"#LONDON, #UnitedKingdom– Lloyd’s of #London underwriters are leading insurers in raising rates and cutting the amount of cover they offer for risks involving #Taiwan as concerns grow over possible military action by #China, industry sources with knowledge of the matter say."
"Since the beginning of 2023, a prolonged and bloody battle has been waged for control of a mid-sized Ukrainian city. Why is #Bakhmut an inflection point, and who stands to gain from its capture?" #Ukraine#Russia
#Russia’s blockade of #Ukraine’s grain exports through the #BlackSea have fuelled soaring food prices, an important concern for many of Beijing’s allies.
#China doesn’t want to “appear so supportive of #Putin that it will allow the #GlobalSouth to go hungry” said Steve Tsang, director of the Soas China Institute. #UkraineWar
"#KYIV, #Ukraine — A first group of six Ukrainian pilots is not expected to complete training on the #US -made #F16 before next summer, senior Ukrainian government and military officials said, following a series of delays by Western partners in implementing an instruction program for the sophisticated #FighterJet." #UkraineWar
"Since the end of spring, the old Soviet #Su24M bombers in service with the brigade have been equipped with the latest British-French #StormShadow missiles. They are used to hit enemy arsenals and headquarters of Russian troops in the rear, as well as bridges leading to #Crimea." #UkraineWar
"#Russia invaded #Ukraine in February 2022, and #mines have since then been laid in the #BlackSea by the combatants. Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish military diving teams have been defusing those that have drifted into their waters.
"It is believed that tens of thousands of Ukrainian men have left the country illegally since the full-scale war with #Russia started last February, many by paying bribes. On Friday, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr #Zelenskiy, fired every regional #MilitaryRecruitment head in the country, citing endemic #corruption in the apparatus." #DraftEvasion#UkraineWar#Ukraine
"As long as the war continues it just gets worse for #Russia, the #RussianEconomy and the #rouble. Hiking policy rates won’t solve anything" -Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets sovereign strategy at Bluebay Asset Management in London #Ukraine#UkraineWar
Despite the threats, last week #Ukraine announced a "humanitarian corridor" in the #BlackSea to release #CargoShips that have been trapped in its ports, pledging full transparency to make clear they were serving no military purpose. #Russia#UkraineWar
"But elsewhere one thing is clear: since Vladimir #Putin launched his full-scale invasion of #Ukraine last February, #Moscow has had to resort to riskier and less conventional methods of spying, mainly because so many of the spies it had placed under diplomatic cover in #Europe have been expelled." #EU#espionage#UkraineWar
"#Ukraine will not be able to operate US-built #F16#FighterJets this coming autumn and winter, air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television late on Wednesday." #UkraineWar
Only eight Ukrainian pilots are in the first batch which is short of a full squadron (12). Pilot skill isn't the problem, the bottleneck is the need for English language proficiency.
"#Ukraine had a small air force of Soviet-standard jets at the start of the war. It has actively sought the US-made #F16 fighter to help it counter Russian air superiority." #UkraineWar
"Speaking at a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister #UlfKristersson in Harpsund, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of #Stockholm, #Zelensky said that test flights with Ukrainian pilots had already begun." #UkraineWar#JAS39
"There seems to be no end to the misery of Indian students who had to go back to war-torn #Ukraine to complete their medical degrees. They are increasingly facing the anger of sections of the local population who see #India as supporting #Russia in the war." #UkraineWar
"#Washington announced its approval of the #F16 transfers on Friday, and training of #Ukraine pilots is set to begin this month, which may allow Ukraine to begin deploying the jets in early 2024." #UkraineWar
In response to the Russian blockade, #Ukraine announced a "humanitarian corridor" hugging the sea's western coastline near #Romania and #Bulgaria. A #HongKong-flagged container ship stuck in #Odesa port since the invasion travelled the route last week without being fired upon. #UkraineWar
It's a no go - for now. Nicely timed, being announced after #Denmark & the #Netherlands committed to donating #F16's to #Ukraine.
#Sweden’s prime minister, #UlfKristersson, said on Monday that Sweden needs #Gripen planes for its own defence, noting that the country’s bid to join Nato has not been finalised. #UkraineWar
"In the vision of the Air Force, it was stated that 128 fighters would be sufficient to replace the old fleet of equipment and be dispersed throughout the country's territory. This would be approximately four aviation brigades," Ignat stated in an interview with Radio Svoboda. #UkraineWar#F16
These bombers are irreplaceable, Russia can no longer build them.
"The Russian #Tu22 bomber that was destroyed can travel at twice the speed of sound and has been used extensively by #Russia to attack cities in #Ukraine.
#Moscow's defence ministry said in a statement that an attack by a 'copter-type UAV' took place at around 10:00 Moscow time (08:00 BST) on Saturday." #UkraineWar
"For years, Baltic leaders tried to warn their #NATO allies that #Russia posed a threat. As far back as 2007, #Estonia became one of the first countries targeted by a massive cyberattack. Authorities there had removed a 1947 monument honoring the Soviet Army as World War II liberators of Tallinn. The decision sparked protests by Russian speakers, and before long, Estonia’s internet became mysteriously paralyzed." #UkraineWar#Ukraine
"#JoeBiden has strongly suggested Vladimir #Putin’s involvement in the apparent death of Yevgeny #Prigozhin in a plane crash, as Ukrainian officials interpreted the incident as a warning to Russian 'elites' and flowers were laid for the late #Wagner chief outside the organisation’s #StPetersburg headquarters." #Russia#Ukraine
"Milley, who is #Catholic, afterwards told reporters traveling with him that the visit meant a great deal to him, according to Milley’s spokesperson, Colonel Dave Butler.
The general, who is visiting several European countries, said the Pope was deeply concerned about the loss of life in #Ukraine, particularly of civilians, since #Russia invaded in February 2022."
"#ORIKHIV AREA, #Ukraine, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces believe they have broken through the most difficult line of Russian defences in the south and will now be able to advance more quickly, a commander fighting in the south told Reuters." #UkraineWar
"The #Vatican sought to defend #PopeFrancis on Tuesday after the pontiff sparked fury in #Ukraine by praising #Russia's imperial rulers — a history President Vladimir #Putin has invoked to justify his ongoing war.
The #Kremlin delighted in the controversy, which stemmed from comments Francis made to a group of young Russians urging them to see themselves as the heirs of a 'great' empire."
"A critical juncture has been reached in #Ukraine’s months-long counteroffensive. After weeks of difficult battles, Ukrainian forces have slowly edged south in the #Zaporizhia region, taking hamlet after hamlet as Russian forces try to keep them at bay." #UkraineWar#Russia
#Ukraine’s foreign minister, #DmytroKuleba, has hit out at critics of #Kyiv’s tactics in its counteroffensive against #Russia’s invasion, saying they were spitting in the faces of Ukrainian soldiers and should “shut up”. #UkraineWar
#TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Multiple air defense missile systems deployed by #Russia on two disputed islands off northern #Japan in 2020 have been moved off the isles, an analysis of satellite images showed #Thursday, raising the possibility that Moscow is repurposing weapons from its Far East for use in the war against #Ukraine. #UkraineWar#NorthernTerritories#SouthernKurils
In 2021, when Muratov co-received the #NobelPeacePrize, he dedicated the award to #NovayaGazeta’s “fallen” journalists who “gave up their lives for their profession”.
Since 2000, Novaya Gazeta has seen six of its journalists and contributors killed, including investigative reporter #AnnaPolitkovskaya, who was shot dead in #Moscow on President Vladimir #Putin’s birthday. #Ukraine
"A by-product of #uranium enrichment, depleted uranium is used for #ammunition because its extreme density gives rounds the ability to easily penetrate armor plating and self-ignite in a searing cloud of dust and metal.
While depleted uranium is #radioactive, it is considerably less so than naturally occurring uranium, although particles can linger for a considerable time." #UkraineWar
"#Armenia's security architecture was 99.999% linked to #Russia, including when it came to the procurement of arms and ammunition.
But today we see that Russia itself is in need of weapons, arms and ammunition (for the war in #Ukraine) and in this situation it's understandable that even if it wishes so, the Russian Federation cannot meet Armenia's security needs."
"But #Russia's slide and #Indonesia's ascent are both driven in large part by the same thing: people. Russia is suffering from acute brain drain while Indonesia's labor force is growing," the Council wrote.
"In particular, Indonesia's educated professional class is growing while Russia's is shrinking." #UkraineWar#Ukraine#TootSEA
In his resignation letter, #Reznikov provided an overview of his 22 months in the post, praising #Ukraine’s fierce wartime resistance against Russian forces and his ministry’s lobbying efforts to secure vital military aid from the west, Reuters reported. #UkraineWar
Superficially, the roughly 24,000 active-duty personnel in the Swedish armed forces might not seem a major addition to a defensive alliance already estimated to draw on more than 3.5 million personnel. But that would overlook #Sweden’s decades of ‘armed neutrality,’ which has left the country far better equipped than most its size. #Ukraine#Russia
Ukrainian attacks are being carefully managed to minimize casualties, which is proving successful but also making it possible for the Russians to reset their defensive lines, said Matthew Ford, associate professor in war studies at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm. #UkraineWar
The Gepard is a potent killer of helicopters, low flying SU-25 bombers and Iranian shahed drones. This is big news.
"The German Defence Ministry noted that the construction of a production line for the manufacture of ammunition was successfully completed in an ambitious time frame, which made it possible to carry out the first delivery of a five-figure number of shells to #Ukraine." #UkraineWar
"At the end of August, #Ukraine declared it had finally managed to pierce #Russia’s first line of defence after retaking the small village of #Robotyne in Ukraine’s south. This key advance coincided with a Russian mercenary group’s threat to stop fighting on Russia’s behalf and could be a sign of more anti-Kremlin sentiment brewing among those fighting for Moscow. #UkraineWar
"Russia-based recruiters are targeting Cuban nationals online for the war in #Ukraine, promising them lucrative military contracts, help with relocating to #Russia and even citizenship for them and their families, according to an investigation by The Moscow Times’ Russian service." #UkraineWar
“With the introduction of #LTAMDS, #Poland will become the first country after the #US to complement the combat-proven Patriot with LTAMDS which provides extended range and full, 360-degree coverage to detect and defend against complex, highly coordinated, multi-threat attack scenarios.” - Raytheon Land & Air Defense Systems President Tom Laliberty #Russia#Ukraine#PatriotMissile#AirDefense
As one #EU diplomat put it: “It is one of life’s ironies that the countries holding the cards in energy are sometimes ones who are at best unreliable partners and at worst future enemies.” #Russia#Ukraine
"#India and #Russia are Cold War-era partners. After mediating peace between India and #Pakistan to end their 1965 war, the #SovietUnion deployed cruisers and destroyers in New Delhi’s defence after the #UnitedStates sent a threatening warship into the #BayOfBengal during the 1971 war between the South Asian neighbours." #Ukraine
#Moscow aims to disrupt #Ukraine’s ability to export grain to world markets with a sustained campaign of attacks targeting Ukrainian #Danube ports, and has attacked the port of #Izmail four times this week, Ukrainian officials say. #UkraineWar
Harsh language is all Russia has left. Everything else is tied up by the #UkraineWar.
"In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry listed these as Yerevan's decisions to sign up to the #InternationalCriminalCourt and to host a military exercise with the #UnitedStates, as well as a visit to #Ukraine by the Armenian prime minister's wife to deliver humanitarian aid."
"The softening of the language is a further signal that as #JoeBiden faces an election year, #Ukraine is perceptibly slipping down his list of foreign policy priorities as the need grows to nurture alliances to contain #China in the #IndoPacific." #UnitedStates
"#SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- A special train believed to be carrying North Korean leader #KimJongUn appears to have departed for #Russia, South Korean government officials said Monday, amid concerns that #Pyongyang and #Moscow could advance arms negotiations." #NorthKorea#Ukraine#UkraineWar
#VonDerLeyen said that the #EU must prepare to grow to more than 30 members, the Associated Press reports. #Ukraine, #Moldova and countries in the western #Balkans are among those in line.
The blogger, Rybar, said that the missiles were launched from #Su24M aircraft over the #BlackSea. Rybar said air defenses, including a #PantsirS1, had brought down seven missiles, but added that “unfortunately, three #StormShadow missiles reached their target: the landing ship Minsk and the submarine Rostov-on-Don, which were in dry dock, received varying degrees of damage. #Ukraine#Russia
Since #Russia invaded #Ukraine and exposed the continent’s overreliance on imports of Russian gas, European politicians and businesses have raced to source key minerals from a wider range of suppliers.
Israeli and Ukrainian officials pleaded for worshippers to stay away this year. #Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin #Netanyahu, and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr #Zelenskiy, who is also Jewish, spoke last week in a conversation in which the Ukrainian leader made it clear that there were “not enough (bomb) shelters in #Uman for local residents, let alone foreign tourists”.
#THEHAGUE (Reuters) - #Russia and #Ukraine will square off before the International Court of Justice (#ICC) on Monday in a case that centres around claims by #Moscow that its invasion of Ukraine was done to prevent #genocide.
Kyiv argues Russia is abusing international law by saying the invasion was justified to prevent an alleged genocide in eastern Ukraine.
“If #Ukraine falls, what will happen in 10 years? Just think about it,” #Zelenskyy told CBS’s Scott Pelley, according to a translation provided by the network. “If [the Russians] reach #Poland, what’s next? A third world war?”
#Ukraine president visits wounded soldiers in #NewYork and questions #Russia’s right to a security council seat ahead of key speech at #UN general assembly. #UkraineWar
The #K600—in contrast to the #Leopard2R—can do a lot more than just clear #mines. Unlike the Leopard 2R, the K600 has an excavator arm for digging trenches and reducing berms. And by swapping dozer blades, a K600 crew can pivot between #MineClearing and #Construction roles. #SouthKorea
The #Ukraine money is now stuck in limbo as part of a complicated fight over spending that is pitting #Republicans against one another and the #House against the #Senate. #Congress has less than two weeks to avoid a shutdown at the end of the month, and #McConnell wants to pass Ukraine aid on the same timeline, but there is little urgency among Republicans.
"The #grain disagreement has grown in intensity and significance after #Warsaw extended a ban on crops from its eastern neighbor in a push to placate its #farmers, whose support will be crucial in parliamentary #elections next month.
"Russian attacks on export routes through both the #BlackSea and #DanubeRiver remain a constant threat for shipping out crops that help feed the world. That’s making it harder and more expensive to squeeze cargoes out through #Europe, causing supplies to pile up in #Ukraine.
On top of that, many farmers are having to export crops themselves after major trading companies pulled back from the country. "
Earlier, #Poland’s prime minister said his country would no longer send arms to #Ukraine in order to focus on its own defence, a few hours after #Warsaw summoned #Kyiv’s ambassador amid a row over #GrainExports. #UkraineWar
“I … want to tell President Zelenskyy never to insult Poles again, as he did recently during his speech at the UN,” Prime Minister #MateuszMorawiecki told an election rally on Friday, according to the State-run news agency PAP. #GrainImports#UkraineWar
Footage authenticated by BBC Verify shows the moment a Ukrainian missile strike hit the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in #Crimea. A Ukrainian military source told the BBC that Friday's attack was carried out using #StormShadow missiles, which are supplied by #Britain and #France. #Ukraine
On Thursday, #Russia suspended nearly all #diesel and #petrol exports in order to stabilise its internal markets. #Ukraine
The move was the result of internal shortages probably caused by short-term increases in demand from the agricultural sector, the annual summer maintenance of refineries and attractive prices for exports.
Volodymyr #Zelenskiy awarded two Polish volunteers state awards during the Ukrainian president’s stopover on Saturday, but did not meet any officials as relations between the two countries are strained over #GrainImports. #Poland#Ukraine
The aim is to document instances where the Russian invaders used #hunger as a weapon of war, providing evidence for the #ICC to launch the first prosecution of its kind that could indict the Russian president, Vladimir #Putin.
Hodges said that he was not convinced that Washington had made the decision to provide the system. He added that unconfirmed reports suggested the type of #ATACMS that would be delivered "is the #ClusterMunition variant with shorter range."
Iranian kamikaze drones used in the latest attacks on Ukrainian cities are filled with European components, according to a secret document sent by #Kyiv to its western allies in which it appeals for long-range missiles to attack production sites in #Russia, #Iran and #Syria. #Ukraine#ShahedDrones#UkraineWar
45% of Republicans voted for the measures to drastically cut Ukraine funding - and the numbers are rising.
"House #Democrats and #Republicans teamed up to defeat a pair of proposals to gut #Ukraine funding in annual defense spending legislation, though each vote showed sizable GOP opposition to continued aid for #Kyiv."
"Around one-third of the world’s supply of diamonds are mined in the Siberian region of #Yakutia by Russian state-owned company Alrosa. The #DiamondIndustry overall contributes around $4.5 billion to the Russian economy annually, making it one of the largest sectors in #Russia to avoid the sweeping sanctions imposed by Western powers since the start of the full-scale invasion of #Ukraine in 2022."
"The vast #Zaporizhzhia#NuclearPowerPlant, with six reactors on site, was captured by #Russia in early March 2022 and has been on the frontline of the war ever since.
It is sited on the #DniproRiver in central #Ukraine and Ukrainian forces occupy the riverbank opposite, leaving the plant in the sights of both sides’ militaries."
Add comment