DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

CNN —Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said his forces were “always ready” to combat external threats, as he addressed crowds gathered at Moscow’s Red Square on Thursday to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Around 27 million people in the Soviet Union died in World War II, more than in any other country. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes soldiers as he is driven along Red Square. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS in an interview that “unfriendly countries” were not invited for a third Victory Day since the war in Ukraine began. His Victory Day address comes just days after the Russian leader was inaugurated for a fifth term in office, in a carefully choreographed ceremony.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, “, Putin, ” Putin, ”, Sergei Shoigu, Alexander Nemenov, Sefa, Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko of, Emomali, Serdar, Miguel Diaz, Thongloun, Maria Zakharova, ” Zakharova, Mikhail Klimentyev, Reuters Putin Organizations: CNN, Nazi, Russian, Getty, Canel, Russian Foreign Ministry, TASS, Sputnik, Reuters, Kyiv, Kremlin Locations: Soviet, Nazi Germany, Russia, Ukraine, “ Russia, AFP, Red Square, Anadolu, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Laos, Guinea, Bissau, Russian, United States

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Relief in Kyiv as Biden set to sign U.S. aid package; Russian official detained on bribe allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian law enforcement have detained Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov on suspicion of taking bribes, Russia's Investigative Committee said on April 23, 2024. A Russian deputy defense minister in charge of military construction has been detained on Tuesday on suspicion of "large-scale" bribe-taking, in one of the highest-profile corruption cases since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine. A brief statement by the Investigative Committee, Russia's top investigative body, said late on Tuesday that Timur Ivanov had been taken into custody and an investigation into his case was proceeding. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had been informed in advance of his detention, he said. Russian news reports also said Ivanov was likely the most senior Russian official to face such charges since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Timur Ivanov, Ivanov, Alexei Navalny, Dmitry Peskov, — Organizations: Sputnik, Russian, Defense, Investigative, Russia's, Corruption Foundation, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Kubinka, Moscow, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Russia

☆ Ukraine's Military: Russian Forces Stopped Near Avdiivka, but Reinforcing Elsewhere
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Ukraine's military said on Monday its forces had contained a Russian advance outside the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka captured last month, but Moscow's troops were regrouping in an area further south. Ukrainian military spokesperson Dmytro Lykhoviy, speaking on national television, acknowledged that Russian forces were in partial control of two more villages -- but their advance had been halted. An account of the fighting by the Russian defence ministry said Moscow's forces had "as a result of coordinated action continued to occupy more advantageous positions" near Avdiivka. Russian forces have focused on securing control of eastern Ukraine in the two-year-old war after their initial attempt to advance on Kyiv failed. Ukraine's Emergency Services reported that two firefighters had been killed near the eastern Ukrainian town of Kramatorsk -- north of Avdiivka -- when they came under Russian shelling while battling a blaze.

Persons: Avdiivka, Vladimir Putin, Dmytro Lykhoviy, Lykhoviy, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Sandra Maler Organizations: Reuters, Radio Liberty, Emergency Services Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Russia, Donetsk, Novomykhailivka, Ukraine, Kramatorsk

☆ Russia takes Avdiivka from Ukraine, biggest gain in 9 months
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A general view of smoke rising from the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant on Feb. 15, 2023 in Avdiivka district, Ukraine. Russia on Sunday said it had full control of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka after Ukraine withdrew though Moscow said that some Ukrainian troops were still holed up in a vast Soviet-era coke plant after one of the most intense battles of the war. Ukraine said it had withdrawn its soldiers to save troops from being fully surrounded after months of fierce fighting. Putin hailed the fall of Avdiivka as an important victory and congratulated Russian troops. "The head of state congratulated Russian soldiers on this success, an important victory," the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Igor Konashenkov Organizations: Chemical, Russian Defence Ministry Locations: Avdiivka district, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Moscow, Soviet, Bakhmut, Russian

☆ Russia Says Its Forces Move Forward After Ukraine Withdraws From Avdiivka
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Guy FaulconbridgeMOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday that its forces had inflicted a series of defeats on Ukrainian forces along the 1,000-km (620-mile) front line just as Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka. Avdiivka is seen as a gateway to Donetsk city, whose residential areas Russian officials say have been shelled by Ukrainian forces, sometimes from Avdiivka. The New York Times reported that there had been chaotic scenes as Ukrainian forces retreated, with some of their wounded abandoned and soldiers starved of ammunition. Russian forces control a little under one fifth of Ukraine's internationally recognised territory. In the month to Feb. 13, Russian forces added 35 square miles of territory while Ukraine added just one square mile, according to the Belfer Center's Russia-Ukraine War Report Card.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Yuri Podolyak, Guy Faulconbridge, Giles Elgood Organizations: Russia's, Ukrainian, Europe's, New York Times Locations: Russia, Avdiivka, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Donetsk, Luhansk, Ukrainian

☆ Russia Downs 9 Ukraine-Launched Drones, RIA Agency Reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia's air defence systems destroyed nine Ukraine-launched drones over Russia's Belgorod and Voronezh regions, as well as over the Black Sea, RIA state news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the Russian defence ministry. Two of the drones were downed over the Belgorod region and one over the Voronezh region, RIA reported. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, said on social media that one woman was hospitalised with injuries as a result of the attack. There was no information from Gladkov or the Russian defence ministry on potential damage. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesReuters was not able to independently verify the reports.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Lidia Kelly, Kim Coghill Organizations: Reuters Locations: Ukraine, Belgorod, Voronezh, Russia's, Russia, Melbourne

☆ Russia Uses Zircon Hypersonic Missile in Ukraine for First Time, Researchers Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - A preliminary analysis concluded that Russia hit Kyiv last week with the hypersonic Zircon missile, its first use in the nearly two-year-old war, the head of a Kyiv research institute said on Monday, presenting a new challenge to Ukraine's air defences. Oleksandr Ruvin, director of the Kyiv Scientific-Research Institute for Forensic Examinations, said on his Telegram channel that his institute completed a preliminary analysis of missile fragments from a Russian attack on Feb. 7. "In this case, we see elements that are characteristic of the 3M22 Zircon missile. Photos You Should See View All 22 ImagesRussia previously said it completed testing of the Zircon missile in June 2022, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Zircon as part of a new generation of unrivalled arms systems. Russia conducts regular air strikes on Ukraine using an array of different long-range missiles and drones.

Persons: Oleksandr Ruvin, Vladimir Putin, Yuliia Dysa, Gareth Jones, Tom Balmforth, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Reuters, Kyiv Scientific, Research Institute, Forensic, Military Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Russia's Wagner Group expands into Africa's Sahel with a new brand
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty ImagesWagner Group has been replaced by a new entity known as Russia's Africa Corps across its key strongholds in the continent, its new leader has confirmed. The new entity has been subsuming operations in Mali and Libya for several months, and negotiations to establish a Russian military base in the CAR are reportedly underway. watch now"The Africa Corps consists of mercenaries and volunteers, and does not form part of the Russian Armed Forces. It began recruiting in December 2023, and has also included job offers for former Wagner Group mercenaries; it may also recruit local residents," they explained. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov oversaw the creation of the Africa Corps, which is expected to be fully completed by this summer.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Utkin, Anton Yelizarov, Ibrahim Traoré, Piotr Żochowski, Miłosz Bartosiewicz, Yunus, bek Yevkurov, Yevkurov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Wagner, Africa Corps, Central African, Russian National Guard, Russian Federation, Telegram, Centre, Eastern Studies, CAR, Africa, Russian Armed Forces, Wagner Group, CES Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Belarus, Russia, Cossack, Sahel, Russian, Warsaw, Algeria, Africa, Ouagadougou

☆ Russia's Military Drone Production Ramping Up, Says Defence Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in footage published by his ministry on Saturday that the country's production of military drones had ramped up in the past year, though certain technical issues still needed tackling. Russia has made extensive use of drones in the course of the almost two year-long military campaign in Ukraine, but has often had to rely on cheap Iranian-made Shahed drones. "The production capacities that have been created allow us to complete most of the tasks that we are faced with today," Shoigu said during a tour of drone production facilities in the Volga river region of Udmurtia. He was shown telling a meeting of officials that issues related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in drones and electronic warfare still needed to be resolved. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesMoscow has in recent months been signalling that its military industrial complex has stepped up production, as Russia seeks to break months of military deadlock in Ukraine.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Felix Light, Helen Popper Organizations: Russian Defence, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Udmurtia, Moscow

☆ Ukraine's homemade sea drones often fail, but they're so cheap that it doesn't matter, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewUkraine's home-developed naval drones are offering vital capabilities that cruise missiles just don't have, a naval expert told Business Insider. This could have a sizable impact on Ukraine's ongoing efforts to subdue Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Defense Intelligence of UkraineSidharth Kaushal, a naval expert at the UK's Royal United Services Institute, outlined Ukraine's sea drones' limitations and advantages to BI. "The Ukrainians don't have very many cruise missiles that can target things at the ranges that they've been able to go after" with sea drones, he added. Since then, sea drones have been involved in multiple high-profile attacks, including reported strikes on two Russian landing ships in November.

Persons: —, Russia's, Kyrylo, Ukraine Sidharth, Kaushal, they've, Ukraine hasn't, Ivan Khurs, Basil Germond Organizations: Service, UK's Ministry of Defence, Business, Autonomous Guard, Defense Intelligence, Royal United Services Institute, CNN, Russia's Defence Ministry, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Lancaster University Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russia's, Ukrainian, REUTERS Ukraine, Russian, Crimea

☆ Explainer-Why Does Russia Want to Capture Ukraine's Avdiivka?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Dan Peleschuk and Andrew OsbornKYIV/LONDON (Reuters) - Russian forces are intensifying efforts to seize the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka as Moscow's war in Ukraine grinds on. Russian war bloggers, whom the Kremlin has brought under tight control, have acknowledged heavy Russian losses but alleged significant Ukrainian losses too. They say Kyiv's forces can be encircled if Russian forces can cut their last main supply line to the west. Avdiivka is seen as a gateway to Donetsk city, whose residential areas Russian officials say have been shelled by Ukrainian forces, sometimes from Avdiivka. Seizing it could boost Russian morale and demoralise Ukrainian forces, which have made only incremental gains in a broad counteroffensive since June.

Persons: Dan Peleschuk, Andrew Osborn, Avdiivka, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Markov, Mykola Bielieskov, Bielieskov, Mike Collett, White, Timothy Heritage Organizations: LONDON, Mechanized Brigade, Radio Liberty, Kremlin, National Institute for Strategic Studies, Kyiv Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Donetsk, Luhansk, Avdeyevka, Kyiv, Kremlin

☆ Russia Says It Downs Seven Ukraine-Launched Drones Over Belgorod Region
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia's air defence systems destroyed seven Ukraine-launched drones over the southwestern region of Belgorod, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday after the region's governor said that the city of Gubkin was under a drone attack. There were no casualties from the attack on Gubkin but four houses were damaged by drone debris, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. Belgorod and other regions bordering Ukraine have often come under attack from Ukrainian forces in the two-year war that started with Russia's full-scale invasion on Ukraine. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesKyiv has said that targeting Russia's military and transport infrastructure undermines Moscow's overall war efforts. In January, Moscow accused Ukraine of deliberately shooting down a military plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers over the region.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Russia's, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Telegram, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Belgorod, Gubkin, Ukrainian, Moscow, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine Says It Hits Airfield in Russia-Occupied Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - The Ukrainian military claimed on Wednesday to have struck a military air base in Russian-occupied Crimea, while Moscow said it had thwarted the attack by shooting down missiles but some debris had hit a military installation. In a post on Telegram, Ukraine's Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk thanked the military for conducting the operation, hitting Belbek airfield on the southwestern tip of the Crimea Peninsula near Russia's main naval base at Sevastopol. "Ukrainian aviators will definitely return to their home airfield," he said, posting a video from social media of the purported strike. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, Moscow thwarted an attack on Crimea and shot down 20 Ukrainian missiles - 17 over the Black Sea and three more over the peninsula. The ministry said fragments of Ukrainian missiles fell on the territory of a military unit in Lyubimovka, which is near the Belbek military air base.

Persons: Mykola Oleshchuk, Yuliia Dysa Organizations: Reuters, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Air Force, Russian Defence Ministry Locations: Crimea, Moscow, Russia's, Sevastopol, Ukrainian, Lyubimovka

☆ Russia and Ukraine Say They Have Completed a Prisoner Exchange
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine said on Wednesday they had completed a prisoner exchange, the first since the crash last week of a Russian military transport plane that Moscow says was carrying 65 Ukrainian soldiers ahead of a similar swap. The Russian Defence Ministry said each side had got 195 soldiers back and that its own soldiers would be flown to Moscow to receive medical and psychological treatment. In return, exactly 195 prisoners from the armed forces of Ukraine were handed over," the defence ministry said in a statement. Russia says Ukraine shot down the plane carrying prisoners for last week's swap with a ground-to-air missile and that all 74 people on board were killed. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied that it downed the plane, and has demanded proof of who was on board.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andrew Osborn, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, United Arab Emirates, United, Reuters Moscow Locations: MOSCOW, KYIV, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Kyiv, Mariupol, Kherson, Snake, United Arab Emirates

☆ Erdogan, Eyeing More Trade With Iran, Says Turkey Weighing Opening New Border Crossings
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is considering opening new border crossings with eastern neighbour Iran, President Tayyip Erdogan said late on Wednesday after talks with his Iranian counterpart, as they seek to revive sagging economic relations. Trade between Turkey and Iran peaked in 2012 at nearly $22 billion but has since fallen. Efforts to establish trade centres in border (areas) to increasing the economic development of our border provinces continue," he said. Turkey, a NATO ally, and Iran currently have four border crossings between them. Turkey, which has also been hit with U.S. sanctions for acquiring Russian defence systems, opposes what it calls unilateral economic sanctions as a policy.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Ebrahim Raisi, Omer Bolat, Daren Butler, Gareth Jones Organizations: Turkish Trade Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Iran, Tehran, NATO, Ankara

☆ Russian Parliament to Ask French Counterpart if It Knew of 'French Mercenaries' in Ukraine - Official
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, plans to formally ask France's National Assembly if it is aware that French mercenaries have been fighting on Ukraine's side, Vyacheslav Volodin, the Duma's chairman, said on Friday. France rejected the allegations, saying it was helping Ukraine defend its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity but had no mercenaries in Ukraine "unlike certain others". "In France, the mercenary trade is forbidden by law," Volodin wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The Duma would consider its address to the French parliament at the next meeting of the lower chamber of parliament which is scheduled for Jan. 23, he said. Russia announced on Thursday it had summoned the French ambassador to the Foreign Ministry over the mercenary allegations.

Persons: Vyacheslav Volodin, Volodin, Vladimir Putin, Andrew Osborn Organizations: State Duma, Russian Defence Ministry, Duma, Foreign Ministry, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Kharkiv, France, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Russian air defence systems destroy 41 Ukraine-launched drones -Russian defence ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Russian air defence systems destroyed or intercepted a total of 41 Ukraine-launched drones overnight and early morning on Tuesday, the Russian defence ministry said. Twenty-six of the drones were destroyed over Russian territory, and 15 were intercepted over the Sea of Azov and the Crimean Peninsula, the ministry said in a statement on its Telegram channel. The ministry did not say whether there was any damage caused by the attack or falling debris. Reuters could not independently verify the report. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lidia Kelly, Tom Hogue Organizations: Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Azov, Crimean, Melbourne

☆ Deputy Russian army corps commander is killed in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Commander of Russia's Kantemirovskaya Tank Division Vladimir Zavadsky delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the unit's foundation in Naro-Fominsk in the Moscow region, Russia, June 28, 2020. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Major General Vladimir Zavadsky, deputy commander of Russia's 14th Army Corps, has been killed in Ukraine, a top regional official said on Monday. "Special military operation" is the term that Russia uses to describe the war in Ukraine, now approaching the end of its second year. Deaths of senior Russian officers, which military analysts have attributed in some cases to Ukrainian success in intercepting lax communications, have become rarer as the war has progressed. Zavadsky was a much-decorated officer and a former tank commander, said Gusev, adding that his death was a heavy loss that caused "transfixing pain".

Persons: Russia's, Vladimir Zavadsky, Alexander Gusev, Zavadsky, iStories, Gusev, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, 14th Army Corps, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Naro, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Russia's Voronezh

☆ Kyiv accuses Russian forces of shooting surrendering Ukrainian soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Members of Ukraine's National Guard Omega Special Purpose unit fire a mortar toward Russian troops in the front line town of Avdiivka, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine November 8, 2023. The Russian troops then appear to open fire and the video ends. The Ukrainian General Prosecutor's Office said: "The video shows a group of people in Russian uniforms shooting, at point-blank range, two unarmed servicemen in the uniform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were surrendering." "Today, a video of the execution by Russian servicemen of Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered as prisoners appeared online. Deepstate, a popular Ukrainian war blog which posted the video clip, said the footage was filmed near Stepove on the Avdiivka front line in Donetsk region.

Persons: Nuzhnenko, Moscow, Dmytro Lubinets, Oleksandr Shtupun, Slava Ukraini, Maria Starkova, Lidia Kelly, Tom Balmforth, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Ukraine's National Guard Omega, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, REUTERS Acquire, Prosecutor's, Armed Forces, Reuters, Pravda, Thomson Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Radio Free Europe, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Kyiv, Geneva, Stepove, Pokrovsk district, Donetsk, Lviv, Melbourne

☆ Russia says it hit air defence HQ in Ukraine's Dnipro
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Russian forces hit a fortified commander post of Ukraine's "East" air defence and alerting centre in the central city of Dnipro, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday. It said that it inflicted combined strikes by operational-tactical and army aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery. Earlier on Sunday, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 12 drones and a cruise missile at Ukraine overnight, with air defence systems destroying 10 drones before they reached their targets. Russia's defence ministry also said it its daily dispatch that it hit fuel depots in the areas of Myrhorod, Poltava region and the city of Khmelnytskyi, an ammunition arsenal in the Mykolaiv region as well as manpower and equipment in 107 various districts. Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Soldatkin, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Dnipro, Russia, Ukraine, Myrhorod, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv

☆ Russia Increases Maximum Size of Armed Forces by 170,000 Servicemen
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to increase the maximum number of servicemen in the Russian armed forces by 170,000 people, the Kremlin and the Defence Ministry said on Friday. According to the document, the regular strength of the armed forces is now set at 1,320,000 servicemen. "The increase in the full-time strength of the armed forces is due to the growing threats to our country associated with the special military operation and the ongoing expansion of NATO," the Russian defence ministry said. The ministry also said that the increase in the number of servicemen is due to the recruitment of contract personnel, and the military has no plans to significantly increase conscription or carry out a new wave of mobilisation. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said on Friday that more than 452,000 people were recruited to the Russian military under contract from Jan. 1 to Dec. 1 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Maxim Rodionov, Sandra Maler Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, Defence Ministry, NATO, Russia's Security Locations: Russian

☆ Russia increases maximum size of armed forces by 170,000 servicemen
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian servicemen line up during a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade, which marks the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia May 7, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 1 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to increase the maximum number of servicemen in the Russian armed forces by 170,000 people, the Kremlin and the Defence Ministry said on Friday. According to the document, the regular strength of the armed forces is now set at 1,320,000 servicemen. "The increase in the full-time strength of the armed forces is due to the growing threats to our country associated with the special military operation and the ongoing expansion of NATO," the Russian defence ministry said. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said on Friday that more than 452,000 people were recruited to the Russian military under contract from Jan. 1 to Dec. 1 2023.

Persons: Maxim, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Maxim Rodionov, Sandra Maler Organizations: Nazi, REUTERS, Kremlin, Defence Ministry, NATO, Russia's Security, Thomson Locations: Nazi Germany, Red, Moscow, Russia, Russian

The fighting is reminiscent of a battle for another eastern city, Bakhmut, which fell to Russian forces last May after months of brutal urban combat. Since Moscow launched its renewed offensive around Avdiivka in October, Ukraine's top general and Western military experts have made downbeat assessments of Ukraine's ability to break Russian lines. Located just north of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in the industrial Donbas region, Avdiivka hosts deeply entrenched Ukrainian defences. Pushing Ukrainian forces out of Avdiivka would be seen as enlarging the amount of territory Russia controls and making Donetsk city safer. Seizing Avdiivka could boost Russian morale and deal a psychological blow to Ukrainian forces, which have made only incremental gains in a counteroffensive launched in June.

Persons: Nuzhnenko, Ukraine's, Russia's, Andrei Gurulyov, Semyon Pegov, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mykola Bielieskov, Bielieskov, Dan Peleschuk, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White Organizations: Ukraine's National Guard Omega, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, REUTERS Acquire, Mechanized Brigade, Avdiivka, National Institute for Strategic Studies, Kyiv, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Radio Free Europe, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Russian, Moscow, Kyiv, Soviet, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russia

☆ Russia says frigate hits Ukraine's military infrastructure with cruise missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A frigate of the Russian Black Sea Fleet launches a Kalibr cruise missile at Ukraine's military infrastructure, according to Russian Defence Ministry, in the Black Sea, in this still image taken from video released November 29. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - A frigate of the Russian Black Sea Fleet launched an attack with four cruise missiles on Ukraine's military infrastructure, Russia's defence ministry said early on Wednesday. "The crew of a frigate of the Black Sea Fleet received a task of launching a strike with Kalibr cruise missiles in the shortest possible time against enemy military infrastructure," the ministry said on its Telegram messaging app. The Black Sea has become a crucial theatre in the 21-month-long war. Ukraine's increased air and sea drone attacks on Russian military targets there have damaged ship and naval repair yards in the port of Sevastopol, and struck other targets.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Lidia Kelly, Jacqueline Wong, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Sea Fleet, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Black Sea Fleet, Reuters, Russian, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Sevastopol, East, Europe, Melbourne

☆ Russia attacks Ukraine with 21 drones, three missiles - Ukraine air force
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - Russia launched 21 drones and three cruise missiles at Ukraine overnight, but all the drones and two of the missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets, Ukraine's air force said on Wednesday. The third missile was not destroyed but did not reach its target, the air force said without going into further detail. The Iranian-made Shahed drones were headed towards the western region of Khmelnytskyi, the air force said. The target was not identified, but the region is home to a large air base. The air force said the missiles were shot down over the southern region of Mykolaiv, while the drones were downed in seven provinces all over Ukraine.

Persons: Lidia Kelly, Clarence Fernandez, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Reuters, Fleet, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Russian, Kherson, Melbourne

Search resuls for: "Russian Defence"

25 mentions found