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☆ Russia downs drone near Moscow, suspends flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 26 (Reuters) - Russia reported a new drone attack on Moscow in the early hours of Saturday, which again forced the authorities to temporarily shut down all three major airports serving the capital. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that a drone was brought down by air defence systems over the Istra district of the Moscow region. Three major Moscow airports, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, suspended flights for couple of hours on Friday, TASS news agency reported. Although the attacks have not caused extensive damage, their intensity has forced the Russian authorities to temporarily shut down airports serving the capital several times this week. Ukraine did not immediately comment and almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

Persons: Sergei Sobyanin, Maria Tsvetkova, Lidia Kelly, Sandra Maler, Robert Birsel Organizations: Moscow, TASS, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Istra, Sheremetyevo, Russian, Crimean, Ukraine, New York, Warsaw

☆ Russia says Ukraine fired missile towards Moscow, hit Crimea with drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday that Ukraine had fired a missile towards Moscow and attacked the Crimean Peninsula with 42 drones, one of the biggest known coordinated Ukrainian air attacks to date on Russian-held territory. Russia's defence ministry said it had shot down a modified S-200 missile over the Kaluga region, which borders the Moscow region. "The missile was detected and destroyed by air defences over the territory of the Kaluga region," the defence ministry said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the attacks, which Russia blamed on Ukraine. The attack were the latest in a surge of similar attacks since two drones were destroyed over the Kremlin in early May.

Persons: Vladislav Shapsha, Mikhail Razvozhayev, Lidia Kelly, Christopher Cushing, Miral Fahmy, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Kremlin, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Crimean, Kaluga, Crimea, Sevastopol, Sevastopol's, Warsaw

☆ Putin meets top generals in charge of Russia's war efforts in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses participants of the international military-technical forum Army-2023 via a video link in Moscow, Russia, in this picture released August 14, 2023. "Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the headquarters of the special military operation group in Rostov-on-Don," the Kremlin said in a statement. Russia, which launched its invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, calls its actions a special military operation. The Kremlin added that Putin, Russia's supreme commander-in-chief, listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Army in charge of Moscow's operations in Ukraine, and other top military commanders and officers. Gerasimov, who has been seen rarely in public in recent months, had been the target of savage criticism from Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and some Russian military bloggers over Russia's failings in the war.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin, Russia's, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Maria Tsvetkova, Mrinmay Dey, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard, Kim Coghill Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Kremlin, Staff, Army, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Rostov, Ukraine's, Russian, Urozhaine, Donetsk, Azov, Crimea

☆ Russia launches overnight drone attack on Ukraine - Ukraine's Air Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Aug 19 (Reuters) - Russia launched 17 drones overnight attempting to strike Ukraine's northern, central and western regions, Ukraine's Air Force said on Saturday. The Air Force said that 15 of the Russia-launched Iranian-made Shahed drones were shot down. It was not immediately clear what happened to the two drones that were not downed. It was not immediately known what objects and areas Russia targeted in its strikes. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Warsaw; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lidia Kelly, Sonali Paul Organizations: Ukraine's Air Force, The Air Force, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Warsaw

☆ Ukrainian drone damages building in Moscow disrupting air traffic, Russia says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Russian air defences destroy Ukrainian droneDrone smashes into building in central MoscowNo casualties reportedFour Russian airports briefly suspend flightsMOSCOW, Aug 18 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian drone smashed into a building in central Moscow on Friday after Russian air defences shot it down, disrupting air traffic at all the civilian airports of the Russian capital, Russian officials said. Reuters images showed workers and emergency workers inspecting a damaged roof of a non-residential building which the drone hit. "At about 4 am Moscow time, the Kyiv regime launched another terrorist attack using an unmanned aerial vehicle on objects located in Moscow and the Moscow region," the Russian defence ministry said. [1/5]Investigators work near a damaged roof following a reported Ukrainian drone shot down in Moscow, Russia, August 18, 2023. Drone air strikes deep inside Russia have increased since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May.

Persons: Sergei Sobyanin, Shamil Zhumatov, Maria Tsvetkova, Lidia Kelly, Mrinmay Dey, Jacqueline Wong, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Reuters, Moscow, REUTERS, Rights, Kremlin, Civilian, New York Times, United, Cuban Missile Crisis, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, MOSCOW, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Russia, Sheremetyevo, Zhukovsky, Ukraine, United States, Kremlin

☆ Moscow court arrests U.S. national for 'espionage' -Russian news agencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Russian flag flies on the dome of the Kremlin Senate building behind Spasskaya Tower, in central Moscow, Russia, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 17 (Reuters) - A Moscow court has arrested an already imprisoned Russia-born U.S. citizen on charges of espionage, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday. Russian news agencies did not report any details of the new charges, but said the court session was held behind closed doors as the case materials were classified. Speaking on CNN, White House spokesperson John Kirby said the administration was still collecting information about the case and had no comment yet. Reporting by Maxim Rodionov, Kanishka Singh and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Chris Reese, Daniel Wallis and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stringer, Gene Spector, Arkady Dvorkovich, Spector, John Kirby, Maxim Rodionov, Kanishka Singh, Lidia Kelly, Chris Reese, Daniel Wallis, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Kremlin Senate, REUTERS, TASS, Medpolymerprom, CNN, White, State Department, Thomson Locations: Russian, Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, Russia's St, Petersburg, United States

☆ U.S. band the Killers apologises for bringing Russian fan on stage in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

American band The Killers perform the Saturday headline slot at Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, Britain June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 16 (Reuters) - An American alternative-rock band, the Killers, has apologised for bringing a Russian drummer on stage during a show in Georgia and for describing fans as "brothers and sisters," which prompted boos from the audience. "We recognise that a comment, meant to suggest that all of the Killers' audience and fans are 'brothers and sisters,' could be misconstrued," it added. The reference was to a remark band leader Brandon Flowers made to the crowd, saying he did not want the situation to turn "angry". "I see you as my brothers and my sisters," Flowers added to the sound of boos and whistles in a video published by the Russian state RIA news agency.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Brandon Flowers, Lidia Kelly, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Glastonbury Festival, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Somerset, Britain, American, Georgia, Ukraine, Black, Batumi, Russian, Las Vegas, Warsaw

☆ Ukraine retakes southeast village of Urozhaine from Russian forces - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces have recaptured the village of Urozhaine from Russian troops in the southeast and dug in on its outskirts, Kyiv's deputy defence minister said on Wednesday. Russian military bloggers said fierce fighting raged near the village and that Russian units were trying to prevent Ukraine strengthening its positions in Urozhaine. In a sign of the difficulty of the battlefield operations, Urozhaine is the first village Ukraine says it has retaken since June 27 when it announced the recapture of neighbouring Staromaiorske. Kyiv says its counteroffensive push is progressing slower than it wanted because of vast Russian minefields and prepared Russian defensive lines. The recapture of Urozhaine would bring Ukraine closer to threatening the village of Staromlynivka, several kilometres to the south, which military analysts say serves as a Russian stronghold in the area.

Persons: Urozhaine, Hanna Maliar, Pavel Polityuk, Lidia Kelly, Tom Balmforth, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Urozhaine, Donetsk, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Azov, Staromaiorske, Kyiv, Staromlynivka, Crimea, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Warsaw

☆ Ukraine reports new attack on grain silos but cargo ship sets sail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Hong Kong-flagged container ship Joseph Schulte leaves the sea port, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, in this handout picture released August 16, 2023. Russia has made regular air strikes on Ukrainian ports and grain silos since mid-July, when it pulled out of the U.N.-backed deal for Ukraine to export grain. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), which owns the ship jointly with a Chinese bank, confirmed that the ship was en route to Istanbul. Kubrakov said it was carrying more than 30,000 metric tons of cargo in 2,114 containers, adding that the corridor would primarily be used to evacuate ships from the Black Sea ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi. DANUBE PORTSUkraine turned to its Danube river ports after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal seeking better terms for exports of its own food and fertilizer.

Persons: Joseph Schulte, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, Kubrakov, Urozhaine, Hanna Maliar, Izmail, Lidia Kelly, Gus Trompiz, Matthias Inverardi, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Benchmark, United Nations, Reuters, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, Ukraine, Odesa, Russia, KYIV, Russian, Hong, Kong, Reni, Moscow, Big, Istanbul, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi, Ukrainian, Urozhaine, Azov, Constanta, Romania, Black, Turkey, Nairobi

☆ Warehouses, grain silos damaged in Russian attacks on Ukraine's Danube port
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A grain warehouse heavily damaged by a Russian drone attack is seen at a compound of a port on the Danube, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa region, Ukraine August 16, 2023. "Russian terrorists attacked Odesa region twice last night with attack drones," Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app. "The main target is port and grain infrastructure in the south of the region." Ukraine's Air Force said that it had destroyed 13 Russia-launched drones over the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions in the south. read moreThe drone attacks destroyed buildings in the port and halted ships as they prepared to arrive there to load with Ukrainian grain in defiance of a de-facto blockade Russia reimposed in mid-July.

Persons: Oleh Kiper, Izmail, Pavel Polityuk, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: Press Service, Operational Command, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Ukraine's Air Force, Russia reimposed, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa region, Odesa, Russia, Mykolaiv, Constanta, Romania

☆ Russian air strikes on western Ukraine kill at least three - officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view shows a building damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine August 15, 2023. The Volyn region borders NATO-member Poland to its west. Ukraine's Air Force said that its forces had destroyed 16 of at least 28 Russia-launched air and sea-based missiles. Until July, the Lviv region which is far from the front lines and which borders Poland to its west, had been spared most Russia's air attacks. Air raid alerts were issued for entire Ukraine for about two hours, staring at around 2 a.m. (2300 GMT).

Persons: Administration Maksym, Yuriy Pohulyaiko, Andriy Sadovyi, Sadovyi, Maxim Kozitsky, Serhiy Lisak, Lidia Kelly, Maria Tsvetkova, Kim Coghill, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Lviv Regional, Administration, REUTERS, NATO, Air Force, Lviv region's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Lviv, Handout, Russia, Volyn, Lutsk, Poland, Dnipropetrovsk, Warsaw, New York

☆ Russia's Far East suffers flooding in Khanun's wake, over 2,500 people evacuated
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 14 (Reuters) - Floods in Russia's Far East had forced the evacuation of more than 2,500 people by Monday, the ministry of emergency situations said, after Russia joined the list of countries battered by rainstorms in the wake of Typhoon Khanun. Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File photoIn the Russian Far East, 28 settlements were cut off by Monday. Large stretches of roads and 4,620 houses were flooded in 15 municipalities, the ministry said on the Telegram channel. The ministry said floodwaters had begun to recede in most parts of Primorye, and the worst flooding was on the Malinovka river near the village of Rakitnoye. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Warsaw; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Khanun, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Russian Emergencies Ministry, REUTERS, Telegram, Thomson Locations: Russia's Far, Russia, Japan, China, Liaoning, Ussuriysk, Russian, Vladivostok, Primorye, Rakitnoye, Warsaw

☆ Russia to equip new nuclear submarines with hypersonic missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File... Read moreAug 14 (Reuters) - Russia is in the process of equipping its new nuclear submarines with hypersonic Zircon missiles, the head of Russia's largest shipbuilder told the RIA state news agency in an interview published on Monday. "Multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Yasen-M project will ... be equipped with the Zircon missile system on a regular basis," , Alexei Rakhmanov, chief executive officer of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), told RIA. Yasen-class submarines, also known as Project 885M, are nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines, built to replace Soviet-era nuclear attack submarines as part of a programme to modernise the army and fleet. President Vladimir Putin said earlier this year that Russia would start mass supplies of Zircon missiles as part of the country's efforts to boost its nuclear forces. The Russian multi-purposes frigate Admiral Gorshkov, which has tested its strike capabilities in the western Atlantic Ocean earlier this year, has been already equipped with Zircon missiles.

Persons: Alexei Rakhmanov, Maxim, Read, Vladimir Putin, Gorshkov, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: United Shipbuilding Corporation, REUTERS, USC, Zircon, Thomson Locations: Lomonosov, Chukotka, Murmansk, Russia, Russian, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine says three wounded in Russian attack on Odesa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/7] Rescuers work at a site of a shopping mall destroyed during a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine August 14, 2023. REUTERS/Nina LiashonokAug 14 (Reuters) - At least three people were wounded in two-waves of Russian drone and missile attacks overnight on the port city of Odesa, an official and the military in the Ukrainian region on the Black Sea said early on Monday. "As a result of the enemy attack in Odesa, several fires broke out from falling rocket fragments," the governor, Oleh Kiper, said on the Telegram messaging app. A dormitory and a supermarket were damaged by falling missiles debris, the command said on social media. Odesa, Ukraine's largest port and naval base, has been repeatedly attacked with missiles and drones after Russia pulled out of an agreement allowing grain shipments from Ukraine's ports in July.

Persons: Nina Liashonok, Oleh Kiper, Lidia Kelly, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine's, Warsaw

☆ Russia says it thwarts Ukrainian rocket attack on Crimean Bridge, downs drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 12 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday that Ukraine had tried unsuccessfully to strike the Crimean Bridge across the Kerch Strait with S-200 rockets, but that no damage or casualties had been caused. The 12-mile (19-km) bridge, which links Russian-annexed Crimea to Russia, has come under repeated attack from Ukrainian forces since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. "The Ukrainian missile was detected in a timely manner and was intercepted in the air by Russian air defence systems. Separately, Russian forces destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched onto the Crimean Peninsula earlier on Saturday, Russia's Defence Ministry said. It was not immediately clear what was targeted in those reported attacks on the Black Sea peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Persons: Sergei Aksyonov, Vladimir Putin, Lidia Kelly, Felix, Gareth Jones, William Mallard, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Russia's Defence, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia's Defence Ministry, Reuters, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kerch, Russian, Crimea, Russia, Ukrainian, Moscow

☆ Russia's Shoigu inspects Northern Fleet, warships sent to Arctic
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 12 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected remote Arctic garrisons of the Northern Fleet, the ministry said on Saturday, as a detachment of warships was sent to the Arctic Ocean to perform tasks. Shoigu inspected the military infrastructure as well as "readiness for actions to protect and defend critical facilities", the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. A detachment of warships, including the destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov, the landing ship Alexander Otrakovsky and the rescue tug Altai went to the Arctic, the ministry said. It was not clear when Shoigu visited the fleet. It started military training on Friday aimed at working out actions to protect Russia's sovereignty in the waters of the Northern Sea Route, the fleet said.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Admiral Kulakov, Alexander Otrakovsky, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard Organizations: Russia's, Northern Fleet, Thomson Locations: Altai, Warsaw

☆ Russia to evacuate village for first lunar lander mission in half century
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool/File PhotoAug 7 (Reuters) - Russia will evacuate a village in its far east on Aug. 11 as part of the launch of Russia's first lunar lander mission in nearly half a century, a local official said on Monday. The Luna-25 lunar lander, Russia's first since 1976, will be launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, some 3,450 miles (5,550 km) east of Moscow, according to Russia's Roscosmos space agency. Luna-25 will launch on a Soyuz-2 Fregat booster and will be the first lander to arrive on the South Pole of the moon, Roscosmos has said. The lander is expected to operate on the lunar surface for one year. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kirill Kudryavtsev, Luna, Russia's, Alexei Maslov, Roscosmos, Lidia Kelly, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Russian Soyuz, REUTERS, Vostochny, Thomson Locations: Russian, Lomonosov, cosmodrome, Uglegorsk, Blagoveshchensk, Amur, Russia, Moscow, Russia's Khabarovsk, Verkhnebureinskyi, Khabarovsk, Shakhtinskyi, Melbourne

☆ Russian missiles kill nine, destroy hotel in eastern Donetsk, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Vladyslav Smilianets | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

POKROVSK, Ukraine, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Russian missiles struck the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk twice on Monday night, killing nine people, wounding scores and destroying apartments and a popular hotel, officials said. [1/8]A view shows a building destroyed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine August 7, 2023. It was one of the few still operating in the eastern Donetsk region, close to the frontline. Then the second blast hit her building. Another resident, 75-year-old Lidia, said she was on the phone when the second blast hit.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Alexei Kulemzin, Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko, Lidia, Vladyslav Smilianets, Olena Harmash, Nick Macfie, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Donetsk Regional, Administration, REUTERS Residents, Thomson Locations: POKROVSK, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Pokrovsk, Bakhmut, Donetsk, Donetsk region, Handout

☆ Russia launches new burst of missile and drone attacks, Ukrainian air force says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's air defence destroyed 30 out of 40 cruise missiles and all 27 of the Shahed drones that Russia launched overnight, the Air Force - which is celebrated in a holiday on Sunday - said on the Telegram messaging channel. It also said Russia launched three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, but did not disclose any further information on them. "In total, in several waves of attacks, from the evening of Aug. 5 to the morning of Aug. 6, 2023, the enemy used 70 means of air assault weapons," the Air Force said. Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told the national Ukrainian broadcaster that one of the key targets for Russia's overnight attack was the Khmelnytskyi region. "Now, it is the Starokostiantyniv airfield that haunts the enemy," Ihnat said.

Persons: Serhiy Tiurin, Tiurin, Yuriy Ihnat, Ihnat, Lidia Kelly, Tom Hogue, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Kyiv's Air Force, Air Force, Telegram, Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Starokostiantyniv, Ukrainian, Warsaw

☆ Ukraine expects difficult but successful talks in Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav... Read moreAug 5 (Reuters) - Talks starting Saudi Arabia this weekend to find a peaceful settlement to end Russia's war in Ukraine will be difficult, but Kyiv is counting persuading more countries to back its peace formula, the head of Kyiv's delegation said on Friday. Ukraine and its allies hope the meeting in Jeddah of national security advisers and other senior officials from some 40 countries - but not Russia - will agree on key principles on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine. China, which has firm ties with Russia, said on Friday it will send Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui for the talks. "We have many disagreements and we have heard different positions, but it is important that our principles are shared," he said. Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at the moment, as the war continues to rage and Kyiv seeks to reclaim territory through a counter-offensive.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Read, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, Zelenskiy, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: International, REUTERS, Eurasian Affairs, Global, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Moscow, Warsaw

☆ Ukraine seeks progress towards peace at Saudi Arabia talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Maha El Dahan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at present, with the war raging. The world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which has maintained contacts with both sides since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, has played a role in convening countries that did not join earlier meetings, Western diplomats have said. SAUDI DIPLOMACYWestern officials and analysts said Saudi diplomacy had been important in securing China's presence at the talks. Zelenskiy attended an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia last year where MbS voiced readiness to help mediate in the war. In March, Beijing brokered a resumption of ties between Saudi Arabia and its arch regional foe Iran.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Zelenskiy, Russia's, Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, Ajit Doval, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Xi Jinping, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice, Yun Sun, Sun, Lidia Kelly, Maha El Dahan, Omar Abdel, Michael Martina, Aftab Ahmed, Angus McDowall, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: International, REUTERS, Saudi, Global, Kremlin, Eurasian Affairs, Indian National Security, Crown, Arab, MbS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Iran, Baker Institute, Stimson, Razek, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, China, India, Jeddah Ukraine, Russia, DUBAI, United States, Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian, Copenhagen, Beijing, Moscow, Jeddah, Riyadh, SAUDI, Saudi, Turkey, Middle East, Washington, Warsaw, Maha, Dubai, New Delhi

☆ Russia-Africa summit to discuss Moscow's grain and fertiliser exports - RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 25 (Reuters) - Russia and nations taking part in this week's Russia-Africa summit will discuss Moscow's grain and fertilisers exports, Oleg Ozerov, ambassador at large at the Russian foreign ministry, told the state RIA news agency in remarks published on Tuesday. Last week, Russia withdrew from the year-long Black Sea grain deal that ensured the safe export of Ukrainian grains, saying that Russia's conditions for the extension of the deal had been ignored. The U.N-brokered grain deal had allowed Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports, despite the war, to alleviate a global food crisis. This week, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow can replace Ukrainian grain both commercially and free of charge. On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Russia on Monday to return to the Black Sea grain deal.

Persons: Oleg Ozerov, Ozerov, Vladimir Putin, Antonio Guterres, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Russian Federation, UN, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Ukraine, Melbourne

☆ Russian military delegation arrives in North Korea to join Chinese
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The two delegations will take part in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of "Victory Day" on Thursday in Pyongyang, state media agency KCNA reported, with Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong leading the Beijing group. Russia's Defence Ministry said it had been invited by its North Korean counterpart and would attend the Victory Day events. The ministry posted a short video on its Telegram messaging app showing Shoigu being greeted by a North Korean military official on a red carpet at an airport's tarmac. North Korea closed its border in early 2020 to all trade and diplomatic exchanges, even with its main economic and political partners China and Russia. The United States has accused North Korea of providing military aid to Russia for the war in Ukraine, a claim that both Pyongyang and Moscow deny.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, KCNA, Li Hongzhong, Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu, Vedant Patel, Patel, Hyunsu Yim, Andrew Osborn, Simon Lewis, Lidia Kelly, Ed Davies, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mark Heinrich, Sandra Maler Organizations: Russian, Defence, Chinese Communist Party, Russia's Defence Ministry, North Korean, Comrade, Russian Federation, European Union, United, . State Department, DPRK, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, MOSCOW, North Korea, Pyongyang, Beijing, Russian, Korean, China, Russia, North Korea's, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, Melbourne

☆ Belarus arms emergency ministry to be ready in case of armed conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 25 (Reuters) - The Belarusian ministry of emergency situations is completing the arming and military training of its personnel to be ready to aid the defence and internal ministries in the event of an armed conflict, the head of the emergency ministry said on Monday. Emergency Minister Vadim Sinyavsky told state Belarus 1 television that employees will be ready to assist the ministries "in the event of an armed conflict or some kind of riots in which a significant number of personnel must be involved." Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said earlier this year he wants "every man - and not only a man" to be able to at least handle weapons to respond to an act of aggression. While not sending his own troops to Ukraine, Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to launch its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022. Russia and Belarus are linked in a partnership called the "union state" in which Moscow is by far the dominant player.

Persons: Vadim Sinyavsky, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Lidia Kelly, Chris Reese Organizations: West, Thomson Locations: Belarusian, Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Kyiv, Melbourne

☆ Russia says it thwarts Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 24 (Reuters) - Two Ukraine-launched drones attacked Moscow early on Monday, but were intercepted and destroyed, Russia's defence ministry said. State news agencies reported that drone fragments were found 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) away from the ministry's buildings. Calling it a "terrorist attack," the defence ministry said on its Telegram messaging app that there were no casualties in the attack. Neither the defence ministry nor the mayor said where the drones were intercepted. Russia's defence ministry television channel Zvezda published a short video on its Telegram channel showing a high-rise building with missing windows on top floors and damaged structure.

Persons: Sergei Sobyanin, Lidia Kelly, Kim Coghill, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Zvezda, Russian Telegram, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, State, Moscow's, Russia's, Kyiv, Russia, Melbourne

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