair antiship and antisubmarine defense Xinhua news agency reported The land forces have been deployed to designated areas in Russias Kaliningrad region and will use live fire to attack targets of the mock enemy The drills will continue until June 19 Russia is flexing its muscles as 14 NATO allies along with two NATO partner nations Finland and Sweden are currently participating in the Baltic Operations exercises from June 5 to 17 involving over 45 ships more than 75 aircraft and 7500 personnel IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-holds-baltic-drills-amid-nato-exercises-337293.html Sun, 12 Jun 2022 00:27:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-ukraine-war-could-push-11-19mn-into-hunger-worldwide-fao-337342.html Rome June 11 Russias ongoing war in Ukraine has a significant impact on the global food markets and could leave an additional 11 to 19 million people with chronic hunger the UNs Food and Agricultural Organization FAO warned FAO spokesperson Boubaker Ben Belhassen told reporters that the two warring nations are major producers of agricultural commodities in the world with a combined share of around 30 per cent of global wheat exports reports Xinhua news agency The countries impacted most by the conflict are in the north African region he said The spokesperson cited the FAOs latest food outlook report which pointed to a likely tightening of food commodity markets in 2022 due to the soaring input prices concerns about the weather and increased market uncertainties Belhassen said that higher international food prices are projected to increase global food import bills to a record 18 trillion in 2022 Higher import bills mainly reflected higher unit costs rather than higher volumes with many countries especially the economically vulnerable ones set to face higher bills while importing smaller volumes he added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-ukraine-war-could-push-11-19mn-into-hunger-worldwide-fao-337342.html Sun, 12 Jun 2022 07:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-completes-massive-military-drills-in-the-pacific-337267.html Moscow June 11 The Russian military wrapped up largescale exercises in the Pacific Ocean according to an official statement During the weeklong drills more than 300 combat exercises were conducted 170 of which involved the practical use of weapons the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday in a statement The sailors practiced searching submarines firing artillery and striking targets with highprecision seabased weapons Xinhua news agency reported More than 40 warships and support vessels as well as about 20 aircraft of the Russian Pacific Fleet participated in the exercises IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-completes-massive-military-drills-in-the-pacific-337267.html Sat, 11 Jun 2022 22:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-turkmenistan-to-strengthen-strategic-partnership-337287.html Moscow June 11 Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov signed the Declaration on Deepening Strategic Partnership in Moscow The document published by the Kremlin on Friday sets out the priorities for future RussiaTurkmenistan cooperation in the political trade and investment cultural and humanitarian and security fields In addition to the declaration 14 other documents were also signed during Berdimuhamedovs official visit to Russia his first foreign trip after the inauguration as the Turkmen President in March Xinhua news agency reported After their talks in the Kremlin Putin told a briefing that the meeting with Berdimuhamedov took place in a friendly atmosphere underlining the truly partnership and mutually beneficial nature of cooperation between Russia and Turkmenistan The Russian President presented the Order of Friendship to the Turkmen President for his great contribution to strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-turkmenistan-to-strengthen-strategic-partnership-337287.html Sat, 11 Jun 2022 23:29:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-troops-destroy-43-religious-buildings-in-donetsk-official-336897.html In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left poses for a photo with serviceman close to the front line in Donetsk region Ukraine Sunday June 5 2022 PTI Kiev June 6 A top Ukrainian official said that Russian troops have destroyed 43 religious building in Donetsk most of which belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate since the war began on February 24 In a social media statement on Sunday Pavlo Kyrylenko head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration said Yesterday the AllHoly Skete hermitage of the Sviatohirsk Lavra monastery burned down as a result of the shelling of Sviatohirsk but this is not the first religious building that the Russians have destroyed Ukrayinska Pravda reported He went on to say that in Sviatohirsk itself which contains three heritage monuments the Russians have damaged the historical and architectural museum and destroyed the church two hermitages and two cell buildings in the Sviatohirsk Lavra killing four monks In total the Russians have already destroyed or damaged at least 43 religious buildings in the region the majority of which belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate Kyrylenko added On Saturday a huge fire engulfed the AllHoly Skete of the Sviatohirsk Lavra of the Holy Dormition in Donetsk The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate stated that this happened as a result of military operations reports Ukrayinska Pravda Since Russia launched its ongoing invasion cultural centres such as the Mariupol Museum and the Makarivska Public Library in Kiev that contain unique art and literature have been destroyed Historic buildings and monuments dedicating Ukraines fight against Nazism in World War II including the Drobitsky Yar Holocaust Memorial have also been damaged There are seven Unesco World Heritage sites in Ukraine including St Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv Lvivs entire historic city district and the Struve Geodetic Arc President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the UN and UNESCO to expel Russia as a terrorist state for destroying historical monuments and social infrastructure in Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-troops-destroy-43-religious-buildings-in-donetsk-official-336897.html Mon, 06 Jun 2022 12:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-fms-serbia-visit-cancelled-due-to-flight-ban-336900.html Moscow June 6 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovs scheduled trip to Serbia this week has been cancelled due to a flight ban imposed by three of Belgrades neighbouring nations in the wake of Moscows continued invasion of Kiev the media reported on Monday The trip was to take place on Monday and Tuesday The flight ban has been imposed by Bulgaria North Macedonia and Montenegro the BBC reported In a statement to the media late Sunday Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the three countries have closed their airspace to Lavrovs aircraft reports TASS News Agency The countries bordering Serbia have closed the only air route to the aircraft of Sergey Lavrov who was to depart for Serbia The Russian delegation was scheduled to hold talks in Belgrade while the EU and NATO membercountries have closed their airspace she was quoted as saying Despite the raging war Serbia has not imposed any sanctions on Russia yet Serbia also heavily relies on Russian gas the BBC report said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-fms-serbia-visit-cancelled-due-to-flight-ban-336900.html Mon, 06 Jun 2022 12:45:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/uk-to-send-first-long-range-missiles-to-ukraine-336902.html London June 6 British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced that the UK will send its first longrange missiles to Ukraine despite a threat by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the West against the delivery of these weapons to Kiev In a statement late Sunday Wallace said As Russias tactics change so must our support to Ukraine These highly capable multiplelaunch rocket systems will enable our Ukrainian friends to better protect themselves against the brutal use of longrange artillery which Putins forces have used indiscriminately to flatten cities He said that the UK is supplying vital weapons they Ukrainians need to defend their country from unprovoked invasion the BBC reported The UKs multiple launch rocket system can fire 12 surfacetosurface missiles within a minute and can strike targets within 80 km with pinpoint accuracy It is similar to the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System HIMARS which the US is sending to Ukraine following receipt of guarantees they would be used for defensive purposes only and not to strike targets inside Russia the BBC report said Wallaces announcement came hours after Putin threatened to expand the list of targets Russia will attack in Ukraine if Western countries send longrange weapons to Kiev In an interview to Russia 1 on Sunday the President said In general all this fuss about additional arms supplies in my opinion has only one goal to drag out the armed conflict as long as possible If they are supplied we will draw appropriate conclusions from this and use our weapons of which we have enough to strike at those targets that we are not striking yet Putin also noted that the shipment of USmade multiplelaunch rocket systems is unlikely to bring anything new to Kievs forces The Ukrainian military already has Soviet and Russiandesigned Grad Smerch and Uragan systems of the same kind he added The Russian Presidents warning came as explosions shook parts of Kiev on Sunday in the first assault on the capital city for weeks while fierce fighting for control of key towns and cities in the eastern Donbas region continues reports the BBC Russia refocused its military efforts on the Donbas at the end of March after pulling back from the Kiev region IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/uk-to-send-first-long-range-missiles-to-ukraine-336902.html Mon, 06 Jun 2022 12:57:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-war-no-excuse-for-prolonging-coal-john-kerry-336974.html Bonn June 6 US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry has warned that the war in Ukraine must not be used as an excuse to prolong global reliance on coal Kerry who is currently in Bonn for talks with climate diplomats told the BBC that despite these drawbacks as a world we are still not moving fast enough to rein in the emissions of warming gases that are driving up temperatures We can still win this battle he said but it will require a wholesale elevation of effort by countries all around the world Speaking to the BBC Kerry criticised a number of large countries for not living up to the promises they made at the COP26 climate summit If countries extend their reliance on coal in response to the war then we are cooked he said Kerrys call was echoed by a leading Ukrainian scientist who urged delegates to speed up their transition away from fossil fuels Svitana Krakovska said oil and gas were the enablers of war Mondays meeting in Bonn which will last until the end of next week is much smaller than COP26 and is mainly a technical negotiation It occurs halfway between the big conferences in Glasgow and COP27 to be held in Egypt IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-war-no-excuse-for-prolonging-coal-john-kerry-336974.html Mon, 06 Jun 2022 18:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/over-200-civilians-killed-in-kiev-region-yet-to-be-identified-336653.html Kiev June 5 Ukrainian authorities have said that more than 200 civilians killed by Russian troops in the Kiev region are yet to be identified In a statement late Saturday the Interior Ministry said Ukrainians who were shot and tortured by the Russians are still being found in Kiev Oblast As of today over 1300 bodies of civilians have been exhumed After investigations at the burial site had been completed the bodies were sent to the morgue where they underwent forensic examinations However more than 200 people are yet to be identified According to the Kiev Region Police a total of 1314 bodies have been found since the war erupted on February 24 reports Ukrayinska Pravda In early April the Defence Forces of Ukraine liberated the Kiev region from the Russian forces IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/over-200-civilians-killed-in-kiev-region-yet-to-be-identified-336653.html Sun, 05 Jun 2022 14:20:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-calls-on-philanthropists-to-help-rebuild-ukraine-336662.html Kiev June 5 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on philanthropists to help rebuild his wartorn country by joining a fundraising platform to raise money to support Kiev During a presentation to United24 the Kievbased platform launched on May 5 the President said The Russian army is extremely brutal It is trying not only to kill as many people as possible but to destroy all lifesustaining infrastructure Bridges and roads houses and hospitals schools and businesses Entire cities have been burnt downmissiles have targeted universities and maternity hospitals Russian troops leave only ruins in their wake Zelensky reiterated that Ukrainians already today have to have somewhere to return to which is why he initiated the creation of United24 reports Ukrayinska Pravda According to the President those making donations will be able to decide how their money will be spent whether thats rebuilding the bridge in Irpin the photograph of which has been shared across the entire world purchasing medical equipment or for other purposes He added that the names of all those who donate money to rebuild the devastated country will be indelibly etched in Ukraines history the history of defending freedom and democracy According to government figures 51330630 has already been raised via United24 as of June 4 The funds will address three main issues defence and demining medical aid and the rebuilding efforts The funds will go to the accounts held at the National Bank of Ukraine Between May 5 and June 3 37532174 was spent on defence and demining and 906856 on humanitarian and medical aid United24s current balance is 3714597 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-calls-on-philanthropists-to-help-rebuild-ukraine-336662.html Sun, 05 Jun 2022 15:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/himars-m270-systems-to-help-ukraine-hold-back-russian-troops-defence-minister-336591.html Kiev June 5 Ukraines Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov speaking at a panel of the GLOBSEC2022 International Security Forum in Bratislava has said that the HIMARS and M270 multiple rocket launchers would help deter Russian troops Reznikov added that Ukrainian gunners had already started their training for HIMARS and M270 in Europe Ukrinform news agency reported citing the Ministry of Defence The Minister welcomed the decision made by the US administration to provide Ukraine with HIMARS MLR systems noting that the British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced the supply of M270 systems Recall the words of American astronaut Neil Armstrong who landed on the moon that this is a small step for man but a giant leap for all mankind So the decision of the White House on HIMARS and London on M270 is the first step for Ukraine and a huge leap in the issue of repulsing Russian aggression said the Minister of Defence The minister also praised the implementation of the idea of the US and UK defence chiefs on holding a conference on assistance to Ukraine which took place in London and later transformed into the Ramstein format The next meeting is expected in June Such a coordination system will help us ensure continued supplies in the future For example new aircraft missile systems or cybernetic systems The demining program in Ukraine is urgent because we have a lot of unexploded ordnance in our land Reznikov added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/himars-m270-systems-to-help-ukraine-hold-back-russian-troops-defence-minister-336591.html Sun, 05 Jun 2022 10:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russias-war-in-ukraine-completes-100-days-336199.html Russian Emergency Situation ministrys firefighters use a lift working at the scene of a business center in Moscow Russia Friday June 3 2022 A massive fire has engulfed a business center in western Moscow and officials say several people could be trapped Russian emergency officials scrambled 180 firefighters and equipment to deal with the fire that broke out Friday PTI Kiev June 3 Russias ongoing war against Ukraine completed 100 days on Friday with Moscows forces now in control of 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory On the eve of the anniversary Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said up to 100 of his soldiers were dying each day as they resisted Russias push to control the countrys eastern region the BBC reported He also said that Russia now occupies a fifth of Ukraines territory Before the war which began on February 24 Russia and Moscowbacked separatists accounted for less than 10 per cent of Ukraines make up Following the end of the battle in Mariupol last month with Russia taking control of the Azovstal steel plant and the city both sides have now shifted their military focus to the northeastern part of the Donetsk region and the western part of the Luhansk region both in Donbas The current military action is centred around two strategically important cities in the Luhansk region namely Severodonetsk and Lysychansk reports Xinhua news agency The Ukrainian side has confirmed that heavy fighting continued in Severodonetsk The head of the Luhansk regional military administration Sergei Haidai recently said that Russia was gaining control of most of the city while Ukrainian forces were still showing resistance During his visit to the frontline in Kharkiv region on Sunday President Zelensky said his countrys troops were facing an extremely difficult situation In a Telegram post following the visit the leader said his country would defend its land till the very end and would fight and definitely win Meanwhile Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that Moscows special military operation a term Moscow uses for the war would continue despite Western pressure and increased Western assistance to Kiev While there were noticeable developments on the battlefield the same cannot be said about the current state of the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine The prospect of peace remains bleak as talks were put on hold in April Russian officials said that Moscow was willing to continue diplomatic talks despite Ukraines constant urge to deviate from previous agreements After sending draft proposals to Kiev in April Russia said the ball was now in Ukraines court Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos Zelensky said that Russian forces must return to positions held before the start of the conflict for diplomatic talks to continue Deputy Chairman of Russias Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said such conditions were impossible in principle World leaders have nonetheless continued to pursue mediation efforts Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi French President Emmanuel Macron German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have held multiple telephone conversations with Putin to discuss the Ukrainian crisis and the peace talks Turkey which has expressed its desire to play a mediating role in the conflict and has already hosted a round of RussiaUkraine talks recently expressed readiness to host a new round of negotiations Nevertheless none of the current efforts have led to a successful revival of the talks because of stark differences in the negotiation positions of both sides Russia has already begun strengthening its presence in southern and eastern Ukraine including simplifying the procedures for residents in the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions in southern Ukraine to apply for Russian citizenship Meanwhile the US and its Western allies have continued to exert pressure on Russia ramp up sanctions and provide military assistance to Ukraine in an attempt to end the war US President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that his administration would supply Ukraine with advanced rocket systems that Kiev had requested The Ukrainian Defence Ministry has also announced recently that the country was receiving Harpoon antiship missile systems from Denmark the UK and the Netherlands to defend itself in the Black Sea while other countries will also supply defence equipment in the near future In a bid to contain Russia even further European Union leaders have recently agreed to ban more than two thirds of Russian oil imports to the bloc as they adopted their sixth package of sanctions against Russia In recent telephone conversations with European leaders Putin pointed out that the supply of weapons would further destabilise the situation and worsen the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that the West is fighting a proxy war against Russia using Ukraine as the battlefield Since the war began 4149 people have been killed in Ukraine and 4945 injured according to the UN Zelensky has claimed that 243 Ukrainian children have died while and 200000 were forcefully taken to Russia According to the UN most of the civilian casualties were due to explosive weapons shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems and missile and air strikes Meanwhile the Russia government has claimed that 1351 troops killed with 3825 others injured The UN Refugee Agency estimates that more than 14 million people have fled Ukraine Poland has taken in highest number of Ukrainian refugees 3544995 While some 21 million Ukrainians have returned over 8 million people remain internally displaced IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russias-war-in-ukraine-completes-100-days-336199.html Fri, 03 Jun 2022 17:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/lavrov-cites-risks-of-involving-third-countries-in-war-if-ukraine-receives-mlrs-from-us-336070.html Moscow June 1 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that there are risks of involving third countries in the war with Ukraine if Kiev received US multiple launch rocket systems MLRS Such risks of course exist What the Kiev regime demands and unequivocally economically from its Western patrons Firstly it goes beyond decency and diplomatic communication and secondly it is a direct provocation to involve the West in hostilities Lavrov said as per Ria Novosti According to him these risks are understood by conscious Western politicians Ukrayinska Pravda reported Not everyone frankly in the European Union especially in its northern part There are politicians who are ready to resort to this madness in order to satisfy their ambitions But serious countries in the European Union of course are well aware of the unacceptability of such scenarios and we recently heard signs of reasonable estimates from Washington Lavrov said The US is adding fuel to the fire by supplying weapons to Kiev Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday in response to US President Joe Bidens decision to provide more advanced missile systems to Ukraine CNN reported We believe that the United States is purposefully and diligently adding fuel to the fire Peskov told reporters on a regular conference call The Ukrainian authorities have long asked the United States to supply hightech mediumrange rocket systems Biden said Tuesday the US is providing Ukraine more advanced rocket systems and munitions as its war with Russia grinds on Such supplies do not contribute to the Ukrainian leaderships willingness to resume peace negotiations Peskov said CNN reported Peskov also added the Kremlin does not trust Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys words that Kyiv would not use multiple launch rocket systems to attack the Russian territory if they receive them from the US IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/lavrov-cites-risks-of-involving-third-countries-in-war-if-ukraine-receives-mlrs-from-us-336070.html Fri, 03 Jun 2022 01:41:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-announces-new-sanctions-targeting-russian-elites-336089.html Washington June 3 The administration of US President Joe Biden has announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russian political and business elites in an effort to further punish Russia for its military operation in Ukraine The new round of sanctions were announced by the US on Thursday Xinhua news agency reported According to a fact sheet from the White House the Treasury Department will impose sanctions on Sergei Roldugin and his family members Roldugin the White House said is a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a money manager of Putins offshore wealth Also on the sanctions list are the CEO of Imperial Yachts which the White House said provides services to Putins inner circle and the Head of the United Aircraft Corporation a Russian stateowned company that supports the countrys defence industry Additionally the Department of State will sanction a number of Russian individuals including Maria Zakharova the Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry and oligarchs God Nisanov and Alexey Mordashov Mordashov whose family members and companies are also being sanctioned has ties to one of Russias leading domestic steel producers the White House said Aimed at further limiting the Russian militarys ability to obtain technologies and other items needed for sustaining its military operation the Department of Commerce will add 71 Russia and Belarusbased entities to the Entity List effectively cutting them off from obtaining USorigin items or foreignmade products derived from certain US technology or software the fact sheet said So far the United States has added 1000 parties to Treasurys Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List and more than 300 parties have been added to Commerces Entity List read the fact sheet IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-announces-new-sanctions-targeting-russian-elites-336089.html Fri, 03 Jun 2022 04:45:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-forces-repel-5-russian-attacks-in-donbas-336118.html Commander of an artillery unit of the Ukrainian army Mykhailo Strebizh walks into a destroyed house due to shelling in a village near the frontline in the Donetsk oblast region eastern Ukraine Thursday June 2 2022 PTI Kiev June 3 The Ukrainian Joint Forces Task Force has said that it repelled five Russian attacks in Donbas and are continuing to fight in the separatist eastern region In a social media post late Thursday the Force said The occupiers have shelled nearly 30 towns and villages in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and have destroyed or damaged 52 civilian objects including 42 residential buildings two factories administrative premises and equipment of several rescue and fire service stations and a hangar The Force also said that five civilians were killed and seven others sustained injuries in the attacks that took place in the last 24 hours Ukrayinska Pravda reported The Joint Forces Task Force has destroyed five Russian tanks three artillery systems and two armoured combat vehicles in Donbas Additionally Ukrainian Air Defence Forces shot down three Orlan10 drones Meanwhile an wartillery strike by the Skhid East Operational Tactical Group has destroyed a Russian command and observation post Overall in the area Ukrainian defence forces killed 32 Russian soldiers and destroyed two tanks one infantry fighting vehicle one armoured personnel carrier two artillery systems one mortar gun and one drone Earlier on Thursday the UK Ministry of Defence had said that the Russian forces are likely to focus on capturing the entire Donetsk region and a forced crossing of the Siverskyi Donets River but they will have to make a pause reports Ukrayinska Pravda At the same time a break in the offensive could thwart Russias plans according to the British Ministry of Military Intelligence IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-forces-repel-5-russian-attacks-in-donbas-336118.html Fri, 03 Jun 2022 10:20:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/eu-may-introduce-insurance-ban-for-ships-carrying-russian-oil-ukraine-335902.html Kiev June 1 The European Union may introduce an insurance ban for ships carrying Russian oil Andriy Yermak Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine has said According to the data from Wall Street Journal this will be part of the sixth sanctions package This ban is one of the most serious financial instruments of the EUs influence that the bloc has at its disposal to harm the Russian economy Now it will be difficult for Russia to sell its oil to Asia as European companies insure most of the worlds oil trade Yermak wrote on Telegram The EU and the UK are also discussing a coordinated ban on insuring ships carrying Russian oil he asserted IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/eu-may-introduce-insurance-ban-for-ships-carrying-russian-oil-ukraine-335902.html Thu, 02 Jun 2022 08:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-army-says-russia-lost-about-30-700-troops-in-ukraine-335910.html Kiev June 1 Russia has lost about 30700 troops in Ukraine between February 24 and June 1 Ukrainian army claimed The statement was made by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook Ukrinform news agency reported on Wednesday The enemys total combat losses between February 24 and June 1 also included 1361 tanks 3 over the past day 3343 armored fighting vehicles 41 659 artillery systems 10 207 multiple launch rocket systems 0 94 antiaircraft warfare systems 1 208 aircrafts 0 175 helicopters 1 2290 motor vehicles and fuel tanks 15 13 warshipsboats 0 519 unmanned aerial vehicles 4 49 special equipment units 1 A total of 120 enemy cruise missiles 0 were shot down the report noted Over the past day Russian troops have suffered the highest losses in the Kryvyi Rih and Bakhmut direction The data are yet to be updated It is noteworthy that the Russian troops continue to conduct offensive operations in the eastern operational zone to gain full control over Donetsk Region and Luhansk Region IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-army-says-russia-lost-about-30-700-troops-in-ukraine-335910.html Thu, 02 Jun 2022 09:08:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-grain-must-not-be-used-as-a-weapon-of-war-pope-francis-335911.html Vatican City June 1 Pope Francis has appealed for an end to the blockage of grain exports from Ukraine At the conclusion of the Popes weekly General Audience in the Vatican the Holy Father again turned to the ongoing war in Ukraine Vatican News reported Of great concern the Pope expressed is the blocking of grain exports from Ukraine on which the lives of millions of people especially the poorest countries depend I earnestly appeal for every effort to be made to resolve this issue and to guarantee the universal human right to food Please do not use wheat a staple food as a weapon of war He decried these shortages caused and worsening since Russias invasion of Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-grain-must-not-be-used-as-a-weapon-of-war-pope-francis-335911.html Thu, 02 Jun 2022 09:15:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/moscow-warns-of-risk-of-direct-conflict-with-us-335951.html Moscow June 1 Washingtons arming of Ukraine with heavier weapons increases the risk of direct USRussia confrontation regardless of American statements that they want to mitigate this risk Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Wednesday The diplomat was commenting on the news that the US has decided to supply HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine The US said the weapons system will not allow Ukrainian forces to attack Russia and argued that this will prevent a scenario in which Moscow would consider Washington a party in the conflict RT reported Were not providing any weapons that will allow the Ukrainians to attack Russia from inside of Ukraine and President Joe Biden has been very clear on that US representative to the UN Linda ThomasGreenfield said of the deliveries adding Were not going to become a party to the war Ryabkov however disagreed with the rationale saying the US was making the conflict more dangerous Any arms supplies which continue and escalate increase the risk of such a development Ryabkov told journalists referring to the possibility of a direct confrontation between Russia and the US RT reported The diplomat added that the US for years has done nothing to prevent an escalation of tensions with Russia over Ukraine It stonewalled Moscows lastditch attempts to negotiate a legally binding deal that would have addressed Russian concerns over NATO expansion in Europe he pointed out After open hostilities broke out in February the remnants of a healthy attitude to the situation were shattered he said Washington maintains its course of what we characterized many times as an intention to wage war to the last Ukrainian which reflects the goal of inflicting as they say themselves the strategic defeat of Russia This is unprecedented This is dangerous Ryabkov said RT reported The latest ramping up of arms supplies to Ukraine does not fundamentally alter the situation only raises the risks he stated IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/moscow-warns-of-risk-of-direct-conflict-with-us-335951.html Thu, 02 Jun 2022 12:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kremlin-says-us-adding-fuel-to-fire-by-supplying-arms-to-ukraine-336031.html Moscow June 1 The US is adding fuel to fire by supplying weapons to Kiev Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday in response to US President Joe Bidens decision to provide more advanced missile systems to Ukraine media reports said We believe that the United States is purposefully and diligently adding fuel to the fire Peskov told reporters on a regular conference call CNN reported The Ukrainian authorities have long asked the United States to supply hightech mediumrange rocket systems Biden said on Tuesday the US is providing Ukraine more advanced rocket systems and munitions as its war with Russia grinds on Such supplies do not contribute to the Ukrainian leaderships willingness to resume peace negotiations Peskov said CNN reported Peskov also added the Kremlin does not trust Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskys words that Kiev would not use multiple launch rocket systems to attack the Russian territory if they receive them from the US Washingtons arming of Ukraine with heavier weapons increases the risk of direct USRussia confrontation regardless of American statements that they want to mitigate this risk Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Wednesday The diplomat was commenting on the news that the US has decided to supply HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine Any arms supplies which continue and escalate increase the risk of such a development Ryabkov told journalists referring to the possibility of a direct confrontation between Russia and the US RT reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kremlin-says-us-adding-fuel-to-fire-by-supplying-arms-to-ukraine-336031.html Thu, 02 Jun 2022 17:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-losing-60-100-per-day-president-zelensky-335853.html Kiev June 1 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his country is losing 60100 soldiers per day as killed in action and around 500 soldiers as wounded in action Zelensky made the remark during an interview with an USbased Newsmax TV Ukrinform news agency reported The situation is very difficult Were losing 60100 soldiers per day as killed in action and something around 500 people as wounded in action So we are holding our defensive perimeters The most difficult situation is in the east of Ukraine and southern Donetsk and Luhansk Zelensky was quoted as saying Putin cannot win and the world must stop defending him amid the latest atrocities committed by Russian troops Now he is almost isolated The world always keeps giving him a chance because the sanctions are not imposed completely he noted According to Zelensky the weakness of Putin and Russia is not only in failing to occupy a smaller neighbouring nation but also in attempts to take him out as leader Attempting to kill the leader of this or that country is a weakness I would say If you cant talk then its a weakness The weakness is to start the war and theyve already demonstrated there is weakness If you cant occupy that country thats a weakness And simultaneously if you would like something to happen to the family of the other countrys leader then thats a political inability to do anything Zelensky added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-losing-60-100-per-day-president-zelensky-335853.html Thu, 02 Jun 2022 01:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-halt-gas-supplies-to-companies-of-denmark-germany-335617.html Moscow June 1 Russian energy giant Gazprom has said it would no longer supply gas to Denmarks largest energy company Orsted and will halt deliveries to Germany under the Shell Energy Europe contract Orsted has notified Gazprom Export that it would no longer make payments for gas in rubles and Shell Energy Europe Limited said it would not pay in rubles for gas supplies to Germany Gazprom added on Tuesday on Telegram It said the cuts will be effective from Wednesday Xinhua news agency reported Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on March 31 on new rules regarding natural gas trade with unfriendly countries and regions According to the decree existing contracts would be halted if these buyers refused to pay in rubles IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-halt-gas-supplies-to-companies-of-denmark-germany-335617.html Wed, 01 Jun 2022 02:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/hungarys-orban-receives-exemption-from-eu-oil-embargo-on-russia-335618.html Budapest June 1 The European Commissions proposal to ban the use of oil from Russia in Hungary was rejected Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban said The Commissions proposal was tantamount to dropping a nuclear bomb on Hungarys economy but we successfully avoided it Orban added on Tuesday in a video message posted on social media following an agreement by the European Union EU member states leaders to impose a partial embargo on Russian oil imports At their special summit in Brussels EU leaders agreed late Monday evening a sixth package of sanctions against Russia which includes a ban on more than twothirds of Russian oil imports to the bloc Xinhua news agency reported In a tweet European Council President Charles Michel called the measure the maximum pressure on Russia to end the conflict Prior to the summit Hungary which imports 65 per cent of its oil needs from Russia through the Druzhba Friendship pipeline had asked for an exemption from the ban along with Slovakia and the Czech Republic We brokered an agreement that states that those countries that receive oil through pipelines may continue managing it under the old conditions the Hungarian Prime Minister said We have enough problems already energy prices are soaring inflation is high and all of Europe is teetering on the edge of a global economic crisis because of the sanctions he added A sixth package of sanctions against Russia was proposed by the European Commission on May 4 These include a complete import ban on all Russian oil seaborne and pipeline crude and refined However the EU member states Foreign Ministers failed to agree on the sanctions on May 16 due to Hungarys opposition IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/hungarys-orban-receives-exemption-from-eu-oil-embargo-on-russia-335618.html Wed, 01 Jun 2022 03:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-slovak-presidents-discuss-defence-support-335638.html Kiev June 1 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his Slovak counterpart Zuzana Caputova to discuss defence support for Kiev Zelenskys press service reported During the talks on Tuesday Zelensky said that Slovakia has made a significant contribution to the strengthening of Ukraines defence capabilities and praised the personal role of Caputova in granting defensive aid to Ukraine Xinhua news agency reported I have been assured that Slovakia will continue to provide maximum security assistance to Ukraine the Ukrainian President told reporters after the talks For her part the Slovakian President said Slovakia has supported Ukraine from the beginning of the RussiaUkraine conflict by providing not only military aid but also political and humanitarian assistance Slovakia has provided Ukraine with the S300 air defence system and demining equipment and supported sanctions against Russia Caputova added Zelensky and Caputova also talked about the prospects for Ukraine to obtain a candidate status to the EU and financial support for Kiev Slovakias role in Ukraines postconflict recovery and assistance to Ukrainians who were forced to temporarily leave their homes due to the conflict According to official figures nearly 78000 Ukrainians including 31000 children have fled Ukraine to Slovakia since the start of the conflict Caputova arrived in Kiev earlier on Tuesday at the invitation of Zelensky IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-slovak-presidents-discuss-defence-support-335638.html Wed, 01 Jun 2022 05:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-to-send-medium-range-rocket-systems-to-ukraine-335699.html Washington June 1 The US will send mediumrange rocket systems to Ukraine in a new security assistance package senior administration officials have said A 700million weapon package to be formally unveiled on Wednesday including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems HIMARS which are to enable Ukraine to fire more precisely at targets in its eastern part the officials were quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency The officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said Ukrainian officials had offered assurances that the HIMARS would not be used to strike targets inside the Russian territory The announcement came amid reports that the US was preparing to aid Ukraine with advanced longrange rocket systems something Kiev is craving in its fights against Russia in the eastern Donbass region Instead of those longrange rocket systems that can travel as far as 186 miles 300 km the United States is sending what it considers mediumrange rockets to Ukraine ones that can travel about 50 miles 80 km according to the officials Also on Tuesday US President Joe Biden wrote in a guest essay carried by The New York Times that his administration will continue to provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine The US does not seek a war between NATO and Russia Biden said On Monday he ruled out the possibility of Washington sending to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-to-send-medium-range-rocket-systems-to-ukraine-335699.html Wed, 01 Jun 2022 13:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-not-providing-ukraine-with-long-range-rocket-systems-biden-335551.html Washington May 31 The US will not provide Ukraine with longrange rocket systems capable of hitting targets inside Russia President Joe Biden said despite pleas from the wartorn nation for the supply of advanced weaponry We are not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia Biden said in response to a question from the media as he arrived at the White House from Delaware Reports emerged last week that the US was preparing to send Ukraine advanced longrange rocket systems as Russia focused its invasion in the eastern part of Ukraine reports Xinhua news agency But the Defense Department refused to confirm such a plan We are still working through what the next package is going to look like Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in May 27 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials in the government have been requesting the US to provide Multiple Launch Rocket Systems as well as High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to their country to help it fight Russia Since Russia launched its war against Ukraine on February 24 the US has delivered heavy artillery weapons dozens of Howitzers tactical drones antiarmour and antiair missiles helicopters grenade launchers machine guns rifles radar systems 50 million rounds of ammunition among others to Kiev IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-not-providing-ukraine-with-long-range-rocket-systems-biden-335551.html Tue, 31 May 2022 19:57:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/eu-leaders-meet-as-hungary-sticks-to-its-guns-on-russian-oil-ban-335329.html Brussels May 31 European Union EU leaders gathered in Brussels for a special meeting that is likely to be overshadowed by disagreement on phasing out imports of Russian oil which Hungary is blocking The EU leaders held a meeting on Monday Xinhua news agency reported The Russian oil ban is expected to intensify pressure on Moscow to end its military operation in Ukraine However Hungary which imports 65 per cent of its oil from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline has asked for an exception from the ban along with Slovakia and the Czech Republic Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned on Monday that the prospects of the ban being approved are not looking good Orban said he had seen a revised proposal for the ban but there was still no agreement on this While welcoming a decision to exempt pipeline oil the Prime Minister insisted that guarantees were required that his countrys supply of Russian oil would be protected if something happened to the pipeline which passes through Ukraine to Hungary He added that there was no clear compromise on this issue blaming the difficult position on the irresponsible behaviour of the European Commission EC A sixth package of sanctions against Russia was proposed by the EC on May 4 These include a complete import ban on all Russian oil seaborne and pipeline crude and refined However EU Foreign Ministers failed to reach an agreement on the sanctions on May 16 due to Hungarys opposition The Commission and the French Presidency have been working intensively in the last days to move forward on this package were not there yet EC President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters as she arrived at the summit IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/eu-leaders-meet-as-hungary-sticks-to-its-guns-on-russian-oil-ban-335329.html Tue, 31 May 2022 06:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/turkey-russia-presidents-discuss-syria-ukraine-over-phone-335331.html Ankara May 31 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss Turkeys security concerns for Syria and the Ukraine crisis said a Turkish presidential statement During the phone talks on Monday Erdogan told Putin that the attacks by Kurdish Peoples Protection Units YPG against Turkey and Syrian civilians are continuing in Syria despite an earlier agreement between Ankara and Moscow the statement added Referring to a 2019 deal between Russia and Turkey the Turkish President stressed that Turkey could not establish a 30kmdeep terrorfree zone into Syria along the Turkish border which the deal stipulated Xinhua news agency reported Making these areas safe is a necessity for Turkey he said Their talk came after Erdogan added that Turkey is preparing for a new military operation in northern Syria to establish a safe zone along its southern border As soon as the Turkish Armed Forces complete its intelligence and security preparations these operations will begin he said last week Turkeys forces and the YPG members often exchange fire in the region But the clashes between the group and the Turkish military have accelerated since early this year The two Presidents also discussed the Ukraine crisis as well as TurkeyRussia relations said the statement The Turkish President emphasised the need for steps that will minimise the negative effects of the conflict and build trust by reestablishing the ground of peace between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible said the presidency Turkey is ready for meeting with Russia Ukraine and the United Nations in Istanbul and to play a role in a possible observation mechanism if both sides agree on principle Erdogan told the Russian President IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/turkey-russia-presidents-discuss-syria-ukraine-over-phone-335331.html Tue, 31 May 2022 06:42:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/turkish-ukrainian-prez-discuss-export-of-ukraines-agricultural-products-by-sea-335341.html Ankara May 31 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that Turkey attaches importance to the project of creating a safe corridor for the export of Ukraines agricultural products by sea Erdogans office said in a statement The two leaders on Monday also discussed the recent developments in the Ukrainian crisis according to the statement The Turkish President said Turkey had made every effort to continue the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and his country was ready to provide the needed support including mediation Xinhua news agency reported In principle Ankara has a positive view of participating in the Control Center to be established between Moscow Kiev and the UN and hosting its headquarters in Istanbul Erdogan told Zelensky Earlier on Monday Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan had a phone conversation The two leaders addressed maritime security in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov and the removal of the threat of mines in these waters the Kremlin said Putin said Russia was ready to facilitate the unhindered sea transit of goods in coordination with the Turkish side adding this also applies to grain exports from Ukrainian ports Given the current challenges in the global food market Russia would be able to export the necessary volumes of fertilisers and agricultural products if Western sanctions were lifted the Kremlin noted According to a statement issued by the Turkish presidential office Erdogan and Putin discussed Turkeys security concerns for Syria and the Ukrainian crisis as well as TurkeyRussia relations Erdogan told Putin that Turkey was ready for meeting with Russia Ukraine and the UN in Istanbul and to play a role in a possible observation mechanism if both sides agree on principle the statement said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/turkish-ukrainian-prez-discuss-export-of-ukraines-agricultural-products-by-sea-335341.html Tue, 31 May 2022 08:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/france-to-deliver-more-caesar-howitzers-to-ukraine-french-fm-335345.html Kiev May 31 Visiting French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has said that her country will deliver more Caesar howitzers to Ukraine the InterfaxUkraine news agency reported There will be new deliveries of Caesar selfpropelled artillery systems soon and we will continue to work together in this context Colonna told a joint media briefing with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kiev on Monday She said France stands ready to become a mediator in Ukraines open dialogue with Russia if a need arises Xinhua news agency reported Besides the French Minister added that Paris supports granting Ukraine a candidate status to the European Union under a fasttrack procedure According to media reports France has already supplied six Caesar howitzers to Ukraine Colonna arrived in Ukraine earlier on Monday for a working visit becoming the highestranked French official to visit Kiev since the RussiaUkraine conflict started on February 24 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/france-to-deliver-more-caesar-howitzers-to-ukraine-french-fm-335345.html Tue, 31 May 2022 08:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-halt-gas-supplies-to-netherlands-from-tuesday-335346.html Moscow May 31 Russias Gazprom Export has said it would suspend gas supplies to Dutch energy company GasTerra from Tuesday due to its refusal to pay in rubles By the end of the working day on Monday the payment deadline outlined in the contract Gazprom Export did not receive any payments from GasTerra for the gas supplied in April local media reported citing Gazprom Export on Monday GasTerra announced that it did not intend to pay for the supplied gas in rubles Gazprom said adding that it would suspend deliveries from May 31 until a payment is made in accordance with a Russian presidential decree from March Xinhua news agency reported Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on March 31 on new rules regarding natural gas trade with unfriendly countries and regions According to the decree existing contracts would be halted if these buyers refused to pay in rubles IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-halt-gas-supplies-to-netherlands-from-tuesday-335346.html Tue, 31 May 2022 08:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-prez-french-fm-discuss-support-for-ukraine-335347.html Kiev May 31 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with visiting French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to discuss support for Kiev the presidential press service said The leaders of the two countries met on Monday Xinhua news agency reported The parties talked about the assistance in armaments strengthening sanctions on Russia and bringing Ukraine closer to European Union EU membership according to a statement on the Ukrainian presidential website During the talks Zelensky thanked France for the financial aid for Kiev and the assistance of the French government in the treatment of wounded Ukrainian servicemen The Ukrainian leader added that Kiev is counting on Frances support for Ukraine on its path toward getting to a candidate status for EU membership in June Zelensky and Colonna also exchanged views on the ways to unblock Ukrainian ports to prevent the global food crisis and they touched upon Ukraines postconflict recovery The French Foreign Minister arrived in Ukraine earlier on Monday becoming the highestranked French official to visit Kiev since the start of the RussiaUkraine conflict on February 24 Colonna also held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba pledging to continue military assistance for Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-prez-french-fm-discuss-support-for-ukraine-335347.html Tue, 31 May 2022 09:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-promises-stable-gas-supply-to-serbia-335050.html Moscow May 30 Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his country will continue to supply natural gas to Serbia uninterruptedly during a phone call with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic Putin made the announcement to supply natural gas to Serbia on Sunday Xinhua news agency reported The Russian President and Vucic discussed bilateral relations in detail including steps to expand mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation and exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and developments around Kosovo the Kremlin said in a statement It added that the leaders reaffirmed their common position to strengthen the strategic partnership between Russia and Serbia IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-promises-stable-gas-supply-to-serbia-335050.html Mon, 30 May 2022 04:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-prez-zelensky-visits-frontline-in-kharkiv-335055.html Kiev May 30 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the frontline positions of the Ukrainian military during a working trip to the eastern city of Kharkiv the presidential press service reported During his visit on Sunday the President inspected destroyed residential buildings in the city and heard reports from the military and law enforcement agencies on the situation in the region according to a statement on the Ukrainian presidential website Zelensky said the Ukrainian authorities would work to modernise the countrys infrastructure adding that new residential buildings in Ukraine would be equipped with bomb shelters Xinhua news agency reported We have to find funds credit lines The state must ensure this in terms of guarantees and the leaders of cities and regions must find great projects and money he added IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-prez-zelensky-visits-frontline-in-kharkiv-335055.html Mon, 30 May 2022 06:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-german-fms-discuss-heavy-weapon-supplies-334612.html Kiev May 27 Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that he had discussed the supplies of heavy weapons to Ukraine with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock We need more heavy weapons delivered as soon as possible especially MLRS Multiple Launch Rocket Systems to repel Russian attacks Kuleba tweeted after the talks The Ukrainian Foreign Minister added that he had briefed Baerbock on the difficult situation in the Donbass region Xinhua news agency reported Other topics of the discussion included further sanctions on Russia and Ukraines prospects to achieve a European Union EU candidate status Kuleba said Earlier this month Baerbock said the government of Germany is working with German enterprises to provide modern weapons to Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-german-fms-discuss-heavy-weapon-supplies-334612.html Sat, 28 May 2022 02:05:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/countries-attempting-to-isolate-russia-only-hurt-themselves-putin-334632.html Moscow May 27 Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the countries which are attempting to isolate Russia are primarily only harming their economies While addressing the plenary session of the First Eurasian Economic Forum on Thursday Putin said it would simply be unfeasible and impossible to isolate Russia and those who aspire to do so would harm themselves the most reports Xinhua news agency The President noted that the current state of the global economy demonstrates that Russias position is right and justified as opposed to the countries which are trying to pursue shortsighted policies Those advanced economies are experiencing their worst inflation in 40 years as well as growing unemployment he said adding that logistic chains were breaking and global crises were intensifying in such areas as food This is a serious issue that is affecting the entire system of economic and political relations Putin said The Russian leader said that the sanctions and restrictions which aim to primarily weaken and contain countries that wish to pursue independent policies are ultimately futile There are many countries that want to and will pursue an independent policy and no world policeman will be able to stop this global process there will not be enough power for this and the desire to do so will evaporate due to a host of domestic problems in those countries Putin said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/countries-attempting-to-isolate-russia-only-hurt-themselves-putin-334632.html Sat, 28 May 2022 04:45:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/skorean-volunteer-fighter-in-ukraine-returns-home-with-injuries-334653.html Seoul May 27 A South Korean volunteer fighter in Ukraine returned home Friday after sustaining knee injuries while in action Rhee Keun a Navy SEALturnedYouTuber arrived at Incheon International Airport at around 730 am about three months after he left for Ukraine to fight in the ongoing war as a volunteer fighter reports Yonhap News Agency Addressing reporters shortly after arrival Rhee said he had cruciate ligament ruptures on both of his knees that requires an operation I returned for rehabilitation and treatment I am anxious to go back There is a lot to do as the war is not over yet We should fight harder and continue to fight he said He briefly talked about his experiences from the war including witnessing a Ukrainian civilian being shot and killed while he was on his first mission I have seen many criminal acts while witnessing the war first hand The police however plan to investigate him over passport law violation charges soon as he travelled to the wartorn nation in defiance of South Koreas travel ban to Ukraine Upon arrival the police imposed an overseas travel ban on him In a Twitter post a week earlier Ukraines International Legion of Territorial Defence said Rhee who sustained injuries on the battlefield will return home for rehabilitation South Korean nationals have been banned from travelling to Ukraine since midFebruary amid safety concerns Those who enter the country without approval can face up to a year in prison or a maximum fine of 10 million won 7961 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/skorean-volunteer-fighter-in-ukraine-returns-home-with-injuries-334653.html Sat, 28 May 2022 07:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-masking-invasion-policies-with-humanitarian-propaganda-study-334745.html London May 27 Russia is reinventing decadesold propaganda based on supposed humanitarian principles to justify its invasion of Ukraine according to an analysis by a RussiaNATO expert Published in the peerreviewed journal The International Spectator the extensive analysis looks into Russias official foreign policy statements since the Soviet Unions collapse provides new insights into President Vladimir Putins tactics regarding separatism The research identifies attempts by officials to mask a policy change from intervention to invasion towards former Soviet Republics This shift is apparent from 2008 when Russian forces went into Georgia according to the study which covers the years after the Soviet Unions collapse until present day The findings by Vasile Rotaru from the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration in Romania demonstrate that the Kremlin has used narratives from the 1990s to claim Russian minorities need protection with military support Rotaru who is also a former research fellow at the NATO Defence College states that his analysis highlights how Russia has embellished rhetoric used in the years after the USSRaÂs dissolution to legitimise a new more aggressive approach towards secessionist conflicts The narratives post2008 seek to present themselves as consistent with the past The aim is inducing the perception that Russias strategy towards the secessionist conflictsahas remained the same That is supporting the separatist regions militarily with the proclaimed aim of protecting the Russian minority living in those regions By using the arguments that emerged already in the 1990s the Kremlin suggests the continuity of its strategy towards separatist conflicts However empirical evidence has shown that since 2008 Moscow has not simply intervened in secessionist territories to put pressure on central governments of other postSoviet states It has also not abstained from direct invasion to control the foreign policy of the countries in its neighbourhood he adds Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine launched on February 24 has triggered international condemnation and fears of a Third World War This military action is the latest carried out by Russia in postSoviet republics known as the near abroad since the dissolution of the Soviet Republic in 1991 The study findings are based on a review of written documents and audio and video records by Russian foreign policymakers IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-masking-invasion-policies-with-humanitarian-propaganda-study-334745.html Sat, 28 May 2022 15:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-finnish-pm-discuss-ukraines-european-integration-post-war-recovery-334787.html Kiev May 27 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visiting Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin discussed Kievs European integration and postwar recovery At the talks in Kiev on Thursday Zelensky thanked the Finnish government for providing financial defense and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia reports Xinhua news agency He also stressed the importance of visits of foreign highranking officials to the Ukrainian capital These are very important direct signals of support first of all for the Ukrainian people our people who see that they are not left alone with todays ordeals Zelensky said Finlands support for Ukraines future membership in the European Union EU is very important the President said adding that Kiev expects that the EU will decide on Ukraines membership prospects soon The Ukrainian leader also invited Finland to take part in his countrys postwar recovery by taking patronage over a region city or industry For her part Marin said that her country and people today understand Ukrainians very well given their historical experience The heroic spirit of the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their freedom and for the whole of Europe is admirable Marin said The Finnish Prime Minister arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for her first visit to Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-finnish-pm-discuss-ukraines-european-integration-post-war-recovery-334787.html Sat, 28 May 2022 18:44:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-has-captured-most-of-lymanin-in-the-donetsk-region-334821.html In this image taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday May 28 2022 a new Zircon hypersonic cruise missile is launched by the frigate Admiral Gorshkov of the Russian navy from the Barents Sea Russias Defense Ministry said the Russian navy successfully launched a new hypersonic missile from the Barents Sea The ministry said the recently developed Zircon hypersonic cruise missile had struck its target about 1000 kilometers away PTI Moscow May 28 Russian forces have likely captured most of the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region in what is likely a precursor for the next stage of Moscows Donbas offensive the UKs Ministry of Defence says in its daily intelligence update BBC reported Lyman is strategically important because as it gives access to important rail and road bridges over the Siverskyy Donets River In the coming days Russian units in the area are likely to prioritise forcing a crossing of the river the ministry said But Moscows main focus remains on Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region it says Russian forces are bombarding towns and cities in eastern Ukraine with the declared aim of liberating the old industrial heartland known as Donbas which is made up of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions If the city falls into Russian hands Moscow will then control the Luhansk region BBC reported Many believe Vladimir Putin could hold up taking control of Donbas as victory in the war Russias defence ministry says the city in the Donetsk region has fallen under the full control of Russian and Russianbacked forces It comes a day after proRussian separatists from the selfproclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic said they had fully captured the town a railway hub west of Severodonetsk Following the joint actions of the units of the militia of the Donetsk Peoples Republic and the Russian armed forces the town of Lyman has been entirely liberated from Ukrainian nationalists the defence ministry said in a statement On Friday Ukraine said that Russia had captured most of Lyman but that its forces were blocking an advance to Sloviansk a city a halfhour drive further southwest BBC reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-has-captured-most-of-lymanin-in-the-donetsk-region-334821.html Sat, 28 May 2022 21:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-cancels-upper-age-limit-for-military-personnel-334317.html Moscow May 26 The Russian Parliament has passed a bill to scrap the upper age limit for those who want to serve in the army under a contract Previously Russian citizens aged 1840 and foreigners aged 1830 were entitled to conclude the first contract for military service reports Xinhua news agency Now those who are older will be able to serve under a contract until the end of the working age the State Duma or the lower house of Parliament said on Wednesday The adoption of this bill will make it possible to attract more specialists to the military service said Andrei Kartapolov coauthor of the initiative and chairman of the Defence Committee of the State Duma An explanatory note said highly professional specialists are needed for the use of highprecision weapons and the operation of weapons and military equipment while experience shows that professionals in that area are usually in the age range of 4045 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-cancels-upper-age-limit-for-military-personnel-334317.html Fri, 27 May 2022 00:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/s-koreas-vice-defence-minister-attends-us-led-dialogue-on-support-for-ukraine-334085.html Seoul May 25 South Koreas Vice Defence Minister Shin Beomchul has attended a virtual session of a USled forum on support for wartorn Ukraine his Ministry said Hosted by US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin Mondays session of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group involved officials from nearly 40 countries Participants discussed the situation in Ukraine and joint efforts to aid the country according to the Ministry on Tuesday Shin condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine as an act that runs counter to the principle of the UN Charter and explained Seouls efforts to support the country including its shipment of humanitarian and nonlethal aid Yonhap news agency reported He also said President Yoon Sukyeols administration will consider ways to make additional contributions in consideration of our responsibilities and role as a global pivotal state The Yoon administration has promoted the slogan global pivotal state in a show of its commitment to playing an active role in tackling regional and global challenges The multilateral dialogue was launched in April to discuss effective ways of providing aid to Ukraine Among the participating countries are Japan New Zealand and members of the NATO IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/s-koreas-vice-defence-minister-attends-us-led-dialogue-on-support-for-ukraine-334085.html Thu, 26 May 2022 02:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-passports-distributed-in-mariupol-ukrainian-official-334280.html Kiev May 26 Russian passports have been distributed in the city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine that had been taken under control by Russian forces earlier this month Petro Andryushchenko an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol has said The de facto annexation of Mariupol in particular has begun Andryushchenko wrote on Facebook Earlier in the day Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order allowing residents of Ukraines southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to apply for Russian citizenship under a fasttrack procedure according to media reports IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-passports-distributed-in-mariupol-ukrainian-official-334280.html Thu, 26 May 2022 20:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kiev-condemns-russias-fast-track-passport-issuance-decree-for-ukrainian-citizens-334284.html Kiev May 26 The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has condemned the decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin which allows residents of Ukraines southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to apply for Russian citizenship under a fasttrack procedure The decree of the President of Russia is legally null and void and will have no legal consequences the ministry was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying The issuance of Russian passports to Ukrainian citizens living in the territories seized by Russia is a gross violation of Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity norms and principles of international humanitarian law it said Putin signed the decree on the simplified passport issuance procedure for the residents of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions earlier in the day IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/kiev-condemns-russias-fast-track-passport-issuance-decree-for-ukrainian-citizens-334284.html Thu, 26 May 2022 21:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-continue-military-operation-in-ukraine-until-all-goals-met-333882.html Moscow May 25 Russia will continue its special military operation in Ukraine despite the sanctions and increased Western assistance to Kiev Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said We will continue the special military operation until all objectives are accomplished despite the largescale Western assistance to Kiev and the sanctions pressure on Russia local media reported citing Shoigu during a meeting of the Council of Defence Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Shoigu added that Russia was intentionally slowing its offensive in Ukraine to avoid civilian casualties Xinhua news agency reported Silence regimes are being introduced and humanitarian corridors are being created for the evacuation of civilians from nearby settlements he said Russia started its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-continue-military-operation-in-ukraine-until-all-goals-met-333882.html Wed, 25 May 2022 01:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-parliament-extends-martial-law-by-90-days-333591.html Kiev May 23 Amid the ongoing war the Ukrainian Parliament has approved a bill submitted by President Volodymyr Zelensky to extend the martial law in the country for another 90 days starting from May 25 Lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak announced on Sunday that Parliament has also approved the law on the prolongation of general mobilisation in the country till August 23 reports Xinhua news agency Ukraine first imposed the martial law on February 24 the day when Russia launched its ongoing war against Kiev The martial law has been extended for 30 days twice The general mobilisation of the population was introduced in Ukraine on February 24 for three months IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukrainian-parliament-extends-martial-law-by-90-days-333591.html Tue, 24 May 2022 00:58:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-accuses-moscow-of-attempting-to-kill-as-many-ukrainians-as-possible-333128.html Kiev May 20 Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces have completely destroyed Ukraines eastern Donbas region and accused Moscow of trying to increase pressure with brutal and senseless bombardments the media reported The Ukrainian leader said the Kremlin had intensified its offensive following the withdrawal of its troops from Kharkiv east of Kiev putting even more pressure on Donbas the Daily Mail reported Zelensky also repeated that Russia was carrying out genocide and said those who give and carry out criminal orders would be brought to justice within the international tribunal Speaking in a video posted to his social media account Zelensky said In Donbas the occupiers are trying to increase pressure Theres hell and thats not an exaggeration Donbas is completely destroyed All this doesnt and cannot have any military explanation for Russia Zelensky said Daily Mail reported He added This is a deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible and destroy as many houses social facilities and enterprises as possible This is what will be qualified as the genocide of the Ukrainian people and for which occupiers will definitely be brought to justice Ukraine President said The first trial in Ukraine against a Russian war criminal has already begun and it will end with the full restoration of justice within the international tribunal Im sure of it We will find and bring to justice all those who give and carry out criminal orders Zelensky went on to talk about the constant strikes across the country referencing the terrible air and missile strikes in Desna Chernihiv Oblast IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-accuses-moscow-of-attempting-to-kill-as-many-ukrainians-as-possible-333128.html Sun, 22 May 2022 06:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-publishes-long-list-of-americans-banned-from-entry-333188.html Moscow May 22 The Russian Foreign Ministry has unveiled a long list of 963 US citizens who are permanently barred from entering Russia including previously named US President Joe Biden The blacklist was formed in response to constantly imposed antiRussian sanctions by the United States the Ministry said on Saturday in a statement adding that the hostile actions which boomerang against Washington itself will continue to receive a proper response Earlier on Saturday the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that 26 Canadian nationals are permanently banned from entering Russia in retaliation to Ottawas antiRussian sanctions including the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-publishes-long-list-of-americans-banned-from-entry-333188.html Sun, 22 May 2022 12:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-confirms-halt-of-gas-supply-to-finland-333191.html Moscow May 22 Russian energy giant Gazprom confirmed a complete suspension of gas supply to the Finlands stateowned gas company Gasum starting from Saturday due to its nonpayment in rubles As of the end of Friday Gazprom Export has not received any payment in rubles from Gasum for gas supplied in April in accordance with a Russian presidential decree in March the company said in a statement Gazprom added that Russian gas supplied from April 1 must be paid in rubles of which the counterparties were informed in a timely manner Xinhua news agency reported Gazprom Export delivered 149 billion cubic metres of natural gas to Finland in 2021 which accounted for twothirds of the total gas consumption in the Nordic country it said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-confirms-halt-of-gas-supply-to-finland-333191.html Sun, 22 May 2022 12:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-stop-gas-supply-to-finland-after-electricity-cut-332928.html FILE A metallurgical plant is seen on the outskirts of the city of Mariupol Ukraine Thursday Feb 24 2022 Russia began evacuating its embassy in Kyiv and Ukraine urged its citizens to leave Russia Russia claimed to have captured Mariupol on Friday in what would be its biggest victory yet in its war with Ukraine after a nearly threemonth siege that reduced much of the strategic port city to a smoking ruin PTI Helsinki May 21 Finlands stateowned gas company Gasum has announced that imports of liquefied natural gas LNG to Finland from Russias Gazprom Export would end on Saturday morning Gazprom Export has informed Gasum that natural gas supplies to Finland under Gasums supply contract will be halted at 7 am on Saturday May 21 2022 said the Finnish energy company on Friday Xinhua news agency reported Therefore Gasum will continue supplying natural gas to its customers the Balticconnector pipeline The companys gas filling stations in the gas network area will continue to operate normally Mika Wiljanen CEO of Gasum said the situation was highly regrettable Earlier on Tuesday Gasum had announced that it was refusing to pay Gazprom Export in rubles as the Russian company had requested at the beginning of April Therefore Gazprom Export notified Gasum that the gas supply would end Although the use of natural gas amounts only to five per cent of the Finnish energy mix the sudden cessation of its supply from Russia will have economic and consumer repercussions until alternative systems are deployed Pia Oesch Energy sector Director from the National Energy Supply Agency HVK said the capacity of the Balticconnector is sufficient to meet Finlands needs during the summer However this situation may change in the autumn if the crisis continues Oesch added According to Finlands Energy Authority most of the natural gas used in Finland is currently imported from Russia There is no natural gas production in Finland LNG is imported to Finland by ship while small amounts of biogas produced in Finland are supplied to the natural gas network but these are not sufficient in volume to replace Russian imports The Finnish government announced on Friday that a floating LNG terminal ship is set to arrive in southern Finland ready to be used next winter Gasgrid Finland and USbased Excelerate Energy have signed a tenyear lease agreement for the LNG terminal ship Exemplar which will help Finland to meet its gas needs in the event that imports of Russian pipeline gas are shut down Economic Affairs Minister Mika Lintila said the LNG terminal ship would play a major role in securing gas supplies for Finlands industry It is equally important to move construction and permit procedures forward without delay so that the vessel will be ready to operate on the coast of Finland by next winter he added One week earlier Russian stateowned company RAO Nordic cut off all exports of electricity to Finland Finnish media have predicted that the disruption of electricity and gas supplies from Russia will put more cost pressure on a situation where energy prices are already at record highs and have a severe impact on the economy and employment of Finland IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-stop-gas-supply-to-finland-after-electricity-cut-332928.html Sat, 21 May 2022 10:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-forces-completely-liberate-azovstal-steel-plant-in-mariupol-332956.html Russian troops guard an entrance of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station a runofriver power plant on the Dnieper River in Kherson region south Ukraine Friday May 20 2022 The Kherson region has been under control of the Russian forces since the early days of the Russian military action in Ukraine This photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense PTI Moscow May 21 Russian forces have completely liberated the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol the Russian Defence Ministry said The underground facilities of the enterprise in which the militants were hiding are in complete control of the Russian armed forces the Ministry added on Friday in a statement The last group of 531 militants surrendered today it said adding that a total of 2439 Azov Nazis and Ukrainian soldiers had laid down their arms since May 16 According to the statement Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the completion of the operation Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-forces-completely-liberate-azovstal-steel-plant-in-mariupol-332956.html Sat, 21 May 2022 13:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-wont-export-food-to-the-detriment-of-its-own-market-332975.html Moscow May 20 Russia will not export food to the detriment of its own market Deputy Chairman of Russias Security Council and former President Dmitry Medvedev said In a lengthy Telegram post Medvedev commented on the recent statements by Western leaders about food security As Russia and Ukraine are major wheat suppliers accounting for some 30 per cent of global exports the prices have significantly grown since the launch of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions imposed on Moscow by the US the EU the UK and some other Western nations RT reported On Wednesday UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres said that fertilisers and food products from Russia should be available to the world markets without obstacles Medvedev agreed that without wheat and other food supplies from Russia the importing countries would have a very difficult time especially he noted because without Russian fertilisers only juicy weeds would grow on their fields RT reported In Medvedevs opinion the West is now backing up because all these hellish sanctions are worthless when it comes to vital things such as food or energy Sanctions interfere with everyones desire to live a normal prosperous life the former Russian President argued The expansion of NATO and the mess with the calculations of debts payments and other things have aggravated the situation he said According to Medvedev Russia is ready to fulfil all of its obligations but it has the right to expect some assistance from its trading partners Otherwise he emphasised there would be no logic to it On the one hand insane sanctions are being imposed on us and on the other hand the West is demanding food supplies he said It will not happen were not idiots he said adding that there would be no export deliveries to the detriment of the Russian market RT reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-wont-export-food-to-the-detriment-of-its-own-market-332975.html Sat, 21 May 2022 15:23:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-war-could-soon-cause-global-food-crisis-that-may-last-for-years-332621.html New York May 19 Russias invasion of Ukraine could soon cause a global food crisis that may last for years the UN has warned BBC reported SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres said the war had worsened food insecurity in poorer nations due to rising prices Some countries could face longterm famines if Ukraines exports are not restored to prewar levels he added BBC reported The conflict has cutoff supplies from Ukraines ports which once exported vast amounts of cooking oil as well as cereals such as maize and wheat This has reduced the global supply and caused the price of alternatives to soar Global food prices are almost 30 per cent higher than the same time last year according to the UN Guterres said the conflict combined with the effects of climate change and the pandemic threatens to tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity followed by malnutrition mass hunger and famine There is enough food in our world now if we act together But unless we solve this problem today we face the spectre of global food shortage in the coming months he added BBC reported He warned that the only effective solution to the crisis was reintegrating Ukraines food production as well as fertiliser produced by both Russia and Belarus back into the global market Russia and Ukraine produce 30 per cent of the worlds wheat supply and prior to the war Ukraine was seen as the worlds bread basket exporting 45 million tonnes of agricultural produce per month through its ports But since Russia launched its invasion in February exports have collapsed and prices have skyrocketed They climbed even further after India banned wheat exports on Saturday The UN says around 20 million tonnes of grain are currently stuck in Ukraine from the previous harvest which if released could ease pressure on global markets BBC reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-war-could-soon-cause-global-food-crisis-that-may-last-for-years-332621.html Fri, 20 May 2022 00:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/googles-russia-subsidiary-plans-to-file-for-bankruptcy-as-cant-pay-salaries-332634.html San Francisco May 19 Googles Russia subsidiary is set to file for bankruptcy after its bank accounts were seized by Vladimir Putins government in the wake of the Ukraine war The company said it is unable to pay salaries of over 100 employees as well as other bills The tech giant however said that it will continue to keep free services such as Search YouTube Gmail Maps Android and Play available in the country Googles Russia operation generated 2 billion in revenue last year Russian authorities seizure of Google Russias bank account has made it untenable for our Russia office to function including employing and paying Russiabased employees paying suppliers and vendors and meeting other financial obligationsa the company said in a statement to The Registrar on Thursday Google Russia has published a notice of its intention to file for bankruptcy the company spokesperson added Most employees have opted to move to Dubai as Google began relocating workers in March just after Russia launched a full invasion on Ukraine The war has worsened already tense relations between Russia and the search giant Google suspended its ad operations in Russia and halted advertising booked globally by Russian organisations Russian Android users can no longer purchase any apps and services via the Google Play Store We previously announced that we paused the vast majority of our commercial operations in Russia the Google spokesperson was quoted as saying Alphabet Googles parent company has been under tremendous pressure in Russia for failing to delete alleged illegal content after the Ukraine war began on February 24 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/googles-russia-subsidiary-plans-to-file-for-bankruptcy-as-cant-pay-salaries-332634.html Fri, 20 May 2022 02:42:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/india-warns-against-hoarding-speculation-causing-unjustifiable-food-prices-332666.html By Arul Louis United Nations May 20 India has warned against hoarding and speculation running up prices of foodgrains to unjustifiable levels and urged for ensuring equity and affordability in the availability of food to all Open markets must not become an argument to perpetuate inequity and promote discrimination said Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Thursday at the Security Council debate on Conflict and Food Security The session was convened by the US which is the Council President for this month in an effort to draw attention to the growing threat of starvation US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme WFP the number of people affected by food insecurity due to conflict rose from nearly 100 million people in 2020 to 139 million in 2021 and the World Bank believes that Russias war in Ukraine could add another 40 million people He accused Moscow of weaponising food by blocking exports from Ukraine He denied Russian claims that the US sanctions were blocking food exports and said food seeds and fertilisers were exempted Russia and Ukraine provide nearly 30 per cent of wheat exports and the war has disrupted international supplies leading to the crisis UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres said the problems of conflict and hunger go hand in hand globally Last year most of the 140 million people suffering acute hunger around the world lived in just ten countries Afghanistan Congo Ethiopia Haiti Nigeria Pakistan south Sudan Sudan Syria and Yemen and of them eight were on the agenda of this Council because of conflicts Guterres added And the war in Ukraine is now adding a frightening new dimension to this picture of global hunge he said Muraleedharan said while lowincome countries face problems of rising costs and availability of foodgrains even India with adequate food stocks confronts an unjustifiable increase in food prices He added It is clear that hoarding and speculation are at work We cannot allow this to pass unchallenged He referred to the problem with the availability of Covid19 vaccines to developing countries when the pandemic was at its worst in warning against making open markets paramount Muraleedharan said It is necessary for all of us to adequately appreciate the importance of equity affordability and accessibility when it comes to food grains We have already seen to our great cost how these principles were disregarded in the case of Covid19 vaccines India has recognised the sudden spike in global prices of wheat which put our food security and those of our neighbours and other vulnerable countries at risk he added and reiterated Indias offer to send foodgrains to them despite the restrictions on commercial exports We are committed to ensuring that such adverse impact on food security is effectively mitigated and the vulnerable cushioned against sudden changes in the global market the Union Minister said Criticising the World Trade Organisation restrictions on wheat exports because Indias stocks are made up of procurement from farmers at support prices Muraleedharan added The growing shortage can only be addressed by going beyond constraints that bind us presently He said In this context we welcome SecretaryGenerals call for exempting purchases of food by WFP for humanitarian assistance from food export restrictions with immediate effect But we need to go beyond that to make a real difference Regarding food security within India the Union Minister added India is running the worlds largest foodbased safety net programme which has seen a paradigm shift from welfare to a rightsbased approach During the Covid19 pandemic food assistance was provided to 800 million people and cash transfers to 400 million people he said Muraleedharan stressed diplomacy and dialogue to end the Ukraine conflict and without this course there will be severe repercussions in the global economy Blinken however said In this council a few members have repeatedly used language lamenting the suffering caused by this war and calling on all sides to bring it to an end Lets not use diplomatic language to obfuscate what are simple facts The decision to wage this war is the Kremlins and the Kremlins alone If Russia stopped fighting tomorrow the war would end If Ukraine stopped fighting there would be no more Ukraine he added Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/india-warns-against-hoarding-speculation-causing-unjustifiable-food-prices-332666.html Fri, 20 May 2022 07:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/wildfires-near-ukraines-chernobyl-plant-pose-no-radioactive-threat-iaea-332668.html Vienna May 20 Wildfires near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant do not pose a radioactive threat the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA said The Viennabased UN nuclear watchdog added on Thursday in a statement that it had been informed by Ukrainian authorities that the gamma levels in the vicinity of the Chernobyl plant do not exceed reference levels Xinhua news agency reported IAEA DirectorGeneral Rafael Grossi said past experience suggests that such wildfires could only lead to a very small increase of radioactive concentration in the air and the IAEA has agreed with Ukraines assessment that the fires do not pose a danger to human health Grossi added that spontaneous fires often occur in the area at this time of year as the area is still contaminated by radioactive material from the 1986 nuclear accident Located nearly 110 km north of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev the Chernobyl plant was the scene of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history in April 1986 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/wildfires-near-ukraines-chernobyl-plant-pose-no-radioactive-threat-iaea-332668.html Fri, 20 May 2022 08:12:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/scholz-says-no-shortcuts-to-ukraines-eu-membership-bid-332674.html Berlin May 20 German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said there would be no shortcuts to Ukraines bid to join the European Union EU The European Commission is expected to complete its initial assessment of Ukraines EU membership application by the end of June Scholz added on Thursday in his address to the Bundestag the lower house of the German Parliament Not allowing shortcuts on the countrys road to the EU however is an imperative of fairness towards the other countries of the Western Balkans he said Accession to the EU can take several years The Western Balkan countries of Montenegro Serbia Albania and North Macedonia have been recognised candidate countries for between eight and 17 years Xinhua news agency reported Last week French President Emmanuel Macron also dampened Ukraines hopes for a quick EU accession We all know perfectly well that the process which would allow them to join would in reality take several years and most likely several decades he added Ahead of the extraordinary meeting of EU leaders at the end of May Scholz spoke in favour of a European solidarity fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine It is already clear the reconstruction of the destroyed infrastructure the revival of the Ukrainian economy all this will cost billions he said The solidarity fund would be fed by contributions from the EU and our international partners he added stressing that the EU had to start preparations now to support Ukraine on its European path The German Chancellor stressed that solidarity in Europe was also required to cope with energy price increases At the European level the main concern is to ensure that there are no bottlenecks in energy supply in individual member states To avoid energy shortage Germany must become independent from fossil energy and expand the transEuropean energy networks Scholz said praising the progress that was made together with Denmark Belgium and the Netherlands IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/scholz-says-no-shortcuts-to-ukraines-eu-membership-bid-332674.html Fri, 20 May 2022 08:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-expels-34-french-diplomats-in-retaliation-332368.html Moscow May 19 Russia has declared 34 French diplomats personae non gratae in a titfortat move the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Moscow made the decision after summoning French Ambassador to Russia Pierre Levy earlier in the day to protest against Frances provocative and unjustified decision to expel 41 Russian diplomats the statement added on Wednesday Frances move will seriously damage RussianFrench relations and constructive bilateral cooperation said the Ministry The 34 French diplomats will be ordered to leave Russia within two weeks Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-expels-34-french-diplomats-in-retaliation-332368.html Thu, 19 May 2022 03:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-reopens-embassy-in-ukraine-332379.html Washington May 19 The US reopened its embassy in Ukraine Secretary of State Antony Blinken said three months after it ceased operation in anticipation that Russia would launch a military operation in the country Today we are officially resuming operations at the US Embassy in Kyiv Blinken added on Wednesday in a statement posted on the State Departments website Kyiv is the Romanised spelling of Ukraines capital city based on the Ukrainian language The Secretary said the US will continue to support the government and people of Ukraine as they defend their country in the ongoing war with Russia Xinhua news agency reported The US Blinken added has taken additional measures to increase the safety of our colleagues who are returning to Kyiv and we have enhanced our security measures and protocols The US embassy in Ukraine closed on February 14 10 days before Russia launched the special military operation in the country The US began evacuating its embassy staff on February 12 State Department personnel first relocated to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv and then left the country after Russian forces entered Ukraine to conduct the military operation IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/us-reopens-embassy-in-ukraine-332379.html Thu, 19 May 2022 05:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/over-260-ukrainian-soldiers-evacuated-from-azovstal-plant-332335.html Kiev May 17 More than 260 Ukrainian soldiers have been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said on Tuesday Malyar said that 53 seriously wounded soldiers were evacuated from Azovstal to a healthcare facility in Novoazovsk for treatment while 211 other troops were taken to the Olenivka through the humanitarian corridor reports Xinhua news agency Later the Ukrainian soldiers will be exchanged for the captured Russians Malyar said The operation to evacuate the Ukrainian military from the Azovstal steel plant is continuing the press service of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Facebook Mariupol a key Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine has witnessed one of the worst bouts of violence in the ongoing RussiaUkraine war The Azovstal plant which covers an area of about 11 square km is the last holdout of the Ukrainian forces in Mariupol IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/over-260-ukrainian-soldiers-evacuated-from-azovstal-plant-332335.html Wed, 18 May 2022 23:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-personally-involved-in-ukraine-war-at-level-of-colonel-or-brigadier-332259.html London May 17 Russian President Vladimir Putin has become so personally involved in the Ukraine war that he is making operational and tactical decisions at the level of a colonel or brigadier according to western military sources Putin is helping determine the movement of forces in the Donbas where last week Russians suffered a bloody defeat as they tried on multiple occasions to cross a strategic river in the east of Ukraine the Guardian quoted the sources as saying The sources added that Putin is still working closely with Gen Valery Gerasimov the commander of the Russian armed forces in contrast to claims made by Ukraine last week that the military chief had been sidelined We think Putin and Gerasimov are involved in tactical decision making at a level we would normally expect to be taken by a colonel or a brigadier one of the sources said referring to the ongoing battle in the east of Ukraine Moscows forces have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough in the Donbas where they have been mounting an offensive for a month that has failed several times to encircle the smaller Ukrainian forces No further detail to back up the statement was provided although it was implied the assessment about Putins close personal involvement was based on intelligence that had been received the Guardian reported Last weeks failed attempt to cross the Siverskyi Donets river at Bilohorivka led to the destruction of more than 70 Russian vehicles and the loss of at least one batallions worth of equipment according to estimates based on aerial photography of the battle site The defeat was so serious it led some Russian military bloggers to comment on the incompetence of the Russian military to their hundreds of thousands of followers according to the Institute for the Study of War a rare sign of internal dissent IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-personally-involved-in-ukraine-war-at-level-of-colonel-or-brigadier-332259.html Wed, 18 May 2022 17:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-not-to-exchange-territories-for-peace-with-russia-negotiator-332284.html Kyiv Russian army Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin 21 is seen behind a glass during a court hearing in Kyiv Ukraine Wednesday May 18 2022 The Russian soldier has gone on trial in Ukraine for the killing of an unarmed civilian The case that opened in Kyiv marked the first time a member of the Russian military has been prosecuted for a war crime since Russia invaded Ukraine 11 weeks ago PTI Kiev May 18 Ukraine will not exchange its territories for a peace deal with Russia the governmentrun Ukrinform news agency reported citing Mykhailo Podolyak a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks with Russia It is ideologically unacceptable for us to give something to the Russian Federation and pretend that it was some kind of easy war Podolyak said on Tuesday He added that many Ukrainian civilians were either killed or assaulted in the conflict making it impossible for Ukraine to make concessions to Russia Xinhua news agency reported Ukraine will not agree on a ceasefire with Russia without troop withdrawal as Russia will control part of Ukrainian territory Podolyak said He also ruled out the signing of a deal with Russia similar to the Minsk peace agreements saying it would only lead to a frozen conflict but not sustainable peace Earlier on Tuesday Podolyak said the negotiation process within the delegations between Ukraine and Russia has been suspended At the same time he voiced the belief that peace talks will resume Ukraine and Russia held the latest round of their facetoface peace talks in Istanbul of Turkey on March 29 The Minsk agreements reached in September 2014 and February 2015 respectively outlined the steps needed to end the conflict in Ukraines eastern region of Donbas that started in April 2014 IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-not-to-exchange-territories-for-peace-with-russia-negotiator-332284.html Wed, 18 May 2022 18:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-strengthen-border-with-finland-if-nato-deploys-weapons-331833.html Moscow May 16 Russia will strengthen its border with Finland if NATOs striking weapons are deployed in the neighbouring country amid the latters intention to join the military alliance a top official said in Moscow If NATO deploys offensive striking weapons in Finland in close proximity to us we will strengthen our border and increase the presence of Russian troops on the border Xinhua news agency quoted Viktor Bondarev chairman of the Defence and Security Committee of the Federation Council as saying late Sunday He called Finlands intention to join NATO disturbing in a geopolitical sense Earlier on Sunday Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and the governments foreign policy committee took an official decision to start the process of the countrys application to become a NATO member Addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Sanna Marin President Niinisto described the day as historical as a new era is opening He said the Finnish security is not a zerosum game not directed against anyone In a phone call initiated by Helsinki on Saturday Niinisto informed Russian President Vladimir Putin of Finlands decision to seek NATO membership in the next few days In response Putin stressed that abandoning the traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake since there are no threats to Finlands security adding that it may also have a negative impact on MoscowHelsinki relations IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-to-strengthen-border-with-finland-if-nato-deploys-weapons-331833.html Tue, 17 May 2022 03:58:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/turkey-threatens-to-block-finland-sweden-nato-bids-332021.html Helsinki Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin attends the meeting of the Finnish Government in Helsinki Tuesday May 17 2022 Sweden and Finland on Tuesday pushed ahead with their bids to join NATO even as Turkey insisted it wonÄôt let the previously nonaligned Nordic countries into the alliance because of their alleged support for Kurdish militants PTI Ankara May 17 Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has restated his opposition to Finland and Sweden joining the NATO just hours after they said they would seek membership of the military alliance amid the ongoing RussiaUkraine war Addressing reporters on Monday Erdogan said Turkey opposed the two Scandinavian countries bids to join NATO describing Sweden as a hatchery for terrorist organisations reports the BBC Neither of these countries have a clear open attitude towards terrorist organisation How can we trust them he asked Erdogan is angered by what he sees as their willingness to host Kurdish militants Turkey accuses the two Nordic nations of harbouring members of the Kurdistan Workers Party PKK a group it views as a terrorist organisation and followers of Fethullah Gulen who Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt the BBC reported All member states must agree that a new country can join NATO therefore Sweden and Finland require Turkeys support in their bid to join the military alliance Erdogan said Swedish and Finnish delegations should not bother going to Ankara to convince it to approve their NATO bid His government has also pledged to block applications from countries that have imposed sanctions on it Speaking in Parliament in Helsinki on Monday Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said he was surprised by Turkeys stance but added that his government was not interested in bargaining with Erdogan Finland formally announced its bid to join NATO last week It was joined by neighbour Sweden on May 14 NATO will strengthen Sweden Sweden will strengthen NATO Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said at a briefing on Monday She said a formal application could be handed within several days and would be synchronised with Finland However Andersson stressed that Sweden did not want permanent Nato bases or nuclear weapons on its territory Norway Denmark and Iceland all NATO members immediately said they were ready to support Sweden and Finland by all means necessary if they came under attack The UK also a NATO member has already given security guarantees to Sweden and Finland to cover the transition period IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/turkey-threatens-to-block-finland-sweden-nato-bids-332021.html Tue, 17 May 2022 20:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/alina-kabaeva-putins-alleged-girlfriend-and-mother-to-some-of-his-children-331688.html Belgrade A woman passes by a mural depicting the Russian President Vladimir Putin that reads Brother vandalized with paint in Belgrade Serbia Saturday May 7 2022 Despite having to pay a big price Serbia for not introducing sanctions to Russia Serbia will not do it Serbian President Vucic said but despite that the country will stay on its path toward the EU PTI Moscow May 7 Russia is already under unprecedented sanctions due to its invasion of Ukraine and now the European Union EU could target Alina Kabaeva a politician media boss former Olympic gymnast and if the rumours are true President Vladimir Putins girlfriend and mother to some of his children according to a media report The sanctions imposed by the EU and others are designed to punish those closest to Putin the oligarchs politicians and other officials said to have benefited from their proximity to the President said the BBC report Last month the US and UK imposed sanctions on Putins daughters Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova They are his children with former wife Lyudmila Until now Kabaeva has escaped despite her reported status She might have felt something was coming an online petition in March demanded her expulsion from her residence in Switzerland says the BBC report Sources have confirmed to the BBC that she is on the latest list of individuals to be sanctioned by the EU The Russia leader has always been intensely private When asked about his private life he has tended to brush off the queries He has though explicitly denied a relationship with Kabaeva In 2008 the Moskovsky Korrespondent newspaper reported that he was planning to divorce his wife Lyudmila and marry Kabaeva Both rejected the story and soon after the authorities shut the newspaper down Putin and Lyudmila however announced their split five years later the BBC reported At the time the President denied he was involved with Kabaeva who was transitioning from a successful sporting career to one in politics There are rumours that they also have children together although reports vary on how many BBC reported A Swiss newspaper reported that Kabaeva had a boy in 2015 at an exclusive clinic near Lake Lugano and another boy at the same place in 2019 But The Sunday Times and The Wall Street Journal said she had twins in 2019 in Moscow although they disagree on how many children she has had The Kremlin denies such reports Back in 2015 Putins spokesman said information about the birth of a baby fathered by Vladimir Putin does not correspond to reality Such is Putins guarded nature In public hes never mentioned the names of the children he has with Lyudmila other than to say he has two adult daughters the BBC reported Kabaeva has been in and out of the spotlight since reports of her relationship with Putin emerged There was a Vogue cover in 2011 where she wore a pricey gold dress from French fashion house Balmain She was also a torch bearer at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi More recently in April she appeared at a junior gymnastics festival in Moscow quashing suggestions she was in hiding Since the Ukraine war began there have been calls for her to face sanctions The Wall Street Journal has suggested that the US is reluctant to sanction Kabaeva for fear it may be deemed so personal a blow to Putin that it may escalate tensions further IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/alina-kabaeva-putins-alleged-girlfriend-and-mother-to-some-of-his-children-331688.html Sat, 07 May 2022 16:55:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-gets-45bn-euros-in-intl-aid-since-start-of-conflict-331589.html Kiev May 4 Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said Ukraine has received 45 billion euros about 473 billion in financial international aid since the start of the conflict with Russia the government press service said Over the past week Ukraine received 500 million in grant funds from the World Bank Shmyhal added on Tuesday We are especially grateful for such support This helps us to maintain all social benefits in full as well as to open new assistance programs he said He informed that the government had launched a platform which would help raise funds for the countrys postconflict recovery Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-gets-45bn-euros-in-intl-aid-since-start-of-conflict-331589.html Thu, 05 May 2022 01:55:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-defence-ministry-says-forces-attack-firing-positions-of-ukrainian-army-at-azovstal-331612.html MoscowKiev May 4 Russian forces have been attacking the firing positions of the Ukrainian armed forces at the Azovstal steel plant in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol the Russian Defence Ministry has said The fighters of the Azov Battalion and Ukrainian troops took advantage of the ceasefire at the steel plant to move into their firing positions Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported citing Russian Defence Ministry Spokesman Vadim Astafyev on Tuesday Astafyev added that artillery and aircraft were being used to destroy the firing positions Xinhua news agency reported Russian troops were trying to break into the Azovstal plant from several places the Ukrinform news agency reported on Tuesday citing Mariupol Patrol Police Chief Mykhailo Vershinin There was artillery and aviation training for almost a day now they stormed the plant in several places We are defending We are fighting back Vershinin was quoted as saying Both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries said on Monday that more than 100 people were evacuated from Mariupol local media reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-defence-ministry-says-forces-attack-firing-positions-of-ukrainian-army-at-azovstal-331612.html Thu, 05 May 2022 05:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-may-put-neutral-status-on-referendum-zelensky-331552.html Kiev May 4 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country may put the issue of neutral status on a nationwide referendum the Ukrinform news agency reported If Russias desire for Ukraines neutral status is one of the provisions of the agreements on ending the conflict we are ready to consider this neutral status for Ukraine Zelensky was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency However the referendum would be possible only after Ukraine receives security guarantees from specific countries he added At the peace talks with Russia in Istanbul Turkey in March Kiev proposed to sign a new international treaty on security guarantees which enshrines obligations for the guarantor countries to provide Ukraine with military assistance in the event of an attack In 2014 the Ukrainian parliament renounced Ukraines nonaligned status with the aim of deepening cooperation with NATO IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-may-put-neutral-status-on-referendum-zelensky-331552.html Wed, 04 May 2022 21:27:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-urges-west-to-stop-arming-ukraine-in-conversation-with-macron-331556.html Moscow May 4 Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Western countries to stop supplying Ukraine with weapons during a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday Putin told Macron about Russias efforts in the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol Xinhua news agency reported citing a statement by the Kremlin The Russian president urged Western countries to stop arming Kiev saying Russia is open to dialogue Putin noted that Western sanctions against Russia are worsening global food insecurity in response to Macrons concerns over this issue IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-urges-west-to-stop-arming-ukraine-in-conversation-with-macron-331556.html Wed, 04 May 2022 21:47:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-welcomes-evacuation-of-civilians-from-azovstal-steel-plant-in-mariupol-331567.html United Nations May 4 UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres has welcomed the safe evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol of Ukraine I am pleased that more than 100 civilians have successfully been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol in an operation successfully coordinated by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross the top UN official was quoted as saying I hope the continued coordination with Kiev and Moscow will lead to more humanitarian pauses that will allow civilians safe passage away from the fighting and aid to reach people where the needs are greatest Guterres said Both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries said on Monday that more than 100 people had been evacuated from the besieged city of Mariupol of Ukraine news reports said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-welcomes-evacuation-of-civilians-from-azovstal-steel-plant-in-mariupol-331567.html Wed, 04 May 2022 23:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/blasts-rock-moldova-as-fears-rise-that-putin-could-be-eyeing-next-target-for-invasion-331358.html London May 2 Russia stoked fears that Moldova may be next in President Vladimir Putins firing line after blasts rocked part of the tiny nation Daily Mail reported When asked about the risks of war spilling into Ukraines neighbour after explosions rattled its Transnistria region Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moldova should worry about their own future Because theyre being pulled into Nato Transnistria is a breakaway region in the east of Moldova where ethnic Ukrainians and Russians outnumber Moldovans The tensions come as UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace predicted that Putin could use Russias Victory Day to announce an intensification of the Ukrainian onslaught  and perhaps an opening of new theatres of war Wallace said that the Russian President  whose advances in Ukraine are far behind expectations  might declare war on the worlds Nazis at the May 9 parade which sees Moscow mark the Soviet Unions victory over Hitler Wallace told LBC Radio I would not be surprised that he is probably going to declare on May Day that we are now at war with the worlds Nazis and we need to mass mobilise the Russian people Analysts had predicted that Putin wanted to be in a position where he could declare some form of victory on May 9 But with Russian progress on the battlefield being less than conclusive he may now seek to escalate further IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/blasts-rock-moldova-as-fears-rise-that-putin-could-be-eyeing-next-target-for-invasion-331358.html Wed, 04 May 2022 02:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ghost-of-kiev-pilot-was-only-a-superhero-legend-331422.html London May 2 Ukraines fighter pilots are vastly outnumbered by the Russians and have become legendary thanks in part to the story of an alleged flying ace called the Ghost of Kiev BBC reported This hero is said to have downed as many as 40 enemy planes an incredible feat in an arena where Russia controls the skies But now the Ukraine Air Force Command has warned on Facebook that the Ghost of Kiev is a superherolegend whose character was created by Ukrainians BBC reported We ask the Ukrainian community not to neglect the basic rules of information hygiene the message said urging people to check the sources of information before spreading them Earlier reports had named the ace pilot as Major Stepan Tarabalka 29 The authorities confirmed that he was killed in combat on March 13 and honoured with a Hero of Ukraine medal posthumously Now the air force stresses that Tarabalka was not Ghost of Kiev and he did not hit 40 planes It describes the Ghost of Kiev as a collective image of pilots of the Air Forces 40th tactical aviation brigade who defend the sky over the capital rather than a single mans combat record For weeks Ukrainians did not have a name to go with the Ghost of Kiev but that did not stop the story from going viral on social media BBC reported Military experts told the BBC they doubted that one pilot could have downed as many as 40 Russian planes Ukrainian military historian Mikhail Zhirohov described the Ghost of Kiev story as propaganda for raising morale Speaking to the BBC from Chernihiv he said that early on in the war the Russians dominated the Ukrainian airspace so a Ukrainian pilot could only shoot down two or three IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ghost-of-kiev-pilot-was-only-a-superhero-legend-331422.html Wed, 04 May 2022 10:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russias-chief-propagandist-threatens-to-plunge-britain-into-depths-of-the-sea-331312.html London May 2 Russian state media has urged President Vladimir Putin to wipe the UK off the map using his mostpowerful nuclear weapons Dmitry Kiselyov a man often known as Putins mouthpiece used his Sunday night show to call for attacks on the UK with a Poseidon underwater drone that he said would trigger a 1600ft radioactive tidal wave and plunge Britain to the depths of the ocean The Daily Mail reported The drone has capacity for a warhead of up to 100 megatonne Kiselyov claimed and added that it also has several thousand times the strength of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima which would raise a giant wave a tsunami up to 1640ft high enough to reach halfway up Scafell Pike the tallest point in England Speaking against a background graphic showing the UK being erased from the world map Kiselyov added This tidal wave is also a carrier of extremely high doses of radiation Surging over Britain it will turn whatever is left of them into radioactive desert unusable for anything How do you like this prospect Kiselyov also threatened the UK with an attack by Sarmat 2 Russias latest nuclear missile which was tested by Putin a fortnight ago which he claimed could also completely destroy the country with just a single impact Their island is so small that one Sarmat missile is enough to drown it once and for all he said It is capable of destroying an area the size of Texas or England A single launch Boris and there is no England anymore the Daily Mail quoted Kiselyov as saying Kiselyovs remarks follow a pattern that has developed on Russian state media in recent days of threatening Britain with nuclear holocaust based on the false premise that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened to carry out a nuclear strike on Russia without consulting NATO IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russias-chief-propagandist-threatens-to-plunge-britain-into-depths-of-the-sea-331312.html Tue, 03 May 2022 20:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/evacuation-from-mariupols-azovstal-underway-ukrainian-prez-331059.html Kiev May 2 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that an evacuation is underway inside the Azovstal plant in the besieged city of Mariupol The first group of about 100 people is already heading to the controlled area Zelensky tweeted He said that the evacuees are set to arrive in southern Ukraines city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday Xinhua news agency reported Petro Andryushchenko an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol said earlier on Telegram that the evacuation began at 4 pm local time The Ukrainian authorities are working with the United Nations to evacuate other civilians from the plant Zelensky said The evacuation from Mariupol was the centerpiece of talks between Zelensky and UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres on Thursday Mariupol a key Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine has seen intense fighting since the RussiaUkraine conflict started IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/evacuation-from-mariupols-azovstal-underway-ukrainian-prez-331059.html Tue, 03 May 2022 00:24:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/skorean-embassy-officials-return-to-kiev-331072.html Seoul May 2 South Koreas top envoy to Ukraine and some other embassy staff have returned to Kiev to restart operations there according to Seouls foreign ministry South Korean embassy officials had evacuated from the capital and worked at a temporary office in the Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi since March following Russias invasion of the country Yonhap news agency reported Amb Kim Hyungtae and some embassy staff have returned to Kiev in preparation for work there starting Monday the ministry said adding it is considering the phased return of the remaining staff They plan to carry out tasks on diplomatic affairs and protecting South Korean nationals under closer cooperation with the Ukrainian government it said During his visit to Ukraine last week US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a gradual return of American diplomats to Kiev IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/skorean-embassy-officials-return-to-kiev-331072.html Tue, 03 May 2022 01:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/evacuation-to-continue-from-ukraines-mariupol-330807.html Berdyansk Newlyweds leave a hall after a wedding ceremony of several pairs with a Russian national flag in the background in Berdyansk in territory under the government of the Donetsk Peoples Republic eastern Ukraine Saturday April 30 2022 This photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense PTI Kiev May 2 Ukrainian authorities will on Monday the evacuation of people stranded in the besieged city of Mariupol which began the previous day head of the Presidents Office Andriy Yermak said In the first stage on Sunday 100 women children and elders were evacuated from Mariupol Yermak said in a social media post adding that they were due to arrive in the southern city of Zaporizhzhya He thanked the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross for their support for the evacuation efforts reports Xinhua news agency According to Petro Andryushchenko an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol the evacuation began at 4 pm on Sunday The evacuation from Mariupol was the centrepiece of talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres on April 28 In an announcement on Sunday night Zelensky said that an evacuation was underway from inside the Azovstal plant the last stronghold of the Ukrainian troops in Mariupol The first group of about 100 people is already heading to the controlled area he said adding that they will also arrive in Zaporizhzhya on Monday At least 20 persons were evacuated on April 30 becoming the first group to leave the plant since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the vast industrial area sealed off a week ago Mariupol a key Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine has witnessed one of the worst bouts of violence in the ongoing war IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/evacuation-to-continue-from-ukraines-mariupol-330807.html Mon, 02 May 2022 10:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-set-for-cancer-surgery-will-hand-over-temporary-power-to-ex-kgb-chief-330863.html Moscow May 1 Russian President Vladimir Putin may be forced to give up control of the war in Ukraine for days as he is set for cancer surgery and will reportedly nominate hardline former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev to take temporary control of the invasion while he is under the knife a Kremlin insider has claimed Patrushev the 70yearold incumbent Secretary of Russias Security Council is seen as a key architect of the war strategy so far and the man who convinced Putin that Kiev is awash with neoNazis said a Daily Mail report The extraordinary claims appeared on popular Telegram channel General SVR which says its source is a wellplaced figure in the Kremlin the report added I dont know for exactly how long Putin will be incapacitated after the surgery I think itll be for a short time the insider source was quoted as saying Putin was unlikely to agree to transfer power but was ready to put in place a charge daffaires to control Russia and the war effort So while Putin has the operation and comes to his senses likely two or three days the actual control of the country passes only to Patrushev the source added Such a move would be surprising since under the Russian constitution power should pass solely to the Prime Minister the Daily Mail reported General SVR reported that Putin has abdominal cancer and Parkinsons 18 months ago He has reportedly delayed surgery which will now not take place before the Victory Day commemoration of Russias World War Two victory in Red Square on May 9 Daily Mail reported The news comes amid speculation that Putin will launch an allout war across Ukraine and order mass mobilisation of militaryage men a considerable political risk The surgery had been scheduled for the second half of April but was delayed SVR claimed Putin was recommended to undergo surgery the date of which is being discussed and agreed the outlet stated There seems to be no particular urgency but it cannot be delayed either He also suffers from Parkinsons disease and schizoaffective disorder which carries symptoms of schizophrenia including hallucinations and mania The Kremlin has always strongly denied Putin has medical problems and portrays he is in robust health even as he has been mysteriously absent in recent years the Daily Mail reported In a video detailing General SVRs claims the outlets source supposedly an anonymous former highranking Kremlin military figure said Putin has discussed that he will be undergoing medical procedures IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-set-for-cancer-surgery-will-hand-over-temporary-power-to-ex-kgb-chief-330863.html Mon, 02 May 2022 14:23:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/20-civilians-evacuated-from-mariupol-steel-plant-330729.html Kiev May 1 At least 20 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol the last stronghold of the Ukrainian troops in the besieged southern city according to media reports Taking to social media late Saturday Sviatoslav Palamar deputy commander of the Azov Regiment said We have transferred 20 civilians who were rescued from the rubble to the agreed location These are women and children We hope that these people will go in the agreed direction namely Zaporizhzhya Ukrayinska Pravda reported He also claimed that both parties are maintaining the ceasefire in the area The Deputy Commander informed that the Azov Regiment is carrying out a special rescue operation in which we are rescuing civilians from under the rubble We hope that the process will continue and we will be able to evacuate all the civilians Regarding the injured persons Palamar acknowledged that there were people who need medical care but we do not know why they are not being taken away and there is no question of their evacuation to the territory controlled by Ukraine I emphasise that we are asking for a guarantee for the departure not only of civilians but also our wounded servicemen who need medical care Speaking to Ukrainian media a serviceman said that most likely several wounded personnel may die because the medics have no operating room equipment and medicines reports Ukrayinska Pravda The 20 people evacuated on Saturday are the first group to leave the plant since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the vast industrial area sealed off last week the BBC reported Talks are ongoing about freeing the reported 1000 civilians still trapped inside Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko told the BBC that people trapped in the plant were on the borderline between life and death People are waiting they are praying for a rescue Its difficult to say how many days or hours we have to save their lives IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/20-civilians-evacuated-from-mariupol-steel-plant-330729.html Mon, 02 May 2022 01:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-zelensky-both-invited-to-g20-indonesian-prez-330497.html Jakarta April 30 Indonesian President Joko Widodo said his country has invited both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the G20 summit in November Indonesia is ready to contribute to the peace effort Xinhua news agency quoted Widodo as saying in a virtual press conference Indonesia wants to unite the G20 Do not let there be a split Peace and stability are the keys to the world economic development The G20 he said plays a catalyst role in the recovery of the world economy adding that he had telephone conversations with both leaders of Russia and Ukraine this week On Thursday Widodo and Putin discussed issues of RussianIndonesian cooperation and various aspects of the activities of G20 in a phone conversation In a conversation with Zelensky on Wednesday Widodo turned down a request for arms from the Ukrainian President saying that Indonesia is ready to provide humanitarian assistance IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-zelensky-both-invited-to-g20-indonesian-prez-330497.html Sun, 01 May 2022 04:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-troops-ready-to-put-shrapnel-into-their-bodies-in-order-to-flee-claims-ukraine-330616.html Kiev April 30 Russian soldiers are so eager to flee the war in Ukraine that they are ready to put shrapnel into their bodies according to conversations intercepted by the Security Service of Ukraine In one intercepted conversation a Russian soldier tells his girlfriend or wife that he is ready to break his arm or knock a piece of shrapnel into his leg with a hammer so that he would be sent home and will receive compensation for his injuries Ukrayinska Pravda reported The girl replies that then it would be better to shoot himself in the leg The guy denies this Id have to use a crossbow Thats impossible In another recording a militant of the socalled DPR selfproclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic says that the Russians are refusing en masse to go on the offensive near Chornobaivka causing panic in various ranks of their allies from the occupied territories of Donetsk region The Russian special services were preparing provocations and riots in Odesa together with criminal connections for the anniversary of the tragic events of 2 May 2014 Ukrayinska Pravda reported Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police said According to the departments staff the Russian special services through criminals under their control were intending to destabilise the situation in the region by inciting riots organising mass protests and riots that could undermine statehood and overthrow Ukraines state system IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-troops-ready-to-put-shrapnel-into-their-bodies-in-order-to-flee-claims-ukraine-330616.html Sun, 01 May 2022 15:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-allocates-4-bn-for-defence-ministry-330676.html Kiev May 1 Ukraine has appropriated billions of dollars to the defence ministry amid the ongoing conflict with Russia Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Friday The Ukrainian government has allocated 119 billion hryvnias about 4 billion for the ministry Shmyhal was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency We are trying to provide maximum support for our fighters The funds will be used to pay salaries to Ukrainian troops and supply them with equipment fuel food protective devices and weapons Shmyhal said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-allocates-4-bn-for-defence-ministry-330676.html Sun, 01 May 2022 20:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-discusses-defensive-support-for-ukraine-with-johnson-330679.html Kiev May 1 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he had discussed defensive support for Ukraine with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson The two sides talked about the situation on the battlefield and the blocked city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine Zelensky said on Twitter adding necessary diplomatic efforts to achieve peace was another topic of the conversation Earlier on Saturday the Ukrainian leader said he had discussed defense cooperation in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/zelensky-discusses-defensive-support-for-ukraine-with-johnson-330679.html Sun, 01 May 2022 20:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-deploys-military-dolphins-at-black-sea-naval-base-330245.html London April 28 Russia has deployed trained military dolphins at its naval base in the Black Sea possibly to protect its fleet from an underwater attack according to a new analysis of satellite images the media reported The US Naval Institute USNI reviewed satellite imagery of the naval base at Sevastopol harbour and concluded that two dolphin pens were moved to the base in February at the start of Moscows invasion of Ukraine The Guardian reported Russia has a history of training dolphins for military purposes using the aquatic mammal to retrieve objects or deter enemy divers The Sevastopol naval base is crucial for the Russian military as it sits in the southern tip of Crimea which Moscow seized in 2014 According to the USNIs analysis many of the Russian ships anchored there while out of range from missiles are potentially vulnerable to undersea attacks The Guardian reported Ukraine had also trained dolphins at an aquarium near Sevastopol in a programme born out of a Sovietera scheme that fell into neglect in the 1990s During the Cold War both the US and the Soviet Union developed the use of dolphins whose echolocation capabilities can allow them to detect underwater objects such as mines The US has spent at least 28 million maintaining its own troops of dolphins and sea lions which are also trainable to potentially help with conflicts The Sevastopol programme was resurrected in 2012 by the Ukrainian navy but the mammals fell into Russian hands after the 2014 invasion of Crimea Ukraine unsuccessfully demanded the return of the animals and RIA Novosti reported that Moscow planned to expand the scheme IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-deploys-military-dolphins-at-black-sea-naval-base-330245.html Sat, 30 Apr 2022 01:25:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-tank-design-flaw-makes-them-mobile-coffins-330254.html London April 28 A fatal design flaw in Russian tanks dating back to the Gulf War has made them sitting ducks for Ukrainian attacks experts have revealed Daily Mail reported Unlike in Western tanks Russian vehicles store up to 40 shells in a carousel at the base of the turret making them extremely vulnerable Even an indirect hit can spark a chain reaction igniting all the ammunition at once and decapitating the vehicles dubbed mobile coffins by Western military experts Daily Mail reported The jackinthebox effect has contributed to the devastating loss of up to 970 Russian tanks the Ukrainian military claims It explains why dozens of charred tanks with their turrets completely blown off have been spotted during Russias invasion of Ukraine with videos showing the top part of the vehicles flying high into the air Sam Bendett an advisor for the Russian Studies Programme at the thinktank Center for a New American Security told CNN What we are witnessing with Russian tanks is a design flaw Any successful hit quickly ignites the ammo causing a massive explosion and the turret is literally blown off The flaw came to the attention of the West during the Gulf Wars of 1991 and 2003 when Iraqs Russiamade T72 tanks were similarly exposed The design has benefits allowing for extra space inside and giving the tanks a lower profile making them harder to hit Subsequent models including T90 and T80 had the same vulnerability due to the missile loading system IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-tank-design-flaw-makes-them-mobile-coffins-330254.html Sat, 30 Apr 2022 02:54:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/osce-to-close-special-monitoring-mission-to-ukraine-330278.html Kiev April 30 The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe OSCE has announced that it would take immediate steps to close the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine the InterfaxUkraine news agency reported This decision follows the lack of consensus at the OSCE Permanent Council on March 31 to extend the Missions mandate the OSCE said on Friday This is not an easy decision to take We have explored all possible options through political dialogue with participating States to achieve the renewal of the Special Monitoring Missions mandate but the position of the Russian Federation left us with no choice but to take steps to close down the Mission said Zbigniew Rau the OSCE Chairmaninoffice and Polish Foreign Minister The OSCE sent its special observer mission to eastern Ukraine in March 2014 following a request of the Ukrainian government Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/osce-to-close-special-monitoring-mission-to-ukraine-330278.html Sat, 30 Apr 2022 06:27:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/another-mass-grave-with-900-bodies-found-in-kiev-region-zelensky-330306.html Kiev April 30 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that another mass grave has been discovered in the Kiev region with 900 bodies In an interview to Polish media on Friday the President said the area where the grave has been found was occupied by Russian forces in March reports Ukrayinska Pravda No one knows how many people have been killed There will be consequences there will be an investigation then there will be a census We have to find all these people but we dont even know how many there are he was quoted as saying Zelensky also claimed that since the invasion began on February 24 nearly 500000 Ukrainians have been illegally deported to Russia He stressed that Ukrainian prosecutors and law enforcement officers will find and put to trial all Russian soldiers who are in any way connected to the crimes committed against Ukraines civilians Meanwhile the Ukrainian prosecutors office has identified 10 Russian soldiers who tortured and killed Ukrainians in Bucha Ukrayinska Pravda reported On April 23 Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk had announced that 412 civilians killed by the Russian military had been found in mass graves in the town about 31 km from Kiev city Investigators have so far found some 1100 bodies in mass graves across the Kiev region At least three mass graves have also been found on the outskirts of the besieged Mariupol city containing the bodies thousands of civilians IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/another-mass-grave-with-900-bodies-found-in-kiev-region-zelensky-330306.html Sat, 30 Apr 2022 10:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-set-to-declare-all-out-war-on-ukraine-within-days-330447.html St Petersburg Bikers ride at the Palace Square decorated for the Victory Day military parade which will take place on May 9 to celebrate 77 years after the victory in World War II during a festival marking the beginning of the motor biking season in St Petersburg Russia Saturday April 30 2022 The sign reads Victory PTI London April 30 Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to declare an allout war on Ukraine within days to enable Moscow to launch a general mobilisation of the population according to Russian sources and Western officials Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what Putin called a special military operation to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine and barred the use of the word war thinking it would be over in a few weeks The Daily Mail reported However army chiefs frustrated that the invasion has now stretched into the third week have called on the President to declare war which would enable a mass mobilisation of Russian troops and an escalation in the conflict Britains Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that Putin might use Russias victory day parade on May 9 to announce the mass mobilisation of his reserves for a final push in Ukraine It comes as former NATO chief Richard Sherriff warned the West must gear itself up for a worst case scenario war with Russia in Ukraine A Russian military source told the Telepgraph The military are outraged that the blitz on Kiev has failed People in the army are seeking payback for failures of the past and they want to go further in Ukraine Earlier this week the Russian military was said to be furious that Putin had downsized the invasion of Ukraine and called for a new escalation of the conflict IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-set-to-declare-all-out-war-on-ukraine-within-days-330447.html Sat, 30 Apr 2022 22:34:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/poland-wants-to-regain-control-of-ukrainian-areas-russia-329895.html Moscow In this photo released by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service Russian Foreign Ministrys spokeswoman Maria Zakharova speaks in Moscow Russia Thursday Apr 28 2020 Turkey had warned Russia in advance before moving to bar Russian planes from flying to Syria over its territory the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday Zakharova said that Turkey had asked Russia more than a month ago not to send Syriabound planes over its territory PTI Moscow April 28 Intelligence obtained by Russia suggests that Poland and the US are working on a plan to regain control of Ukrainian areas that Warsaw considers as historically belonging to it chief of Russias Foreign Intelligence Service SVR Sergey Naryshkin has said According to the alleged plan the first stage of this reunification will see Polish peacekeepers deployed in western Ukraine under the pretext of protection from Russian aggression Naryshkin revealed in a statement on Thursday RT reported The details of the operation are now being discussed between Warsaw and the Joe Biden administration in the US he claimed adding that its going to be carried out without a NATO mandate with only volunteer countries taking part Warsaw has so far been unable to find any other nations to join its cause he added But the Polish authorities arent bothered by it as theyre themselves interested in having less unnecessary witnesses to their actions Naryshkin said Despite the announced goal of countering Moscow the Polish troops are planned to be deployed in parts of Ukraine where theyll have almost no real chance of engaging Russian forces he pointed out RT reported According to the Russian data the actual tactical objective of the Polish troops will be reclaiming control of strategic facilities from the Ukrainian National Guard Polands intelligence services are now apparently searching for reliable members of the Ukrainian elite who would be willing to form a proWarsaw counterbalance to the Ukrainian nationalists IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/poland-wants-to-regain-control-of-ukrainian-areas-russia-329895.html Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/erdogan-guterres-discuss-ukraine-crisis-over-phone-329907.html Istanbul April 28 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Nations UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres discussed the latters visit to Russia over the phone Guterres on Wednesday briefed Erdogan about his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Turkeys Directorate of Communications said in a statement Before heading to Moscow and Kiev for talks on resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine the UN SecretaryGeneral met with Turkish President in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday Xinhua news agency reported The Turkish leader had told Guterres that all parties should support the Istanbul process for a solution to the crisis between Russia and Ukraine according to the statement During a phone talk with Putin on Tuesday Erdogan said the continuation of the positive momentum achieved in the Istanbul talks to reach peace in Ukraine is in everyones interest On Sunday the Turkish President said his country is ready to provide all possible assistance for the negotiation process when having a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky A round of facetoface talks between Russia and Ukraine was held in Istanbul in March IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/erdogan-guterres-discuss-ukraine-crisis-over-phone-329907.html Thu, 28 Apr 2022 20:08:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-seeks-to-get-5bn-from-imf-per-month-pm-329911.html Kiev April 28 Ukraine is seeking to receive 5 billion from the International Monetary Fund IMF per month Ukraines media outlet Hromadske reported citing the countrys Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal We are talking about 5 billion dollars a month the need for this amount has been confirmed by both the IMF and the World Bank These are the funds that the budget of Ukraine needs in order to fulfill all our social and humanitarian obligations Shmyhal said on Wednesday He added that the IMF has already set up a special administrative account through which Ukraines partners will provide assistance for Kiev in the form of grants and loans Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-seeks-to-get-5bn-from-imf-per-month-pm-329911.html Thu, 28 Apr 2022 20:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/skorea-to-divert-gas-supplies-to-europe-over-ukraine-crisis-329919.html Seoul April 28 South Korea plans to send part of its liquefied natural gas LNG supplies to Europe to help ease an energy crisis over Russias invasion of Ukraine officials said on Thursday Concerns have grown over natural gas supply disruptions in Europe amid the ongoing crisis surrounding Ukraine as Russia is the biggest provider of gas to Europe reports Yonhap News agency On Wednesday Russias stateowned gas producer Gazprom said it had cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after the nations refused to pay for shipments in rubles In response South Korea has decided to divert some of its LNG gas cargo to Europe as Seoul has some room for such support in spring time an Industry Ministry official said The official refused to give details about when and how much South Korea will offer but the envisioned shipment would be sent to Europe before summer though the volume would not be that much as Seoul usually manages the gas supplies tightly The decision appears to have been made upon a request from the US or European nations another official said In February Washington asked for South Koreas gas support for Europe but the Seoul government turned down the request at that time according to media reports The import price of natural gas for South Korea stood at 101335 per tonne as of March end up 2008 per cent from the previous month The comparable figure for March 2021 was 43842 according to government data IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/skorea-to-divert-gas-supplies-to-europe-over-ukraine-crisis-329919.html Thu, 28 Apr 2022 20:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/guterres-arrives-in-ukraine-after-russia-trip-329922.html Kiev April 28 Following his trip to Russia UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres announced his arrival to the wartorn Ukraine where he will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday Taking to Twitter on Wednesday evening the UN chief said I have arrived in Ukraine after visiting Moscow We will continue our work to expand humanitarian support secure the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones The sooner this war ends the better  for the sake of Ukraine Russia and the world In a meeting with Guterres in Moscow on Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in principle to the involvement of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Ukraines besieged city of Mariupol The UN is following up on an agreement with Russia to coordinate the evacuation of civilians in Azovstal a spokesman of the world body announced on Wednesday Followon discussions were to be held with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Russian Defense Ministry During their meeting Putin also told the UN chief that the Ukrainian issue arose after the 2014 unconstitutional coup in Kiev and people in Donbas remained under blockade and military pressure even after the Minsk agreements on a peaceful settlement were reached According to the Russian President the Donbas republics have the right to declare their sovereignty and Russia has the right to recognise their independence and provide them with military assistance in full accordance with the UN Charter Guterres proposed creating a contact group where the UN Russia and Ukraine can discuss the situation together so that the humanitarian corridors are truly effective Before his trip to Moscow the UN chief met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in the capital Ankara IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/guterres-arrives-in-ukraine-after-russia-trip-329922.html Thu, 28 Apr 2022 21:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/over-half-of-us-howitzers-are-in-ukraine-today-pentagon-329925.html Washington April 28 Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby announced that more than half of US howitzers are in Ukraine today and the first tranche of soldiers from the wartorn nation have been trained in how to use the longranged weapon system Munitions continue to flow into Ukraine as well as weapon systems Those soldiers will go back to Ukraine and teach their fellow soldiers as those batteries stand up Kirby said during a press briefing on Wednesday He also claimed that the equipment being sent to Ukraine is having an effect on the battlefield and is making a difference on the battle lines in the eastern Donbas region the site of the major Russian effort in Ukraine Kirby who just returned from a trip with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Europe said the fight in the Donbas is active and kinetic Ukrainian officials told Austin that the equipment coming from 40 different countries is allowing Ukrainian forces to hold their own against the Russian invasion the Press Secretary was quoted as saying In Europe Austin said the US and partner nations will continue to get the equipment and supplies the Ukrainians need to the country Kirby further said that US officials were in constant contact with Ukraines military to ensure the right mix of weapons and ammunition arrive in time We know theyre expending rounds every single day of all different types and calibers And were doing everything we can to continue to make sure that they can stay in the fight he said Last week President Joe Biden announced an additional 800 million in security assistance to Ukraine which includes heavy artillery weapons dozens of Howitzers 144000 rounds of ammunition to go with the Howitzers as well as additional tactical drones Since the war started on February 24 the US has so far sent thousands of antiarmour and antiair missiles helicopters drones grenade launchers machine guns rifles radar systems as well as more than 50 million rounds of ammunition Biden claimed The US alone has provided 10 antiarmour systems for every one Russian tank thats in Ukraine a 10 to 1 ratio Till date the US has provided 1 billion worth of economic support to Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/over-half-of-us-howitzers-are-in-ukraine-today-pentagon-329925.html Thu, 28 Apr 2022 21:24:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/no-agreement-yet-on-meeting-between-putin-zelensky-329940.html Kiev April 28 Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said that no agreement has been reached on a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin The time of the meeting of the presidents of the two countries and the context of the meeting have not been determined yet Xinhua news agency quoted Podolyak also a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks with Russia as saying Consultations at the level of working subgroups which are preparing the positions of the parties in legal terms are underway he said Earlier Wednesday Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said his country hopeed that a meeting between Zelensky and Putin would take place in the next few days as the war rages on IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/no-agreement-yet-on-meeting-between-putin-zelensky-329940.html Thu, 28 Apr 2022 23:07:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-expels-40-german-diplomats-in-retaliatory-move-329549.html Moscow April 26 Russia has declared 40 German diplomats personae non gratae in a titfortat move the Foreign Ministry in Moscow announced The Ministry summoned German Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr on Monday in protest over Berlins decision to declare 40 Russian diplomats working in Germany personae non gratae earlier in April reports Xinhua news agency The Ministry called Germanys motives behind the expulsion of the Russian diplomats unacceptable and informed the Ambassador that 40 German diplomats would be declared personae non grata in a symmetrical response Responding to Russias move German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that it was expected but was in no way justified She said the Russian diplomats previously expelled by Germany did not serve diplomacy for a single day while those expelled by Russia had not done anything wrong IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-expels-40-german-diplomats-in-retaliatory-move-329549.html Wed, 27 Apr 2022 05:55:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-warns-of-nuclear-war-danger-329567.html Moscow April 26 Russias starting position is that atomic war should be unacceptable and Moscow successfully persuaded the US and other nuclear powers to agree on that back in January Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov outlined in an interview However he added that the situation has since deteriorated to the point where there is a real and serious threat Moscow tried to persuade former US President Donald Trump to recommit to the 1987 statement by the US and Soviet leaders that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and that such a war should never be fought Lavrov explained in the interview RT reported While the Trump administration declined to do so his successor Joe Biden quickly agreed with Moscow and the statement was made at the June 2021 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva China France and the UK the remaining three nuclear powers that are also permanent members of the UN Security Council agreed as well and made a joint statement This is our principled position We start from it Lavrov said However the risks of nuclear war are now very significant I dont want them artificially inflated There are many who would wish for it The danger is serious real It cannot be underestimated he said Lavrov also praised as good and wise the Biden administrations first foreign policy move which was to agree with Russia that the New Start treaty should be unconditionally extended for five years On the other hand it is the last arms control agreement left standing after Washington pulled out of the ABM INF and Open Skies treaties IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-warns-of-nuclear-war-danger-329567.html Wed, 27 Apr 2022 08:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-agrees-to-involvement-of-un-icrc-in-civilian-evacuation-from-azovstal-un-329588.html Moscow Russian President Vladimir Putin left speaks to UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow Russia Tuesday April 26 2022 PTI United Nations April 27 Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed in principle to the involvement of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol of Ukraine said a UN spokesman UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres held a teteatete in Moscow with Putin said Stephane Dujarric Guterres spokesman in a release of the meeting on Tuesday Guterres reiterated the position of the UN on Ukraine and they discussed the proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians in relation to the situation in Mariupol said the release The President agreed in principle to the involvement of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol it added Followon discussions will be held with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Russian Defence Ministry it said Dujarric was with the SecretaryGeneral in Moscow Xinhua news agency reported Before his talks with the Russian President the UN chief held a working meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov At a press encounter after his meeting with Lavrov Guterres said it is my deep conviction that the sooner we end this war the better for the people of Ukraine for the people of the Russian Federation and those far beyond The UN chief added that he had proposed the establishment of a Humanitarian Contact Group bringing together Russia Ukraine and the UN to look for opportunities for the opening of safe corridors with local cessations of hostilities and to guarantee that they are actually effective On Mariupol in particular he proposed for coordinated work of the UN the ICRC and the Ukrainian and Russian forces to enable the safe evacuation of the civilians who want to leave both inside the Azovstal plant and in the city in any direction they would choose and to deliver the humanitarian aid required said Guterres The Ukraine conflict is sending shock waves around the world The dramatic acceleration of the increases in the prices for food and energy is causing enormous suffering to hundreds of millions of the most vulnerable people worldwide This comes on top of the shock of the continued Covid19 pandemic and uneven access to resources for recovery which particularly penalise developing countries around the world he added Guterres will be flying to Rzeszow of Poland in transit to Ukraine where he will meet with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/putin-agrees-to-involvement-of-un-icrc-in-civilian-evacuation-from-azovstal-un-329588.html Wed, 27 Apr 2022 10:32:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/biden-nominates-new-us-ambassador-to-ukraine-329337.html Washington April 26 US President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Bridget Brink for US Ambassador to Ukraine a vacant post since May 2019 The announcement on Monday by the White House came shortly after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin held a press conference at an undisclosed location near the PolishUkrainian border following a secrecyshrouded visit to Kiev where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Xinhua news agency reported Blinken told reporters he shared with Zelensky a number of things the US is committed to regarding Ukraine in its military conflict with Russia including President Bidens intent to nominate a new Ambassador to Ukraine Ambassador Bridget Brink The US Secretary of State described Brink a Michigan native appointed by former President Donald Trump to serve as the US Ambassador to Slovakia in August 2019 as deeply experienced in the region wholl be a very strong representative for the United States in Ukraine The US has been without a Senateconfirmed Ambassador to Ukraine since May 2019 when Trump recalled thenAmbassador Marie Yovanovitch over claims she was undermining the former Presidents efforts to press Ukraine to investigate the Biden familys business ties with the country Blinken also said US diplomats who left Ukraine due to the war will return to the country next week and start the process of looking at how we actually reopen the US embassy in Kiev which ceased operation in the leadup to Russias military operation in Ukraine IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/biden-nominates-new-us-ambassador-to-ukraine-329337.html Tue, 26 Apr 2022 03:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-turkish-prez-promise-to-work-for-peace-in-ukraine-329338.html United Nations April 26 UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have reaffirmed their commitment to ending the conflict in Ukraine and to creating conditions to end the suffering of civilians said a UN spokesman Guterres met Erdogan in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday Xinhua news agency reported The UN chief expressed his support for Turkeys ongoing diplomatic efforts in relation to the conflict in Ukraine Farhan Haq Guterres Deputy spokesman told reporters in New York He and President Erdogan reaffirmed that their common objective is to end the war as soon as possible and to create conditions to end the suffering of civilians They stressed the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians and deliver muchneeded assistance to impacted communities said Haq They agreed to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives he added Guterres and the Turkish President also discussed the impact of the Ukraine conflict on regional and global issues including energy food and finance said Haq The UN chief was in Ankara on Monday before travelling to Moscow and Kiev Turkey a major mediator has also indicated its willingness to become a security guarantor of Ukraine The UN SecretaryGeneral will visit Moscow and have a working meeting and lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday He will be received by President Vladimir Putin Guterres then will travel to Ukraine where he will have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and will be received by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday He will also meet with staff of UN agencies in Ukraine to discuss the scaling up of humanitarian assistance IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-turkish-prez-promise-to-work-for-peace-in-ukraine-329338.html Tue, 26 Apr 2022 03:15:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/europe-faces-non-energy-challenges-amid-ukraine-crisis-experts-say-329342.html Rome April 26 The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is likely to have longterm implications for Europe that go beyond energy supplies analysts have said So far the conflicts biggest direct economic impact has been on energy prices particularly in Germany and Italy Europes two largest importers of Russian gas Xinhua news agency reported Natural gas futures fell slightly last week but only after hitting their highest levels in 13 years according to media reports But analysts told Xinhua news agency that Europe will soon be faced with other challenges such as increasing supply chain issues spiking food prices environmental policy problems and fresh waves of refugees We could end up with major problems in one of the important supply chains this could be the automobile sector or something else Lorenzo Codogno Founder and Chief Economist of LC Macro Advisors and a visiting professor at the London School of Economics told Xinhua We also have to consider food wheat and corn which are traditionally produced by both Russia and Ukraine he said Gas is not just used for energy generation It is also used in the production of fertilisers which are important for agriculture not just in Europe but across the globe Everything is connected to everything else According to Riccardo Puglisi a professor of public economics at the University of Pavia the most widespread economic impact stemming from the conflict might be the uncertainty it creates The conflict is slowing the economic recovery from the problems created by the coronavirus pandemic Puglisi said There is no single cause here and we dont know how long this will go on and what the medium or longterm effects will be He said one impact economies are already seeing is an increase in military spending which he added has already doubled when measured as a percentage of the GDP of European nations to around two per cent In the coming months this figure could further increase to 25 per cent Governments will be able to find the tax revenue to offset most of the increases in military spending but the extra spending will not be enough to offset the economic uncertainty countries will face Puglisi said Some environmental groups are worried that a too quick transition away from Russian energy sources could make it difficult to replace those with renewable energy alternatives The fear is that the quest for alternatives to gas or petroleum could lock countries into longterm contracts that would stifle the expansion of clean energy Codogno said while crisis situations often sow divisions between countries this does not seem to be the case this time around He noted that if the conflict continues for many months the situation could become more problematic because of migration If the Ukrainian refugee crisis continues it would clearly put a lot of stress on facilities like schools and hospitals he said But if countries agree to share the burden imposed by these migrants I think it would still be a shock but a manageable one IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/europe-faces-non-energy-challenges-amid-ukraine-crisis-experts-say-329342.html Tue, 26 Apr 2022 04:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-pushes-for-truce-in-ukraine-despite-russian-envoys-negative-response-329345.html United Nations April 26 UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres continues to push for a halt in hostilities in Ukraine even though a Russian UN envoy said a ceasefire is not a good option at the moment said a UN spokesman We continue to call for a ceasefire or some sort of pause The SecretaryGeneral did that as you know just last week Clearly that didnt happen in time for Orthodox Easter said Farhan Haq Deputy spokesman for Guterres I dont want to give too many details at this stage of the sort of proposals he will have I think were coming at a fairly delicate moment Its important that he is able to talk clearly with the leadership on both sides and see what progress we can make he told a daily press briefing Ultimately the end goal is to have a halt to fighting and to have ways to improve the situation of the people in Ukraine lessen the threat that theyre under and provide humanitarian aid to them So those are the goals were trying and there are certain ways that well try to move those forward he said Guterres was on his way to Moscow from Turkey He will have a working meeting and lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday and will be received by President Vladimir Putin Xinhua news agency reported The UN chief then will travel to Ukraine and have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and will be received by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday Before his trips to Moscow and Kiev Guterres made a stopover in Turkey where he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the Ukraine issue Haq said the SecretaryGeneral is making the trips because he thinks there is an opportunity now A lot of diplomacy is about timing about finding out when is the right time to speak with a person to travel to a place to do certain things And he is going in the anticipation that there is a real opportunity that is now availing itself and well see what we can make of it he said Dmitry Polyanskiy Russias first Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN said on Monday that now is not the time for a ceasefire We dont think that ceasefire is a good option right now The only advantage it will present is that it will give Ukrainian forces a possibility to regroup and stage more provocations like the one in Bucha he told reporters It is not up to me to decide but I do not see any reason in this right now IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/un-chief-pushes-for-truce-in-ukraine-despite-russian-envoys-negative-response-329345.html Tue, 26 Apr 2022 04:58:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-announces-ceasefire-near-azovstal-plant-to-ensure-civilian-evacuation-329350.html Moscow April 26 Russias Defence Ministry has announced a ceasefire near the Azovstal plant in Mariupol for the safe evacuation of civilians Russias armed forces and the formations of the Donetsk Peoples Republic from 1400 Moscow time on April 25 will unilaterally cease all hostilities to ensure the safe evacuation of the specified category of civilians workers women and children the Ministry said on Monday in a statement It added that the civilians will be taken in any direction they choose Xinhua news agency reported The decision was guided by purely humanitarian principles the Ministry said IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-announces-ceasefire-near-azovstal-plant-to-ensure-civilian-evacuation-329350.html Tue, 26 Apr 2022 05:51:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/risk-of-nuke-war-is-real-russias-lavrov-329362.html Moscow April 26 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the risk of a nuclear war is real and should not be underestimated He made the remarks in an interview on Monday with Russias Channel One TV Lavrov reiterated that in January the five permanent members of the UN Security Council made a statement on the inadmissibility of a nuclear war reports TASS News Agency This is our principled position we are guided by this and of course I would not want to see these risks artificially inflated now when the risks are rather significant the Foreign Minister said stressing that there are many who want to do this The danger is serious it is real it should not be underestimated Lavrov said He noted that during the administration of former US President Donald Trump Russia had sought the confirmation of the 1987 statement from Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan the then leaders of the Soviet Union and America that a nuclear war was inadmissible Regretfully we failed to convince our colleagues of the necessity of this move but we agreed very quickly with the administration of US President Joe Biden and our Presidents made this statement during the Geneva summit last June TASS quoted the Minister as saying In the interview Lavrov also accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of pretending to negotiate calling him a good actor the BBC reported If you watch attentively and read attentively what he says youll find a thousand contradictions He also alleged that since Western has delivered weapons to Ukraine in the wake of Russias war the NATO alliance was in essence engaged in war with Russia These weapons will be a legitimate target for Russias military acting within the context of the special operation NATO in essence is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy War means war IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/risk-of-nuke-war-is-real-russias-lavrov-329362.html Tue, 26 Apr 2022 09:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/3rd-mass-grave-in-mariupols-outskirts-identified-329365.html Kiev April 26 Satellite imagery have identified the presence of a third mass grave in the outskirts of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol according to an investigative report The Radio Free EuropeRadio Liberty report said the pictures by Planet Labs a San Franciscobased Earth imaging company showed the appearance of a 200metrelong grave in the village of Staryi Krym 5 km from the devastated southeastern city The first images taken on March 24 showed three trenches one of them 6070 metres long Ukrayinska Pravda quoted the report as saying Then on April 7 the pictures revealed that the trenches became longer and some parts that were dug earlier were covered up Eventually the latest images on Sunday taken a month after the original image showed the appearance of new trenches The total length of the mass graves is now estimated to reach over 200 metres Confirming the presence of the third mass grave Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko alleged that Russian troops get local residents to help with the burials in exchange for food The village of Staryi Krym was captured by the Russian forces on March 10 On April 21 the the Mariupol City Council announced that upto 9000 citizens of Mariupol may have been buried in a 300metrelong mass grave in Manhush a village occupied by Russian troops and located less than 20 km away from the besieged port city Citing satellite images by Maxar Technologies which collects and publishes satellite imagery of Ukraine the Council had said that the size of the mass grave in Manhush is 20 times that of the one in Bucha A similar mass grave was recorded by a satellite in the village of Vynogradne near Mariupol Earlier this month Maxar images of the town of Bucha outside Kiev appeared to show bodies of civilians lying in the street nearly two weeks before the Russians left the town as part of a withdrawal from northern Ukraine Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk had said that least 300 civilians were killed in the town IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/3rd-mass-grave-in-mariupols-outskirts-identified-329365.html Tue, 26 Apr 2022 10:09:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-troops-occupy-kherson-city-council-building-329373.html Kiev April 26 Weeks after occupying the major Ukrainian city of Kherson Russian troops have now taken control of the City Council building according to authorities The development was confirmed on Monday by Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev and employees of the City Council to Ukrayinska Pravda According to the available information on Monday evening Russian troops occupied the Kherson City Council building and removed the Ukrainian flag from it The Russian military seized the keys to the building from the security guards They were trying to find out what time the working day usually begins said the Ukrayinska Pravda report The Mayor and employees were given the chance to go home The City Council will cease operations from Tuesday onwards given that all of its premises are now temporarily controlled by Russian occupation forces the report added On March 15 Russian forces occupied the entire region of Kherson after the territorys namesake capital city was first captured on March 3 It was the first major city to fall to the Russian troops IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russian-troops-occupy-kherson-city-council-building-329373.html Tue, 26 Apr 2022 10:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/oil-depot-on-fire-in-russian-city-near-ukraine-border-329257.html Bryansk In this photo taken by an anonymous source smoke rises from oil storage facilities hit by fire in Bryansk Russia Monday April 25 2022 The Emergencies Ministry said the massive fire at the depot in the city of Bryansk erupted overnight The oil depot is owned by TransneftDruzhba a subsidiary of the Russian statecontrolled company Transneft that operates the westernbound Druzhba Friendship pipeline carrying crude to Europe and it wasnt immediately clear if the blaze could affect the deliveries PTI Moscow April 25 A fire broke out on Monday at an oil depot in Bryansk a large Russian city near the Ukraine border The blaze occurred at a premises operated by TransneftDruzhba JSC and at another location officials told RIA Novosti No casualties have been reported and there is no threat to residential buildings RT reported citing the Ministry of Emergency Situations as saying The evacuation of the population is not planned According to preliminary information there were no victims its press service stated Local residents have reported that explosions were heard and sirens are audible in social media videos according to TASS News Agency Another fire was recorded in the Fokinsky district of the city the causes of which have not yet been established Moscow daily Kommersant has reported Bryansk is home to over 400000 people and is an important regional hub RT reported An Interfax source revealed that a 10000tonne tank of diesel fuel was ignited Stateowned Rossiya24 TV has suggested that the second object that caught fire was a diesel fuel depot in a military unit Before Mondays incident officials in Bryansk region had warned of a potential terrorist threat Similar fears were announced in parts of Voronezh and the entirety of the smaller Belgorod region where Ukraine was accused of shelling an oil depot earlier this month IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/oil-depot-on-fire-in-russian-city-near-ukraine-border-329257.html Mon, 25 Apr 2022 19:16:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/erdogan-zelensky-discuss-ukraine-crisis-over-phone-329132.html IstanbulKiev April 25 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the latest developments of the Ukraine crisis over the phone According to a statement by the Turkish presidential office on Sunday Erdogan said the evacuation of the wounded and civilians from Ukraines Mariupol where the situation is getting sadder each day must be urgently ensured Zelensky on Sunday tweeted that he stressed the need for the immediate evacuation of civilians from Mariupol including Azovstal plant and an immediate exchange of blocked troops The two Presidents also addressed issues related to the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine Xinhua news agency reported The Turkish President said Turkey has a positive stance on the guarantor issue in principle and that his country is ready to provide all possible assistance for the negotiation process the Turkish presidential office said Following a fresh round of facetoface talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in March Ukrainian negotiators named several countries including Turkey which could act as guarantors IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/erdogan-zelensky-discuss-ukraine-crisis-over-phone-329132.html Mon, 25 Apr 2022 07:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-asks-iaea-for-equipment-to-safely-run-nuke-plants-329172.html Vienna April 25 Ukraine has provided the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA with a comprehensive list of equipment it needs for the safe and secure operation of its nuclear facilities in the wake of the ongoing war Rafael Grossi chief of the Viennabased UN watchdog announced According to the IAEA The list Ukraine sent covers a range of equipment for different nuclear facilities in the country and includes various radiation measurement devices protective material computerrelated assistance power supply systems and diesel generators The detailed equipment requirements submitted through the IAEAs Unified System for Information Exchange in Incidents and Emergencies USIE a secure web site for the exchange of notifications and other emergencyrelated information between countries would enable the Agency to effectively coordinate and implement the delivery of support to Ukraine Grossi said in a statement on Sunday Previously the IAEA had delivered initial equipment to Ukraine when Grossi visited the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant last month and more will be handed over when he travels to the Chernobyl this week Since the beginning of the war on February 24 the Russian military has taken control of two nuclear power plants Zaporizhzhya and Chernobyl which are now back in Ukraines control IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-asks-iaea-for-equipment-to-safely-run-nuke-plants-329172.html Mon, 25 Apr 2022 11:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-deputy-pm-appeals-to-un-for-humanitarian-corridor-from-mariupol-329180.html Kiev April 25 Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk has appealed to the UN for a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol after efforts to evacuate civilians from the devastated besieged southeastern city has again collapsed In a televised address on Sunday Vereschuk said the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol could not be opened up on Sunday as Russia has not confirmed the guarantee of the ceasefire reports Ukrayinska Pravda We are no longer asking we are demanding that the UN ensure a ceasefire and the opening of a humanitarian corridor from Azovstal and Mariupol in general she said adding that the issue should be raised by SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres when he visits Russia this week This is what Guterres should say in Moscow if he is going to talk about peace All other agreements will carry no weight because the most important thing that the UN can do and what others cannot do is to open a humanitarian corridor According to the Minister there were 1000 injured women and children in Azovstal currently and almost 50 people are in urgent need of professional emergency care Deputy Commander of Ukraines Azov Regiment Sviatoslav Palamar also confirmed to Ukrayinska Pravda that there was no humanitarian corridor from Mariupol on Sunday adding that bombs fall on the city every three minutes and the Russians are trying to storm the positions of Ukrainian defenders Mariupol has been under siege since March 1 The Ukrainian Defence Forces continue to defend part of the blocked city including civilians who are hiding in the basements of the Azovstal plant The Russian army continued to strike Azovstal with bombs IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-deputy-pm-appeals-to-un-for-humanitarian-corridor-from-mariupol-329180.html Mon, 25 Apr 2022 12:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/top-us-officials-meet-zelensky-in-kiev-329182.html Kyiv In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Monday April 25 2022 from left US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a picture during their meeting in Kyiv Ukraine PTI Kiev April 25 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev marking the first visit by top American officials to the wartorn nation since Russia began its invasion on February 24 Zelensky on Monday put out several pictures on Instagram in which he said that the visit of a delegation of highranking US officials to Kiev at this crucial moment for the Ukrainian state is very valuable and important The visit on Sunday came unannounced and the US government is yet to make an official statement on it The President added that he discussed with Blinken and Austin about defense assistance strengthening sanctions against Russia financial support for Ukraine and security guarantees A CNN report said that Blinken and Austin also met Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky Citing a senior State Department official the report said that Blinken told Zelensky about the return of American diplomats to Ukraine According to the official the diplomats will start with day trips into Lviv and graduate to potentially other parts of the country and ultimately resume their presence in Kiev Blinken added that President Joe Biden will nominate Bridget Brink the current American envoy to Slovakia as the US Ambassador to Ukraine CNN quoted the official as saying The post has been without a confirmed Ambassador since Marie Yovanovitch was recalled in May 2019 Another Defense Department official said that Blinken and Austin discussed the deliveries of recent US military assistance to Ukraine the ongoing training for Ukrainian soldiers and the Biden administrations intention to provide 713 million in additional foreign military financing to help Ukraine transition to NATOcapable systems CNN reported During a press conference on Friday Zelensky had announced that the two American officials would visit Kiev but the US administration remained silent on it IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/top-us-officials-meet-zelensky-in-kiev-329182.html Mon, 25 Apr 2022 12:54:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/china-moves-in-after-shells-exit-from-russia-329057.html Moscow April 23 Chinas biggest stateowned energy companies are reportedly negotiating the opportunity to buy a stake in a major Russian gas export project from Shell after the British oil and gas corporation exited Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine RT reported Cnooc CNPC and Sinopec Group are in joint talks with Shell over the companys 275 per cent stake in the Sakhalin2 liquefied natural gas venture according to people with knowledge of the matter as quoted by Bloomberg The discussions which are in the early stages reportedly include the sale of the stake to one or two of the Chinese firms or to a consortium of all three majors Shell is also open to negotiations with other potential buyers outside of China the sources who asked to remain anonymous told the media In March Shell announced plans to exit its joint ventures with Russian staterun gas giant Gazprom and related entities The decision follows similar steps announced by Frenchbased Total the UKs BP and Norways Equinor ASA Later the company said it would have to write off as much as 5 billion in assets due to the exit Chinas automotive industry is also eyeing opportunities in Russia One of the Chinese auto manufacturers may buy Renaults stake in Russian carmaker Avtovaz according to a source in government agencies as quoted by TASS Renault holds 68 per cent in Lada Auto Holding a joint venture with Rostec which owns 100 per cent of Avtovaz IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/china-moves-in-after-shells-exit-from-russia-329057.html Sun, 24 Apr 2022 20:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-aiming-to-take-full-control-of-south-ukraine-commander-328801.html Mali This image taken from a video shows soldiers burying bodies near an army base in northern Mali The French military says it has videos of Russian mercenaries burying bodies near an army base in northern Mali Russia has engaged in undertheradar military operations in at least half a dozen countries in Africa in the last five years using a shadowy mercenary force analysts say is loyal to President Vladimir Putin The analysts say the Wagner Group of mercenaries is also key to Putins ambitions to reimpose Russian influence on a global scale PTI Moscow April 23 A top Russian commander said that his country was aiming to take full control of southern Ukraine and the separatist Donbas region according to media reports The statement was made by Maj Gen Rustam Minnekayev the deputy commander of Russias central military district while addressing a military event in the countrys Sverdlovsk region on Friday a BBC report said Quoted by Russias TASS News Agency the commander said that Russian forces control over Donbas will enable to establish a ground corridor to Crimea and to gain influence over vitallyimportant Ukrainian military facilities the Black Sea ports He also said that by doing this it would give Moscow access to the Russianspeaking breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova Control over the south of Ukraine is another way out to Transnistria where there are also facts of oppression of the Russianspeaking population Gen Minnekayev was quoted as saying Transnistria which borders Ukraine from the west claimed independence after the fall of the Soviet Union but it is yet to be recognised internationally and officially remains part of Moldova A small detachment of around 1500 Russian troops has been stationed in the region since 1995 as part of a truce agreement Meanwhile Moldovas Foreign Ministry has summoned Russias Ambassador over Minnekayevs comments saying that they were deeply concerning the BBC reported Responding to the Russian commanders statement Ukrainian President said Volodymyr Zelensky that Moscows invasion of Kiev was only a beginning then they want to capture other countries In his latest video address uploaded on Facebook late Friday night he said Well this only confirms what I have said many times the Russian invasion of Ukraine was intended only as a beginning then they want to capture other countries Of course we will defend ourselves as long as necessary to break this ambition of the Russian Federation But all nations that like us believe in the victory of life over death must fight with us They have to help us because we are the first on this path And who is next If anyone who can become next wants to stay neutral today so as not to lose anything this is the riskiest bet Because you will lose everything Zelensky also warned against Russias alleged plans to hold a series of fake independence referendums in occupied regions to create a series of proRussian breakaway states If they ask you to fill out some questionnaires leave your passport data somewhere you should know this is not to help you the President warned This is aimed to falsify the socalled referendum on your land if an order comes from Moscow to stage such a show This is the reality Be careful According to a spokesperson for Ukraines Defence Ministry referendums were planned in Kherson and occupied areas around Zaporizhzhya in the coming weeks IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/russia-aiming-to-take-full-control-of-south-ukraine-commander-328801.html Sat, 23 Apr 2022 17:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/military-transport-plane-crashes-in-ukraine-casualties-reported-328823.html Kiev April 23 A Ukrainian An26 military transport plane crashed in Ukraines southern Zaporizhzhya region the regional administration said in a statement on Facebook The aircraft was on a technical flight and there were casualties in the crash which took place on Friday the statement added Circumstances of the crash were being verified Xinhua news agency reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/military-transport-plane-crashes-in-ukraine-casualties-reported-328823.html Sat, 23 Apr 2022 19:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-says-talks-on-security-guarantees-with-partner-countries-to-complete-within-week-328833.html Kiev April 23 Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak has said Kiev will complete the talks on security guarantees with partner countries within a week the InterfaxUkraine news agency reported Weapons supplies closure of the sky military consultations and means for the rapid purchase of additional weapons are important for us I think that these issues can be completed within a week Podolyak added on Friday On April 16 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the UK the US Italy and Turkey showed their willingness to join the creation of a system of security guarantees for Ukraine Xinhua news agency reported The Advisors to the leaders of Poland Germany France and Israel reportedly have expressed readiness to discuss a list of security guarantees for Ukraine the report said At the peace talks with Russia in Istanbul Turkey in March Kiev proposed to sign a new international treaty on security guarantees which enshrines obligations for the guarantor countries to provide Ukraine with military assistance in the event of an attack IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-says-talks-on-security-guarantees-with-partner-countries-to-complete-within-week-328833.html Sat, 23 Apr 2022 21:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/sitharaman-makes-indias-stand-clear-with-the-us-on-the-ukraine-crisis-328839.html By Yashwant Raj Washington April 23 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said Indias stand on the RussiaUkraine war was predicated on the security challenges in its own neighbourhood and the US should understand that though it has a friend in India that friend cant be a weak friend and the friend should be not weakened The Union Minister said she found that understanding in her interactions during her ongoing visit to the US for the Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group She met many US officials on the sidelines including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and other officials over a dinner hosted by Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu India certainly wants to be a friend but if the US also wants a friend the friend cant be a weak friend the friend should not be weakened Sitharaman told reporters at a new conference concluding her visit She added So we are taking decisions we are taking calls we are taking calibrated positions because we need to be strong where we are given the geographical locational realities These neighbourhood challenges included as she laid out tension along the northern border with China that continued despite the Covid19 pandemic a western border with Pakistan that is constantly at odds and the influx into India of military hardware sent to Afghanistan for counterterrorism operations India has been under pressure from the US to take a more forceful position against Russias invasion of Ukraine and cease or curtail trading relations especially energy imports A senior US National Security Council official went as far as to threaten India with consequences India has not condemned the invasion outrightly and abstained on two votes in the UN Security Council but it has made clear its disapproval of it New Delhi has called for the cessation of hostilities and for differences to be resolved through diplomatic channels Further it has invoked UN Charters cardinal principle of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations in a thinly disguised criticism of Russian aggression and has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine India has condemned the massacre in Bucha though and supported a call for an independent investigation called by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres India has also cited its long relationship with Russia going back decades to the ertswhile Soviet Union including its decisive intervention in 1971 to keep off the US and reliance on military hardware exports in support of its lessthanshrill condemnation of Russia Despite the threat of consequences the Biden administration has acknowledged Indias reasons and assured Indian officials it understands but as conceded by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his recent visit for the 22 meeting India lacks the same level of understanding outside the circle of officials and policy experts Your neighbourhood is what you have as a given Sitharaman said adding You have to keep that in mind when youre talking about relationships While the RussiaUkraine war has brought India challenges such as dried up supplies of sunflower oil from Ukraine and fertilisers from Russia the Union Minister said it has also presented opportunities Sitharaman was most upbeat about the possibility of the lifting of WTO World Trade Organisation restrictions on Indian exports of cereals The DG WTO Ngozi OkonjoIweala of Nigeria was also present she said adding She was gracious enough to say addressing me in the plenary that you raise this issue but we are looking at it positively and hopefully sort it out Indian exports of foodgrains run into WTO regulations on statesubsidised products because of the Minimum Support Price MSP that the government offers to guarantee farmers an assured return on their produce WTO rules tend to extend the same restrictions to agricultural produce outside the MSP programme Yashwant Raj can be contacted at yashwantgmailcom IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/sitharaman-makes-indias-stand-clear-with-the-us-on-the-ukraine-crisis-328839.html Sat, 23 Apr 2022 21:37:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/over-11mn-people-fled-ukraine-since-war-began-un-328841.html Kiev April 23 More than 11 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia began its war against Kiev on February 24 according to the latest UN figures The world body further revealed that while 51 million people left for neighbouring countries another 648 million were believed to have been displaced inside the wartorn nation reports the BBC Of the 51 million people Poland has taken in 2867241 refugees the highest number followed by Romania 769616 Russia 578255 Hungary 480974 Moldova 430170 Slovakia 349286 and Belarus 23900 according to the UN As of April 21 the Czech Republic has granted 304039 emergency visas to Ukrainian refugees Meanwhile a survey conducted by the UNs International Organization for Migration IOM between March 916 revealed that 135 per cent of the newly displaced people had already had prior experience with displacement during 20142015 Many of those displaced are particularly vulnerable pregnant and breastfeeding women elderly persons those with disabilities chronic illnesses and people directly affected by violence According to the survey more than 53 per cent of internally displaced people are women and the most pressing needs include medicines health services and financial resources The European Union EU has granted Ukrainian refugees a blanket right to stay and work throughout its 27 member nations for up to three years the BBC reported They will also receive social welfare and access to housing medical treatment and schools The UK has also launched a family visa scheme for Ukrainians as well as the Homes for Ukraine initiative under which people in Britain can nominate an individual or family to stay with them rentfree for at least six months As of April 20 71800 visas had been issued through both schemes out of 107200 applications IANS https://dailyworld.in/ukraine-crisis/over-11mn-people-fled-ukraine-since-war-began-un-328841.html Sat, 23 Apr 2022 21:47:00 +0530