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☆ Ukraine says 'biggest blow' in offensive is yet to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Oleksandr Kozhukhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, June 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said the "biggest blow" in Kyiv's military campaign is yet to come, but admitted the operation is difficult as Russia throws all it can to stop the offensive. "The ongoing operation has several objectives, and the military is fulfilling these tasks," Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app. And the biggest blow is yet to come." Maliar said that despite Ukraine's forces advancing in multiple directions in the south, Russia's forces push to advance in the east, concentrating its efforts there. "Therefore, it is hot both in the east and in the south right now," Maliar said.

Persons: Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Vladimir Putin, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Lidia Kelly, Ron Popeski, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Ukrainian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Melbourne

A Russian-installed official said on Sunday that Ukraine had taken control of the village, Piatykhatky, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had not only retaken Piatykhatky but had advanced by up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square km (44 square miles) of land. The reported capture of the villages reflects incremental gains for Ukraine that highlight the challenge of breaking through lines Moscow has spent months strengthening. Russia says it invaded Ukraine to "denazify" it, an argument Ukraine and its Western allies call a pretext for a land grab. While Ukraine conducts what Western governments and analysts say are probing attacks to test Russian forces, officials from two NATO member states said Moscow is redeploying some of its forces as it seeks to predict where Ukraine will strike.

Persons: Ukraine Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Piatykhatky, Maliar, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Rogov, Margo Grosberg, Michael Kofman, Denise Brown, Dan Peleschuk, Lidia Kelly, Wendell Roelf, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, NATO, Russia, Western, Estonian Defense Forces, Twitter, Russia's Defence Ministry, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, French, KYIV, Russian, Piatykhatky, Moscow, Ukrainian, Novodonetske, Donetsk, Sweden, Estonian, Dnipro, Estonia, U.S, Great Salt, Kherson region, Kyiv, West

SYDNEY, June 19 (Reuters) - Australia's Senate passed legislation on Monday that paves the way for the country to hold a landmark referendum later this year on whether to recognise its Indigenous people in the constitution. Support for the constitutional change has been wavering in the recent weeks. Getting constitutional change is difficult in Australia. In the past there have been 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums, and only eight of these have passed. Independent Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe, who has also been a vocal opponent of the bill, said the change will only create a "powerless advisory body".

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Malarndirri McCarthy, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Lidia Thorpe, Praveen Menon, Michael Perry Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Labor Party, Liberal Party, Independent, Thomson Locations: Torres, Australia's, Australia

☆ Russia says regional free trade pact with Iran possible by year-end
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 19 (Reuters) - A free trade zone agreement between Iran, Russia and several countries that cover the vast Eurasian region spreading from the borders of Eastern Europe to Western China is possible by the end of the year, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Monday. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk told the state TASS agency in an interview that talks between the Eurasian Economic Union - which comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia - and Iran are in their final stages. The regional agreement with Iran would replace and expand an interim pact that already provides a reduction in customs duties on hundreds of categories of goods. In November 2022, Russia started swapping oil products with Iran and in March, Tehran said it counts on "huge volumes" of both oil and gas swaps with Moscow. Overchuk also told TASS, without providing much detail, that negotiations among the Eurasian Economic Union countries on creating a common gas market continue.

Persons: Alexei Overchuk, Overchuk, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: TASS, Eurasian Economic, Kremlin, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Iran, Russia, Eastern Europe, Western China, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Europe, Moscow, Tehran, Russian, China, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine reports new retaken village in southern counterattack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian soldiers held up yellow-and-blue national flags in a video circulated on social media, in which they said they were inside Piatykhatky, the eighth southeastern village that Kyiv says it has liberated. "Today, June 18, the forces of 128 assault brigade chased out the Russians from the village of Piatykhatky. A Russian-installed official in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region had said on Sunday that Kyiv's troops had retaken Piatykhatky, but that they had then been pushed out and that the settlement was now located in a "grey" area of control. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had not only retaken Piatykhatky but had advanced by up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Lidia Kelly; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Piatykhatky, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Pavel Polityuk, Lidia Kelly, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Organizations: Reuters, Piatykhatky, Telegram, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Kyiv, Piatykhatky, Zaporizhzhia

☆ Death toll rises from flooding after Ukraine dam breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 18 (Reuters) - The death toll from flooding following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has risen to 16 in Ukraine, Kyiv officials said, while Russian officials said 29 people have died in territories that Moscow controls. The breaching of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across a large swath of land in southern Ukraine and in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine, destroying farmland and cutting off supplies to civilians. Andrei Alekseyenko, chairman of the Russian-installed administration in the Moscow-occupied parts of the Kherson region, said on the Telegram messaging app the death toll had risen to 29 people. Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since early days of its invasion in 2022. A team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine's prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings on Friday it was "highly likely" the collapse in Ukraine's Kherson region was caused by explosives planted by Russians.

Persons: Andrei Alekseyenko, Lidia Kelly, Lincoln Organizations: Telegram, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, U.S, Great Salt, Crimea, Melbourne

☆ Russia's Yandex fined for refusing to share user information with security services
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 19 (Reuters) - A Moscow court fined Nasdaq-listed Yandex (YNDX.O) 2 million roubles ($24,242) for repeatedly refusing to provide the Federal Security Service, or FSB, with information about its users, Russia's state TASS news agency reported early on Monday. Since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the search engine Yandex, while not itself under sanctions, has struggled to balance domestic pressure with the interests of its Western investors, and is now divesting its main revenue-generating businesses inside Russia and developing four newer units internationally. ($1 = 82.5000 roubles)Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lidia Kelly, Diane Craft Organizations: Nasdaq, Federal Security Service, TASS, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine says it destroys ammunition depot in Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 18 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces destroyed a "significant" ammunition depot near the Russian-occupied port city of Henichesk in the southern region of Kherson, Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, said on Sunday. "There was a very significant ammunition depot. Ukrainian media posted videos showing a vast plume of smoke rising far on the horizon with sounds of blasts. Rykove is about 20km (12 miles) from Henichesk, a port city along the Sea of Azov in southern Ukraine, which has been occupied by Kremlin forces since the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Serhiy Bratchuk, Bratchuk, Lidia Kelly, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Henichesk, Kherson, Rykove, Russia, Ukrainian, Azov, Ukraine, Melbourne

☆ Evidence suggests Russia blew Kakhovka dam in Ukraine: NYT
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 18 (Reuters) - Evidence suggests this month's destruction of the huge Kakhovka dam in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine resulted from an inside explosion set off by Russia, the New York Times said. "The evidence clearly suggests the dam was crippled by an explosion set off by the side that controls it: Russia," the Times said. Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since early days of its invasion in 2022, unleashing floodwater across a large swath of the battleground, destroying farmland and cutting off water supplies to civilians. The Times cited engineers as saying only a full examination of the dam after the water drains from it can establish the sequence of events leading to the destruction. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lidia Kelly, William Mallard Organizations: New York Times, Times, Russian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine's Kherson, U.S, Great Salt, Crimea, Melbourne

☆ Australian senator quits Liberal Party after allegations of misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 18 (Reuters) - A senator from Australia's main opposition Liberal Party facing accusations of sexual misconduct by several female politicians has resigned from the party but will stay in parliament, the senator's office said on Sunday. The claims against Liberal Party Senator David Van follow a 2021 inquiry into Australia's parliament house culture that found one in three people working there had experienced sexual harassment. Van, who denies the accusations, said in a message to the president of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party that he would resign his membership immediately. Following Thorpe's comments, former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker said in a statement that Van inappropriately touched her at a party in 2020 by squeezing her bottom twice. A third claim has also emerged against senator Van, Dutton told the media on Friday, without giving details.

Persons: David Van, Van, Peter Dutton, Lidia Thorpe, Amanda Stoker, Dutton, Scott Morrison, Sam McKeith, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Liberal Party, Liberal, Victorian, Reuters, Thomson

☆ Australian senator alleges assault in parliament house; calls for safer workplace
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 15 (Reuters) - An Australian senator on Thursday said she was followed, aggressively propositioned and inappropriately touched by another senator in parliament house, and called on the government to make the building safer for women. "I experienced sexual comments and was inappropriately propositioned by powerful men," Thorpe told the Senate, where her comments are protected by parliamentary privilege. Thorpe made the comments on Thursday, after the previous day accusing Liberal Party senator David Van of harassing and sexually assaulting her during the previous parliamentary term. "I will fully cooperate with the investigators and answer any questions that they may have of me and Senator Thorpe should do the same," Van said. Thorpe's claims follow numerous reports of sexual abuse and misconduct in parliament, which led to an independent inquiry into parliamentary workplace culture which found one in three people working there had experienced sexual harassment.

Persons: Lidia Thorpe, Thorpe, David Van, Van, Peter Dutton, Dutton, Thorpe's, Praveen Menon, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Senate, Liberal, Liberal Party, Thomson Locations: Australian

Summary Lukashenko says he already has Russian tactical nuclear weaponsIndicates delivery process is ongoingSays their use can be swiftly agreed with MoscowJune 14 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said his country has started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, some of which he said were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear weapons, would start deploying them in Belarus after special storage facilities to house them were made ready. The Russian leader announced in March he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the U.S deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. Earlier on Tuesday, he had said separately that the Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus "in several days" and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. No one has so far fought against a nuclear country, a country that has nuclear weapons."

Persons: Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, didn't, Lidia Kelly, Andrew Osborn, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: United, NATO, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Russia, Soviet Union, Belarusian, Russian, Belarus, United States, China, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Soviet, Melbourne, London

☆ Russia urges 'transparent' investigation into Nord Stream blasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 14 (Reuters) - A "transparent and objective" international investigation in the blasts at the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines is needed, a high-ranking Russian diplomat to the United States said early on Wednesday. Commenting on reports that the U.S. reportedly warned Ukraine not to attack the pipelines under the Baltic Sea, Andrey Ledenev, minister-counsellor at the embassy, said the role of the United States in the blasts should also be "clarified". "It would be useful to think about the reasons for the stubborn unwillingness of the collective West to launch a transparent and objective international investigation under the auspices of the U.N. Security Council in the terrorist attacks in the Baltic Sea," Ledenev was quoted as saying in a post on the embassy's Telegram messaging channel. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrey Ledenev, Ledenev, Lidia Kelly, Muralikumar Organizations: . Security, Thomson Locations: Russian, United States, U.S, Ukraine, Baltic, Melbourne

The deployment is Moscow's first move of such warheads - shorter-range less powerful nuclear weapons that could potentially be used on the battlefield - outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear weapons, would start deploying them in Belarus after special storage facilities to house them were made ready. The Russian leader announced in March he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the U.S deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. Earlier on Tuesday, he had said separately that the Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus "in several days" and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. No one has so far fought against a nuclear country, a country that has nuclear weapons."

Persons: Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, didn't, Lidia Kelly, Andrew Osborn, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: United, Press Service, REUTERS, WE, NATO, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Russia, Soviet Union, Belarusian, Russian, Belarus, United States, China, Ukraine, Minsk Region, Republic of Belarus, Handout, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Soviet, Melbourne, London

☆ Russian missile attacks on Odesa and Donetsk region kill at least six, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Emergency services personnel work to control a fire at a business centre and the warehouse of a retail chain, caused by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this image released June 14, 2023. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, June 14 (Reuters) - Russian missiles struck civilian buildings in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa and eastern Donetsk region overnight, killing at least six people, Ukraine's military and local officials said early on Wednesday. Russia launched four cruise missiles on the city of Odesa, the South command of Ukraine's Armed Forces said. The three people killed were working at a retail chain's warehouse when a missile hit, setting it ablaze, the military added. In a separate missile strike, Russian forces killed three civilians in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Facebook.

Persons: Serhiy Bratchuk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Lidia Kelly, Pavel Polityuk, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Emergency Service of, REUTERS, Russia, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Facebook, Ukrainian Air Forces, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa, Emergency Service of Ukraine, Handout, REUTERS KYIV, Ukraine's Black, Donetsk, Ukraine's, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, Russia, Melbourne, Kyiv

☆ New US military aid to Ukraine pushes Washington deeper in conflict - Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 14 (Reuters) - The new $325 million U.S. military aid package for Ukraine pushes Washington deeper into the "abyss" of the conflict, Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, said early on Wednesday. The package, which includes munitions for air defence systems, ammunition and vehicles, comes as Ukraine is shaping its long-expected counter-offensive. "The United States is getting deeper and deeper into the abyss of the Ukrainian crisis," Antonov was quoted as saying in a post on the embassy's Telegram messaging channel. "Apparently, the strategists from the United States somehow do not understand that no amount of weapons, whatever involvement of mercenaries, will be able to turn the tide in the course of (Russia's) special military operation." Russia refers to its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation", rather than a war.

Persons: Anatoly Antonov, Antonov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Washington, United States, Russia, Kyiv, Russian, Melbourne

☆ Russia launches 'massive missile' attack on Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine - officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, June 13 (Reuters) - Russia launched a "massive missile" attack overnight on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing and wounding people and damaging civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said early on Tuesday. "There are dead and wounded," Serhiy Lisak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region where Kryvyi Rih is located, said on the Telegram messaging app. "A massive missile attack on Kryvyi Rih." It was not immediately clear how many missiles hit Kryvyi Rih and where the Russia-launched drones struck their targets. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war which Russia launched on its neighbour nearly 16 months ago.

Persons: Serhiy Lisak, Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, Vilkul, Lisak, Valentyn Origenko, Serhiy Karazy, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Russia, Telegram, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Kryvyi, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Kharkiv, Melbourne

☆ State of emergency around fuel tanker crash site in Russia's Irkutsk region - governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 13 (Reuters) - A state of emergency was introduced around the area where two fuel tankers collided on the Lena River in southeastern Russia's Irkutsk region, damaging a container and spilling gasoline into the water, the region's governor said early on Tuesday. The situation was complicated as other vessels were still traveling on the river, Kobzev said. He said that emergency services were working to prevent the diversion of water from the river. The Lena River, the world's 11th longest, originates near Lake Baikal in the Irkutsk region in southeastern Siberia and flows into the Arctic Ocean. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Igor Kobzev, Lena, Kobzev, Lidia Kelly, Sonali Paul Organizations: Thomson Locations: Russia's Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Irkutsk, Siberia, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine reports small gains in early stages of counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It does not provide similar detail about fighting on the southern front where the main counteroffensive is expected. However, some prominent Russian military bloggers indicated that Ukrainian forces had taken Blahodatne and Neskuchne, although they said fighting for Makarivka was continuing. It is almost certainly far too early to draw conclusions about the fate of the counteroffensive from early skirmishes that may be more about testing Russian defences than pursuing a major advance. "When we see large, armoured formations join the assault, then I think we’ll know the main attack has really begun." But Yevgeny Prigozhin, the increasing recalcitrant and voluble leader of the Wagner militia, which captured Bakhmut from Ukrainian forces after almost a year of attritional fighting, said on Sunday he would refuse to sign.

Persons: Read, Makarivka, Ben Hodges, Vladimir Putin's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Akhmat, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Bakhmut, Sergei Shoigu, Pavel Polityuk, Tom Balmforth, Anna Pruchnicka, Lidia Kelly, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff Organizations: Ukrainian, Reuters, Brigade, Marines, Washington -, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, KYIV, Kyiv, Storozheve, Azov, Crimea, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Bilohorivka, Moscow, U.S, Europe, Washington, Russia, Chechnya, Caucasus, Maryinka, Gdansk, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine says heavy battles ongoing after first counteroffensive gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

On Sunday, Ukraine said its troops had made advances on three villages in Donetsk: Blahodatne, Neskuchne and Makarivka. Some prominent Russian military bloggers indicated that while Ukrainian forces took Blahodatne and Neskuchne, fighting for Makarivka was going on. While staying largely silent over the past week about its counteroffensive, Ukraine's military has reported daily battlefield successes. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Kyiv wanted to discuss details of the "aircraft coalition" with its allies at the next meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on June 15 in Brussels. "At this stage, we are talking about training of pilots ... and our technicians and engineers," Ukraine's Military Media Centre quoted Reznikov as saying.

Persons: Hanna Maliar, Makarivka, Vladimir Putin, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, Pavel Polityuk, Anna Pruchnicka, Lidia Kelly, Robert Birsel, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Brigade, Marines, Reuters, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Defence, Kyiv, Ukraine Defence Contact Group, U.S, Military Media, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Bilohorivka, Luhansk, Storozheve, Ukraine, Blahodatne, Donetsk Region, Russian, Brussels, Zelenskiy, Kyiv, Gdansk, Melbourne

☆ Chechen force signs contract with Russia's defence ministry that Prigozhin refused
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 12 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday it has signed a contract with the Akhmat group of Chechen special forces, a day after Russia's powerful mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin refused to do so. The contract the defence ministry signed on Monday was with the Akhmat paramilitary group that has often been called the private army of Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia's Chechnya region. Unlike Prigozhin, Kadyrov has recently refrained from criticising the defence ministry. "I think this is a very good thing," Alaudinov was quoted as saying by the defence ministry's website after signing the deal. Russia's deputy chief of the general staff, Colonel General Alexei Kim, said after signing the agreement with the Chechens that he hoped other volunteer units would follow suit.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin, Wagner, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Kadyrov's, Apty Alaudinov, Alaudinov, Alexei Kim, Lidia Kelly, Mark Trevelyan, Peter Graff Organizations: Russia's Defence, Prigozhin, Thomson Locations: Chechen, Moscow, Ukraine, Chechnya, Maryinka, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Melbourne

☆ UN nuclear watchdog concerned over water levels at Ukraine plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 12 (Reuters) - The U.N. atomic watchdog said on Sunday that it needs wider access around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to check "a significant discrepancy" in water level data at the breached Kakhovka dam used for cooling the plant's reactors. Both the Kakhovka hydropower dam and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant have been occupied by Russia since the early days of its invasion in February 2022. "But we will only be able to know when we gain access to the thermal power plant." Grossi said the thermal power plant "plays a key role for the safety and security of the nuclear power plant a few kilometres away," hence the need for access and independent assessment. The agency has said earlier that the Zaporizhzhia plant can fall back on other water sources when the reservoir's water is no longer available, including a large cooling pond above the reservoir with several months' worth of water.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Gross, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Melbourne

☆ Russia arrests U.S. citizen on drug dealing charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, June 11 (Reuters) - A U.S. musician and former paratrooper has been arrested in Moscow on drug dealing charges and his court appearance, locked in a metal cage, has been shown on state television. "The former paratrooper and a musician, who is accused of running a drug dealing business involving young people, will remain in custody until Aug. 6, 2023." The spokesperson did not say if U.S. officials had yet had consular access to Leake. When Leake initially came to Moscow, he worked as an English teacher and helped translate songs for Russian bands. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in March on espionage charges that he, the Journal and Washington deny.

Persons: Michael Travis Leake, REN, Leake, Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Washington, Evan Gershkovich, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Edmund Klamann, Frances Kerry Organizations: Moscow's, Reuters, REN TV, State Department, U.S ., Street, Washington, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, U.S, Moscow, Russian, Moscow's Khamovniki, Leake, Russia's, Ukraine, United States, Russia, Washington, Melbourne

☆ Moscow court detains U.S. citizen on drug charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 11 (Reuters) - A U.S. citizen, a musician and a former paratrooper, has been detained in Russia on charges of organising a drug trafficking operation, a Moscow court said on Saturday. "On June 10, 2023, Moscow's Khamovniki District Court took a measure of restraint against a U.S. citizen," according to a statement on the Telegram messaging app by Moscow's courts of general jurisdiction. "The former paratrooper and a musician, who is accused of running a drug dealing business involving young people, will remain in custody until Aug. 6, 2023." Russia's Interfax news agency reported that if found guilty, the man can face up to 12 years in prison. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lidia Kelly, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Moscow's, Reuters, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Moscow's Khamovniki, Melbourne

☆ Freight train derails near Russia's border with Ukraine, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 11 (Reuters) - Fifteen cars of an empty freight train derailed in Russia's southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, the local governor said late on Saturday, adding there was no immediate information about the cause. "According to preliminary information, there are no casualties," the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on the Telegram messaging app. The accident happened near a train station in the Alexeyevsky municipal district and the train was empty, Gladkov said. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Gladkov, Lidia Kelly, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia's, Belgorod, Ukraine, Alexeyevsky, Russia, Melbourne

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