Factor | News Getty Images | Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Sunday that the Russian Navy will soon be equipped with supersonic Zircon missiles. “We will provide protection firmly and by all means,” Putin said in a speech Sunday to mark Russia’s “Navy Day,” saying “the main thing here is the capability of the Russian navy.” He said its combat readiness was “continually improving”, adding that the latest Zircon hypersonic missile systems, “unparalleled in the world and without any obstacles”, would be added to the navy’s arsenal. “Dear comrades, their surrender to the Russian armed forces will begin in the coming months,” Putin remarked in a speech in St. Petersburg. The Zircon missiles, intended for use by the Russian navy against enemy ships and land targets, can fly at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of just over 600 miles. Putin said the area of their development would depend on Russian interests. He did not mention Ukraine in his speech. Planned Navy Day celebrations in Sevastopol, in Russian-annexed Crimea, were canceled on Sunday after officials accused Ukraine of carrying out a drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters there, injuring five people. “An unknown object flew into the yard of the fleet headquarters,” wrote Mikhail Razvozayev, governor of Sevastopol – home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – on the Telegram messaging app. “According to the first information it is a drone.” Ukraine has not officially commented on the blast amid reports it could have been an improvised device built by Ukrainian rebels in the city. — Holly Elliott
Ukraine’s first shipment of grain in months leaves the port of Odessa
Ukraine’s first grain export cargo in months has left the port of Odessa, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov confirmed and data from MarineTraffic.com. The Sierra Leonean-flagged ship Razoni, which is loaded with corn, will head to Lebanon, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said, according to a Reuters translation of a ministry statement. “As a result of intensive work by the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul and talks by (Turkish) Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, ministers and relevant parties: It was agreed that the Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship Razoni carrying maize will depart from Odessa. port on 1st August 0830 AM for Lebanon.” A port in the city of Odesa, Ukraine, on July 29, 2022. Ukraine’s first grain export shipment in months comes after Turkey and the United Nations brokered a deal between Ukraine and Russia to allow the resumption of key exports from Ukraine, such as grain and fertilizer. The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images The mission comes after Turkey and the United Nations brokered a deal between Ukraine and Russia to allow the resumption of key exports from Ukraine, such as grain and fertilizer, of which both countries are key producers. The agreement aims to enable safe passage for grain shipments in and out of the ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi. More ships are expected to leave Ukraine in the coming days. — Holly Elliott
Ukrainian grain magnate killed during shelling of Mykolayiv
One of Ukraine’s richest men, agricultural tycoon Oleksiy Vadatursky, and his wife Raisa were killed during Russian shelling of the southern city of Mykolaiv this weekend. Video released by local emergency services on Sunday shows firefighters tackling burning buildings after heavy shelling of the city, a key target for Russian invasion forces trying to make territorial gains in southern Ukraine, on Saturday night towards Sunday morning. Vadatursky, founder and owner of the agricultural company Nibulon, and his wife were killed in their home, Mykolaiv Governor Vitaly Kim said on Telegram. People receive clean drinking water in Mykolaiv, on July 21, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bulent Kilic | AFP | Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered his condolences to the family and friends of the businessman and his wife on Sunday afternoon, saying “people like them, companies and the Ukrainian south have guaranteed the world’s food security.” Zelensky went on to thank the people of Mykolaiv for their “indomitability and for protecting the city and the region,” as well as other southern cities that have faced heavy shelling in recent weeks. “I also thank Nikopol, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and the entire Dnipropetrovsk region, the strong people of Zaporozhzhia and the region, all Ukrainians of the Kherson region, all those who defend the approaches to Odessa and the region… Thank you for your courage,” he said. — Holly Elliott
Zelensky urges civilians to leave Donetsk as Russians look to advance
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Ukrainian civilians still living in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region to leave on Saturday. Russian shelling of Russian cities and settlements has intensified in recent weeks as its forces try to advance after seizing neighboring Luhansk, with the two regions making up Donbas to the east. “The more people leave the Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have to kill,” Zelensky said in a video clip on Saturday. “We will use all available opportunities to save as many lives as possible,” he added. — Holly Elliott
title: “Latest News On Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-17” author: “Craig Denery”
Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Amid a second-quarter earnings update on Tuesday, BP Chief Executive Bernard Looney said the company’s Gelsenkirchen, Germany refinery is no longer using Russian crude, down from 50%. Oil majors were one of several sectors that reduced or significantly reduced their exposure to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. In late February, BP announced it was offloading its 19.75% stake in Rosneft, a Russian-controlled oil company. — Matt Clints
US ‘deeply concerned’ about Russian control of Ukrainian nuclear facilities, says Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the tenth annual review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at UN headquarters on August 1, 2022 in New York. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US is “deeply concerned” by reports that Russian forces have seized nuclear facilities in Ukraine. “There are credible reports, including in the media today, that Russia is using this plant as the equivalent of a human shield, but a nuclear shield in the sense that it is shooting at Ukrainians from around the plant,” Blinken told reporters in the United States. Nations, adding that this was “the height of irresponsibility”. “And of course, the Ukrainians cannot and will not retaliate, lest there be a terrible accident with a nuclear plant,” he said. Blinken said it was important to give the International Atomic Energy Agency access to nuclear facilities in order to protect against an accident. — Amanda Macias
Germany disputes nuclear shutdown amid gas supply concerns
Steam rises from the cooling tower of the Isar 2 nuclear power plant (NPP) in Essenbach, Germany. Armin Weigel | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Growing concern over the impact of a possible Russian gas cut is fueling debate in Germany over whether the country should shut down its last three nuclear power plants as planned at the end of this year. The door to some sort of extension appeared to be opening a crack after the Finance Ministry announced in mid-July a new “stress test” for the security of electricity supplies. It is supposed to take into account a tougher scenario than a previous test, which ended in May, that supplies were secured. Since then, Russia has cut gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany to 20% of capacity amid tensions over the war in Ukraine. He cited technical issues that Germany says are just an excuse for a political power play. Russia recently accounts for about a third of Germany’s natural gas supply, and there are concerns that it could turn off the tap entirely. The Union’s main opposition bloc has increasingly called for the life of nuclear plants to be extended. Similar calls are coming from the smallest party in Chancellor Olaf Solz’s coalition government, the pro-business Free Democrats. — Associated Press
Macron tells Zelensky that Russian war crimes will not go unpunished
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks in favor of a price cap on Russian oil as he speaks to the media on the third and final day of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau on June 28, 2022 near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Sean Gallup | News Getty Images | Getty Images French President Emmanuel Macron told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that war crimes committed by Russian forces “will not go unpunished.” “While war crimes are multiplying, the President of the Republic reaffirmed his support for the Ukrainian people and their resistance and declared his determination to ensure that these crimes do not go unpunished,” a French presidential office source wrote in a readout of the call . During the conversation, the 36th exchange between the two leaders since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Macron said France would send a forensic team and a mobile DNA analysis laboratory to Ukraine. — Amanda Macias
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title: “Latest News On Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-23” author: “Michael Peters”
Fathi Al-masri | Afp | Getty Images Ukraine called on Lebanon on Thursday to reverse a Tripoli court’s decision to authorize the sailing of a seized Syrian ship carrying what Kyiv says is stolen Ukrainian grain, Reuters reported on Thursday. In a statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it was disappointed by the court’s decision to cancel the Syrian flag Laodicea for departure and said that Kiev’s position was not taken into account. — Reuters
Russian forces feel threatened by Western-supplied Ukrainian weapons, UK notes
A Ukrainian army unit displays the missiles on a HIMARS vehicle in eastern Ukraine on July 1, 2022. The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images Ukraine’s offensive to retake occupied territory in the south of the country and use of Western-supplied weapons is putting increasing pressure on Russia’s forces, according to the latest intelligence update from the UK Ministry of Defence. “Ukraine’s missile and artillery units continue to target Russian military strongholds, personnel compounds, logistics bases and ammunition depots,” the ministry said on Twitter on Thursday. “This will most likely affect Russian military logistics and put pressure on Russian military support elements.” A photo taken on July 21, 2022 shows a car driving past a crater on Kherson’s Antonovsky Bridge across the Dnipro River caused by a Ukrainian rocket attack amid ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. Stringer | AFP | Getty Images The UK has said Russia feels threatened by Western-supplied weapons systems that allow Ukrainian forces to strike back at the Russian military more effectively, citing Russia’s efforts to hide damage to the Antonovsky Bridge, which leads to occupied Chersona and is vital for their military supplies. the city, which was hit by Ukrainian missiles last week. “Russian forces have almost certainly placed pyramidal radar reflectors in the water near the recently damaged Antonivskiy [Antonovsky] Bridge and from the recently damaged nearby railway bridge, crossing the Dnipro River in Kherson, southern Ukraine,” the UK noted. “Radar reflectors are likely being used to hide the bridge from synthetic aperture radar images and possible missile targeting equipment. This underscores the threat Russia feels from the increased range and accuracy of Western-supplied systems.” — Holly Elliott
Russian ‘strike force’ targeting Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih
Kryvyi Rih, home of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has appeared increasingly vulnerable with Ukraine saying Russia is building a military “strike force” to target the industrial city in central-southern Ukraine. Early on Thursday, Ukraine’s southern military command said the situation in its operational area – where fighting is intensifying around Kryvyi Rih as well as Zaporizhzhia in the east and Mykolaiv and Kherson in the south – is “tense and complicated”. “The enemy continues to conduct hostilities on the occupied defense line. In order to prevent the advance of our troops and restore the lost position, the composition of the group in the Kryvyi Rih direction is increasing due to the transfer of the units of the 35th Army of the Eastern Military District,” the unit said, saying Russian aircraft are becoming “more active” and attacking the area south of the Kryvyi Rih. Residential buildings and industrial facilities on the city skyline in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Ukraine’s southern military command said in an earlier briefing on Wednesday that it believes Russia is creating a military “strike group in the Kryvyi Rih region” and that “it is also very likely that the enemy is preparing a hostile counterattack with the next plan reaching the administrative border of the Chersona region”. Officials in Ukraine have repeatedly warned in recent days that Russia is redeploying a huge number of troops to the south of the country, where Ukraine has launched counterattacks to try to retake lost territory, particularly the occupied city of Kherson. Ukrainian artillerymen at the military assembly center check weapons and special equipment to prepare them before going to duty on the front line in Kherson, Ukraine on July 15, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images In his late-night speech on Sunday afternoon, Zelensky praised the bravery of residents in his hometown, as well as in other cities that have come under repeated attacks as Russia tries to extend its territorial gains in eastern and southern Ukraine. “I want to thank every resident of Mykolaiv for their indomitability, for protecting the city and the region. I also thank Nikopol, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and the entire Dnipropetrovsk region, the strong people of Zaporozhzhia and the region, all Ukrainians of the Kherson region, all those who defend the approaches to Odessa and the region… Thank you for your courage”. “Strategically, Russia has no chance of winning this war,” he added. — Holly Elliott
Zelensky says he wants to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears during a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on July 4, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Zelensky is seeking an opportunity for direct talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to help end Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine, the South China Morning Post reported. Alexey Furman | News Getty Images | Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to speak directly to Xi Jinping in the hope that the Chinese president could use the country’s influence to end Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Zelensky said that Ukraine has continued talks with China since the beginning of the war. He told the paper that Russia would feel much more isolated economically without the Chinese market and could use it to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war. China has repeatedly said it supports a “peaceful resolution” of the situation in Ukraine, but has so far refused to call Russia’s war an “invasion.” — Natalie Tam
The US Senate approves the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO
Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde and Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto attend a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after signing their countries’ accession protocols at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 5, 2022. Yves Herman | Reuters The US Senate voted 95-1 to ratify the entry of Finland and Sweden into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, calling the expansion of the Western defense bloc “shampoo” for US national security and a day of reckoning for Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine. Senators invited the ambassadors of the two Nordic nations to attend the debate and vote, a critical step in ushering in a new era for the now 30-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the 73-year-old mutual defense pact between the United States and democratic allies in Europe. President Joe Biden has sought fast-track entry for the two previously civilian-aligned northern European nations. Their nominations have been ratified by more than half of NATO member states in the roughly three months since the two nominations were submitted, a deliberately fast pace intended to send a message to Russia about its six-month war against the government of Western-like Ukraine. “It sends a warning shot to tyrants around the world who think that free democracies are merely permissive,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in Senate debate before the vote. “Russia’s unprovoked invasion has changed the way we think about global security,” he added. — Associated Press
Ukraine’s nuclear power plant is ‘out of control’, says UN nuclear chief
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi attends a joint press conference following talks in Tokyo, Japan, on May 19, 2022. Issei Kato | Reuters The UN nuclear chief warned that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine “is completely out of control” and made an urgent appeal to Russia and Ukraine to quickly allow experts to visit the sprawling complex to stabilize the situation and avoid a nuclear accident. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press that the situation was becoming more dangerous every day at the Zaporizhzhia plant in the southeastern city of Enerhodar, which Russian troops seized in early March, soon . after their invasion of Ukraine on February 24. “Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated” at the plant, he said. “What is at stake is extremely serious and extremely serious and dangerous.” Grossi cited multiple security breaches at the plant, adding that it is located “in a place where active warfare is going on,” near territory controlled by Russia. — Associated Press
Zelensky says ‘global security architecture’ not working, cites tensions in Balkans and Taiwan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a working meeting of G7 leaders via video link as Russia’s offensive on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 27, 2022. Presidential Press Service of Ukraine | via Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the “global security architecture” is not working and referred to tensions in the Balkans, Taiwan and the Caucasus. “If it worked, there wouldn’t be all these conflicts,” Zelensky said in his nightly speech on the Telegram messaging app. “And this is actually something that Ukraine has paid attention to not only 161 days after the start of a full-scale war, but for years. Ever since Russia completely ignored international law, the interests…
title: “Latest News On Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-17” author: “Donald Salley”
Kirill Kudryavtsev AFP | Getty Images Moscow has said it is ready to start prisoner swap talks with the US after basketball star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden had previously agreed on a diplomatic channel for talks. It comes as Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken are both attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they have refused to speak to each other. Meanwhile, Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan are scheduled to meet later today in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Elsewhere, three more grain cargoes left Ukrainian ports in the latest phase of an internationally brokered deal aimed at easing a global food crisis. A Turkish bulk carrier was expected to arrive at the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the first to arrive at the country’s port since the Russian invasion.
title: “Latest News On Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-18” author: “Emily Lewis”
The pair are set to discuss Syria, Ukraine and Russia’s construction of a nuclear power plant in southern Turkey. The Russian president thanked Erdogan for Turkey’s role in helping arrange the resumption of Ukrainian grain shipments. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia on August 5, 2022. Press Office of the Turkish Presidency | Reuters “Deliveries have already started, I want to thank you both for that and for the fact that at the same time an accompanying decision was made on uninterrupted supplies of Russian food and fertilizers to world markets,” Putin said. Putin also told Erdogan he wants to sign an agreement to strengthen trade and economic ties between Moscow and Ankara. “I hope that today we will be able to sign a relevant memorandum for the development of our trade and economic ties,” Putin said. — Karen Gilchrist
The US says it will “pursue” Russia’s offer to discuss a prisoner exchange
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the tenth annual review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at UN headquarters on August 1, 2022 in New York. Spencer Platt | Getty Images US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington would “pursue” Russia’s proposal to discuss a prisoner swap involving jailed basketball star Brittney Griner. “They are ready to participate” in a trade for Griner, Blinken said at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. “And we will pursue it,” he added. Earlier on Friday, Moscow said it was ready to discuss prisoner exchanges with Washington through an existing diplomatic channel, a day after Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges. — Karen Gilchrist
Russia expels 14 Bulgarian diplomats
Russian government plane IL-96 takes off from the airport in Sofia, Bulgaria on July 3, 2022. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Russia has declared 14 Bulgarian diplomats persona non grata, the country’s foreign ministry announced. Earlier this summer, Bulgaria expelled 70 Russian diplomats over espionage concerns and reduced the size of Moscow’s representation as relations between the previously close allies soured. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Bulgaria’s move was evidence of “further degradation of the collective West, which is ready to sacrifice the interests of partners in order to harm Russia.” — Karen Gilchrist
War cannot end by ignoring Russia, Erdogan aide says
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia on August 5, 2022. Press Office of the Turkish Presidency | Reuters A senior aide to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said the war in Ukraine will not end if Moscow is ignored, in an apparently pointed attack on other NATO members. Communications Director Fahrettin Altun praised Turkey’s role in brokering a deal to export grain from Ukraine and said other countries should step up their diplomatic response. “The truth is that some of our friends do not want the war to end. They are shedding crocodile tears,” Altun told Reuters, adding that some were actively trying to undermine Turkey’s efforts without specifying who. “The international community cannot end the war in Ukraine while ignoring Russia. Diplomacy and peace must prevail,” he added. The comments come as Erdogan headed to Sochi, Russia to meet his counterpart President Vladimir Putin. — Karen Gilchrist
Zelensky responds when Amnesty accuses Ukraine of endangering civilians
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a statement during a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda after their meeting in Kyiv on July 28, 2022. Sergey Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has denounced claims by Amnesty International that Ukraine is putting civilians at risk by deploying troops in residential areas. The human rights group said in a report on Thursday that it “has documented a pattern of Ukrainian forces endangering civilians and violating the laws of war when operating in populated areas.” Zelensky denied the allegations, saying Amnesty was “trying to shift the blame from the aggressor to the victim”. — Karen Gilchrist
Russian-backed separatists claim to have captured the village of Pisky in eastern Ukraine
Pisky, a village on the outskirts of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, was captured by pro-Russian forces, according to Russian state news agency Tass. Gaelle Girbes | News Getty Images | Getty Images Russian and pro-Russian forces said they had taken full control of Pisky, a village on the outskirts of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to Russian state news agency Tass. They added that fighting is taking place in the town of Bakhmut, north of Donetsk. The Ukrainian military said on Thursday that Russian forces had launched at least two attacks in Pisky but had so far been repulsed. — Karen Gilchrist
Russia says it is ready to discuss a prisoner swap with the US
NBA women’s basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, awaits the verdict in a dock before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, in August. 4, 2022. Evgenia Novozhenina AFP | Getty Images Moscow has said it is ready to start prisoner exchange talks with the US after the conviction of basketball star Brittney Griner. A Russian court found WNBA player Griner guilty on drug charges and sentenced her to nine years in prison on Thursday. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden had previously agreed on a diplomatic channel that should be used to discuss such issues. “We are ready to discuss this issue, but within the channel agreed by Presidents Putin and Biden,” Lavrov said during a visit to Cambodia. The Kremlin has previously warned the US not to resort to “loudpeak diplomacy” in Griner’s case. — Karen Gilchrist
Blinken and Lavrov will not speak at ASEAN meetings in Cambodia
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken attends the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers meeting during the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh on August 5, 2022. Tang Chhin Sothy | Afp | Getty Images US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken does not plan to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where the two men are attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for foreign ministers, a State Department official told reporters. The two men did not make eye contact despite sitting close to each other at the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ meeting, the group’s notes showed. According to the US official, Russia has not given a “serious response” to the Biden administration’s proposal to the Russian government to release Griner and ex-Marine Paul Whelan. Addressing Russia’s war in Ukraine is one of Blinken’s goals in Cambodia, where he will be until Friday before traveling to the Philippines, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, the US State Department said. — Natalie Tam
Three ships carrying grain leave Ukrainian ports
Three more ships carrying grain and food have departed from Ukrainian ports under a recent landmark agreement. on August 5, 2022 in Odessa, Ukraine. Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Three more ships carrying Ukrainian grain exports have left Black Sea ports, the United Nations coordination committee has confirmed. The ships, carrying a total of 58,041 tonnes of corn, left for the UK, Ireland and Turkey. The shipments are part of an internationally brokered deal to unfreeze Ukraine’s agricultural exports and ease the growing global food crisis. It follows the first shipment of grain on Monday. Meanwhile, a Turkish bulk carrier was expected to arrive at the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the first to arrive at the country’s port since the Russian invasion. Kyiv has called for the pact to be extended to other goods such as metals. — Karen Gilchrist
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title: “Latest News On Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-22” author: “Raymond Washington”
Andrew Harnik | Afp | Getty Images US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said if Russia was allowed to seize territory in Ukraine without opposition, then it would be “open season” around the world. “If we allow a big country to bully a smaller one, just invade it and take over its territory, then it’s open season, not just in Europe but all over the world,” the top US diplomat said on Monday during during a visit to Africa. He added that it was important for the US to stand up to Russia because its aggression against Ukraine threatened the foundations of the international system. — Karen Gilchrist
Ukraine’s ambassador to the IAEA accuses Russia of planning blackouts
Ukraine’s ambassador to the IAEA nuclear watchdog said Russian forces want to cause blackouts in southern Ukraine by bombing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex. Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk called for an international shipment to the factory this month, saying it was “urgently” needed. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region, is seen through barbed wire on the embankment in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, central Ukraine. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images “We will use all possible channels of diplomacy to bring the IAEA and the UN closer to carrying out this mission,” Tsybaliuk told reporters in Vienna. Russia says it is ready to facilitate such a visit, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing Russia’s permanent representative to the IAEA. — Karen Gilchrist
Russian-controlled Zaporizhia is preparing for a referendum on joining Russia
The Russian-appointed administration of southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region has taken steps to hold a referendum on joining Russia. Yevgeny Balitsky, head of the occupation administration in Zaporizhia, signed a decree to start the process, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council imposed by pro-Russian separatists, said the government was “100 percent preparing for the vote,” according to RIA Novosti. “Everything is going well. We will have a form of voting that will be quite understandable by the people. We will not experiment,” he said. It comes as Ukraine and Russia shift blame for the bombing of the region’s nuclear power plant over the weekend, an attack UN chief Antonio Guterres called “suicidal”. — Karen Gilchrist
Ukraine warns of Chernobyl attack, calls for demilitarized zone around nuclear plant
A giant protective dome built over the sarcophagus covering the destroyed fourth reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 2022. Sergey Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images Kyiv warned of the risk of a Chernobyl-style disaster and called for the area around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to become a demilitarized zone after weekend artillery attacks. The head of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear power company, Petro Kotin, called for a peacekeeping team to be deployed at the nuclear complex, which is still run by Ukrainian technicians. “The decision we demand from the world community and all our partners … is to withdraw the invaders from the territory of the station and establish a demilitarized zone on the territory of the station,” Kotin said on television. “The presence of peacekeeping forces in this zone and its transfer to those of control and then control of the station on the Ukrainian side would solve this problem,” he added. The calls come hours after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described his latest bombing as “suicidal” and called for international inspectors to access the site. The world’s worst civilian nuclear disaster occurred in 1986 when a reactor at the Chernobyl complex in northwestern Ukraine exploded. — Karen Gilchrist
Finland registers a record number of asylum seekers
Civilians board an evacuation train in Pokorovsk amid intensifying fighting in eastern Ukraine. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Finland registered a record number of asylum seekers after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, AFP reported, surpassing the previous high set during the 2015 migrant crisis. More than 37,000 people are registered in the reception system, “which is more than ever,” the Finnish immigration service said in a statement. A third of those fleeing are children, he added. More than 6.3 million refugees have left Ukraine for Europe, according to the latest figures from UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. — Karen Gilchrist
Russia is strengthening position and numbers on Ukraine’s southern front
Russian forces are bolstering their positions and numbers on Ukraine’s southern front in apparent preparation for a Ukrainian counter-offensive, British and Ukrainian military officials said. “Russian troops are almost certainly massing in the south, either awaiting a Ukrainian counterattack or preparing to attack,” the British Ministry of Defense said. He added that large convoys of Russian military trucks, tanks and artillery continued to move from Donbas to the southwest of the country. — Karen Gilchrist
There is no basis for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, the Kremlin says
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov waits to attend the Victory Day military parade in Red Square in central Moscow on May 9, 2022. Kirill Kudryavtsev Afp | Getty Images The Kremlin said there is currently no basis for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. Asked about Turkish proposals to mediate peace talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that the pair would meet only when negotiators from both sides “do their homework.” Talks between Moscow and Kiev have stalled for months, with each side blaming the other for a lack of progress. — Karen Gilchrist
The head of the UN called the attack on the nuclear plant of Ukraine “suicide”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for international inspectors to be given access to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant after Ukraine and Russia accused each other of bombing Europe’s largest nuclear complex over the weekend. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in the Russian-controlled Enerhodar region, seen from Nikopol on April 27, 2022. Ed Jones | Afp | Getty Images “Every attack [on] a nuclear plant is something suicidal,” Guterres told a news conference in Japan, where he attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony on Saturday to mark the 77th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb. Despite the bombings, the nuclear reactor complex was operating in “normal operation,” the Interfax news agency reported, citing Yevgeny Balitsky, head of the local administration based in Russia. Russian forces seized the plant in southeastern Ukraine in early March, shortly after Moscow’s February 24 invasion of its neighbor, but it is still operated by Ukrainian technicians. — Karen Gilchrist
Former Russian President Medvedev says Moscow will achieve its goals in Ukraine
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Alexandrovsky Garden near the Kremlin wall in Moscow on June 22, 2022. Yekaterina Shtukina | Afp | Getty Images Russia’s former president and one of President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, Dmitry Medvedev, said Moscow would achieve its goals in the Ukraine conflict on its own terms. “Russia is conducting a special military operation in Ukraine and achieving peace on our terms,” Medvedev, who serves as the vice chairman of the Russian Security Council, told Russian state news agency Tass in an interview. He also warned that the West has a long-term plan to destroy Russia, citing the expansion of the NATO military alliance: “The goal is the same: to destroy Russia,” he said. — Karen Gilchrist
Two grain ships depart Ukraine as third port opens
The Turkish-flagged ship “Polarnet” carrying grain from Ukraine arrives at the port of Derince, Kocaeli, Turkey, on August 8, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Two more ships carrying corn and soybeans have left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, Ukrainian and Turkish authorities said. The ships — one carrying 11,000 tons of soybeans and the other 48,458 tons of corn — were bound for Italy and Turkey, respectively. Meanwhile, a third port, Pivdennyi, opened on Monday, boosting the country’s strained export capacity. Ten shipments have left Ukrainian shores since last week as part of a new deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in an effort to ease the worsening global food crisis. So far, about 243,000 tons of corn have been exported from Ukraine on seven ships since the first departure on Aug. 1, according to a Reuters count with data from Turkey’s defense ministry. The other ships carried 11,000 tonnes of soybeans, 6,000 tonnes of sunflower oil and 45,000 tonnes of sunflower oil. — Karen Gilchrist
