Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said his country would be “ready to use any means” so that Moscow does not suffer “strategic defeat” in its war against Ukraine.
He made the comment during an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson which was released as he arrived in Malta for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on his first visit to an EU state since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In his 80-minute interview, Mr Lavrov said that the West should abandon any notion that Russia had no “red lines” and laid out conditions for peace in Ukraine.
In Malta, Mr Lavrov clashed with Western leaders before storming out of the EU security meeting, as the Kremlin faced mounting criticism over its prolonged war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, thousands of North Korean soldiers stationed at checkpoints in Russia’s embattled Kursk Oblast are being kept away from direct combat, Ukraine’s military-run National Resistance Center reported.
Between 10,000 and 12,000 dispatched troops are being used as a “second echelon” as ties deepen between Russia and North Korea, the Center said.
Key Points
- Russia reportedly keeping North Korean troops out of direct combat
- Putin’s warship fires at German helicopter over Baltic sea
- Ukraine makes gains near Kupiansk and halts Russian northern advance
- Russia says no grounds for negotiations on Ukraine yet
Russia’s Lavrov accused of rebuilding Russian empire during first EU visit
04:27
Shweta Sharma
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov faced heavy criticism as he arrived at an annual meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Malta.
The Russian diplomat walked out of the hall before US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived as the two traded accusations in a heated annual gathering.
The Polish foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, said: “My message to the Russian delegation is the following: We are not taken in by your lies. We know what you’re doing. You’re trying to rebuild the Russian empire and we will not let you. We will resist you every inch of the way.”
Mr Lavrov hit back by accusing Nato and the EU of politicising the OSCE.
He accused the West of the “reincarnation of the cold war, only now with a much greater risk of a transition to a hot one”.
Western states criticise Russia’s FM over Ukraine at OSCE meeting
04:20
Steffie Banatvala
Western countries including the United States assailed Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov over the war in Ukraine at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Malta.
“My message to the Russian delegation is the following: We are not taken in by your lies. We know what you’re doing. You’re trying to rebuild the Russian empire and we will not let you. We will resist you every inch of the way,” Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.
Poland and Ukraine’s foreign ministers were amongst those who left the room for Mr Lavrov’s speech, which is common for international meetings. Mr Lavrov was also absent when US secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke.
Mr Lavrov’s attendance at the meeting marks his first trip to a European Union country since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia’s Lavrov suggests using any means in war to avoid 'strategic defeat'
03:58
Shweta Sharma
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said the use of a hypersonic missile in the Ukraine war was to make the West understand that Moscow was ready to use any means to ensure no “strategic defeat” would be inflicted on Moscow.
Russia deployed the Oreshnik hypersonic missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro last month in what Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin described as a test of a missile he said could not be brought down.
He said Russia could bring other such missiles into action in “combat conditions” if required.
“The message is that you, I mean the US and the allies of the US, who also provide these long-range weapons to the Kyiv regime - they must understand that we would be ready to use any means not to allow them to succeed in what they call a strategic defeat of Russia,” Mr Lavrov told US journalist Tucker Carlson.
“They fight for keeping their hegemony over the world, on any country, any region, any continent. We fight for our legitimate security interests.”
In his 80-minute interview, Mr Lavrov also said that the West should abandon any notion that Russia had no “red lines” that it would bar anyone from crossing in defending its interests.
“If they are following the logic which some Westerners have been pronouncing lately, that they don’t believe that Russia has red lines, they announced their red lines, these red lines are being moved again and again, this is a very serious mistake,” he said.
Ukrainian intelligence hackers claim Russian bank disruption
03:20
Steffie Banatvala
Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) carried out a successful cyber-attack against one of Russia’s largest banks, disrupting services for hundreds of thousands of customers, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
The website for Gazprombank was reportedly inaccessible in France and Germany, and the mobile application also experienced outages. Russian state media on Wednesday confirmed problems accessing the bank’s website.
The source said the agency directed excessive traffic to the bank’s website and mobile application, overloading its servers in what is known as a distributed denial of service attack.
The attack comes after the United States imposed sanctions on Gazprombank earlier in November.
Both Ukraine and Russia have used cyber warfare during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s Lavrov and Blinken spar over Ukraine during a security meeting in Malta
03:19
Shweta Sharma
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov walked out from an annual security meeting in Malta before US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived as he accused the West of reviving the Cold War.
Speaking at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ministerial meeting in Malta, Mr Lavrov said the West was provoking a direct conflict with Russia.
He said the US actions were driven by a desire to “return Nato to the political spotlight.”
“After the Afghan disgrace, there was a need for a new common enemy,” Mr Lavrov said during his first stop in an EU nation since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.“The result is the reincarnation of the Cold War, but now with the far greater risk of its escalation into the hot phase.”Mr Blinken, who spoke after Mr Lavrov left the room, put the blame for escalation in the region back on Russia, noting that the Russian foreign minister, the fourth speaker, did not stick around to listen to other speakers.
“Let’s talk about escalation,” Mr Blinken said, citing the deployment of North Korean forces in Europe, the use of an intermediate-range ballistic missile to attack Ukraine, Russia’s move to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, and attacks on Ukraine‘s energy infrastructure.“Mr Lavrov spoke about the sovereign right of every member-state to make their own choices,” Mr Blinken said. “That’s exactly what this is about: the sovereign right of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people to make their own choices about the future, not to have those choices made in and by Moscow.”
Ukraine chief of staff met Trump aides to secure US support
02:20
Steffie Banatvala
Ukraine’s Chief of Staff visited the US to meet with senior officials from the incoming Trump administration in an effort to secure continued support for Ukraine, according to
Andriy Yermak held talks on Wednesday with Mike Waltz, Mr Trump’s pick for national security adviser, and retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, named as an envoy for Ukraine, a person familiar with the meeting said. The person was not authorised to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Neither side gave immediate details of the session. It was one of many meetings that Mr Trump’s aides are having with foreign representatives before Trump returns to the White House.
Mr Trump, a longtime admirer of Putin, has called for bringing a quick end to fighting in Russia’s nearly 3-year war against Ukraine’s Western-aligned government. He has given few details of his plans.
Poland gets $4bn US loan for defence purchases, minister says
01:20
Steffie Banatvala
Poland signed a $4bn loan under the United States’ Foreign Military Financing program that will help finance the transformation of its armed forces, the Polish defence minister has said.
“This is another proof of enormous trust and strong alliance between Poland and the United States of America,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz posted on X.
Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz said that in total the United States has provided Poland with over $11bn to finance armament programs, including Patriot air defence systems and Apache helicopters.
Spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland became NATO’s top spender in terms of the proportion of its national wealth devoted to defence.
Russia FM makes first EU visit since Ukraine invasion for security meeting
00:20
Steffie Banatvala
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov attended the annual meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Malta, marking his first visit to a European Union nation since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha were also present, with Ukraine dominating the agenda.
Mr Lavrov, who is under EU sanctions but not subject to a travel ban, accused the West of escalating the Ukraine conflict during his remarks but left the meeting before Mr Blinken and others could respond.
Slovakia reiterates it wants to keep oil and gas transit from Russia
Thursday 5 December 2024 23:20
Steffie Banatvala
Slovakia wants to keep oil and gas transit corridors from Russia operational because they are reliable and have stable prices, Slovak foreign minister Juraj Blanar said on Facebook on Thursday, after meeting Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
"Even though we are working on diversification of these supplies, it is important for us to have supplies secured in volumes we need and at favourable price," Mr Blanar said after the meeting on the sidelines of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe meeting in Malta.
European rights body honours Ukrainian mayor who died in Russian captivity
Thursday 5 December 2024 22:20
Steffie Banatvala
The European human rights body the Council of Europe paid tribute to the courage and determination of the Ukranian mayor who died in Russian captivity.
Dniprorudne mayor Yevhen Matvieiev died in Russian captivity after coordinating humanitarian aid and security as Moscow’s forces occupied the southeastern Ukrainian city.
“Reports of Ukrainians being detained arbitrarily by Russia’s forces are shocking and numerous. They confirm a widespread use of inhuman or degrading treatment and torture,” Marc Cools of the human rights body added.
“All abductions and arbitrary detentions amount to grave human rights violations.”
Russia,US army chiefs hold rare call
Thursday 5 December 2024 21:20
Steffie Banatvala
US and Russian army chiefs had a rare phone call last week amid rising tensions in Ukraine, according to officials from both sides.
Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown spoke by phone November 27 at the request of the Russian side, the officials added.
Direct communication between Moscow and Washington has largely stopped since the war in Ukraine, with the Kremlin viewing United States as a direct participant in the conflict.
Russia claims it warned US of Mediterranean drills
Thursday 5 December 2024 20:20
Steffie Banatvala
Russia’s top military officer called his US counterpart to give advance warning of Russia’s drills in the Mediterranean Sea, officials said in what was a rare contact amid high tensions between Moscow and Washington.
Russia's General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov, reached out to General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on November 27 to inform him about a planned Russian naval exercise involving missile launches in the eastern Mediterranean, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
“The information was delivered in order to prevent possible incidents in view of U.S. and NATO warships presence near the area of the Russian exercise,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Pentagon said Mr Gerasimov informed Mr Brown of the live-fire exercise, but did not discuss specific weapons systems that would be used.
Read more about Russia’s drills in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, and Baltic and Caspian seas:
Russian economy worries Putin, analysts say
Thursday 5 December 2024 19:20
Steffie Banatvala
The Kremlin is reportedly concerned about its economy, despite President Vladimir Putin’s optimistic statements about growth, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Russia has managed to maintain economic growth despite Western sanctions, helped by record military spending.
But high inflation remains a pressing issue. Speaking at the VTB Bank Forum in Moscow on Wednesday, Putin acknowledged “the need to curb inflation” but highlighted projected GDP growth of 4 per cent by the end of the year.
The comments suggest Putin is "likely to try to project economic stability" as the central bank's record-high interest rate is set to rise further this month, the ISW said.
Romania’s far-right frontrunner pledges to cut off Ukraine aid
Thursday 5 December 2024 18:20
Steffie Banatvala
The far-right politician leading Romania’s presidential race, Calin Georgescu, has said he would cease all aid for Ukraine, amid allegations of electoral violations and Russian meddling.
Mr Georgescu told the BBC he would make “the Romanian people” his priority but denied that his success so far was down to a Russian-backed social media campaign.
The comments come as TikTok took down several networks that tried to meddle in Romania’s elections, executives said Tuesday.
Read more here:
China won’t step in to end the war in Ukraine, warns Lithuanian FM
Thursday 5 December 2024 17:20
Steffie Banatvala
China will not bolster security to halt Russia, according to Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
“Can you imagine [China] suddenly becoming a guarantor of peace in Europe?” Mr Landsbergis told POLITICO on the sidelines of this week’s NATO summit in Brussels.
Mr Landsbergis’ comment follows Western pressure on China to distance itself from China and push for an end to the war.
Ukrainian mayor laid to rest after death in Russian captivity
Thursday 5 December 2024 16:45
Steffie Banatvala
A former mayor of occupied Dniprorudne who died in Russian captivity has been laid to rest in Bucha, outside the capital Kyiv.
Mayor Yevhen Matvieiev was captured after coordinating humanitarian aid and security as Moscow’s forces occupied the southeastern Ukrainian city.
“Today it became known that the mayor of Dniprorudne, Yevhen Matvieiev, died from torture in Russian captivity. He was kidnapped by the enemy almost 3 years ago in the Zaporizhzhia region because he provided for the community that elected him and trusted him,” Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klitschko wrote on Telegram.
Russia denies mistreating prisoners of war and those in detention.
“Thanks to him (Mr Matvieiev), a large number of people were able to be rescued, freed, or moved to Ukraine-controlled territory,” said Oleksandr Slobozhan, who worked with 63-year-old Mr Matvieiev.
Russia illegally conscripted 5,500 residents of occupied Crimea in 2024, Kyiv claims
Thursday 5 December 2024 16:20
Steffie Banatvala
Nearly 5,500 residents of Russian-occupied Crimea were mobilised into the Russian army in 2024, according to a recent report published by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in Crimea.
Russia has mobilised nearly 50,000 Crimean residents since the peninsula’s occupation in 2014, through illegal conscription campaigns, the report said.
It comes as the UK Ministry of Defence reported record Russian causalities this month.
EU will step in if US withdraws Ukraine $50bn loan
Thursday 5 December 2024 15:56
Steffie Banatvala
Polish deputy finance minister said the European Union is ready to step in financially if the US withdraws from the G7’s $50bn loan for Ukraine.
“There is a risk that [US President] Donald Trump will pull out of the $50 billion agreement,” Pawel Karbownik said at an event marking the incoming Polish presidency of the Council of the EU.
After long negotiations, the United States and EU had agreed to contribute $20bn each as part of the deal, with the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan funding the rest.
The deal was designed to be repaid using interest from more than $300bn Russian assets.
Russia holding 6 Ukrainian mayors captive, Zelensky says
Thursday 5 December 2024 15:36
Steffie Banatvala
Russia is holding at least six Ukrainian mayors and community leaders captive, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“They are among thousands of Ukrainians who are innocent but have been in captivity for years. And not only since 2022, but also since 2014,” Mr Zelensky told the the human rights community.
The mayor of occupied Dniprorudne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Yevhenii Matvieiev, died in captivity after he was captured while trying to assist residents of his community in March 2022. Mr Matvieiev was tortured to death, according to Zaporizhzhia’s governor.
US, Russia clash on Ukraine at security meeting
Thursday 5 December 2024 15:14
Steffie Banatvala
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov clashed indirectly with US secretary of state Antony Blinken at a security meeting in Malta, accusing the West of risking escalation over Ukraine but walked out before Blinken and other speakers could respond.
Mr Lavrov said the US actions were driven by a desire to "return NATO to the political spotlight”, speaking at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ministerial meeting in Malta.
"After the Afghan disgrace, there was a need for a new common enemy," Mr Lavrov said during his first stop in an EU nation since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“The result is the reincarnation of the Cold War, but now with the far greater risk of its escalation into the hot phase.”
Mr Blinken, who spoke after Mr Lavrov left the room, put the blame for escalation in the region on Russia, noting that the Russian foreign minister did not stay to listen to other speakers.
“Let’s talk about escalation,” Mr Blinken said, citing the deployment of North Korean forces in Europe, the use of an intermediate-range ballistic missile to attack Ukraine, Russia‘s move to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, and attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
German opposition says discussion on peacekeepers in Ukraine ‘irresponsible’
Thursday 5 December 2024 14:45
Steffie Banatvala
Germany’s opposition leader Friedrich Merz said any discussions about deploying German peacekeepers in Ukraine are irresponsible, after foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said deployment of troops should not be ruled out in case of a ceasefire.
“We are all thinking about how to end this war. The question is how to achieve this,” Mr Merz said on Wednesday, saying nobody is asking about peacekeeper deployment.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz also told the German parliament there was currently no possibility of deploying German troops and that Ms Baerbock was in agreement with defence minister Boris Pistorius on the issue.
Thursday 5 December 2024 14:15
Steffie Banatvala
Russia has increased its naval and civilian presence in the Baltic Sea, German defence minister Boris Pistorius told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
“This demonstrates the strategic importance of the Baltic Sea for many, especially for Russia and China, including circumventing sanctions,” Mr Pistorius said.
He added that the Chinese fleet has also appeared.
The comments came shortly after a Russian ship shot at a German military helicopter over the Baltic Sea.
Ukrainian intelligence hackers claim Russian bank disruption
Thursday 5 December 2024 13:45
Steffie Banatvala
Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) carried out a successful cyber-attack against one of Russia’s largest banks, disrupting services for hundreds of thousands of customers, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
The website for Gazprombank was reportedly inaccessible in France and Germany, and the mobile application also experienced outages. Russian state media on Wednesday confirmed problems accessing the bank’s website.
The source said the agency directed excessive traffic to the bank’s website and mobile application, overloading its servers in what is known as a distributed denial of service attack.
The attack comes after the United States imposed sanctions on Gazprombank earlier in November.
Both Ukraine and Russia have used cyber warfare during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Western states criticise Russia’s FM over Ukraine at OSCE meeting
Thursday 5 December 2024 13:23
Steffie Banatvala
Western countries including the United States assailed Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov over the war in Ukraine at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Malta.
“My message to the Russian delegation is the following: We are not taken in by your lies. We know what you’re doing. You’re trying to rebuild the Russian empire and we will not let you. We will resist you every inch of the way,” Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.
Poland and Ukraine’s foreign ministers were amongst those who left the room for Mr Lavrov’s speech, which is common for international meetings. Mr Lavrov was also absent when US secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke.
Mr Lavrov’s attendance at the meeting marks his first trip to a European Union country since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russian disinformation targets US support for Ukraine
Thursday 5 December 2024 13:11
Steffie Banatvala
Russian disinformation has been trying to undermine US support for Ukraine since the US election in November, analysts have said.
The Kremlin is using state media, fake news sites and social media accounts to push divisive narratives about the war and US president-elect Donald Trump before he returns to the White House next month.
Analysts said the content is aimed at turning sentiment against Ukraine at a crucial time, to reduce US military aid and ensure a Russian victory.
Clips from fake videos purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers burning effigies of Trump and his supporters have circulated among Trump supporters and believers in QAnon, a conspiracy theory that claims Trump is waging war against a satanic cabal of powerful world leaders.
German FM says Russia increasing Baltic Sea presence
Thursday 5 December 2024 13:50
Steffie Banatvala
Russia has increased its naval and civilian presence in the Baltic Sea, German defence minister Boris Pistorius told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
Mr Pistorius added that the Chinese fleet had also appeared in the region.
“This demonstrates the strategic importance of the Baltic Sea for many, especially for Russia and China, including circumventing sanctions,” he said.
The comments came after a Russian ship shot at a German military helicopter over the Baltic Sea.
Ukraine FM opposes any Yalta-like agreements
Thursday 5 December 2024 12:56
Steffie Banatvala
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has strongly opposed any deals similar to earlier Yalta or Minsk agreements, which could legitimise Russian aggression.
“Russia wants a second Yalta or at least a third Minsk. It wants a world of zones of influence where power dictates the rules, changes borders, and deprives people of their right to freedom. But we are clear: there will be no Yalta-2 or Minsk-3,” Mr Sybiha said at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Malta.
The Minsk I and II agreements of 2014-15 attempted to end the war in Donbas, while the Yalta conference in 1945 divided spheres of influence in Europe between the USSR and the Western powers after the Second World War.
Media analysis claims Russian losses outpacing recruitment
Thursday 5 December 2024 12:35
Steffie Banatvala
Analysis of Russia’s federal budget shows that a recent drop in the recruitment of soldiers is outpacing losses on the battlefield despite hikes in sign-on bonuses, claimed the Meduza news outlet.
Meduza estimated that Russia was losing between 600 and 750 troops per day, but was signing just 500 and 600 new contracts per day in the third quarter of 2024, citing expenditures for sign-on bonuses and earlier research.
But more liberal estimates suggest Russia may have enlisted 82,000 new contracts in the third quarter if there were delays in bonuses for budgeting purposes.
The UK Ministry of Defence separately tweeted that the average daily Russian casualties reached a monthly high in November.
Ukraine says Russia not ready for peace negotiations
Thursday 5 December 2024 12:08
Steffie Banatvala
Ukraine has seen no signs that Russia is ready for meaningful peace talks, the head of its presidential office Andrii Yermak said on Wednesday (4 December).
“They only want to dictate and speak the language of ultimatums,” Mr Yermak told The Telegraph.
Mr Yermak added that no democratic leader, including US president-elect Donald Trump, would allow such ultimatums.
Russian man on trial in Finland for war crimes against Ukraine forces
Thursday 5 December 2024 11:15
Steffie Banatvala
A Russian man has gone on trial in Finland on charges of war crimes allegedly committed against Ukrainian forces in a Russia-backed separatist region of Ukraine in 2014.
Prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment for the defendant at the trial which opened Thursday at the Helsinki district court, public broadcaster YLE reported.
Read more here:
Russian foreign minister arrives in Malta for first EU meeting since invasion
Thursday 5 December 2024 11:00
Steffie Banatvala
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was in Malta for the annual meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in his first visit to a European Union nation since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. US secretary of state Antony Blinken and the Ukraine‘s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha were also attending the meeting, where Ukraine was high on the agenda.
It has been relatively rare for Mr Lavrov to attend forums with senior Western officials, although he recently attended the United Nations General Assembly and the G20 summit in Brazil.
Russia reportedly keeping North Korean troops out of direct fighting
Thursday 5 December 2024 10:45
Steffie Banatvala
Thousands of North Korean soldiers have been stationed at checkpoints in Russia’s embattled Kursk Oblast but are not involved in direct combat, according to Ukraine’s military-run National Resistance Center.
Between 10,000-12,000 troops sent are being used as a “second echelon”, the Center added, deepening ties between the two countries.
Ukraine imposes sanctions on former Georgian prime minister
Thursday 5 December 2024 10:29
Steffie Banatvala
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he had imposed sanctions on Georgian former prime inister Bidzina Ivanishvili and some members of Georgia's government.
“These are sanctions against the part of the government in Georgia that is handing Georgia over to (Russian resident Vladimir) Putin,” Mr Zelensky said.
Tensions have been rising between Georgia’s governing party and opponents who say the South Caucasus country is pursuing increasingly authoritarian, anti-Western and pro-Russian policies.
Read more here:
Armed forces chief speaks out on chance of Russia attack and invasion of UK
Thursday 5 December 2024 10:12
Steffie Banatvala
There is only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the United Kingdom, the chief of the Armed Forces has said.
“That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato,” Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said at his annual lecture at the Royal United Services Institute on Wednesday (4 December).
Putin’s cousin accidentally reveals secret figure relating to Russian losses
Thursday 5 December 2024 09:28
Arpan Rai
A family member of Russian president Vladimir Putin accidentally revealed what is likely a confidential tally of the appeals by relatives of soldiers trying to track down their missing loved ones.
Anna Tsivilyova, the daughter of Mr Putin’s cousin and a deputy defence minister, said the government received tens of thousands of appeals from relatives trying to trace soldiers, dead or missing, through DNA samples.
Read more here:
Russian minister says 48,000 relatives trying to trace soldiers via DNA
Thursday 5 December 2024 08:00
Jabed Ahmed
Nearly 50,000 relatives of Russian troops have submitted DNA samples, a government minister has been recorded as saying.
The figure was given by Deputy Defence Minister Anna Tsivilyova at a round-table discussion on 26 November, prompting a senior lawmaker to warn that such data should not be published anywhere.
Russia has not released official statistics about its war losses in Ukraine since the initial months following its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Western countries believe hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded in gruelling trench warfare in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
Independent news site Astra published a video of last week’s meeting where Russian officials and lawmakers were discussing support for troops involved in what Moscow calls its “special military operation” and for their family members.
Tsivilyova said the 48,000 soldiers’ relatives had submitted their DNA for free to an interior ministry database.
UK armed forces chief warns world on brink of third nuclear age
Thursday 5 December 2024 07:45
Arpan Rai
Britain is on the precipice of a “third nuclear age” in which it must face down multiple threats, the head of the armed forces has warned.
In an annual address at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London, chief of the defence staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said Britain and its western allies were facing “wild threats” from the alliance of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
After the first phase of the nuclear age during the Cold War and the second age defined by disarmament, Sir Tony said the world was now entering a third era in which nuclear threats and exercises are becoming more prevalent again.
Ukraine downs 30 drones launched by Russia overnight
Thursday 5 December 2024 07:24
Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 44 drones and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles overnight.
Of the total 44 drones, the Ukrainian air force shot down 30 and lost track of 12, likely due to electronic warfare, with one drone heading toward Belarus, according to the statement.
US and Russian military chiefs discuss Ukraine in phone call
Thursday 5 December 2024 07:02
Arpan Rai
US military chief General CQ Brown spoke by phone with Russia’s chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov last week, US officials said yesterday.
This is the first time Brown has spoken with his Russian counterpart.
“The leaders discussed a number of global and regional security issues to include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,” a spokesperson for Brown said in a statement.
The rare call took place on 27 November, but “at the request of General Gerasimov, General Brown agreed to not proactively announce the call”. The request for the call was made by the Russian ministry of defence, the spokesperson said.
Brown became chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last year. Gerasimov had spoken previously with Brown’s predecessor, Mark Milley.
Tensions between Russia and the US over Ukraine have spiked in recent weeks, particularly after Ukraine fired US and British missiles at targets inside Russia despite Moscow’s warnings that it would see such action as a major escalation.
Pictured: Russia conducts military drills involving hypersonic missiles
Thursday 5 December 2024 07:00
Jabed Ahmed
Watch: Zelensky says Ukraine could temporarily cede territory in exchange for Nato membership
Thursday 5 December 2024 06:00
Jabed Ahmed
Pope discusses Ukraine with Hungary’s Orban
Thursday 5 December 2024 05:39
Arpan Rai
Pope Francis met Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban at the Vatican yesterday and discussed with him the war in Ukraine, focusing on the humanitarian situation and efforts to promote peace in the region.
The pope also discussed other themes with Mr Orban, including the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union as well as the “central role of the family and the protection of the young generations,” the Vatican said in a statement.
During his visit in Hungary last year, the pope met with some 35,000 Ukrainian refugees who remained in Hungary. Nearly 2.5 million refugees entered the eastern European country early on in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Putin’s ship fires at German helicopter over Baltic sea
Thursday 5 December 2024 05:25
Arpan Rai
A Russian ship shot at a German military helicopter over the Baltic Sea using “signal munitions”, according to German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock.
Nato countries have halted their exercises in the Baltic region amid the latest disruption to pipelines and underwater cables, likely damaged in sabotage attempts.
Talking at a Nato meeting in Brussels, Ms Baerbock confirmed the incident between Russia and Germany, amid heightened tensions over Berlin’s support for Ukraine.
While the minister did not share details about the incident, a north German public broadcaster reported that the German naval helicopter located on a frigate was tracking a Russian oil tanker bound for Syria’s major port Tartus about a week ago.
The chopper took off and flew close to the Russian vessel for a reconnaissance flight. In the logs recorded by the pilot, he mentioned that he had heard “small-calibre ammunition” discharged from the ship, according to the broadcaster NDR.
Russia has not responded to the German defence minister and the news report.
Russian disinformation targets US support for Ukraine
Thursday 5 December 2024 17:20
Steffie Banatvala
Russian disinformation has been trying to undermine US support for Ukraine since the US election in November, analysts have said.
The Kremlin is using state media, fake news sites and social media accounts to push divisive narratives about the war and US president-elect Donald Trump before he returns to the White House next month.
Analysts said the content is aimed at turning sentiment against Ukraine at a crucial time, to reduce US military aid and ensure a Russian victory.
Clips from fake videos purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers burning effigies of Trump and his supporters have circulated among Trump supporters and believers in QAnon, a conspiracy theory that claims Trump is waging war against a satanic cabal of powerful world leaders.
