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☆ Russian warship armed with hypersonic missiles to join drills with China, S.Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 23 (Reuters) - A Russian warship armed with new-generation hypersonic cruise weapons will participate in joint exercises with the navies of China and South Africa in February, the Russian state agency, TASS, said on Monday. The missiles fly at nine times the speed of sound, with a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles), Russia says. They form the centrepiece of its hypersonic arsenal, along with the Avangard glide vehicle that entered combat duty in 2019. On Thursday, the South African National Defense Force said the drills, to run from Feb. 17 to Feb. 27 near the port city of Durban and Richards Bay, aim "to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China." The exercise will be the second involving the three countries in South Africa, after a drill in 2019, the defence force added in its statement.

☆ Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania urge Germany to send tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 22 (Reuters) - The Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania made a joint call to Germany on Saturday to step up its leadership and send its main battle tanks to Ukraine, putting further pressure on Berlin to move faster on aiding Kyiv in its war against Russia. "We, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Foreign Ministers, call on Germany to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now," Estonia's Foreign Minister said on Twitter. "This is needed to stop Russian aggression, help Ukraine and restore peace in Europe quickly. The statement came a day after Germany and Western allies reached no decision on whether Berlin would agree to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine or permit other countries that have them to do so. Germany's new Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday he plans to visit Ukraine "quickly," adding that Berlin is in "close dialogue" on the issue of tanks with the United States and other international partners.

☆ Russia increases shelling in regions outside Ukraine's Donbas - officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Maria Starkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LVIV, Ukraine, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Russia increased shelling of Ukraine's eastern regions outside the main front line in the Donbas industrial area, officials from the Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions said on Saturday. After invading its neighbour on Feb. 24, Russia has attacked other parts of Ukraine's east but failed to capture them. The intensified shelling comes as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials have said Moscow would likely attempt a new offensive in the coming months. "Attempting to study our defence, the enemy has activated artillery fire," Oleksandr Starukh, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app. Russian forces launched 115 strikes in the Sumy region that borders Russia in Ukraine's northeast, regional Governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said on Telegram.

☆ Putin ally says West's deliveries of new weapons to Kyiv will lead to global catastrophe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 22 (Reuters) - A close ally of President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that deliveries of offensive weapons to Kyiv that threaten Russia's territories will lead to a global catastrophe and make arguments against using weapons of mass destruction untenable. "If Washington and NATO countries supply weapons that will be used to strike civilian cities and attempt to seize our territories, as they threaten, this will lead to retaliatory measures using more powerful weapons," Volodin said on the Telegram messaging app. "Arguments that the nuclear powers have not previously used weapons of mass destruction in local conflicts are untenable. Volodin's comments followed a similar threat last week by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former prime minister and president. "Deliveries of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime will lead to a global catastrophe," he said.

The Library of Congress named Medina the national ambassador for young people’s literature for 2023-24. Meg Medina. Medina is taking on the job in a political uproar over literature aimed at young people and in school libraries, largely with LGBTQ themes and characters. But to Medina's daughter, whose first language is English, the word means “story me,” said Medina, who now lives in Richmond, Virginia. She knew little about American literature, but she bought Medina the World Book Encyclopedia, on installment, and took her to the library.

☆ Russia says Britain's foreign minister yet to answer for supporting Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said late on Monday that British Foreign Minister James Cleverly, who has been sanctioned by Moscow over Ukraine, is yet to answer for his support of Kyiv. Cleverly said on Monday he had been sanctioned by the Russian government and added that if that were the price for supporting Ukraine - he was happy to be sanctioned. But you still have to answer for the support of the Kyiv regime and neo-Nazism." Russia framed its invasion of Ukraine as a battle against Nazism but Kyiv and its allies say this is a lie used to justify an unprovoked, imperialist land grab. Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tearful Ukrainians mourn victims of Dnipro attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Herbert Villaraga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DNIPRO, Reuters, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Tearful neighbours and local residents left flowers and cuddly toys on Monday at a makeshift memorial near an apartment block in the city of Dnipro where Ukrainian officials say at least 40 people were killed in a Russian missile strike. A soldier staggered away, wiping away tears, after laying flowers on the seat of a transport shelter turned into a temporary monument to the victims of Saturday's attack. "I want to say 'Rest in Peace' to all those who died and 'Keep strong' to all those who survived. [1/3] Tributes are left at the site where an apartment block was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne 1 2 3Another local resident, 28-year-old Polina, came to lay flowers with her boyfriend and show solidarity.

Together with Moscow, Minsk has also been bolstering the drills with weaponry and military equipment. The Belarusian defence ministry said only that "units" of Russia's air forces have been arriving in Belarus. Ukraine's Air Force said the apartment block was struck by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which is known to be inaccurate and that Ukraine lacks the air defences to shoot down. SOLEDARIn Ukraine's eastern Donbas region - the focal point of Russia's drive to capture more territory - Ukraine's forces were battling around the small salt-mining town of Soledar. Russian forces claimed to have taken control of the town, but Ukraine insisted on Sunday that its forces were battling to hold the town, with street fighting raging and Russian forces advancing from various directions.

☆ Death toll from Russian strike on Dnipro apartment building rises to 14 - governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 15 (Reuters) - The death toll from a Russian missile attack that destroyed an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has risen to 14, while rescuers toiled through the night searching for survivors, the regional governor said early on Sunday. "The search operation is ongoing," Valentyn Reznichenko, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region of east-central Ukraine, wrote at 2:50 a.m. (0050 GMT) on the Telegram messaging app. The strikes - Russia's largest wave of attacks on Ukraine in two weeks - came as the country was observing the traditional New Year. The moves add pressure on Germany to follow suit as Kyiv's continues to plea for advanced military equipment. Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia cancels new prisoner exchange round, Ukrainian officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 14 (Reuters) - Russia canceled at the last minute on Saturday a scheduled exchange of prisoners of war, the Ukrainian body dealing with prisoners said. "Another round of exchange of prisoners was planned today with the Russian side," the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on the Telegram messaging app. The office of Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. On Saturday Moskalkova said on her Telegram messaging app that Russian soldiers had allegedly reported instances of extortion while in Ukrainian captivity. Reporting by Ronald Popeski; Writing by Ronald Popeski and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Belarus, Russia to start 'defensive in nature' air force drills, Minsk says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 15 (Reuters) - Belarus said its air force drills with Russia that start on Monday are defensive in nature to prepare for possible combat missions, but the move comes as concerns grow that Moscow is pushing Minsk to join the war in Ukraine. The exercises which will last until Feb. 1 are to involve training for "aerial reconnaissance, deflecting air strikes, air cover of important objects and communications", Muraveyko added. Together with Moscow, Minsk has also been adding weaponry and military equipment to the drills. The Belarusian defence ministry said only that "units" of Russia's air forces have been arriving in Belarus. "During the tactical flight exercise, all airfields and training grounds of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus will be involved," the ministry said in a statement.

[1/16] Emergency personnel work at the site where an apartment block was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine January 15, 2023. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and Kyiv's other allies condemned Saturday's Russian attacks. "More security assistance is coming to help Ukraine defend itself," Brink said on Twitter, calling the strike on Dnipro "horrifying." In Soledar, where Russian forces have refocused attacks after failing to take the larger nearby centre of Bakhmut, Ukraine insisted that its forces were battling to hold the town. But officials acknowledged the situation was difficult, that street fighting was raging and Russian forces were advancing from various directions.

☆ Dutch regulator grants Russian independent TV Rain five-year broadcasting license
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The Dutch Media Authority issued a five-year broadcasting permit for the Russian independent television station TV Rain after its license had been cancelled in Latvia, according to a statement on the regulator's website. The permit, dated Dec. 22, will "provide a commercial television broadcasting service as a commercial media institution," the regulator said. Latvia cancelled the licence of TV Rain in early December after the company was branded a threat to national security. The liberal-leaning TV Rain, or Dozhd, shifted to broadcasting from Latvia and other countries in July, after being forced to shut its Moscow studio following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Elaine Monagham; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia backs banning of maps disputing official 'territorial integrity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A woman walks past a building with Russian flags placed on its wall in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 24, 2022. REUTERS/Anton VaganovJan 8 (Reuters) - Russia's government extended support to a legislative amendment that would classify maps that dispute the country's official "territorial integrity" as punishable extremist materials, the state-owned TASS news agency reported on Sunday. The amendment to Russia's anti-extremism legislation stipulates that "cartographic and other documents and images that dispute the territorial integrity of Russia" will be classified as extremist materials, the agency reported. The new amendment, TASS reports without citing sources, emerged after its authors pointed out that some maps distributed in Russia dispute the "territorial affiliation" of the Crimean Peninsula and the Kuril Islands. Ukrainians and their government have since often objected to world maps showing Crimea as part of Russia's territory.

☆ Japan's 'anti-Russian course' makes treaty talks impossible - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 3 (Reuters) - Japan's "anti-Russian course" makes peace treaty talks impossible, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in comments published by the state TASS news agency on Tuesday. "It is absolutely obvious that it is impossible to discuss the signing of such a document (a peace treaty) with a state that takes openly unfriendly positions and allows itself direct threats against our country," Rudenko told TASS in an interview. "We are not seeing signs of Tokyo moving away from the anti-Russian course and any attempt to rectify the situation." Russia withdrew from its talks with Japan in March last year, following Japanese sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Japan reacted angrily to the talks, calling Moscow's move "unfair" and "completely unacceptable".

☆ Russia says 89 troops were killed in New Year's attack, blames use of mobile phones
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that 89 servicemen were killed in the Ukrainian attack on Makiivka in the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk region, adding the main reason for the attack was unauthorised use of mobile phones by the troops. "This factor allowed the enemy to track and determine the coordinates of the soldiers' location for a missile strike." Russia previously said 63 Russian soldiers were killed. The defence ministry said four rockets from the U.S.-made HIMARS launchers hit the building, adding that "from the detonation of the warheads of the HIMARS rockets, the ceilings of the building collapsed." The ministry added in its statement on the Telegram messaging app that a commission is investigating the circumstances of the attack.

☆ Zelenskiy, Putin promise victory in contrasting New Year speeches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses Ukrainian people on the New Year eve, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released December 31, 2022. We say: we have no other option than to win," said Zelenskiy, dressed in his trademark khaki outfit and standing in darkness with the Ukrainian flag fluttering behind. The attacks followed a barrage of more than 20 cruise missiles fired across Ukraine on Saturday - and many bombardments earlier. "The main thing is the fate of Russia," Putin, dressed in a dark suit and tie, said. Reiterating that the West is supposedly intent on "destroying Russia" by using Kyiv, Putin vowed he will never allow that.

☆ Blasts heard in Kyiv, around Ukraine in early hours of New Year's Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Numerous blasts were heard in Kyiv and in other places around Ukraine and air raid sirens wailed across the country in the first couple hours after midnight on New Year's Day. As the sirens wailed, some people in Kyiv shouted from their balconies, "Glory to Ukraine! There were also unofficial reports of blasts in the southern region of Kherson and the northern Zhytomyr region. Kyiv city and region officials said on the Telegram messaging app that air defence systems were working. Oleksiy Kuleba, the governor of the Kyiv region, said the region was being attacked by drones.

☆ Ukraine shells Makiivka, hitting military quarters, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine's forces shelled on New Year's Eve the city of Makiivka and other places of the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk region, Russia's officials said, with reports saying that a military quarters were hit, killing many. The Moscow-installed administration of the Donetsk region in Ukraine said on Sunday that at least 25 rockets were fired at the region overnight on New Year's Eve. In its daily report on Sunday, it said that it had destroyed seven HIMARS rockets, including in the area of Makiivka. "A massive blow was dealt to the vocational school from American MLRS HIMARS. Reporting by Felix Light, Ron Popeski, Maria Starkova and Lidia Kelly; Writing by Lidia Kelly and Ron Popeski; Editing by Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

That was on top of 31 missile attacks and 12 air strikes across the country in the past 24 hours. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on Twitter: "Russia coldly and cowardly attacked Ukraine in the early hours of the new year. But Putin still does not seem to understand that Ukrainians are made of iron." Russian media also reported multiple Ukrainian attacks on the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with local officials saying at least nine people were wounded. There was no immediate response from Kyiv, which rarely comments on attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine.

☆ Kyiv's mayor says blasts hit Desnianskiy district
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Jan 2 (Reuters) - An explosion took place in Kyiv's Desnianskiy district, the capital's mayor said early on Monday, adding that emergency services are at the site. "An explosion in the Desnianskiy district of Kyiv. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Ukrainian presidential aide, said drone debris hit a road in the district, in Kyiv's northeast, damaging a building next to it. "Information about (potential) casualties is being clarified," Tymoshenko said on Telegram. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's mobilised troops entitled to free sperm freezing - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Russian troops who have been part of a mobilisation drive for military operations in Ukraine will have the right to get their sperm frozen for free in cryobanks, the state TASS agency reported on Wednesday. Citing Igor Trunov, president of the Russian Union of Lawyers, TASS reported that the Health Ministry responded to his appeal for budgetary assistance with the plan. Families can also use the stored biomaterial free of charge if their compulsory medical insurance indicates they can do so. Russia called up more than 300,000 reservists to support what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine in a mobilisation drive launched in September. Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: What is Zelenskiy's 10-point peace plan?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been vigorously promoting his 10-point peace plan, discussing it with U.S. President Joe Biden among others, and urging world leaders to hold a Global Peace Summit based on it. Here is an explainer on the plan and world reaction:WHAT IS ZELENSKIY'S 10-POINT PEACE PLAN? WHAT IS ZELENSKIY'S GLOBAL PEACE SUMMIT PROPOSAL? In December, Zelenskiy urged the leaders of the Group of Seven nations to support his Global Peace Summit idea in winter that would focus on the peace plan "as a whole or some specific points in particular". But response to Zelenskiy's peace plan and his proposed peace summit has been more cautious.

☆ Russia's Lavrov: West and Ukraine want to destroy Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 27 (Reuters) - The United States and its NATO allies together with Ukraine want to defeat Russia "on the battlefield" in order to destroy it, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the state TASS agency in remarks published Monday. President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, calling it a "special operation" to "denazify" and demilitarise Ukraine, which he said was a threat to Russia. Like most senior Russian officials, Lavrov has over the last decade adopted an increasingly hawkish position, supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine and railing against what he and Putin have called the West's attempts to constrain Russia and dominate global affairs. Lavrov reiterated that Russia and the United States cannot maintain normal connection, blaming the administration of the U.S. President Joe Biden. The United States has provided billions of dollar in support to Ukraine, with the latest $1.85 billion aid package announced last week, further angering Moscow.

☆ Board of Russia's AvtoVAZ approves $585 mln in 2023 investment programme - RIA agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 27 (Reuters) - The board of directors of Russian top carmaker AvtoVAZ approved the firm's 2023 investment programme for just under 40 billion roubles ($585 million), Russia's state news agency RIA reported late on Monday. "Yes, it has been approved," RIA quoted AvtoVAZ president Maxim Sokolov as saying. Renault (RENA.PA) sold its majority stake in Avtovaz (AVAZI_p.MM) to the Russian state for reportedly just one rouble ($0.0165) earlier this year, but with a six-year option to buy it back. Earlier in December, Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation reported that the board of directors of AvtoVAZ approved the company's production plan for 2023 at the level of 401,000 vehicles, RIA said. ($1 = 68.3500 roubles)Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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