DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ 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

☆ Russian tourists flee Crimea after attack on landmark bridge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] A train moves along the Crimean Bridge, a section of which was damaged by an alleged overnight attack, as seen from the city of Kerch, Crimea, July 17, 2023. State-run news agency RIA said a tailback of more than 5 km (3 miles) had formed as Russian tourists made for home - using the Chonhar bridge, which was briefly put out of action by a missile attack last month. Moscow blamed the attack on the Crimean bridge, the second since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine, on Kyiv. HOLIDAY CANCELLATIONS MOUNT UPKyiv says Russian tourists - more than 9 million of whom visited in 2021 - have no business holidaying on seized territory, especially while Ukraine is being bombed. The 19-km (12-mile) Crimean Bridge, a prestige project for President Vladimir Putin, is the route most Russian tourists choose to reach the peninsula, as well as a supply route for the Russian army in Ukraine.

Persons: Alexey Pavlishak, RIA, Vladimir Saldo, Elena Bazhenova, Crimea's, Ilya Umansky, Vladimir Putin, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Kyiv, Russian Union of Travel Industry, Thomson Locations: Kerch, Crimea, Ukraine, Russia, MOSCOW, State, Moscow, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, Simferopol

☆ Russia has 'sufficient stockpile' of cluster bombs, says Putin, as Ukraine gets U.S. cluster bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin tours an exhibition of promising Russian companies during the forum "Strong ideas for the new time" in Moscow, Russia June 29, 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published Sunday that Russia has a "sufficient stockpile" of cluster munitions, and warned that Russia "reserves the right to take reciprocal action" if Ukraine uses the controversial weapons. In his first comments on the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine from the U.S., Putin said that Russia has not used cluster bombs in its war in Ukraine so far. The Pentagon said Thursday that cluster munitions provided by the United States had arrived in Ukraine. Proponents argue that Russia has already been using cluster munitions in Ukraine and that the weapons the U.S. is providing have been improved to leave behind far fewer unexploded rounds.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Joe Biden, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Oleksandr Prokudin, Yurii Malashko, Mikhail Razvozhaev, Vyacheslav Gladkov Organizations: The Associated Press, Telegram, Pentagon, United, U.S, Ukrainian, Staff, Gov, Russian, General's, Regional Gov Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, United States, Donetsk, Kherson, Kherson region, Yurii, Zaporizhzhia, Stepnohirsk, Russian, Crimea, Sevastopol, Russia's Belgorod, Shebekino

☆ How the Russian officer elite has been decimated in Ukraine — here are the generals and top commanders killed in action
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Vitaly GerasimovMaj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov became the second senior Russian commander reported to be killed after Ukrainian military intelligence claimed he was shot dead in Kharkiv. Andrey KolesnikovUkraine's military said in a tweet that they killed Russian Maj. Gen. Andrey Kolesnikov. Ivan GrishinColonel Ivan Grishin, commander of Russia's 49th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, died in Ukraine, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Vyacheslav SavinovLieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Savinov, who headed Russian artillery intelligence, was killed in Ukraine, a Russian artillery school confirmed. A damaged Russian military vehicle is seen after Russian Forces withdrawal as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on September 14, 2022.

Persons: , Oleg Tsokov, Andrei Sukhovetsky Maj, Andrei Sukhovetsky, Sukhovetsky, Vitaly Gerasimov Maj, Vitaly Gerasimov, Alexander Nevsky, Andrey Kolesnikov Ukraine's, Andrey Kolesnikov, Oleg Mityaev Russia, Oleg Mityaev, Anton Gerashchenko, Andrei Mordvichev, Oleksiy Arestovych, Ramzan Kadyrov, Yakov Rezantsev, Illia Ponomarenko, Zelenskyy, Rezantsev, Dmitry Safronov Ukraine's, Dmitry Safronov, Denis Glebov, Glebov, Courage, Konstantin Zizevsky, Mikhail Vedernikov, Yuri Agarkov, Agarkov, Andrei Zakharov, Sergei Porokhnya, Gleb Garanich, Reuters Magomed, Magomed Tushaev, Putin, Vladimir Zhonga, Vladimir Zhoga, Sergei Sukharev, Sergei Krylov, Sukharev, Alexei, Alexei Sharov, Sharov, Sergey Bratchuk, Dmitry Dormidontov, Dmitry Pavlovich Dormidontov, Igor Zharov, Igor Igoshin, Zharov, Denis Kurilo, Kurilo, Anton Kuprin, Kuprin, Anton Gerashenko, Stringer, Denis Mezhuev, Vladimir Petrovich Frolov Maj, Gen, Vladimir Petrovich Frolov, Alexander Beglov, Fontanka, Miras, Miras Bashakov, Ivan Grishin, Vyacheslav Savinov, Savinov, Metin Aktas, Denis Kozlov, Kozlov, Andrei Simonov, Simonov, Roman Kutuzov Major, Roman Kutuzov, Alexander Sladkov, Tsargrad, Roman, Roman Berdnikov, Kutuzov, Volya, Kanamat, Botashev, Artem Nasbulin Maj, Artem Nasbulin, Serhiy Bratchuk, Tsokov, Михаил Ведерников Organizations: UK Defence Ministry, Service, British Defence Ministry, West, Storm, Russian, 7th Airborne Division, Combined Arms Army, Russian Federal Security Service, Arms Army, Interior Ministry, The New York Times, 8th General Army, Southern Military District of, Armed Forces, Twitter, Telegraph, Dmitry Safronov Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Separate Marine Brigade, Russian Armed Forces, Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Airborne, 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment, Luhansk People's, 56th Air Assault Brigade, Guardian, 12th Engineer Brigade, Russian Armoured, Carrier, Reuters, The Daily Mail, Forces, Sparta Battalion, Donetsk People's, Daily Mail, 331st Guards Parachute, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Strategic Communication, Information Security, The Independent, 810th, Zhukov Brigade, Russian Marines, Evening, Local, 200th, Rifle Brigade, Black, Fleet, Russian Federation, Ukrainian, New York Times, 1st Guards, Banner, The Times, Kremlin, 8th Army, Aircraft Missile Brigade, Armed Forces of, Russian Missile Troops and Artillery, Russian Forces, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Separate Guards Engineers of Keningsbersko, Red Banner Brigade, Courage, Russian 2nd Army, Presidential, Russian Air Force, BBC, High Mobility Artillery, Southern Military District Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Chornobayivka, Kherson Airport, London, Yakov Rezantsev Ukraine, Kyiv, Chornobaivka, Ukrainian, Chuhuiv, Donbas, Donetsk, Luhansk, Pskov Region, Andrei Zakharov Ukraine, Ufa, Nova Husarivka, Chechen, Hostomel, Russia's Chechnya, Donetsk People's Republic, Volnovakha, Kostroma, Tatarstan, Pechenga, Sevastopol, St, Petersburg, St . Petersburg, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Izyum, Ukraine's Donbas, Severodonetsk, Kherson, Berdyansk

☆ A video appears to show Ukrainian special forces raiding a Russian-occupied island using US speedboats firing heavy machine guns
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video shows Ukrainian naval forces raiding a Russian-occupied island in the Dnipro River. The Ukrainian forces deployed troops from the 73rd Special Forces Maritime Center to attack in two speedboats. Footage taken from a camera on the boat as well as from a drone shows the Ukrainian boats speeding towards the outpost while firing on it with a heavy machine gun. Russian boats are then deployed to the area, and the Ukrainian forces attack them using drones. The area has faced continued shelling by Russian forces ever since, according to The Kyiv Post.

Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, US Navy, 73rd Special Forces Maritime Center, Post, Willard Sea Force, Willard Sea, Ukrainian Navy, Russian Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Dnipro, Wall, Silicon, Kherson, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, Kherson Oblast

☆ A fired general's pleas from the front lines reveal Ukraine is bloodying Russian forces in a critical fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

He said Russia is struggling to knock out Ukrainian artillery while Russian forces suffer "mass deaths." The counter-battery fight is critical in the counteroffensive, and it looks like Ukraine has an edge. After he was fired, he revealed publicly that Ukraine is bloodying his forces in an important fight, the artillery battle. In this fight, Ukraine relies heavily on rocket artillery systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, or howitzers like the 155mm M777s. Russian artillery can have the same effect on Ukraine though if left unanswered, which is a reason why the counter-battery fight matters.

Persons: Ivan Popov, Popov, vilely, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Jack Watling, Gen, Valery Zaluzhny, Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy, Jake Sullivan, Patrick Hinton, Hinton Organizations: Service, Artillery, Arms Army, Getty, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Royal United Services Institute, Washington Post, Publishing, Hudson Institute, NATO, Systems, National, AP, Forbes, British Army's Royal Artillery, Staff's, Military Sciences Research, RUSI Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk Oblast, Kharkiv Region, U.S, Kherson region, Hinton

☆ Putin denied that Storm Shadow missiles are doing 'critical' damage to Russia, despite them likely taking out a top general and other key targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin said Ukraine's Storm Shadow missiles have caused some damage, but nothing "critical." The UK-supplied missiles have reportedly killed a key Russian general and hit other strategic targets. The UK's defense minister, Ben Wallace, last month described Storm Shadow missiles as having been accurate "almost without fault" in Ukraine. The Storm Shadow, also known as SCALP, is plane-launched and designed to fly low to evade detection. The UK announced in May that it was sending Ukraine an undisclosed number of Storm Shadow missiles.

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin, aren't, Al, Al Jazeera, Ben Wallace, Michael Clarke, Insider's Mia Jankowicz, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Service, Storm Shadow, Storm, Royal United Services Institute, Agence France, Presse Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Al Jazeera, Berdyansk, Ukraine's Kherson, Crimea, France

☆ One killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine as Zelenskiy talks to NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, July 12 (Reuters) - Russia launched a drone strike on Kyiv early on Wednesday, and an old man was killed in Russian shelling in southern Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met NATO leaders in Lithuania, Ukrainian officials said. But an 81-year-old man was killed and his 82-year-old wife wounded in shelling of the southern city of Kherson, Kherson region governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. The Russian shelling and heavy fighting did not stop as Zelenskiy was meeting NATO leaders to discuss security threats posed by Moscow, which denounced the Western military alliance's summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. On Tuesday, Russia drones also attacked Kyiv and the southern port of Odesa, and Kherson came under artillery fire. Russia's TASS news agency cited military groupings as saying they had repelled several Ukrainian attacks in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Oleksandr Prokudin, Yuriy Malashko, Zelenskiy, Olena Harmash, Anna Pruchnicka, Lidia Kelly, Timothy Organizations: NATO, Kyiv, Reuters, TASS, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Moscow, Lithuanian, Vilnius, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Odesa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Luhansk

☆ The Storm Shadow missile is 'absolutely critical' to Ukraine's counter-offensive, say experts. But Ukraine needs to use it carefully.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukraine has received powerful Storm Shadow missiles from the UK, and appears to be putting them to use. A hole in the Chonhar bridge that connects Russian-held Kherson to Crimea, which Russia says was caused by a Storm Shadow missile strike. When that happens, "Storm Shadow will be absolutely critical in making it difficult for the Russians to react," he said. An RAF 41 Squadron Tornado GR4, preparing to test fire four Storm Shadow missiles over the Atlantic Ocean. Celebrity weaponsThere's no doubt that when wielded effectively, the Storm Shadow is a major piece of the counter-offensive puzzle.

Persons: Ben Wallace, Michael Clarke, Marina Miron, Clarke, Vladimir Saldo, Ukraine's, Jake Epstein, hasn't, It's, Oleksii Reznikov, Oleksii, Miron, Cpl Mark Parkinson, Ukraine ATACMS Organizations: Russian, Service, Royal United Services Institute, Storm, Defence Studies Department, London's King's, Storm Shadow, Raytheon, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Ukraine Defence, Forbes, 7th Bomber Regiment, UK Defence, RAF, Squadron Tornado, UK Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Defence, Street Journal Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Kherson, Crimea, Berdyansk, Russian, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Soviet, West

[1/5] Ukrainian service members check a destroyed Russian a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the front line in the newly liberated village Storozheve in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 14, 2023. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy concedes that Ukraine will probably not be allowed into NATO while the war with Russia is raging, but he is pushing for accession one day. You won't see that on television," he said at a practice shooting range in eastern Ukraine in late June. Neskuchne was one of several settlements captured by Ukraine in a southward thrust along the Mokri Yaly river starting in June. Yoda said he had been wounded four times over the course of the war, and that many soldiers were carrying injuries.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Povar, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Neskuchne, It's, Andriy, Yoda, Max Hunder, MIke Collett, White, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Andriy, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Storozheve, Donetsk region, Russia, DONETSK, Vilnius, Ukrainian, Makarivka, Moscow, Crimea, Bakhmut, Azov, Crimean, Kharkiv, Kherson

CNN —Amid the raging war and constant threat of Russian missiles, a successful heart transplant has been performed on a 6-year-old girl in Kyiv, authorities with the Heart Institute of Ukraine’s Ministry of Health announced on Monday. It was the first time a heart transplant had been performed in Ukraine on children so young, the institute said. “The operation went smoothly, the girl was extubated two hours after the operation,” Todurov said in a post on his official Facebook page. Ukrainian Transplant Coordination CenterThe Heart Institute released images from the operation showing the mother of the boy whose heart was donated standing by the girl’s bedside. The Heart Institute has purchased special generators so operations can continue during blackouts, and it has an autonomous water supply.

Persons: CNN —, Dr, Boris Todurov, ” Todurov, Oksana Dmytrieva, ” Dmytrieva, “, ”, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Heart Institute of Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, Heart Institute, Transplant Coordination, Ukrainian, Facebook, National Children’s Locations: Russian, Kyiv, Ukraine, Kherson region, Kirovohrad

☆ Ukraine and Russia should stop using cluster bombs, Human Rights Watch says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Human Rights Watch, an international advocacy group, called on both Russia and Ukraine to stop using the weapons, and urged the U.S. not to supply them. Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. have all to declined to sign the treaty. Ukraine fired cluster munition rockets into Russian-controlled areas in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Izium last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Human Rights Watch said, citing interviews with more than 100 residents, witnesses and local emergency personnel. The Ukrainian attacks killed at least eight civilians and wounded at least 15 civilians in Izium, Human Rights Watch said. The group has previously reported that Russia's use of cluster munitions in Ukraine has killed scores of civilians, and the United Nations' Human Rights Council has also documented the use of such bombs by both sides.

Persons: Anna Voitenko, Mary Wareham, Joe Biden's, Jonathan Allen, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Human Rights Watch, Rights Watch, U.S, Pentagon, Russian, United Nations, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Nova Zoria, Ukraine, Kherson region, U.S, Russia, Kyiv, Russian, Ukrainian, Izium, New York

☆ After Wagner's mutiny, Russia's military is now fighting with war bloggers because they won't celebrate its few wins the way they want
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's claims of a small battlefield victory have drawn criticism from military bloggers. The milbloggers won't celebrate with Moscow, causing the defense ministry to clash with the writers. Russian military bloggers, or milbloggers, have disputed some of the defense ministry's claims, according to a Sunday assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank. The milbloggers, said Ukrainian forces had managed to establish positions and that fighting was ongoing. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, continue to make use of their huge inventory of heavy Western armor — including advanced tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from the US and its NATO allies — to liberate territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Persons: Russia's, Putin, —, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Institute for, Russian MoD, Russia's Defence Ministry, Military District, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Wagner Group, Kremlin, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, The General Staff of, Armed Forces, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Dnipro, Kherson, Russian, Washington, Russia, Rostov, Belarus, Ukrainian, —

☆ Exclusive: Ukraine brings first charges for deporting Kherson orphans
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Anthony Deutsch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Friday, the charges were filed in Ukraine, a pre-trial stage when prosecutors determine there is sufficient evidence to suspect a person of committing a criminal offence. They may have been illegally adopted by Russian citizens, or taken to Russian institutions, she said. The bulk of the orphans were taken on Oct. 21, 2022 under the supervision of the lead, Russian suspect. "We want to hold accountable all the war criminals, all the people that committed horrible international crimes against our Ukrainian children." Ukrainian prosecutors shared a video allegedly showing one of the suspects helping to load the children onto a bus marked with the pro-Russian symbol "Z".

Persons: Ukraine's, Vladimir Putin, Maria Lvova, Karim Khan, Andriy Kostin, General's, Usenko, Anthony Deutsch, Andrii Pryimachenko, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: HAGUE, Reuters, Hague, Court, Kherson Children's, ICC, Russian, Children's, Wednesday, Kherson Regional Children's, Criminal Court, Kherson Region Children's, Russian Ministry of Health, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Russian, Kherson, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Crimea, Ukrainian, Vyshhorod, Geneva, Kherson Region, Ukraine's, Kyiv

☆ Fact Check-Photo of Russian soldiers captured by Ukrainians dates from 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A photograph captioned as showing seven Russian soldiers captured by Ukrainians near the village of Neskuchne in the Donetsk region in 2023 in fact dates from least September 2022, when it was released by the Ukrainian military. A June 11, 2023 tweet with nearly 9,000 “likes” shared the photo showing seven captive soldiers sitting on the ground while another soldier stands over them with the caption: “7 Russian soldiers were captured by Ukrainians near the village of Neskuchne, #Donetsk region” (here). Ukrainian news outlets (here) , (here) , (here) also posted the photograph on Sept. 4, 2022, identifying it as showing Russian soldiers captured in the village of Visokopillya, in Ukraine’s Kherson region, or just as in the Kherson region (t.me/Tsaplienko/14683). The miscaptioned photo resurfaced online following news that the Ukrainian village of Neskuchne was liberated on June 13, 2023, after Russian troops were pushed out (here). The photograph showing captured soldiers in Ukraine dates from September 2022, and does not show a scene in Neskuchne in 2023.

Persons: ”, Read Organizations: Facebook, Strategic Communications Department of, Armed Forces, Google, Reuters Locations: Neskuchne, Donetsk, Ukrainian, ”, Ukraine, Visokopillya, Ukraine’s Kherson, Kherson

☆ Moscow makes bizarre claim that the US is planning bio-warfare against Russian troops in Ukraine as fears of disease grow after dam destruction
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The outlandish claim comes amid health concerns after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine. The bizarre claim comes after the destruction of a major dam near Kherson caused flooding along the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine earlier this month. "When bitten, mosquitoes can infect military personnel with a dangerous infection, such as malaria," he said. Alex Babenko/Getty ImagesWhile the bizarre claim appears to have little basis, the dam's destruction has caused fears over subsequent disease and health concerns. A military partisan movement said the Russian army has recently suffered a cholera outbreak after the destruction of the dam, Newsweek reported.

Persons: Igor Kirillov, —, Max Seddon, Kirillov, " Seddon, didn't, Alex Babenko, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Chemical Protection Troops, Ukraine, Financial Times, White, Yahoo News, Metro, Politico, Newsweek, WHO Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Kherson, West, Nova

☆ Russia has doubled its pens of trained dolphins near Ukraine to guard its ships from attack by enemy divers, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has ramped up its trained dolphin force that protects its Black Sea fleet, UK intelligence said. Russia has been training dolphins in the Black Sea since the Cold War, according to the United States Naval Institute. The MOD also noted Russia's documented use of marine animals elsewhere, saying "Russia has trained animals for a range of missions." Russia's Black Sea fleet includes attack submarines and vessels with long-range strike capabilities and air defense missiles. Russia accused Ukraine of launching drone attacks on the fleet earlier this month, after Ukraine started its long-awaited counteroffensive.

Persons: — Organizations: British Ministry of Defence, Service, Russia, UK Ministry of Defence, MOD, Google, United States Naval Institute, Maxar Technologies, Naval News, US Navy, Washington Post Locations: Russia, Sevastopol, Ukraine, Crimea, Norway, Petersburg, Sweden, Iraq, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Kherson

☆ Ukraine hits bridge linking Crimea to mainland
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It solves nothing as far as the special military operation is concerned," he said, vowing to repair the bridge and restore traffic. He threatened to retaliate by targeting a bridge linking neighbouring Moldova to NATO-member Romania: "A very serious response is coming very soon." The Chonhar bridge hit overnight is one of just a handful of access roads to Crimea, which is linked to the Ukrainian mainland by a narrow isthmus. Russian investigators said four missiles had been fired by Ukrainian forces at the bridge, the RIA news agency reported. He also described fierce fighting in the east, where Ukraine says it has been holding off Russian attacks.

Persons: Vladimir Saldo, Yuriy Sobolevsky, Andriy Kovaliov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Peter Graff, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian, NATO, Kyiv, Troops, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, Ukrainian, Kherson, Crimea Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, Kyiv, London, Moldova, Romania, Russia, France, Rivnopil, Moscow

☆ Chonhar bridge strike may indicate a more potent strategy by Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Chonhar bridges are both rail and road crossings, and head from the northeast of occupied Crimea to Ukraine’s main target in this counteroffensive: occupied Zaporizhzhia region. In the video, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian installed governor of occupied Kherson region, walks around the wreckage, and bemoans “another pointless action” assisted, he says, by the London-supplied Storm Shadow missile. They will have to use another, longer route, he added, to the West through Armyansk and Perekop, closer to Ukrainian positions. On Sunday, a blast hit what seemed to be a Russian ammunition depot in Rykove, near Chonhar. Alexei Zhivoff, a Russian military blogger, said Thursday the Chonhar bridge was more a “land corridor”, and carried 70% of the military and civilian traffic to and from Crimea.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Vladimir Saldo, bemoans, Alexei Zhivoff Organizations: CNN, Shadow, NATO, Kharkiv – Locations: Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Kherson, London, Armyansk, Kherson City, Dnipro, Kerch, Rykove, Chonhar, Kharkiv, Moscow, Russia

☆ Missiles Strike Russian-Held Bridge Far Behind Ukraine Front Line
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian-held bridge far behind the front lines that helps Moscow resupply its forces in Ukraine was hit by missiles on Thursday, Kremlin-backed local officials said. The bridge, which connects the occupied Crimean Peninsula to the rest of Ukraine, was struck by several missiles in an overnight attack that some of the officials blamed on Kyiv. While Ukrainian forces have stepped up their strikes on the peninsula, which Moscow seized long before launching its full invasion, the Ukrainian government has generally declined to officially confirm them, and that was the case again on Thursday. The bridge — which consists of two spans — crosses the Chonhar Strait to connect Crimea and the Kherson region.

Organizations: Ukrainian Locations: KYIV, Ukraine, Moscow, Crimean, Kyiv, Crimea, Kherson

[1/3] A view shows the damaged Chonhar bridge connecting Russian-held parts of Ukraine's Kherson region to the Crimean peninsula, following what Russian-appointed officials say was a Ukrainian missile attack, in this picture released June 22, 2023. Russian-installed leader of the Kherson region... Read moreJune 22 (Reuters) - Ukrainian missiles struck the Chonhar road bridge connecting Crimea with Russian-held parts of the southern Kherson region overnight, forcing traffic to be diverted to a different route, Russian-appointed officials said on Thursday. The so-called "gate to Crimea", known by Russians with a different spelling as the Chongar Bridge, is one of a handful of links between Crimea - which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014 - and mainland Ukraine. It is on a route used by the Russian military to move between Crimea and other parts of Ukraine under its control. A link between the Kherson region and Crimea continues to operate - a reserve route has been temporarily organised for vehicular traffic."

Persons: Read, Vladimir Saldo, Saldo, Sergey Aksyonov, Tom Hogue, Simon Cameron, Moore, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Russian, Moscow, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, Ukrainian, Kherson, Crimea, Moscow, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Russia-Ukraine War Updates: Bridge to Occupied Crimea Is Damaged
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Image The damaged Chonhar bridge connecting Russian-held parts of Ukraine’s Kherson region to the Crimean peninsula, on Thursday. Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed leader of Crimea, said that there were no casualties from the overnight attack on the Chonhar bridge that connects the peninsula to the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. The Russia-backed governor of occupied Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, was direct in blaming Ukraine. Videos and photographs verified by The New York Times show damage to both bridges that run across the Chonhar Strait between Crimea and the Kherson region. The main road bridge has a hole, and the surface of the smaller bridge that runs alongside it also appears damaged.

Persons: Vladimir Saldo, Sergei Aksyonov, ”, Haley Willis Organizations: ., Reuters, The New York Times Locations: Russian, Ukraine’s Kherson, Kherson, Reuters Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Crimean, Russia, Britain, Chonhar

☆ Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been brutal and slow. But Kyiv has many cards left to play
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And this is likely why we are seeing a slow – and at times incremental – start to this first phase of open operations. It has also been grueling, with Ukrainian losses reported around Mala Tokmachka, and now intense fighting near Pyatykhatky. Some estimates suggest only a quarter of Ukraine’s fresh units, bolstered by NATO training and supplies, are now in the fight. Ukrainian forces firing an S60 anti-aircraft canon placed on a truck on Juune 19, 2023. Kyiv needs to cement a change in the frontlines to validate the huge investment in its forces made by NATO.

Persons: –, Wojciech Grzedzinski, Rykove, recalibrations, Vladimir Putin, Velyka, Blahodatne, Brigade perilously, Igor Strelkov, Melitopol –, Kreminna, Ukraine’s, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Zalyuzhnyi, gridlock Organizations: CNN, 73rd Naval Special Operations Center, NATO, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Moscow, Kyiv, Brigade, Donetsk People’s Republic Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Rykove, Kherson, Bakhmut, Crimea, Russia, Kyiv, Moscow, Volnovakha, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Orikhiv, Mala Tokmachka, Pyatykhatky, Donetsk, Zherebyanki, Kamyanske, Dnipro, Melitopol, Azov, Kupyansk, Kharkiv, Russian

☆ Ukraine's 'Iron General' was spotted on video rocking an unusual Baby Yoda patch, and it's not immediately clear why
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's military shared a video this week of Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi engaged in war efforts. A mysterious Baby Yoda patch could be spotted on his uniform, and its not exactly clear why. Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces published a video on Monday showing Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, sporting a Baby Yoda patch in the center of his uniform as he discusses details on the war with other top officials. The new video includes scenes of Zaluzhnyi hovering over blurred-out information and walking alongside individuals whose faces have been censored. "Retweet if spotted Mr. Baby Yoda."

Persons: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, —, Serhiy Shaptala, Zaluzhnyi, Baby Yoda, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukraine's, Staff of, Armed Forces, Armed Forces of, Twitter, Ukraine's General Staff, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Kyiv's, Staff, Facebook Locations: Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine, Moscow, Kherson

A Russian-installed official said on Sunday that Ukraine had taken control of the village, Piatykhatky, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had not only retaken Piatykhatky but had advanced by up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square km (44 square miles) of land. The reported capture of the villages reflects incremental gains for Ukraine that highlight the challenge of breaking through lines Moscow has spent months strengthening. Russia says it invaded Ukraine to "denazify" it, an argument Ukraine and its Western allies call a pretext for a land grab. While Ukraine conducts what Western governments and analysts say are probing attacks to test Russian forces, officials from two NATO member states said Moscow is redeploying some of its forces as it seeks to predict where Ukraine will strike.

Persons: Ukraine Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Piatykhatky, Maliar, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Rogov, Margo Grosberg, Michael Kofman, Denise Brown, Dan Peleschuk, Lidia Kelly, Wendell Roelf, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, NATO, Russia, Western, Estonian Defense Forces, Twitter, Russia's Defence Ministry, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, French, KYIV, Russian, Piatykhatky, Moscow, Ukrainian, Novodonetske, Donetsk, Sweden, Estonian, Dnipro, Estonia, U.S, Great Salt, Kherson region, Kyiv, West

Search resuls for: "Kherson Region"

25 mentions found