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.
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
Zelensky accuses China of helping Russia sabotage Ukraine peace summit
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’
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.”
Kremlin says Swiss summit on Ukraine is waste of time without Russia
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
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
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’
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
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.
Putin asks Xi to ‘snub’ Switzerland peace conference
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
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 PS–2 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
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
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
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
07:00 , Athena Stavrou
Kamala Harris to represent US at Swiss ‘peace summit’ for Ukraine
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.”
Energy shutdowns hit Ukraine after Russian attacks target infrastructure
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
Italy likely to send second air defence system to Ukraine, source says
Monday 3 June 2024 15:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
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.
IAEA’s Grossi says it’s far from safe to restart Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Monday 3 June 2024 15:17 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
It will be unsafe to restart the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine as long as war rages around it despite Moscow’s hopes to fire up the complex, U.N. 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.”
Russia bans more UK politicians, journalists, experts over Ukraine
Monday 3 June 2024 14:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russia‘s foreign ministry has added a number of British “establishment figures”, journalists and experts to the list of people barred from entering Russia, it said on Monday, over their “hostile” actions.
The ministry said in a statement it urged London to abandon its support of Ukraine which it said caused more civilian casualties.
In pictures: Russia attacks Vovchansk, Kharkiv
Monday 3 June 2024 14:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A drone view shows damaged property, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, Ukraine.
The war against rabies in Ukraine and the race to stop it crossing borders
Monday 3 June 2024 13:42 , 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
Civilian dies in Russian attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv, official says
Monday 3 June 2024 13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
One person died and two were injured in an overnight Russian attack on Kharkiv, the governor of the eastern Ukrainian region said on Monday.
The civilian was killed and the two people were injured when a recreation complex was hit in the Zmiiv district, Oleh Synehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region, said on the Telegram messaging app.
Reuters could not independently verify the report. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war that Moscow launched against its smaller neighbour in 2022 and which has no end in sight.
The Kharkiv region, which borders Russia, and the Kharkiv city which is administrative centre of the region, have been battered nearly daily, with attacks intensifying in recent weeks after Russian forces launched a new offensive in the area.
Putin’s forces killed his brother. He takes revenge using hundreds of suicide drones to blow Russian troops up
Monday 3 June 2024 12:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Askold Krushelnycky visits the concealed base of the ‘Barney Unit’ in eastern Ukraine. Created by Stepan Barna in the wake of the death on the front line of his older brother Oleh, its drone operators claim to have achieved more than 100 kills:
The Ukraine politician avenging his brother’s death with hi-tech ‘suicide drones’
Ukraine plans record power imports on Monday after weekend infrastructure damage
Monday 3 June 2024 12:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukraine plans record electricity imports from European countries on Monday after reporting significant energy infrastructure damage from Russian strikes this weekend, the energy ministry said.
Imports are expected to rise to 27,178 megawatt hours (Mwh), beating the weekend records after another wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine‘s energy sector.
Russia’s Kazan airport briefly curbs flights for safety reasons
Monday 3 June 2024 11:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Russian city of Kazan’s airport imposed temporary flight restrictions for safety reasons on Monday, which were lifted about an hour later, Russia‘s aviation watchdog said.
Such a decision is often made because of expected or actual Ukrainian drone attacks.
In pictures: Ukraine’s Zelensky in the Philippines to meet with Marcos
Monday 3 June 2024 10:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Manila for a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Manila’s press pool said on Monday.
Zelensky travelled to Manila from Singapore, where he made an unscheduled appearance at the Shangri-La Dialogue conference, his second visit to Asia since Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Energy shutdowns hit Ukraine after Russian attacks target infrastructure
Monday 3 June 2024 10:21 , 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
Russia warns US against ‘fatal’ miscalculation in Ukraine
Monday 3 June 2024 09:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday the United States could face “fatal consequences” if it ignored Moscow’s warnings not to let Ukraine use weapons provided by Washington to strike targets inside Russia.
Ryabkov was commenting on President Joe Biden’s decision last week to approve the use of U.S.-supplied weapons to hit targets inside Russia that were involved in attacks on Ukraine‘s Kharkiv region.
“I would like to warn American leaders against miscalculations that could have fatal consequences. For unknown reasons, they underestimate the seriousness of the rebuff they may receive,” state news agency RIA quoted Ryabkov as saying.
He referred to comments last week by President Vladimir Putin, who said NATO countries were playing with fire and risking a deeper global conflict – one of a series of warnings from Moscow about the risk of a serious escalation.
“I urge these figures (in the U.S.) … to spend some of their time, which they apparently spend on some kind of video games, judging by the lightness of their approach, on studying what was said in detail by Putin,” Ryabkov said.
China says all efforts should be recognised in Russia-Ukraine peace measures
Monday 3 June 2024 09:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
China believes all efforts should be recognised in supporting peace measures around the Russia-Ukraine war, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday.
China has never “fanned fire or fuelled the flames”, said Mao Ning, addressing a question on a peace summit.
China attaches great importance to its relations with Ukraine and remains its largest trading partner, Mao said, adding that China’s position on the peace conference is very “open and transparent”.
“We believe that we can get the understanding and support of all parties.”
Russia and China proclaimed a “no limits” relationship just days before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but Beijing has so far avoided providing actual weapons and ammunition for Russia‘s war effort.
Zelensky accuses China of helping Russia sabotage Ukraine peace summit
Monday 3 June 2024 09:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
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.”
Zelensky accuses China of helping Russia sabotage Ukraine peace summit
Russia warns US against ‘fatal’ mistakes in Ukraine
Monday 3 June 2024 08:44 , Alexander Butler
Russia’s foreign ministry warned the United States against “mistakes that may have fatal consequences” with regards to allowing Ukraine to strike targets on Russian territory.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said attempts by Kyiv to attack Russian early-warning radar systems would be thwarted and Moscow may respond asymmetrically to such steps.
Ukrainian general claims Russia is killing civilians
Monday 3 June 2024 08:05 , Barney Davis
Russian forces injured five residents in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region on Sunday, June 2.
Vadym Filashkin, head of the region’s military administration, announced on Facebook, “Russia is killing civilians!
“On June 2, the Russians injured five residents of the Donetsk region: two each in Bilozerske and Zalizne and one in Vovche,” he said.
He added the total number of victims of the Russian army in the Donetsk region (1,985 killed and 4,974 wounded) does not take into account casualties in Mariupol and Volnovakha.
Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war that Moscow launched against its smaller neighbour in 2022 and which has no end in sight.
Russian glide bombs successfully disabled by experts
Monday 3 June 2024 07:46 , Barney Davis
Bomb disposal experts have defused two powerful guided aerial bombs that fell on a field near Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, but did not explode.
The Ukrainian State Emergency Service’s directorate in the Donetsk region announced the update on Facebook.
Russia has been dropping hundreds, likely thousands, of the weapons in recent weeks. Moscow dropped 700 glide bombs in six days at the end of March, the Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
Ukraine also uses guided bombs similar to the FABs, known as the joint direct attack munition system (JDAM), but the US-made weapons are in much shorter supply.
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