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☆ NATO boosts Baltic patrols after undersea infrastructure damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Navy ships sail during the Northern Coasts 2023 exercise in the Baltic Sea, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Janis Laizans/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - NATO is stepping up patrols in the Baltic Sea following recent damage to undersea infrastructure in the region, the transatlantic military alliance said on Thursday. A fleet of four NATO minehunters is also being dispatched to the area," NATO said in a statement. "NATO will continue to adapt its maritime posture in the Baltic Sea and will take all necessary steps to keep Allies safe." The buildup illustrates that NATO allies are vigilant and ready for action, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said.

Persons: Janis Laizans, Dylan White, Hanno Pevkur, Andrew Gray, Andrius, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Baltic, Estonian Defence, European Union, Andrius Sytas, Thomson Locations: Baltic, Rights BRUSSELS, Sweden, Estonia, Finnish, Estonian, Finland, Tallinn, Brussels, Vilnius

☆ Estonia's Kallas Dismayed by Hungary's Orban Handshake With 'Criminal' Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

With great pomp, Viktor Orban and Putin held talks in China on Tuesday. Broadcast on Russian television, Orban told Putin that he had never wanted to oppose Moscow and is trying to salvage bilateral contacts. "It was very, very unpleasant to see that," Kallas, one of Ukraine's staunchest defenders, told Reuters in an interview in Paris. At least 2,600 Hungarians and 600 Soviet troops were killed in the fighting. This is the reality, but it doesn't mean that we should lose our interest in these areas," Kallas said.

Persons: John Irish PARIS, Vladimir Putin, Kaja Kallas, Viktor Orban, Putin, Orban, Ukraine's, Kallas, Emmanuel Macron, he's, John Irish, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Union, Ukraine, Reuters, Criminal Court, ICC, Republicans, Hamas Locations: Moscow, Estonian, Hungary, Russia, China, Paris, Ukraine, Soviet, Kyiv, U.S, Israel, Nagorno, Karabakh, Western Balkans, Middle East

STOCKHOLM/HELSINKI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A Baltic Sea telecom cable connecting Sweden and Estonia was damaged at roughly the same time as a Finnish-Estonian pipeline and cable were earlier this month, but remains operational, Sweden's civil defence minister said on Tuesday. The damage to the Swedish-Estonian cable was sustained outside the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Sweden, the country's civil defence minister, Carl-Oskar Bohlin said, and the cable had continued to function since then. VESSELS IN AREAEurope and NATO have become increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure around and under the Baltic Sea. The latest incidents follow explosions in September 2022 that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea and cut Europe's supply of Russian gas. Finland said on Oct. 8 that the Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia had been damaged in what may have been a deliberate act.

Persons: Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Arelion, Ewa Skoog Haslum, NBI, Atomflot, Ulf Kristersson, Nerijus Adomaitis, Niklas Pollard, Simon Johnson, Marie, Gleb Stolyarov, Andrew Gray, Gwladys, Bill Berkrot, Mark Potter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Estonian Economic Affairs, Communications Ministry, NATO, Reuters, National Bureau of Investigation, NewNew Shipping, Sweden's, Joint Expeditionary Force, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, HELSINKI, Sweden, Estonia, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Swedish, Finland, Hiiumaa, NATO, Baltic, Europe, Rosatom, Oslo, Stockholm, Brussels

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden on Tuesday reported partial damage to an undersea telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea running to Estonia that authorities believe occurred at the same time as damage to an undersea gas pipeline and telecom cable from Finland to Estonia. Finland launched an investigation into possible sabotage after reporting the damage to its gas pipeline to Estonia last week. Finnish and Estonian gas system operators on Oct. 8 said they noted an unusual drop in pressure in the Balticconnector pipeline after which they shut down the gas flow. The Finnish government on Oct. 10 said there was damage both to the gas pipeline and to a telecommunications cable between the two NATO countries. Later Tuesday, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that the exact reason for the failure of the cable between Sweden and Estonia still needs to be clarified.

Persons: Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Bohlin, “, Pål Jonson, ” Pål Jonson, Hanno Pevkur, Pevkur, Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson Organizations: STOCKHOLM, —, Civil Defense, Baltic News Service, Swedish Defense, Estonian, NATO, Swedish Locations: — Sweden, Baltic, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Swedish, Estonian, Hiiumaa, Ukraine, Germany, Russia, Danish, Bornholm, Denmark

☆ Seismologists detected blast-like waves near broken Baltic Sea pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Estonian Navy conducts an undersea communications cable survey after a subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea was damaged, in the Gulf of Finland, October 10, 2023. Estonian Navy Handout/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCOPENHAGEN, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Nordic and Baltic seismologists said that they had detected blast-like waves on Sunday when a Baltic Sea gas pipeline ruptured but that the data was not strong enough to determine whether explosives were involved. Waves measured after explosions tend to leave different signals to those sent out by earthquakes, the seismologists said. But processing the data had separated the seismic waves from the background noise even though stormy weather in the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea stretching eastwards into Russian waters, had complicated the analysis, seismologists said. In 2022, the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany were damaged by explosions that authorities have determined were caused by deliberate acts of sabotage.

Persons: Baltic seismologists, Anne Strommen Lycke, NORSAR, seismologists, seismologist Bjorn Lund, Seismologist Jari Kortstrom, Heidi Soosalu, didn't, NORSAR's Lycke, Johannes Birkebaek, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Ilze, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Estonian Navy, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Finland's National Bureau of Investigation, Sweden's University of Uppsala, University of Helsinki, Thomson Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, Handout, Rights COPENHAGEN, Finland's, Russia, Germany, Nord

A view of the Balticconector pipeline as it is pulled into the sea in Paldiski, Estonia in an undated handout photo taken in 2019. ELERING/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVILNIUS/HELSINKI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The damage to the Baltic Sea gas pipeline that burst on Sunday was caused by "quite heavy force", Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said on Wednesday, a day after Finland said it could have been a deliberate action. The Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged on Sunday. On Tuesday, Helsinki said the damage was likely caused by "outside activity" and that the cause was being investigated. Location of damaged gas pipe"It can clearly be seen that these damages are caused by quite heavy force," Pevkur told Reuters, adding that investigators were not ruling out anything at this stage.

Persons: Hanno Pevkur, Pevkur, Henri Vanhanen, Andrius Sytas, Anne Kauranen, Tom Little, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik Organizations: REUTERS, Estonian Defence, Reuters, Finnish Institute for International Affairs, NATO, Thomson Locations: Paldiski, Estonia, Handout, VILNIUS, HELSINKI, Baltic, Finland, Helsinki, Vilnius, Malmo

☆ A pipeline in the Baltic Sea has been shut down. Authorities suspect sabotage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Gasgrid, Finland’s gas transmission operator, said Sunday that it had temporarily shut the 95-mile-long Balticconnector pipeline, running under the Baltic Sea, over a suspected leak. Moreover, Finland can still source gas via its LNG terminal, and Estonia is still connected to the European gas grid via Lithuania. An ‘alarm bell’Gasgrid and its Estonian counterpart Elering “noticed an unusual drop in pressure in the Balticconnector offshore gas pipeline” on Sunday morning, Gasgrid said Tuesday. “It is reasonable to suspect that the cause of the incident was damage to the offshore gas pipeline,” the company said in a statement. “The European [gas] market remains very tight, and any news is having an impact,” said Sharples at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

Persons: Gasgrid, Sauli Niinistö, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Jack Sharples, Elering “, Kaja Kallas, Simone Tagliapietra, ”, Sharples, — James Frater, Sharon Braithwaite Organizations: London CNN, NATO, Finnish Border Guard, European Union, CNN, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Estonian, Estonia’s, Authorities, Germany —, EU, Chevron Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Brussels, Lithuania, Latvia, Europe, United Kingdom, Germany, Nord, Norway, Algeria, Israel

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish police said Wednesday they have launched a criminal investigation into possible sabotage of an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia that was shut down over the weekend following a leak. It is bi-directional, transferring natural gas between Finland and Estonia depending on demand and supply. The company said a liquified natural gas terminal in Inkoo has the capacity to deliver the gas Finland needs. Europe saw natural gas prices hit record highs last year after Russia’s cutoff of most gas supplies during the war in Ukraine. Europe currently has filled 97% of its gas storage capacity for the winter, but security of supply depends on deliveries of pipeline gas and LNG.

Persons: NBI, ”, Risto Lohi, Jens Stoltenberg, Sauli Niinistö, Kaja Kallas, ” Stoltenberg, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, “ Organizations: HELSINKI, National Bureau of, NATO, YLE, “, European Union, Estonian Locations: Finland, Estonia, Gulf, Finnish, Inkoo, Estonian, Paldiski, Germany, Russia, Baltic, Brussels, Baltics, Europe, Ukraine

☆ Kremlin says damage to Baltic pipeline is 'disturbing', mentions Nord Stream attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ELERING/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday described news of damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland as disturbing and said that the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline last year was a dangerous precedent. The damage to the gas pipeline was believed to have taken place in Finnish waters, while the telecoms cable breach was in Estonian waters, Finnish authorities said. Peskov added that there had been dangerous precedents in the Baltic - blasts on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022 that Moscow blames on the United States and Britain. It is still a mystery who was behind the attack on Nord Stream. The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines have a joint annual capacity of 110 billion cubic metres - more than half of Russia's normal gas export volumes.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Seymour Hersh, Joe Biden, Hersh's, Gareth Jones, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, The Washington Post, The New York Times, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, Ukraine, White, Nord, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paldiski, Estonia, Handout, Finland, Nord, Baltic, Estonian, Moscow, United States, Britain . Washington, London, Norway, Russia, Germany

The Balticconnector gas pipeline was shut early on Sunday on concerns that gas was leaking from a hole in the 77-km (48-mile) pipeline. Finnish operator Gasgrid said it could take months or more to repair. "It is likely that damage to both the gas pipeline and the communication cable is the result of outside activity. The damage to the gas pipeline was believed to have taken place in Finnish waters, while the telecoms cable breach was in Estonian waters, Finnish authorities said. Prices were already up on Tuesday due to fears over tensions in the Middle East but expectations that outside activity caused the pipeline damage pushed prices in the nervous market higher.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Gasgrid, Sauli Niinisto, Petteri Orpo, Orpo, Elisa, Timo Kilpelainen, Terje Solsvik, Anne Kauranen, Anna Ringstrom, Andrius, Marta Frackowiak, Louise Rasmussen, Susanna Twidale, Julia Payne, Bart Meijer, Gwladys Fouche, Susan Fenton, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Finnish Border Guard, Companies Gas, PM, NATO, Reuters, Finnish, Amber Grid, Thomson Locations: of Finland, Estonian, Finland, Estonia, HELSINKI, Baltic, Finnish, Inkoo, Paldiski, St Petersburg, NORD, Russia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Lithuanian, Ukraine, United States, Latvian, Hamina, Oslo, Helsinki, Stockholm, Andrius Sytas, Vilnius, Gdansk, Copenhagen, London, Brussels

☆ Finnish government to hold news conference on suspected pipeline leak -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Finland's government plans to hold a news conference later on Tuesday regarding the sudden outage of a gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia, public broadcaster YLE and daily Helsingin Sanomat reported on Tuesday. The Finnish prime minister's office was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters. The Balticconnector link was shut early on Sunday on concerns that gas was leaking from a hole in the 77-km (48 miles) pipeline. Finnish operator Gasgrid said it could take months or more to repair if a leak is confirmed. Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo and Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm; editing by Gwladys FoucheOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gasgrid, Elering, Terje Solsvik, Anna Ringstrom, Gwladys Organizations: YLE, Helsingin Sanomat, Reuters, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Finland, Estonia, Estonian, Inkoo, Paldiski, of Finland, Baltic, St Petersburg, Oslo, Stockholm

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland and Estonia said Sunday that the undersea Balticconnector gas pipeline running between the two countries across the Baltic Sea was temporarily taken out of service due to a suspected leak. Gasgrid Finland and Elering, the Finnish and Estonian gas system operators, said they noted an unusual drop in pressure in the pipeline shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, after which they shut down the gas flow. “Based on observations, it was suspected that the offshore pipeline between Finland and Estonia was leaking,” Gasgrid Finland said in a statement. After the shutdown of Balticconnector, gas for Estonian consumers was coming from Latvia, it said. The pipeline is bi-directional, transferring natural gas between Finland and Estonia depending on demand and supply.

Persons: Elering, Kai Mykkänen, “, ” Organizations: HELSINKI, —, Sunday, Nord, Nordic, European Union, NATO, Moscow Locations: — Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Finland, Estonian, Germany, Russia, Inkoo, Latvia, Paldiski, Lithuania, Ukraine

☆ Gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia shut over suspected leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Gas2grid Ltd FollowOSLO, Oct 8 (Reuters) - A subsea gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia was shut down early on Sunday following an unusual drop in pressure, Finnish gas system operator Gasgrid said in a statement. "Based on observations, it was suspected that the offshore pipeline between Finland and Estonia was leaking," Gasgrid said in a statement. "The valves in the offshore pipeline are now closed and the leak is thus stopped. Gasgrid Finland is currently investigating the matter in cooperation with Elering," it added. The state of the Finnish gas system was stable on Sunday morning and supply of gas in Finland was secured for the time being through the country's Inkoo floating LNG terminal, Gasgrid said.

Persons: Gasgrid, EET, Terje Solsvik, Toby Chopra Organizations: Gasgrid, Elering, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Finland, Estonia, Gasgrid, Estonian, Gasgrid Finland

☆ Ukraine is firing up to 7,000 rounds a day, a fraction of the 60,000 shells Russia was firing earlier this year: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine lags far behind Russia in its use and production of artillery shells, according to CNN. Russia fired 60,000 shells a day earlier this year, while Ukraine now fires about 7,000, per CNN. The Ukrainian military wants to fire more than 10,000 rounds a day, according to CNN, which would still remain far below Russia's artillery efforts. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs of July, the US had committed to sending more than two million artillery rounds to Ukraine, while the EU has approved plans to send a quarter of a million rounds. However, it remains unclear how fast European weapon manufacturers can catch up with Russia's production rates.

Persons: Oleksandra Ustinova, Armin Papperfer, Papperfer, Bill LaPlante, Douglas Bush, Bush, Ukraine's Organizations: CNN, Artillery, Service, Rheinmetall, EU, New York Times, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Estonian, Europe, Scandinavian

Away from the front, Ukraine’s war has become a numbers game: who can acquire, make and resupply more tanks, bullets, and, most of all, artillery shells. All in all, Kyiv needs some 1.5 million artillery shells annually, according to the CEO of one of Europe’s largest arms manufacturers, Rheinmetall. By July, the US had supplied more than two million artillery rounds to Ukraine since the 2022 invasion, the Pentagon said. But in February 2023, Europe-wide production of artillery ammunition had a maximum capacity of 300,000 shells annually, Estonian defense officials estimated. The best-case scenario of an increase to making 2.1 million shells annually is still years away from being realized.

Persons: Oleksandra Ustinova, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Armin Papperger, Papperger, William LaPlante, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Nammo, LaPlante, Tuuli Duneton, Morten Brandtzæg, “, ” Brandtzæg, you’re, Jérôme, Creuillot, it’s, Jonathan Caverley, hasn’t, Ignacio Marin, Caverley, Josep Borrell Organizations: CNN, Artillery, Rheinmetall, Pentagon, European, NATO, Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Estonian, US Naval War College, EU Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Estonian, United Kingdom, Europe, Brussels, “, Kyiv, ”, Norway, France

☆ The US is boosting production for artillery crucial to Ukraine's forces as it struggles to keep up with Russia's war machine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US is ramping up its artillery production to continue aiding Ukraine and resupply its stockpile. A Pentagon official said the US aims to be producing 100,000 155mm artillery shells by 2025. "But every country struggles with munitions production as war goes on beyond a few months." Western officials, meanwhile, believe Russia is on track to manufacture two million artillery shells a year, the Times reported this week. A Ukrainian soldier carries 155mm shells for M777 artillery at a artillery position in the Donetsk Oblast on August 6, 2023.

Persons: Ukraine's, Mark Cancian, Bill LaPlante, that's, LaPlante, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Technology Douglas Bush, Bush, Cancian, Washington, Biden, sooth, Matt Rourke Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Russia, Artillery, Estonian, New York Times, US Marine Corps, Center for Strategic, Studies, Center, New, New American Security, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US Army, Army, Acquisition, Logistics, Technology, Ukraine, Times, White, Scranton Army, AP Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Washington, Europe, New American, Donetsk Oblast, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Scranton, Pa

☆ Russian manufacturers are making up to 7 times as much ammunition as Western arms makers, Estonian defense official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian military production is exceeding pre-war levels thanks to smuggling tactics. The US and other Western countries have tried to slash Russia's military strength with sanctions. Western officials worry increased Russian artillery could mean a dark and cold winter for Ukraine. Such smuggling has allowed Russian military production to not only recover but increase beyond pre-war levels. Before the country invaded Ukraine, a senior Western defense official told The Times that Russia could make 100 tanks a year; now they're averaging 200.

Persons: Matthew S, Axelrod, Russia's Organizations: Service, New York Times, The Times, Times, Estonian, ., Commerce Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Kyiv, Moscow, Western, Europe, West, North Korea

☆ Ukrainian soldiers are using camouflaged saunas on the front line to bathe and disinfect after weeks in the trenches
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Estonian filmmaker sent Ukrainian soldiers saunas to the front lines, the BBC reported. The saunas are camouflaged and come equipped with showers and washing machines. A Ukrainian commander told the BBC he's grateful for the saunas after grueling days in the trenches. They are camouflaged to protect Ukrainians from Russian fire and also come with showers and washing machines so that soldiers can clean their military uniforms after weeks in the trenches. Estonia has a longstanding sauna culture, with its own military troops taking mobile saunas on recent missions in the Afghan desert and Lebanon.

Persons: saunas, Imar Raag, Raag Organizations: BBC, Service Locations: Estonian, Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Estonia, Lebanon

☆ The 'Rodeo Capital of Texas' is stuck in a debate over more support for Ukraine and the future of the town's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mesquite, Texas, is set to open a plant to help fill the shortage of Ukraine's most important ammo. However, Mesquite's congressional representative, Lance Gooden, is among GOP reps who want to end US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Insider reported Ukraine may be firing more than 5,500 artillery shells daily, creating a global shortage. "What we need most is artillery shells, which are in short supply," Biden told the media. "The first thing on the list was, everywhere, the ammunition," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told the media after a meeting with EU leaders and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Persons: Lance Gooden, Kevin McCarthy, Gooden, Alexander Helgar, Joe Biden, Biden, Kaja Kallas, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: GOP, US, Service, The New York Times, Dynamics, Times, Ukraine, Russia, Mesquite Chamber of Commerce, EU Locations: Mesquite , Texas, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Dallas, Russia, Mesquite, of Texas, Estonian

CNN —Moscow’s forces have started covering some of their attack aircraft with car tires, in what experts say could be a makeshift attempt to protect them from Ukrainian drone strikes that have had increased recent success in targeting Russian military airports. Satellite imagery from Maxar of Engels Airbase, deep inside Russia, shows two Tu-95 strategic bombers with car tires on top of the airframes. The move may have limited effect, according to Francisco Serra-Martins of drone manufacturer One Way Aerospace whose drones have been used by Ukrainian forces. A satellite image shows car tires on a Russian aircraft. Video Ad Feedback Both Russia and Ukraine are using drones.

Persons: CNN —, Francisco Serra, Martins, ”, Steffan Watkins, CNN Watkins Organizations: CNN, Aerospace, Ukrainian, Maxar Technologies, NATO Locations: Engels Airbase, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Pskov, Estonian

☆ Russia sees biggest drone assault on its own territory since invading Ukraine, as Kyiv strikes back through the skies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Rob Picheta Anna Chernova Olga Voitovych | Rob Picheta | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“Kyiv has not experienced such a powerful attack since spring,” Serhii Popko, the head of the city’s Military Administration, said on Telegram. The governor of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine, said air defenses thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack on a television tower early on Wednesday. Russian state news agency TASS reported that “as a result of drone attacks four Il-76 aircraft were damaged,” in Pskov. Ukraine stepped up its evacuations of children from the frontline town of Kupiansk on Tuesday, as Russian forces continued to bear down on the battered city. The Ukrainian military says that its forces have made further progress in a part of the southern front, towards the villages of Novodanylivka and Verbove.

Persons: haven’t, Serhii Popko, Popko, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Aleksandr Bogomaz, Mikhail Vedernikov Organizations: CNN, “ Kyiv, Administration, Kyiv “, Kyiv City Military Administration, Emergency Service of, Reuters, Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Federal Air Transport Agency, TASS Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, Pskov, Estonian, Emergency Service of Ukraine, Moscow Ukraine, Bryansk, Ukrainian, Klimovo, Russia’s, ”, Kupiansk, Novodanylivka

☆ Russia says it foiled major Ukrainian drone attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - Russia said it foiled one of the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks to date on western Russia on Wednesday, shooting down unmanned aircraft over at least six regions, and destroyed a Ukrainian naval attack on the annexed Crimean peninsula. Russian military aircraft were damaged and civilian aviation was disrupted in the drone attacks, said Russian officials, citing Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions as targeted. Ukraine, which has yet to achieve a major success in its summer ground counteroffensive, has struck deep into Russia in recent months, including an attack on the Kremlin in May and numerous drone attacks on civilian targets in Moscow. Russia said Ukrainian drones tried to attack a TV tower over the Bryansk region. A Russian aircraft also destroyed four Ukrainian fast-attack boats carrying up to 50 paratroopers in an operation on the Black Sea, the military said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Vitali Klitschko, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Karine Jean, Pierre, Putin, Stephen Coates, Guy Faulconbridge, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, Pskov's, Tass, Civilian, TASS, Reuters, Russia, Embraer, Washington White House, Brazil's, EMBR3, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimean, Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan, Moscow, Ukrainian, Estonia, Latvia, Estonian, Moscow's Vnukovo, Russian, Kyiv, St Petersburg, Prigozhin, SA

☆ Pope Francis draws criticism for extolling Russian imperialist tsars
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience, in Paul VI hall at the Vatican, August 9, 2023. You are heirs of the great Russia - the great Russia of the saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, the great Russian empire, cultured, so much culture, so much humanity. An editorial on Italy's Il Sismografo website, which specialises in Catholic affairs, called the pope's words "odd" at a delicate moment in history. Pope Francis is a Jesuit. The comment prompted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to summon the Vatican's ambassador in Kyiv to protest, saying the pope's words were "unfair" and had "broken Ukraine's heart".

Persons: Pope Francis, Paul VI, Peter the Great, Vladimir Putin, Francis, Catherine II, Russia, Oleg Nikolenko, Nikolenko, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Italy's, Catherine, Catherine the Great, Pope Clement XIV, Last, Putin, Tsar Peter the Great, propounding, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Nexta, Darya, Dmytro Kuleba, Ron Popeski, Tomasz Janowski, Alex Richardson Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Kremlin, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Facebook, Rite Catholic Church, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Russia, Crimea, Russian, Estonian, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Poland, Baltics will shut Belarus border if 'critical incident' occurs -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Poland and the Baltic states will close their borders with Belarus entirely if a "critical incident" involving Wagner mercenaries takes place, the Polish interior minister said on Monday, amid rising tensions on NATO's eastern flank. EU and NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which share a border with Belarus, have been increasingly concerned about border security since hundreds of Russian battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko. "If there is a critical incident, regardless of whether it is at the Polish or Lithuanian border, we will retaliate immediately. Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite told media that there were two criteria that could lead to a border closure. Poland has closed all but one border crossing point with Belarus this year following the imprisonment of a journalist of Polish origin and expulsions of Polish diplomats.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Mariusz Kaminski, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Agne Bilotaite, Bilotaite, Alan Charlish, Pawel Florkiewicz, Marek Strzelecki, Andrius, Conor Humphries, Nick Macfie Organizations: WARSAW, EU, NATO, Wagner Group, Lithuanian, Thomson Locations: Poland, Baltic, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Minsk, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Belarusian, Russia, Europe, East, Africa, Warsaw, Andrius Sytas, Vilnius

☆ Merle Liivand: Meet the eco-friendly ‘mermaid’ cleaning oceans one record-breaking swim at a time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Charlie Webster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Courtesy Michael A. SamwayThe Tallinn-born competitor moved to the US in 2011 and, as she tired of only competing in breaststroke, started doing triathlons and then tried open water swimming. After seeing first-hand the scale of water pollution, Liivand was determined to take on a fight tougher than any competitor. The Jamaican sprint icon recognized Liivand for her open-water swimming exploits and mermaid school but confused the two. “It was like, here we are, testing waters, but we still don’t address that open water sport is in real danger because of pollution,” she said. Marco Bello/ReutersIn a grueling 14-hour swim, at times, Liivand will have to swim against the current.

Persons: Merle Liivand, ” Liivand, Liivand, ‘ Merle, “, ”, Michael, “ It’s, ’ ”, Mario Tama, microplastics, Usain Bolt, Marco Bello, ’ Liivand, “ I’m, I’m, Richard Branson, Liivand’s Organizations: CNN, Guinness, CNN Sport, Federal University of Rio, Rio, UNESCO, Environmental International, Records, Reuters Locations: Estonian, Biscayne Bay , Miami, California, Florida, Tallinn, Guanabara Bay, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Leblon, Jamaica, Biscayne, Los Angeles, Miami, Paris ’

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