74 views 42 mins 0 comments

Ukraine-Russia war – latest: Putin faces rare protest as Kyiv fires first US weapon inside Russia

In Europe
June 05, 2024

Vladimir Putin faced a rare protest in Moscow by Russian women who demanded his defence minister Andrei Belousov return their mobilised husbands from the frontline in Ukraine.

A group of 18 women gathered to appeal personally to Belousov, who was appointed to the role last month. They asked him to impose strict limits on how long soldiers could serve before they were rotated out of active duty, said Paulina, 20, whose husband is fighting in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian sources claimed that Ukraine fired American weapons at Belgorod for the first time after Washington lifted a ban on Kyiv using its weapons inside Russia.

The Ukrainians reportedly fired the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, at bordering Belgorod city, Russia’s defence ministry and military bloggers said.

The escalation comes as Norway’s top general warned that Nato’s window of preparing against Russia had dwindled from about ten years to two or three years.

“At one point someone said it’ll take ten years but I think we’re back to less than ten years because of the industrial base that is now running in Russia,” said General Eirik Kristoffersen, head of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Table of Contents

Key Points

  • Russia warns US against ‘fatal’ miscalculation in Ukraine

  • Russian soldiers’ wives demand Putin return their men from war

  • Zelensky says China pressuring other countries to not attend peace talks

  • Zelensky meets heads of state in Singapore, seeks support for security summit

Russia calls French military instructors in Ukraine ‘legitimate target’

04:14 , Shweta Sharma

Russian foreign minister Sergi Lavrov said any French military instructors in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for Russian armed forces amid reports Paris was considering sending trainers to Kyiv.

During his Africa tour yesterday, Mr Lavrov claimed French instructors were already on Ukrainian territory.

“As for the French instructors, I think they are already on the Ukrainian territory,” Mr Lavrov said, referring to the military instructors that France could send to train Ukrainian troops. “Regardless of their status, military officials or mercenaries represent a legitimate target for our armed forces.”

Ukraine‘s top commander said last week he had signed paperwork allowing French military instructors to access Ukrainian training centres soon.

But French president Emmanuel Macron said last week he would not comment on “rumours or decisions that could be made.”

He said he would elaborate on France’s support during the 80th anniversary commemorations of D-Day later this week.

Mr Macron’s office said it would not comment on Mr Lavrov’s remarks.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “instructors who train the Kyiv regime’s troops don’t have any sort of immunity, and it doesn’t matter whether they are French or not.”

 (EPA)

(EPA)

Biden to meet Zelensky during France visit

03:54 , Shweta Sharma

President Joe Biden will meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in Normandy during his D-Day celebration visit to France, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

He confirmed that the US was not planning to send American military trainers to Ukraine.

“For our part, we’re not planning for a training mission in Ukraine,” Mr Sullivan said.

“They need more air defences and we are working on that and they need a continued flow of weaponry which we will supply to them.”

The US president’s remarks in Normandy, both on Thursday at the formal 80th anniversary ceremony and on Friday at the famed Pointe du Hoc cliffs, will centre around the dangers of isolationism and the need to stand up to dictators, Mr Sullivan said.

They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now these Ukrainians face another catastrophe

03:00 , Alexander Butler

They escaped Russia’s deadly assault on Kharkiv – now they face another catastrophe

The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine

01:00 , Alexander Butler

The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race to stop it crossing borders

Tuesday 4 June 2024 23:00 , Alexander Butler

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race against time to stop it spreading

Putin’s forces killed his brother. He takes revenge using hundreds of suicide drones to blow Russian troops up

Tuesday 4 June 2024 21:00 , Alexander Butler

The Ukraine politician avenging his brother’s death with hi-tech ‘suicide drones’

Zelensky accuses China of helping Russia sabotage Ukraine peace summit

Tuesday 4 June 2024 19:00 , Alexander Butler

Zelensky accuses China of helping Russia sabotage Ukraine peace summit

Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers prepare to hit Russian forces in Dontesk

Tuesday 4 June 2024 16:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian troops prepare a 120mm mortar to be fired at Russian soldiers (via REUTERS)

Ukrainian troops prepare a 120mm mortar to be fired at Russian soldiers (via REUTERS)

Ukrainian troops prepare a 120mm mortar in Donetsk (via REUTERS)

Ukrainian troops prepare a 120mm mortar in Donetsk (via REUTERS)

UK vows action over hundreds of Ukrainians with disabilities vanished into Russia

Tuesday 4 June 2024 15:00 , Alexander Butler

UK vows action over hundreds of Ukrainians with disabilities vanished into Russia

Zelensky accuses China of helping Russia sabotage Ukraine peace summit

Tuesday 4 June 2024 14:09 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused China of helping Russia to disrupt an upcoming peace conference on the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at Asia’s premier security conference in Singapore, Mr Zelensky alleged Russia had been using Chinese diplomats in the wider Asian region to influence and dissuade countries from attending the peace summit, due to be held in Burgenstock Resort, central Switzerland, on 15 and 16 June.

“Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit,” said Mr Zelensky at a news conference at the Shangri-La defence forum.

“Regrettably this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin.”

Read more here:

Zelensky accuses China of helping Russia sabotage Ukraine peace summit

Russian-linked hacker group ‘targeting Paris Olympics’

Tuesday 4 June 2024 12:39 , Alexander Butler

The Paris Olympics are being targeted by a Russian-linked disinformation campaign, according to Microsoft.

Since last summer, efforts have been under way by a hacker group named Storm-1679, according to research.

The hackers “are trying to cultivate an anticipation of violence”, said Clint Watts, the head of Microsoft’s Digital Threat Analysis Centre. “They want people to be fearful of going to the Olympics.”

The Paris Olympics are being targeted by a Russian-linked disinformation campaign, according to Microsoft (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The Paris Olympics are being targeted by a Russian-linked disinformation campaign, according to Microsoft (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Kremlin says Swiss summit on Ukraine is waste of time without Russia

Tuesday 4 June 2024 11:44 , Alexander Butler

The Kremlin said it was understandable that some countries were declining to take part in a Swiss-hosted peace summit on Ukraine this month because the gathering lacked clear goals and it was absurd to hold it without Russia.

Ukraine says more than 100 countries and organisations have agreed to attend the summit on June 15-16, to which Moscow has not been invited.

“This is a completely absurd activity, this is an idle pastime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He said it was obvious the meeting was not geared towards results, and “that’s why many countries don’t want to waste time.”

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race to stop it crossing borders

Tuesday 4 June 2024 11:00 , Alexander Butler

Over the past two years operating along the Ukrainian front line, Khrystyna Drahomaretska has gained a veteran’s understanding of the battle tactics employed by the invading Russian troops.

During the day, the 27-year-old explains, they will freely dispatch cheap kamikaze drones to kill anyone on sight. At night, however, the high-value drones equipped with hi-tech sensors are used more sparingly to target vehicles instead.

That was the calculation she made two weeks ago while conducting a daring night-time rescue operation a few hundred metres from the Russian positions near the city of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region where Putin’s forces are currently pushing towards.

Mindful of the night vision drones, she ditched her van and crept towards her target on foot. But the enemy started firing anyway, with more than a dozen missiles launched towards her position.

Hiding behind a copse of trees, one exploded nearby sending a knuckle-sized piece of shrapnel searing straight through her leg.

Read more here:

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race against time to stop it spreading

Putin’s forces killed his brother. He takes revenge using hundreds of suicide drones to blow Russian troops up

Tuesday 4 June 2024 10:30 , Alexander Butler

Many soldiers will insist that killing their enemies is not personal. But when Stepan Barna’s suicide drone unit takes Russian soldiers’ lives, he does not disguise his feeling that every killing is a very personal payback for the death of his brother last year.

Stepan and his older brother, Oleh, were both well-known Ukrainian politicians long before Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Stepan had been the governor of the Ternopil region in the country’s west.

Oleh had been a member of the Ukrainian parliament. He gained notoriety in 2015 when he grabbed the then prime minister, Arseniy Yatseniuk, whose politics he disagreed with, while Yatseniuk was addressing the parliament, and dragged him off the podium.

Read more here:

The Ukraine politician avenging his brother’s death with hi-tech ‘suicide drones’

Moscow could ‘attack Nato in three years’

Tuesday 4 June 2024 10:11 , Alexander Butler

Nato only has two to three years to prepare before Russia regains its ability to launch a conventional attack on the alliance, Norway’s top general said.

“At one point someone said it’ll take 10 years, but I think we’re back to less than 10 years because of the industrial base that is now running in Russia,” General Kristoffersen said.

“It will take some time, which gives us a window now for the next two to three years to rebuild our forces, to rebuild our stocks at the same time as we are supporting Ukraine.”

Ukraine using Western weapons to hit targets in Russia won’t lead to escalation, says German chancellor

Tuesday 4 June 2024 10:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia will not “contribute to escalation,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.

Germany has long opposed lifting the ban on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons to target Russia, but changed course last month.

“We are certain that it will not contribute to an escalation because, as Joe Biden has also described, it is only a matter of being able to defend a large city like Kharkiv,” Mr Scholz said.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons to hit Russia wouldn’t escalate the conflict (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons to hit Russia wouldn’t escalate the conflict (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Putin asks Xi to ‘snub’ Switzerland peace conference

Tuesday 4 June 2024 09:30 , Alexander Butler

Vladimir Putin reportedly asked Xi Jinping to snub an upcoming peace conference in Switzerland which Russia is not attending.

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba stated on June 3 that Russia is trying to discredit the upcoming Ukrainian peace summit by convincing other states that the summit is insignificant.

Other Ukrainian officials have recently emphasized that it is imperative for both the United States and the PRC to attend the June 2024 peace summit as their participation is “decisive” in compelling Russia to participate in the process of restoring peace and security.

Russia and China in ‘disagreement’ over gas pipeline

Tuesday 4 June 2024 08:51 , Alexander Butler

Moscow and Beijing are in disagreement over a planned gas pipeline connecting Russia with China despite a public show of allignment, according to reports.

China and Russia disagree about the details of the PS2 gas pipeline, with Beijing wanting to pay prices near Russia’s subsidised domestic gas prices and to only commit to buying a small part of the pipeline’s planned capacity, the Financial Times reported.

Gazprom boss Alexei Miller did not accompany Russian President Vladimir Putin on his recent visit to the PRC due to the disagreements over the pipeline.

Russian missile attack on Dnipro injures seven, including two children

Tuesday 4 June 2024 08:19 , Arpan Rai

At least seven people, including two children, were injured as a Russian missile hit the central city of Dnipro, local officials said.

The missile attack in the early hours today by Russian forces also damaged civilian infrastructure.

Ukrainian air force said it shot down two Iskander-K cruise missiles over the region. The missile debris damaged civilian infrastructure, causing a fire and injuring residents, according to Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor.

Two boys were among those injured, in addition to five adults, based on preliminary information from the governor.

The attack damaged cars and knocked windows out in residential buildings and a hospital, Lysak wrote on Telegram.

Russian forces also launched four drones in the overnight attack but the Ukrainian air force said it shot down two of them over the northern region of Chernihiv.

Nearly 1300 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine in past 24 hours

Tuesday 4 June 2024 07:58 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces have lost 1,290 soldiers and more than 200 pieces of military equipment in the past 24 hours, senior Ukrainian military officials said in a daily update this morning.

A total of 512,420 Russian military personnel have been killed or injured since the invasion in February 2022, the update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

The General Staff also reported 126 combat clashes took place on the war frontline over the past day.

“During the day, the Russian occupiers launched two missile attacks on the territory of Ukraine using six missiles and 37 air strikes using 51 UAVs, and launched 359 kamikaze drones. In addition, the occupiers fired over 2,100 times at the positions of our troops and settlements using various types of weapons,” it said.

The Russian Ministry of Defence does not comment on the casualty count of its troops shared by Kyiv.

White House says Ukraine has no stronger backer than US as Biden misses peace talks

Tuesday 4 June 2024 07:07 , Arpan Rai

Asked Monday if president Joe Biden was sending the wrong message globally by forgoing the peace summit to attend a glitzy California fundraiser, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said: “There hasn’t been any single leader around the world who has supported Ukraine more and more stridently than Joe Biden.”

He said vice president Kamala Harris will be attending the summit “because of our desire to be represented around that table” and her presence will help demonstrate that “Ukraine has no stronger backer than the United States”.

“No matter who represents the United States at this summit,” Kirby said during a virtual briefing with reporters, “It can’t be said that the United States has in any way walked away from supporting Ukraine.”

The US confirmed vice president Harris will represent Washington at this month’s global peace summit on the war in Ukraine. The summit, organised by Switzerland, will be led by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Latest pictures from Ukraine

Tuesday 4 June 2024 07:00 , Athena Stavrou

A person is evacuated, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in a location given as Lyptsi, Kharkiv region, Ukraine (via REUTERS)

A person is evacuated, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in a location given as Lyptsi, Kharkiv region, Ukraine (via REUTERS)

A drone view shows damaged property, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region (via REUTERS)

A drone view shows damaged property, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region (via REUTERS)

A paramedic assists injured Ukrainian serviceman Serhii at a stabilisation point after medical treatment (REUTERS)

A paramedic assists injured Ukrainian serviceman Serhii at a stabilisation point after medical treatment (REUTERS)

Kamala Harris to represent US at Swiss ‘peace summit’ for Ukraine

Tuesday 4 June 2024 06:28 , Arpan Rai

US vice president Kamala Harris will represent Washington at this month’s global peace summit on the war in Ukraine. The summit, organised by Switzerland, will be led by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia has not been invited, raising questions about what purpose the summit would serve without the participation of one of the parties to the conflict. China has declined to attend for this reason.

The White House said Ms Harris would attend the meeting in Lucerne on 15 June. President Joe Biden is scheduled to be at a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles hosted by actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

“The vice president will underscore the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s effort to secure a just and lasting peace, based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and the principles of the UN charter, said her communications director Kirsten Allen.

She said Ms Harris will also “reaffirm support for the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against ongoing Russian aggression”. Mr Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will join Ms Harris as part of the US delegation.

Mr Zelensky has heavily boosted the summit and encouraged world leaders to attend, even as he has accused Russia of trying to undermine the meeting with China’s help.

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race to stop it crossing borders

Tuesday 4 June 2024 06:00 , Athena Stavrou

A disease which has been largely eradicated from Europe, rabies is suddenly raising its head in Ukraine where millions of abandoned pets are now running wild.

Ahead of a film exposing the public health crisis, Joe Shute talks to Khrystyna Drahomaretska who caught the disease during her work inoculating feral cats and dogs roaming the streets in the wartorn country:

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race against time to stop it spreading

Nato has two to three years to prepare for confrontation with Russia, says Norway’s top general

Tuesday 4 June 2024 05:52 , Arpan Rai

Norway’s top military general has warned that Nato’s window of preparing against Russian aggression has dwindled from 10 years to two-three years.

“At one point someone said it’ll take 10 years but I think we’re back to less than 10 years because of the industrial base that is now running in Russia. It will take some time, which gives us a window now for the next two to three years to rebuild our forces, to rebuild our stocks at the same time as we are supporting Ukraine,” said General Eirik Kristoffersen, the head of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

He said Russia’s positions near his country’s borders have not changed significantly over the past year and this allows Oslo to strengthen defence capabilities agreed upon within Nato.

“So we can fulfil those plans and those decisions with content in the next years, but we need to speed up. We need to do it in two to three years to make sure that we are ready for whatever might happen,” the top military official told Bloomberg.

Russian soldiers’ wives demand Putin return their men from war

Tuesday 4 June 2024 05:19 , Arpan Rai

Vladimir Putin’s defence minister Andrei Belousov has been asked by a group of Russian women to return their mobilised husbands from the war frontline in Ukraine, in a rare protest against the Kremlin.

One of the woman at yesterday’s protest, who gave her name as Paulina, said a group of 18 women had gathered to appeal personally to Belousov, an economist by training whom Putin appointed to the job last month.

Paulina, who said she was 20 years old and had a husband fighting in Ukraine, said the women want Belousov to impose strict limits on how long soldiers can serve before they must rotate out of active duty.

Pictures and videos Paulina published on Telegram showed women holding signs with slogans including “Please bring Papa home”. Several had brought along their school-aged children and toddlers in pushchairs.

No ministry officials came out of the building to speak with the women, Paulina said.

The protest showcases the anger and despair that has gripped some soldiers’ families as the war in Ukraine grinds on into its third year, with no end in sight.

The women’s protests are sensitive for the authorities, given that the Kremlin presents what it calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine as having the overwhelming support of the Russian people.

For months, different groups of Russian women have organised sporadic demonstrations to exert pressure on authorities to return their husbands, sons and brothers who were mobilised after a decree by Putin in September 2022.

Poland has arrested 18 people on allegations of planning hostile acts on behalf of Russia, Belarus

Tuesday 4 June 2024 05:00 , Athena Stavrou

Poland has arrested 18 people on allegations of pursuing hostile activities or planning sabotage on behalf of Russia and Belarus, including plans to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the interior minister said Monday.

Ten of those arrested since December were directly involved in planning various forms of sabotage across Poland, Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told a news conference.

Polish authorities have linked some recent arsons or attempted arsons to Russian-sponsored agents. Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian nationals are among those arrested in recent months, according to the Internal Security Agency’s communiques.

Italy to send second air defence system to Ukraine for Russian ballistic missiles

Tuesday 4 June 2024 04:36 , Arpan Rai

Italy will send a second SAMP/T air defence system to Ukraine, its foreign minister said in a radio interview, responding to Kyiv’s pleas for greater help to fend off Russian missile attacks.

The system, also known as MAMBA, is a Franco-Italian battery that can track dozens of targets and intercept 10 at once. It is the only European-made system that can intercept ballistic missiles.

Rome and Paris jointly delivered a first system in 2023, but in recent months Ukraine has repeatedly called on partners to provide more help with air defence as it faces an increasing barrage of attacks on cities and energy infrastructure.

“It is known that we will send SAMP/T, which is an instrument of air defence, therefore of protection, that Ukraine itself asked us for,” foreign minister Antonio Tajani told state broadcaster Rai, confirming earlier media reports.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Italy has approved eight support packages to the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Tajani said the SAMP/T will be part of a ninth package under preparation, but did not give a time frame for delivery.

Russia intercepts 20 Ukrainian drones in Kursk

Tuesday 4 June 2024 04:08 , Arpan Rai

Russian air defence units intercepted 20 Ukrainian drones in southern Russia’s Kursk region bordering Ukraine, regional governor Alexei Smironov said last night.

The governor claimed that the Ukrainian forces attacked four villages in his region using attack drones and helicopters, but no injuries were reported.

In Belgorod region, to the southeast, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said air defence units had downed “several airborne targets”. Roofs of some dwellings were damaged.

Zelenskyy will participate in G7 summit

Tuesday 4 June 2024 04:00 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the G7 summit later this month his spokesman has confirmed

He will attend the summit in southern Italy either online or in person from 13 to 15 June to participate in discussions about ways to use profits from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.

“Unfortunately, I cannot confirm or deny that the President will physically participate in the G7 summit, but in any case, whether online or physically, there is no doubt that he will be there,” the president’s spokesman, Sergey Nikiforov told Ukrainian television.

Unsafe to restart Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, UN official says

Tuesday 4 June 2024 03:00 , Athena Stavrou

It will be unsafe to restart the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine as long as war rages around it, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday.

Grossi held a meeting with Russia on the issue last week after officials including President Vladimir Putin told him Moscow hopes to restart Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, where the six reactors are now shut down as the International Atomic Energy Agency has recommended on safety grounds.

“The idea, of course, they have is to restart at some point. They are not planning to decommission this nuclear power plant. So this is what prompts the need to have a discussion about that,” Grossi told a news conference on the first day of a quarterly meeting of the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors.

Russia said after last week’s meeting it is not currently planning to reactivate the plant. Grossi said some important steps need to be taken before it can restart safely.

“In terms of what needs to happen …, there shouldn’t be any bombing or any activity of this type,” Grossi said.

“Then there should be a more stable assurance of external power supply. This requires repairs, important repairs of existing lines, which at the moment, and because of the military activity, are very difficult to envisage.”

 (REUTERS)

(REUTERS)

Energy shutdowns hit Ukraine after Russian attacks target infrastructure

Tuesday 4 June 2024 01:30 , Athena Stavrou

Ukraine imposed emergency power shutdowns in most of the country on Sunday, a day after Russia unleashed large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed it made gains in the eastern Donetsk province.

The shutdowns were in place in all but three regions of Ukraine following Saturday’s drone and missile attack on energy targets that injured at least 19 people.

Ukraine’s state-owned power grid operator Ukrenergo said the shutdowns affected both industrial and household consumers.

Energy shutdowns hit Ukraine after Russian attacks target infrastructure

Italy likely to send second air defence system to Ukraine, source says

Tuesday 4 June 2024 00:01 , Athena Stavrou

Italy will likely send a second SAMP/T air defence system to Ukraine, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Monday, responding to Kyiv’s demands for greater help to fend off Russian missile attacks.

The system, also known as MAMBA, is a Franco-Italian battery that can track dozens of targets and intercept 10 at once. It is the only European-made system that can intercept ballistic missiles.

Rome and Paris jointly delivered a first system in 2023, but in recent months Ukraine has repeatedly called on partners to provide more help with air defence as it faces an increasing barrage of attacks on cities and energy infrastructure.

The source, who declined to be named, confirmed newspaper reports that Italy was preparing to send a SAMP/T system which is deployed in Kuwait, but is soon due to return to Italy.

However, he did not give a timeframe for any delivery.

Corriere della Sera newspaper reported on Monday that the government could green light the new supplies after a summit of leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies, which Italy will host on June 13-15.

1,270 Russian casualties in 24 hours, Ukraine claims

Monday 3 June 2024 22:30 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian officials have claimed Russia has suffered 1,270 casualties in the past 24 hours.

If correct, this would be one of the highest daily casualty figures since the war began in 2022.

Energy shutdowns hit Ukraine after Russian attacks target infrastructure

Monday 3 June 2024 21:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine imposed emergency power shutdowns in most of the country on Sunday, a day after Russia unleashed large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed it made gains in the eastern Donetsk province.

The shutdowns were in place in all but three regions of Ukraine following Saturday’s drone and missile attack on energy targets that injured at least 19 people.

Ukraine’s state-owned power grid operator Ukrenergo said the shutdowns affected both industrial and household consumers.

Energy shutdowns hit Ukraine after Russian attacks target infrastructure

Germany aims to order two more frigates to bolster defences

Monday 3 June 2024 20:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The German government wants to buy two further frigates provided parliament approves the deal, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday, as part of a policy shift to bolster its defences after Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking in the Baltic port of Wolgast at a keel-laying ceremony for the first of four F126 frigates already ordered, he said he had reached a deal with the finance ministry to present parliament with a draft budget for two additional ships.

The F126 frigates comprise a core element of Germany’s so-called “Zeitenwende” (sea change) in defence policy initiated by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Germany needs six, not just four of them, Pistorius said.

“It (the frigate) was developed to play its part in our collective defence, it is crucial for a credible deterrence, in particular for the protection of our northern flank,” Pistorious told reporters at the ceremony.

The first frigate of the new type is expected to be delivered to the German navy in 2028. It will be capable of striking targets above and under water.

The first four ships will cost some 6.2 billion euros ($6.72 billion) and be built in the ports of Wolgast, Kiel and Hamburg with Dutch shipbuilder Damen as a general contractor.

The contract includes an option for two further ships.

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race to stop it crossing borders

Monday 3 June 2024 19:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A disease which has been largely eradicated from Europe, rabies is suddenly raising its head in Ukraine where millions of abandoned pets are now running wild.

Ahead of a film exposing the public health crisis, Joe Shute talks to Khrystyna Drahomaretska who caught the disease during her work inoculating feral cats and dogs roaming the streets in the wartorn country:

The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race against time to stop it spreading

Poland has arrested 18 people on allegations of planning hostile acts on behalf of Russia, Belarus

Monday 3 June 2024 18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Poland has arrested 18 people on allegations of pursuing hostile activities or planning sabotage on behalf of Russia and Belarus, including plans to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the interior minister said Monday.

Ten of those arrested since December were directly involved in planning various forms of sabotage across Poland, Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told a news conference.

Polish authorities have linked some recent arsons or attempted arsons to Russian-sponsored agents. Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian nationals are among those arrested in recent months, according to the Internal Security Agency’s communiques.

Poland has arrested 18 people on allegations of planning hostile acts on behalf of Russia, Belarus

Nearly 1,000 people honor a young Ukrainian journalist and volunteer combat medic killed in action

Monday 3 June 2024 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Nearly 1,000 people attended a ceremony Sunday honoring the memory of Ukrainian journalist Iryna Tsybukh, who was killed in action while serving as a volunteer combat medic a few days before her 26th birthday.

Tsybukh was killed while on rotation in the Kharkiv area, where Russia started its offensive nearly a month ago.

She had left a note describing how she wished the ceremony to be held, asking people to sing Ukrainian songs and attend in vyshyvankas — traditional embroidered shirts — instead of black clothes.

Nearly 1,000 people honor a young Ukrainian journalist and volunteer combat medic killed in action

Monday 3 June 2024 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Zelensky: Parts of Russia’s weaponry still come from other countries

Sri Lanka says 455 citizens duped into fighting for Russia in Ukraine as 16 go missing in action

Monday 3 June 2024 16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it…

Sri Lanka and Russia are starting talks to resolve the issue of Sri Lankans fighting alongside Russians in the war against Ukraine, after at least 16 people were reported missing in action.

On Thursday, Junior Foreign Minister Tharaka Balasuriya said that the Sri Lankans, mostly retired soldiers, had been duped into traveling to Russia with promises of good salaries and privileges including Russian citizenship.

“The situation in Russia is very unfortunate,” Balasuriya told reporters, adding that he is working with the defense ministry to ascertain the number of people fighting in Russia.

Sri Lanka reports 455 men duped into fighting for Russia as 16 go missing

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel210520-twitter-verified-cs-70cdee.jpg (1500×750)

Support Independent Journalism with a donation (Paypal, BTC, USDT, ETH)
whatsapp channel
Avatar
/ Published posts: 38882

The latest news from the News Agencies