DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Ukraine released footage of a HIMARS strike on Russians gathering out in the open on a beach, saying it took out 200 troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine on Tuesday published footage of a HIMARS strike on Russian units deployed to a sandbank. The clip appears to show soldiers stretching and exercising, as well as lining up in the open. Ukraine said it caused 200 casualties at Dzharylhach island, which is reported to be a training ground. The outlet reported that 200 Russian soldiers "were lost," though it's unclear how many died or were injured. On July 23, US-based defense think tank The Institute for Study of War wrote that Russian forces had "recently established training grounds on Dzharylhach Island."

Persons: Ukraine's Organizations: Service, Resistance Center, Facebook, EuroMaidan Press, Study, Ukrainian, Russian, HIMARS, Washington, National Resistance Center, Russia's Defense Ministry Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Kherson, Russian

☆ Ukraine investigating attacks on grain ports as potential war crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

View of the damage at a grain port facility after a reported attack by Russian military drones in the Odesa region, Ukraine August 2, 2023. Prosecutor General's Office via Telegram/Handout via REUTERSAMSTERDAM, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine's prosecutor general is investigating Russian attacks on its agriculture infrastructure since July as potential war crimes, the office told Reuters on Thursday. "Ukraine is investigating these acts as potential war crimes," it said. Ukrainian authorities are already reviewing more than 97,000 reports of suspected war crimes and have filed charges against 220 suspects in domestic courts. It has described recent attacks on Ukraine's grain infrastructure as retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on a bridge across the Kerch Strait to Crimea used to supply its troops in southern Ukraine.

Persons: general's, RIA, Anthony Deutsch, Alex Richardson, Alison Williams Organizations: General's, REUTERS, Grain Initiative, International Criminal, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Odesa, Ukraine, REUTERS AMSTERDAM, Russia, The Hague, Kherson, Moscow, Kerch, Crimea, Izmail

☆ A large group of Russian troops violated 'military operations 101' and paid the price in a deadly Ukrainian HIMARS strike, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine said it launched a deadly HIMARS attack on five Russian units gathered on a beach. Russia seriously misjudged its soldiers' proximity to Ukrainian HIMARS, two experts told Insider. Ukraine on Tuesday said it launched a HIMARS attack on five Russian units gathered on a beach resulting in 200 casualties and destroyed equipment. A Ukrainian official in June confirmed reports from a Russian military blogger that Russian soldiers were hit by Ukrainian HIMARS while standing still for two hours for a commander's speech, rendering them sitting ducks. "At a basic tactical level, we can see the Russian military is learning from its mistakes," Miles said.

Persons: Simon Miles, Miles, Mark Cancian, Cancian Organizations: Service, The Institute, Resistance Center, Ukrainian Army, Facebook, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, US Marine Corps, Center for Strategic, Studies, Artillery Rocket Systems, Ukrainian National Resistance Center, Russian, Resistance Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Kherson, Soviet, Moscow

☆ Why Russia's defenses are so effective: Deep minefields, adaptable drones, and electronic warfare are proving formidable in Ukraine, experts say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's defenses are proving effective in frustrating the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Its use of mines, adaptable drones, and electronic warfare are particularly formidable, experts said. He said there were often more than four rows of minefields in front of the Russian defensive lines. A retired Australian general Mick Ryan appears to agree with Lewis, telling The Economist on Monday that Russia's defensive lines are "much more complex and deadly than anything experienced by any military in nearly 80 years." Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow with RUSI, told Newsweek that Ukraine's "Beaver" drones appear to be vulnerable to Russia's electronic defense systems.

Persons: Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Maxar David Lewis, Mick Ryan, Lewis, it's, Steve Wright, Wright, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Justin Bronk, RUSI, Russia doesn't, Mark Milley, Birmingham's Jaroslava Barbieri Organizations: Service, BBC, Royal United Services Institute, Storm, Ukrainian, Police, Moscow International Business, Getty Images, Newsweek, Moscow Sunday, Reuters, Associated Press, University, Birmingham's, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Kherson, Dnipro, Russia's, Australian, RUSI, AFP, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ Russia strikes Ukraine's Danube port, driving up global grain prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Kubrakov, writing on Facebook, said the Danube ports' infrastructure had been "devastated". "Ukrainian grain is indispensable for the world and cannot be replaced by any other country in the coming years," he wrote. "The port of Izmail suffered the most damage, including the terminal and infrastructure of the Danube Shipping Company." Russian state news agency RIA said the port and grain infrastructure hit was housing foreign mercenaries and military hardware. Seaport authority head Yuriy Lytvyn said on Facebook that repair work had already begun and the port infrastructure continued to operate.

Persons: Oleksandr Kubrakov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, RIA, Oleh Kiper, Yuriy Lytvyn, Nina, PUTIN, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, West, Putin, Erdogan, Ukraine Bridget Brink, Russia's, Farhan Haq, Pavel Polityuk, Peter Graff, Hugh Lawson, Daniel Wallis, Michelle Nichols, Simon Cameron, Moore, Philippa Fletcher, Giles Elgood, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: NATO, Romania Kyiv, Ukraine's, Russia reimposed, Facebook, Danube Shipping Company, Reuters, REUTERS, United Nations, Kremlin, International, Court, TASS, U.S, Rih, Thomson Locations: Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Izmail, Africa, China, Israel, Moscow, NATO, Russian, Odesa, Turkey, Soviet, Tehran, Kerch, Crimea, Ports, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, Constanta

☆ Ukrainians forced to become Russian citizens, US-backed research finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Anthony Deutsch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Gleb GaranichAMSTERDAM, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territory are being forced to assume Russian citizenship or face harsh retaliation, including possible deportation or detention, U.S.-backed research published on Wednesday said. A series of decrees signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin compel Ukrainians to get Russian passports, in violation of international humanitarian law, the report said. Ukrainians in occupied territory who do not seek Russian citizenship "are subjected to threats, intimidation, restrictions on humanitarian aid and basic necessities, and possible detention or deportation – all designed to force them to become Russian citizens," the report said. "What is concerning here is that it represents, basically, a violation of the Hague and Geneva Conventions," said Executive Director Nathaniel Raymond of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health. The report was released as part of the Conflict Observatory program, with the support of the U.S. State Department and conducted by research partner the Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab.

Persons: Gleb Garanich AMSTERDAM, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Mishustin, Nathaniel Raymond, Raymond, Putin, Anthony Deutsch, Giles Elgood, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Moscow, REUTERS, Yale University, Russian, Hague, Yale School of Public Health, Kremlin, International Criminal Court, U.S . State Department, Yale School of Public, Research, Thomson Locations: Mayorsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Russia, Russian, Ukraine's Donetsk, Geneva

☆ Kherson detention centers: Russian troops tortured nearly half of those held, international human rights report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Vasco Cotovio | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Nearly half of Ukrainians held in Russian detention centers in Kherson were subjected to widespread torture including sexual violence, according to a report published Wednesday. The report reveals analysis of an initial pool of 320 cases of detention in Kherson, across more than 35 identified detention centers. The report adds that suffocation, waterboarding, severe beatings and threats of rape were other techniques commonly used against victims by Russian guards in the Kherson torture chambers, according to the specialist unit. Mykytenko says these patterns of rape and torture point towards a Russian intent to eradicate Ukrainian identity. Russia has repeatedly denied accusations of torture and human rights abuses in Ukraine despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, investigated, compiled and shared by international human rights organizations and news organizations.

Persons: it’s, Anna Mykytenko, ” Mykytenko, Mykytenko, Wayne Jordash, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, Mobile Justice Team, EU, Ukraine’s, Global Rights Compliance, Global Rights, “, Kremlin Locations: Kherson, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia

☆ International group working to identify Russian forces that carried out grisly war crimes on Kherson prisoners
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Editor's note: The following article contains graphic material detailing reports of torture of people in Ukraine. WASHINGTON — The identification of Russian forces who carried out various forms of torture and sexual violence on prisoners in the Ukrainian city of Kherson is "well underway," according to a team of international lawyers investigating alleged war crimes. Kherson, once home to more than 280,000 people, was the first major city to fall to Russian forces during Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After months of Russian occupation, the southeastern city was liberated in November by Ukrainian forces, which reopened Kherson to international humanitarian and investigation teams. Others detailed incidents where genital mutilation was threatened and at least one person said they were forced to witness the rape of another detainee by a foreign object.

Persons: Wayne Jordash, Read Organizations: WASHINGTON, Ukrainian, Global Rights, CNBC, Mobile Justice Team, Mobile Justice, State Department, European, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kherson, Russian, Moscow's, European Union

☆ Torture, sexual violence commonly used by Russian forces in Ukraine, say experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Anthony Deutsch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian authorities are reviewing more than 97,000 reports of war crimes and have filed charges against 220 suspects in domestic courts. The Kremlin has consistently denied allegations of war crimes in Ukraine by forces taking part in a "special military operation" it says was launched to "de-Nazify" its neighbour and protect Russia. In June, Ukrainian prosecutors brought their first case over the alleged deportation of dozens of orphans from Kherson, charging a Russian politician and two suspected Ukrainian collaborators with war crimes. "The true scale of Russia’s war crimes remains unknown," Anna Mykytenko, senior legal adviser at Global Rights Compliance, said of the latest findings on torture. The torture techniques most commonly used were suffocation, waterboarding, severe beatings and threats of rape, it found.

Persons: Anna Voitenko, Vladimir Putin, Team's, Anna Mykytenko, Wayne Jordash, Anthony Deutsch, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Mobile Justice Team, Global Rights, Criminal Court, ICC, The Mobile, European Union, Survivors, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kherson, The Hague, Russia, Britain, United States, Russian

☆ Girl and her mother killed in Russian strikes as Ukraine reports frontline progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Two more civilians were reported killed in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, now on the front line after being recaptured from Russian forces in November. [1/5]A firefighter works at a site of an apartment building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine July 31, 2023. ANTI-DRONE DEFENCESRussian forces have levelled residential areas across eastern and southern Ukraine since they invaded more than 17 months ago. Ukraine rarely comments on strikes on Russian territory, which have recently begun to include drone attacks on Moscow. Russia's military said it had halted Ukrainian forces in the region.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Hanna Maliar, Sergei Shoigu, Zelenskiy, Serhiy Lysak, Oleksandr Vilkul, Oleksandr Prokudin, Ukraine's, Dmitry Peskov, Anna Pruchnicka, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Telegram, Russian, Press, State Emergency Service of, REUTERS, European Union, NATO, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, KYIV, Russian, Kryvyi Rih, Kryvyi, Ukrainian, Kherson, State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Handout, Donetsk, Donetsk city, Russia, Moscow, denazify, Sunday

☆ Storm Shadow missiles give Ukraine 'a much longer stick,' but Russia is already learning to adapt, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Storm Shadow cruise missile is the latest highly touted weapon employed by Ukraine. Some observers believe Storm Shadow will be crucial to Ukraine's counteroffensive. The missile's 155-mile range allows Ukrainian jets to launch it while staying out of range of Russian air defenses. A British Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 loaded with four Storm Shadow missiles during a test over the Atlantic Ocean. Storm Shadow missiles, while effective, have a "very similar capability with a very similar payload used very much against the targets that ATACMS would have been used against," Kofman said on the podcast.

Persons: Storm Shadow, Michael Kofman, Cpl Mark Parkinson, HIMARS, we've, Kofman, Serhii, You'd, Biden, ATACMS, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Carnegie Endowment, International, Royal Air Force Tornado, Storm, UK Ministry of Defence, Getty, MGM, Tactical Missile, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, France, Russian, Crimea, Kyiv, Kherson, Forbes

☆ The 5 deadliest Western-provided weapons Ukraine is using to fight Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The West has been sending Ukraine weapons and armed vehicles since the start of the war. Now, as Ukraine is in the midst of its counteroffensive to regain crucial territory from Russia, many of these weapons are proving useful. Insider spoke to three military experts about which of the Western-provided weapons have been the most effective for Ukraine in the war. Only time will tell how useful the weapons really areIt is still unclear how Ukraine's counteroffensive will unfold, and how long the Western weapons will hold until Ukraine will need more. A top Ukrainian general told the BBC on Thursday that because Russia has littered the frontlines in south Ukraine with multi-layered minefields, Western tanks are proving ineffective.

Persons: Serhii, Ben, that's, Zelenskyy, Fabrizio Bensch, Oleksii Reznikov, Huseyn Aliyev, Javelin, of, Cave, Lewis Joly, Marina Miron, Bradley, Hanna Maliar, Aliyev, Alivey, Alivey said.It, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Tarnavskyi Organizations: Shadow, Service, Leopard, US, Patriot, Challenger, Ukraine, High, Artillery, Getty, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, RAND Corporation, Patriot Missile Systems, Army MIM, Defense, Research Center, East European Studies, Patriots, Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service, Javelin, AP, Military Times, Kyiv, Paris Air, Department of, King's College London, Soviet, Bradley Infantry Fighting, Bradley, BBC Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Germany, Russia, Donetsk Oblast, Ben Caves, Russian, Kherson, Rzeszow, Jasionka, Poland, Moscow, of Ukraine, Le Bourget, Paris, France, Ukrainian, Europe

Russian forces struck a grain terminal in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, extending a bombardment of the country’s infrastructure that has raised alarm about Kyiv’s ability to ship grain to the world. Ukraine continues to ask its Western allies to speed up the delivery of more air defense systems and warn that continued Russian bombardment could leave it without the necessary infrastructure to ship grain even if Black Sea shipping lanes open up. Moscow has struck Ukrainian ports near daily since pulling out of a deal last week that allowed Ukraine to ship its grain despite the war. “In two or three months, we may not have a single port left,” Natalia Humeniuk, the spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military southern command, told French journalists this past week. They want to have a monopoly on grain,” she said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ” Natalia Humeniuk Locations: Ukrainian, Kherson, Ukraine, Moscow

Elon Musk’s Unmatched Power in the Stars The tech billionaire has become the dominant power in satellite internet technology. Today, more than 4,500 Starlink satellites are in the skies, accounting for more than 50 percent of all active satellites. 53% of active satellites are Starlink.” The Starlink satellites are highlighted and are all operating in low-Earth orbit. How Starlink customers connect to the internet Starlink satellites orbit at much lower altitudes than traditional satellite internet services. “Everywhere on earth will have high bandwidth, low latency internet,” Mr. Musk predicted on the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, Mark, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Elon Musk, Zaluzhnyi, General Zaluzhnyi, Musk, Musk’s, ”, Starlink’s, ” Mykhailo Fedorov, Mr, Biden, ” Dmitri Alperovitch, Sir Martin Sweeting, Sweeting, Mike Blake, Patrick Seitzer, Rafael Schmall, Joe Rogan, Jeff Bezos, Starlink, Russia —, Fedorov, —, Clodagh Kilcoyne, Nancy Pelosi, Colin H, Kahl, Lynsey Addario, messaged Mr, Lloyd Austin, Gregory C, Allen, we’ve, Mykhailo Podolyak, Volodymyr Zelensky, Jason Hsu, Hsu, “ Elon, Michael McCaul of, Tsai Ing, Tsai, Audrey Tang, Mariana Suarez, Thierry Breton, SpaceX, Chérif El, Amazon Organizations: Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ukraine’s Armed Forces, SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Mr, U.S . Defense Department, NASA, Senior Pentagon, The Defense Department, Starlink, European Union, Silverado, Accelerator, Surrey Satellite Technology, Reuters, Airbus, Earth, Getty, Satellite, University of Michigan, National Science Foundation, Rivals, Amazon, Origin, Viasat, Pentagon, CNN, The New York Times, U.S, Defense Department, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Elon, Harvard Kennedy School, Republican, House Foreign Affairs, OneWeb, Agence France, European, United Nations Locations: Ukraine, United States, Iran, Turkey, Japan, Starlink, Crimea, Russian, Starlinks, Europe, Taiwan, China, Beijing, British, Colorado, Cape Canaveral, Fla, —, California, Florida, Latin America, Africa, Nigeria, Mozambique, Rwanda, Ukrainian, Russia, Kreminna, Aspen, Colo, Kherson's, Kherson, Dnipro, Shanghai, Taipei, Michael McCaul of Texas, del, Uruguay, European Union

☆ Russian land mines pose a persistent and deadly threat in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

What lies beneath Land mines left by Russian forces in Ukraine pose a deadly threat to Kyiv's military - and civilians in liberated territory. On average, anti-vehicle mines caused more incidents with multiple fatalities than anti-personnel mines did. GICHD has documented at least 12 types of anti-personnel mines and nine types of anti-vehicle mines in use in Ukraine. Formerly occupied towns in Kyiv; Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv oblasts all saw a large number of mines, especially anti-personnel mines, left in place, Mathewson said. Ukraine is a signatory to the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, and had been destroying its anti-personnel mines when the war began.

Persons: Mark Hiznay, ”, Adam Komorowski, Tymur Pistriuha, Hiznay, PARM, GICHD, Andro Mathewson, “, Komorowsi, Mick Ryan, Mathewson, Nacho Doce, Pistriuha, Komorowski, ” Ryan, Ryan, Jack Watling, Watling, ” Watling, demining Organizations: Russian, Reuters, HALO Trust, Human Rights Watch, Advisory, Geneva International Centre, Humanitarian, Ukrainian Deminers Association, Ukrainian, U.S . Army, Australian Army, REUTERS, HALO, Mines, Royal United Services Institute, United, Surveyors, State Emergency Service, Dnipro River’s Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Eastern Europe, South America, Caribbean, Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Germany, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia oblast, Kherson, Iraqi, Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, ”, Vuhledar, United Nations, Nova, Izium

CNN —Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says that Ukraine will continue carrying out attacks on Russian-occupied Crimea and the Kerch Bridge that connects it to the Russian mainland, while also admitting that Ukraine’s plan for its sluggish counteroffensive is behind schedule. As Russia has pummeled the southern port city of Odesa and the surrounding region over the past week, Ukraine has continued to carry out strikes inside Crimea. On Tuesday, Ukrainian drones hit an ammunition depot, just a week after seaborne drones struck the Kerch bridge. If Ukrainian forces can successfully puncture Moscow’s sizeable defense lines along Ukraine Sea of Azov coastline that links Crimea to Donbas, Reznikov said it would be “a good result” for Kyiv. Ukraine has gained “real combat experience – how to deter Russians, to defeat them, to beat them with using NATO standard weaponry,” he added.

Persons: CNN —, Oleksii Reznikov, ” Reznikov, Reznikov, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, “, ”, ‘, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ ” Organizations: CNN, CNN — Ukraine’s, Senior, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Reuters, Western, Kyiv, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Kerch, Russian, Russia, Odesa, Moscow, “, Ukrainain, Reuters Moscow, Kyiv, Reuters Ukrainian, Donbas, Kherson, Kharkiv, United States, France, Germany, Europe, Lithuanian, Vilnius, NATO, Washington

☆ An area of Ukraine approximately the size of Florida is now riddled with land mines, which could take hundreds of years to reverse: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian troops face a perilous challenge in their continued fight against Russia — land mines. The mines have blighted an area of Ukraine roughly the size of Florida, per The Washington Post. Greg Crowther, the director of programs for the Mines Advisory Group, a nongovernmental organization that aids individuals affected by land mines, told The Post that the mine situation in Ukraine was unlike anything seen in recent decades. The report also detailed the lengths taken by Russian forces to make vast expanses of Ukrainian farmland either too difficult to navigate or effectively unusable. "To date, the Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts remain the most contaminated regions of all the liberated territories, as Russian forces had been present there for a longer period of time," the report says.

Persons: Greg Crowther, Vladislav Sokolov, Sokolov Organizations: Russia, Washington Post, Service, Russian, The Washington Post, Moscow, Mines Advisory, Post, World Bank Locations: Ukraine, Florida, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Kramatorsk, Donbas

☆ Is Ukraine's counteroffensive failing? Defense experts say the risks facing Kyiv are growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesFor Michael Clarke, a defense analyst and former director-general of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, there's a risk that the first phase of the counteroffensive, designed to probe Russia's defenses, takes too long. Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesKonrad Muzyka, a military intelligence specialist and president of Rochan Consulting, said "the weather has always been the factor" for Kyiv. But Kyiv says its forces are conducting counteroffensive actions in at least three areas and are operating against a backdrop of increased Russian offensive operations. Ukraine's defense ministry claims that its forces have liberated around 210 square kilometers (81 square miles) of occupied territory since June. Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images

Persons: —, Michael Clarke, Clarke, Konrad Muzyka, Muzyka, Yuriy Sak, Sak, Anatolii Stepanov Organizations: 110th Brigade, Territorial Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Military, Royal United Services Institute, CNBC, Rochan Consulting, Kyiv, Afp Locations: Novodarivka, Luhansk, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Kherson, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donetsk, Russian, Russia, Vuhledar, Yuriy, Siversk

☆ Ryanair will return to Ukraine within weeks of war ending
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Ryanair is planning to connect major airports in Ukraine to almost two dozen European capitals within weeks of the country’s airspace reopening when the war ends. Ryanair (RYAAY) said in a statement Thursday it would offer flights to and from Ukraine within eight weeks of that happening. Speaking from Kyiv, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said the carrier would “charge back” into Ukraine after the war. “The visit of Ryanair senior management to Boryspil Airport is a powerful signal that the largest airline in Europe sees huge potential in the Ukrainian air transport market,” said Boryspil International Airport CEO Oleksiy Dubrevskyy. The move highlights Ukraine’s sustained efforts to court international investors, as it plans for its future after the war.

Persons: Michael O’Leary, O’Leary, “, ”, Oleksiy Dubrevskyy, Philips —, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: London CNN, Ryanair, Boeing, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, European Union, Kherson —, Boryspil, Boryspil International, Conference, Citi, Sanofi, Philips, BlackRock, JPMorgan, Ukraine Development Fund Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kherson, ”, Ukrainian, Europe, London

☆ Russia's complex defenses are a brutal test for Ukrainian troops' close-quarters-combat skills
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A recent video shows Ukrainian troops using close-quarters-battle skills inside a Russian trench. While Ukrainian troops are making progress, they are not moving as quickly as Kyiv and its Western partners had hoped. The proximity of the fighting and Russia's complex defenses has put Ukrainian troops' close-quarters combat skills to a brutal test. Ukrainian frogmen clearing Russian trenchesA Ukrainian soldier in a Russian trench in a image from a video widely shared on social media in June. As the Ukrainian forces continue to push forward with the counteroffensive, close-quarters combat will be more frequent.

Persons: frogmen, John Spencer, Ritzau Scanpix, Marinka, Jacob Holmes, isn't, Anthony Jones, Eli Fieldboy, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Russian, Ukrainian, Special Operations Forces of, Twitter, 73rd Naval Center of Special, Navy, West, Institute, Ukrainian National Guard, Getty, 73rd Naval Center, NATO, Green Berets, US, Special Forces Group, New York Times, US Army, Army's Delta Force, Navy's, Training, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Russia, Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Odesa, AFP, Dnipro, Kherson, Bakhmut, Israeli, Johns

CNN —Russian tour operators are pleading with vacationers to Crimea not to make decisions “based on emotions,” as Ukraine’s strike on the Crimea bridge on Monday played havoc on travel between the occupied Ukrainian peninsula and Russia. Hundreds of cars were waiting Tuesday to cross the bridge both to and from Crimea, and Russian-backed officials were encouraging drivers to travel along the land route through occupied southern Ukraine. Or we shift their reservations in Crimea to later dates.”Road traffic over the Crimea bridge resumed overnight over one of the bridge’s four lanes, but there is heavy traffic. TASS reported that bus services from Rostov, in southern Russia, to Crimea had been restored – via southern Ukraine, rather than over the Crimea bridge. A tourist from the Russian city of Rostov told the Russian tourism website Tourdom about her experience driving to Crimea.

Persons: “, ” Elena Bazhenova, ”, ” Bazhenova, Multitour, ” Kizey, Viktor Korotaev, ” Denis Pushilin, ” Ilya Umansky Organizations: CNN, Russian Union of Tourist Industry, Tourists, AP Rail, Novosti, TASS, Russian Union of Travel Industry, Crimean Locations: Russian, Crimea, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Kerch, Russia’s Krasnodar, –, Krasnodar Territory, Moscow, Ukraine’s Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mariupol, Donetsk People’s Republic, Chonhar, Ukraine’s Kherson, Rostov, Alushta

☆ Higher debt burden 'inevitable' as Russia spends on military bloc -finance ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's current level of debt is 22.8 trillion roubles, or 14.9% of gross domestic product (GDP), Deputy Finance Minister Irina Okladnikova said on Tuesday, naming 20% of GDP as the upper boundary of the safe debt limit. "We understand that in the current situation, we will increase debt, it is a hopeless situation," said Okladnikova at a meeting in Russia's upper house of parliament. "Therefore, we will increase debt, but we will try to remain within safe limits," Okladnikova said. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said 2024 budget spending would be cut by around 450 billion roubles - 10% of so-called 'unprotected' spending - to free up money for other priorities. "We have budget expenditure of a little more than 29 trillion roubles," he said, with just 4.5 trillion in line for cuts, implying around 450 billion roubles (4.97 billion) slated for redistribution next year.

Persons: Irina Okladnikova, Okladnikova, Anton Siluanov, Siluanov, Darya, Alexander Marrow, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv

☆ Russian tourists need to cross active war zones in Ukraine to get to their summer vacations in occupied Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian tourists need to cross through occupied Ukraine to get to their summer holidays in Crimea. An expert told Insider that Russian tourism in Crimea is a priority for Putin and the Kremlin. "There's been a huge push on the part of Russian authorities to really sustain and even increase tourism in occupied Crimea for economic reasons, and for an integration of occupied Crimea into the larger Russian system," Hird said. Crimea is a legitimate military target for Kyiv and among the most important territories Ukraine hopes to reclaim in this war. Since the Kerch Bridge's shut down, Russian media released an instruction guide for Russian tourists traveling through occupied Ukrainian territories, Anton Gerashchenko, the advisor to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine, tweeted.

Persons: Putin, Ukraine didn't, Karolina Hird, Evans Hanson, Vladimir Putin, There's, " Hird, We've, Hird, Anton Gerashchenko Organizations: Service, Ukrainian Security, CNN, Institute for, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Kerch, Wall, Silicon, Russia, It's, Moscow, Kherson, Melitopol, Donetsk Oblast, Russian

☆ Russia is withholding meds, including insulin, from Ukrainians in occupied territories if they refuse to get a Russian passport
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainians in occupied Zaporizhzhia are unable to get basic subsidized meds without a Russian passport, Ukraine says. This follows the alleged blocking of medical care in several other occupied towns. Last June, Russian passports were handed out in Melitopol and Kherson, which were among the first cities to be captured in Russia's full-scale invasion. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move "a gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity." This was followed by a widely-condemned series of referenda on Russianizing the occupied regions, leading up to Putin's declaration, last September, that there were "four new regions of Russia."

Persons: Putin, Hanna Maliar Organizations: Service, Russian, National Resistance Center, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UK's Ministry of Defense, Geneva Convention Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Melitopol, Kherson, Russia's, Ukraine's, Russian, Geneva

☆ Why the Crimean Bridge is so important to Vladimir Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Lauren Kent | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Also known as the Kerch Bridge, it holds personal value for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Here’s what you need to know:Why is the bridge so important to Russia? The Kerch Bridge is strategically important because it links Russia’s Krasnodar region with Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014. Rail traffic across the Crimea bridge is continuing to operate on Monday, albeit with delays, according to video on social media, a Russian official and Russian state media. A widely circulating video, which appears to have been captured this morning from a train passing on the parallel rail bridge, shows significant damage to one of the bridge’s road spans.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Staff, ” Vladimir Konstantinov, Boris Rozhin, “, ” Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Marat Khusnullin, Ukraine Andrii Yusov, ”, ” Yusov Organizations: CNN, CNN Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukrainian military’s, State Council of, Novosti, TASS, Russian, Ukraine’s Security, Defense Intelligence Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Moscow, Kerch, Crimea, Russian, Kyiv, Krasnodar, Europe, Kherson, Republic of Crimea

Search resuls for: "Kherson"

25 mentions found