DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

If the Black Sea is closed, the Danube is one of the main routes which we will need to use," he told Reuters by phone. Police said Danube grain warehouses had been hit on Monday in a drone attack along with tanks for storing other cargo. Since Monday's air strikes, the Danube channel has seen shipping disruptions, although it was unclear why there was a slowdown of vessel traffic. INSURANCE RATES RISEInsurance sources have said war risk cover for Ukraine's ports that was part of the defunct Black Sea grain deal had been suspended with some insurance providers reviewing provisions for Danube ports. The attack on the Danube infrastructure followed a week of Russian strikes that hit grain-related infrastructure at Odesa's main ports.

Persons: Russia's, Denys Marchuk, Carlos Mera, Mera, Marchuk, Danilov, Olena Harmash, Sybille de La, Tom Balmforth, William Maclean Organizations: Ukrainian Agrarian, Reuters, Police, EU, Romania, Agri Commodities Markets Research, Rabobank, Insurance, Kyiv, Russia, CMA CGM, National Security, Defence Council, Thomson Locations: KYIV, Moscow, Odesa, Reni, NATO, Russia, Izmail, Ukraine, China, Chornomorsk, Ukrainian, Italy, Kyiv, Western, Paris

☆ Ukraine is losing on average 4-5 men to advance a few hundred feet in its counteroffensive, causing morale to suffer, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is losing, on average, 4-5 men to advance 100 meters in its counteroffensive. One soldier said that while Ukraine had practiced how to capture trenches, but not holding them. "Every hundred meters of land we gain means 4-5 infantrymen who have left the ranks – this is the average loss," an unnamed Ukrainian infantryman told The Kyiv Post. Russian forces prepared by creating dense minefields, which means Ukraine's forces are moving "at a snail's pace." Despite some cases of deteriorating morale, the soldiers said their units were still willing to carry on attacking.

Persons: Marienko Andrew Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Kyiv, Russian, Donetsk, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Bakhmut, 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

☆ Ukraine's air defense is getting significantly worse in a key city, likely because it has too little ammo to stop all of Russia's missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine reported a lower success rate in shooting down Russian missiles targeting Odesa. Ukraine's president said it needs better missile defense systems to stop infrastructure attacks. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, on Wednesday said that Ukraine urgently needed more air defense systems. He called on Ukraine's Western allies to supply it with more SAMP/T and Patriot missile defense systems to protect against Russian attacks. And according to the ECFR report, Kyiv is the only Ukrainian city with sufficient air defense protection, and Ukraine's other major cities remain vulnerable to Russian attacks.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Yaroslav Trofimov, Anton Gerashchenko Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Patriot, St, European Council, Foreign Relations, Reuters Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Odesa, Russia, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Russian, Mykolaiv, Crimea

☆ Ukraine's farmers fear the worst after grain deal collapses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Of the 60,000 tons of produce grown on Huizinga's land last year, 50,000 tons was sent abroad through the grain deal. In total, Ukraine has been able to export 33 million tons of agricultural products through the deal. Some of Ukraine's western neighbours have restricted imports of Ukrainian grain under pressure from their farmers, who said they were suffering from the added competition. Ukraine expects to harvest 44 million tons of grain this year, down from a record 86 million-ton harvest in 2021. Both Marchuk and Huizinga believe grain shipments should continue through the Black Sea even without Russia's participation in the deal.

Persons: Artem Nechai, Kees Huizinga, Huizinga, Denys Marchuk, Max Hunder, Timothy Heritage, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Agricultural, Reuters, United, Ukrainian Agrarian Council, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Cherkasy region, Russia, Netherlands, Cherkasy, Eastern, United Nations, Turkey, Russian, Groningen, Romania, Izmail

☆ Ukraine may be close to surpassing Russia in active tank numbers, but Russia has a near endless supply of Soviet tanks in storage, military experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But Russia has a near indefinite supply of older tanks to replace its losses, military experts said. Ukraine's tanks, however, give the country a qualitative edge. The most recent estimates from Bloomberg put Ukraine's tank count at 1,500 active tanks compared to approximately 1,400 for Russia. It's unclear how many tanks Russia has already pulled from storage, as well as how many vehicles it has in storage to keep drawing upon. "Ukraine's tank fleet probably has as much combat power as the Russians," Cancian said.

Persons: Mark Cancian, Cancian, it's, Mick Ryan, —, Ryan, aren't Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Bloomberg, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Soviets, US Marine Corps, Center for Strategic, Studies, Australian Army, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Zelenskyy calls for ‘concrete’ steps on NATO bid; death toll in Lviv attack rises to 10
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a clear signal from NATO that Kyiv will be able to join the military alliance when the war ends, saying the 30-member group's open door policy is not enough. His comments come ahead of a two-day summit of NATO leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania next week. Elsewhere, the death toll from a Russian missile strike on Ukraine's western city of Lviv rose to 10, according to the city's mayor. Emergency workers were said to be working to free the deceased from the rubble of an apartment building, following an attack far from the front line of the war.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: NATO Locations: NATO, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russian, Lviv

☆ Ukraine's big offensive has hit a few roadblocks, but military experts say don't believe Russia's hype about it being a total failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But military experts told Insider it's much too early to draw any conclusions about the fight. Experts at the time told Insider that a Ukrainian victory was paramount to ongoing international aid and could even redirect the trajectory of the 16-month war. But military strategists told Insider that it's "way too early" for people to be drawing conclusions about the success of Ukraine's fight. The Ukrainians have taken a broad front approach, scanning the front lines to try and find a penetrable place to break through the Russians' defenses, he told Insider. Ukrainian military conducts training on Leopard 2 tanks at the test site on May 14, 2023 in Ukraine.

Persons: It's, —, Ben Hodges, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's, Hodges, Mick Ryan, Ryan, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Russia stokes, Bradley, that's, Putin Organizations: Service, US Army, Australian Army, Group, Ukraine, New York Times, stoke, Ukraine doesn't Locations: Russia, Ukraine, US Army Europe, Ukrainian, Russian, Europe

☆ Ukraine to make personnel changes over bomb shelter deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, June 23 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday there would be personnel changes following an inquest into the state of Ukraine's bomb shelters after three people were locked out on the street and killed during an air raid. The situation is especially cynical and shameful in those cities that have significant financial resources, but, unfortunately, have other priorities. Zelenskiy ordered an audit of all air raid shelters after the deaths of the three people, who rushed to a Kyiv air raid shelter that failed to open. Zelenskiy has criticised Kyiv city officials and prosecutors put the head of Kyiv's municipal department for security under house arrest following an audit of air raid shelters. After the bomb shelter incident, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said he bore some responsibility but that others were to blame, especially appointees of the president.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Vitali Klitschko, Olena Harmash, Timothy Organizations: National Security, Defence Council, European Union, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Kyiv, Kyiv's

☆ Russia is claiming victory in Bakhmut, but the price it paid for it 'doesn't bode well' for Putin's bigger plans, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Russian forces are claiming victory in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Russian leadership praised Wagner for its achievements in the devastated city of Bakhmut and promised the presentation of state awards. Casualty estimates likely skew significantly higher for Russian forces. AdvertisementAdvertisementBy April 11, Russian forces occupied over 76 percent of the city, according to a terrain assessment from the ISW think tank. An aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of heavy battles with Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, March 26, 2023.

Persons: it's, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Gen, Oleksandr Syrskiy, Bakhmut, Wagner, ISW, Russia's, Vladimir Putin's, bode, Jeffrey Edmonds, Jens Stoltenberg, Marina Miron, Zelenskyy, Putin, Miron, Edmonds Organizations: Military, Service, Wagner Group, Institute for, CIA, AP Moscow, Russian, NATO, CNN, Moscow, AP, King's College London's Centre, Military Ethics, Bakhmut Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine's Donetsk, Ukrainian, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, Berlin, Soviet, Stalingrad, Russia, Kyiv, Donbas, Donetsk, Kramatorsk, Moreso

☆ Ukraine's Western partners are short on weapons and can't churn them out fast enough to fuel a counterpunch for long, defense experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's Western partners are short on weapons and can't make them fast enough to meet Kyiv's needs. Experts told The Washington Post that NATO countries have been too slow to manufacture munitions. Countries are facing dwindling stockpiles and can't manufacture weapons fast enough to support Kyiv's ambitions to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces, according to the Washington Post. Defense experts told the Washington Post that many of Ukraine's NATO partners — especially European nations — haven't mobilized their defense industries to meet battlefield needs for artillery, tanks, air defense systems, and ammunition. Germany offered the fast and lethal Leopard tanks to Ukraine in January, followed by US Abrams tanks that have a record of shattering Soviet-era armor.

New measures announced by the leaders during the May 19-21 meetings will target sanctions evasion involving third countries, and seek to undermine Russia's future energy production and curb trade that supports Russia's military, the people said. The Biden administration has previously pushed G7 allies to reverse the group's sanctions approach, which today allows all goods to be sold to Russia unless they are explicitly blacklisted. The precise language of the G7 leaders' joint declarations is still subject to negotiation and adjustment before it is released during the summit. He is expected to address G7 leaders, either virtually or in-person, during their summit in Hiroshima, the officials said. Food security in the aftermath of the war is also expected to be a major topic at the G7.

☆ Ukraine's risky gamble in Bakhmut may be paying off as infighting in Russia's ranks threatens its hopes of capturing the city, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The battle has hurt Russian forces, and Wagner Group mercenaries are threatening to pull out. Wagner's withdrawal, however, suggests that Ukraine's risky decision to stay may be paying off, Russia experts told Insider. Ukrainian army snipers change their position facing Russian troops near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Russian forces, including Wagner mercenaries, steadily surrounded Ukrainian positions, leaving only one road out of the city. Ukrainian army Grad multiple rocket launcher fires rockets at Russian positions in the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

☆ Russia likely won't be launching any 'significant' offensive operations this year if it can't find more troops and weapons, US intel chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia and Ukraine appear to be gearing up for a Ukrainian offensive, the US intelligence chief said. She suggested Thursday that Moscow won't be able to carry out future operations without more troops and weapons. Russian forces launched an offensive earlier this year, but it faltered. Even a limited offensive could be difficult given the current situation for the Russian military. Though the figures are for all of Ukraine, the fighting in Bakhmut specifically is believed to have claimed thousands of lives.

☆ After a year of heavy losses, Ukraine's military is juggling a 'very uneven' force as it prepares for major fighting, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine's military is gearing up for offensives against Russian forces in spring and summer. Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWhen Russia invaded in February 2022, Ukraine's military had about 196,000 active personnel and 900,000 in reserve, according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies' 2022 Military Balance report. The Western approachAn instructor briefs Ukrainian soldiers at a training center near Yavoriv in April 2017. The training they provided accompanied other efforts by Kyiv to reverse two decades of post-Cold War decay that weakened the Ukrainian military. "This is a continuous struggle in the Ukrainian military," Kofman said.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: NATO reaffirms Ukraine will eventually join alliance; Russia accidentally strikes own city
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Once the war in Ukraine ends, Kyiv must have "the deterrence to prevent new attacks," he said in comments reported by Reuters. Ukraine's Western allies on Friday convene at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss further assistance to Kyiv, in the fourteenth month of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who unexpectedly undertook his first visit to Ukraine since Russia began its offensive in February last year, reaffirmed that Kyiv will eventually join the military alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on April 20 reiterated his long-standing call that his country should benefit from fast-tracked admission into NATO. NATO and EU allies have so far offered military, humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine.

☆ Russia says Ukraine ceasefire now would not achieve Moscow's goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 31 (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday that a ceasefire in Ukraine would not enable it to achieve the goals of its "special military operation" at the moment. But he said Russia's goals in Ukraine could not be achieved at the moment through a halt in fighting. "In terms of Ukraine, nothing is changing, the special military operation is continuing because today that is the only means in front of us to achieve our goals," Peskov said. That was a reference to Moscow's claims - unsupported by evidence - that Ukraine's Western backers have ordered Kyiv not to pursue a ceasefire. Ukraine has said Russia must withdraw its troops as a precursor to any peace deal, and says any temporary ceasefire would only allow Russia to regroup for future military action.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russian offensive in Bakhmut could be stalling; Moscow official says West wants to tear Russia apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A top Russian official and close ally of President Vladimir Putin claimed Thursday that the West wants to tear Russia apart, Russian news agencies reported. Medvedev, who has been associated with Russian nationalist rhetoric and saber-rattling during the war in Ukraine, has — like other Russian officials including President Putin — claimed that the West's real motive in helping Ukraine is to see Russia destroyed, without presenting any evidence of this. Ukraine's Western allies say they are helping Kyiv to defend itself from Russia's unprovoked aggression and to restore its territorial sovereignty. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Medvedev claimed that once the West divides Russia, the separate parts would then "even have a chance to join NATO, particularly if they give away our national resources." While this so-called "tandemocracy" played out, Medvedev was seen as always subordinate to Putin no matter what role he had.

☆ Russia and China are being driven together as the chasm with the West deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"It's basically about certain strategic interests, that are very close to both Beijing and Moscow at this point," she added. "For both Russia and China, the main interest is to weaken the U.S.-led international order, that's their primary goal, long term and short term." The Ukraine factorFor both China and Russia, the war in Ukraine is both a challenge to that U.S.-led world order and a way to undermine it, analysts note. China has held back from openly supporting Russia's war in Ukraine but it has also refused to condemn the invasion. This fear, she said, could sway China when it considers whether to offer Putin help in Ukraine.

☆ Analysis: China's Xi takes 'diplomatic dance' to isolated Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( John Geddie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"There's been kind of an increasingly pronounced diplomatic dance on China's part as the war has played out," said Andrew Small, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund. The U.S. and European leaders have said intelligence showed China was considering sending arms to Russia, which Beijing has denied. Xi called Putin his "best friend" during a 2019 visit where they admired pandas in a Moscow zoo. It is not clear if there will be any such photo ops this time amid more serious business and the bloody Ukraine war. "Whatever support Xi gives to Russia will be on China’s terms," another European diplomat said.

☆ Analysis: China's Xi takes 'diplomatic dance' to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( John Geddie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Following are some of the issues China and others are likely to be taking into account as it considers prospects for peace in Ukraine. Attempting to broker peace is a low-cost venture that can yield high returns for China, even if a quick breakthrough is highly unlikely, analysts say. The plan got lukewarm welcomes in both Russia and Ukraine while the United States and NATO were sceptical. China expanded trade with Ukraine after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and did not recognise the annexed territory as Russian, he said. Days before Russia invaded Ukraine, China and Russia announced a "no-limits" partnership.

☆ After a year of death and destruction, Ukraine braces itself for a major escalation in the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Emergency service workers extinguish a fire after shelling on the Bakhmut frontline in Ivanivske, Ukraine as Russia-Ukraine war continues on January 02, 2023. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesWhen Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, it shocked the world. Russia and Ukraine have only published data sporadically on their own casualty rates in the war — so we have to rely on estimates. One former NATO official told CNBC that, sooner or later, Ukraine would need to be given combat aircraft. Kenzo Tribouillard | Afp | Getty ImagesAsked whether he believed Ukraine could prevail and win the war before the end of 2023, Shea said two things need to happen: Western weapons need to arrive quickly and Ukraine must be given aircraft.

☆ What is happening in Moldova, Ukraine's tiny European neighbor with a pro-Russian movement?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

President Maia Sandu on Monday accused Russia of plotting a coup to overthrow her pro-European Union government using "foreign saboteurs." Until now, Ukraine's defense forces and Western allies have estimated that Russia's renewed offensive would be concentrated in the east of the country. "President Sandu has been warning about these risks for months now," said Orr. Moldova, a landlocked European country on Ukraine's western border, has been battling political and economic instability following Russia's invasion of its neighbor. The attack came days before Moldova temporarily closed its airspace on Tuesday over what authorities say was a suspected Russian drone.

WARSAW, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Poland aims to get training time on Leopard 2 battle tanks down to five weeks at a centre where Ukrainian soldiers are likely to be taught how to operate the Western battlefield workhorse against Russia's invasion. The village of Swietoszow in western Poland, near the German border, hosts one of just three Leopard training centres in Europe - the others are in Germany and Switzerland. "If we intensify training (by maximising the number of) instructors, our time and our weekends, we can train an entire crew in five weeks," Major Maciej Banaszynski, Poland's Leopard training centre commander, told Reuters on Tuesday. "Leopard tanks are third-generation tanks. Banaszynski said Polish instructors were running Leopard training courses for tank crews and for drivers.

Search resuls for: "Ukraine's Western"

25 mentions found