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☆ Transformers, air defences needed, Ukraine tells visiting ministers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Foreign ministers of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, Lithuania's Gabrielius Landsbergis, Iceland's Thordis Gylfadottir and Sweden's Tobias Billstrom attend a joint news conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/PoolKYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told a gathering of seven Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers on Monday that his country needed transformers and improved air defences to stave off Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure. Kuleba was flanked by officials from Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden ahead of a meeting of NATO military alliance foreign ministers in Bucharest on Tuesday and Wednesday. And we need air defence that will allow us to shoot down Russian missiles targeting our infrastructure." The ministers issued a joint statement after their talks calling for efforts to improve Ukrainian air defences.

☆ Russian troops are building new defensive positions nearly 40 miles behind current front lines, a sign they're planning for more retreats, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian troops are making new defensive positions miles behind the front lines, the UK said Friday. British intelligence said that these new positions suggest the Russian military is planning for more retreats. Ukrainian troops last week entered the southern city of Kherson after Russian President Vladimir Putin's defense chief ordered a retreat across the Dnipro (also called Dnieper) River. A Ukrainian tank is seen as Ukrainian Armed Forces' military mobility continue toward Kherson front in Ukraine on November 9, 2022. According to a recent assessment by the Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces have continued to attack Bakhmut, though Ukrainian forces have so far managed to repel the assaults.

☆ 3 men were just given life sentences over the downing of passenger jet MH17 and the murder of 298 people, but they may never be caught
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Dutch court sentenced three men to life in prison over the downing of passenger jet MH17 in 2014. The plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made missile, and nearly 300 people were killed. Two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist were convicted, but they're fugitives. Given that the convicted are currently fugitives, the three men may never be apprehended and serve their time in prison, the report said. The missile was provided by Russia's military to pro-Moscow separatist forces, the Dutch court confirmed.

☆ Ukraine's over-the-top response to a fatal missile explosion in Poland could hurt its credibility at a crucial moment in the war
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine rushed to claim the incident was a deliberate Russian attack, while the US and others urged caution. On Tuesday, Zelenskky called the strike in Poland a Russian "attack on collective security." And in a Wednesday morning speech, he called the incident a Russian "missile attack" and said separately that Polish citizens were killed because of "Russian missile terror." "Ukrainian forces, countering a massive Russian attack, launched their missiles yesterday to shoot down Russian missiles. Kyiv's forces have executed successful counteroffensives in the northeast and south, and they recently captured Kherson — an early Russian war win which had been under Russian occupation for most of the war.

Russia launched an intense wave of airstrikes on cities across Ukraine on Tuesday, forcing widespread blackouts and hitting residential buildings in the capital, Kyiv. The barrage targeted key cities from Lviv in the west to Kharkiv in the northeast, pounding energy infrastructure and knocking out power to vast areas in one of the largest coordinated attacks of the war. "85 missile strikes were fired at Ukraine, at our cities, mostly at energy infrastructure. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the strikes should put an end to pressure for peace talks with Russia. While the retaking of Kherson sparked jubilation in Ukraine, officials have cautioned that the conflict is far from over and that Putin could retaliate for the humiliation of his forces' retreat in the south.

[1/4] Firefighters work to put out a fire in a residential building hit by a Russian strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb GaranichKYIV, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Russia pounded cities and energy facilities across Ukraine in a new wave of missile strikes on Tuesday as leaders of the Group of 20 nations met in Bali for a summit dominated by Russia's war on Ukraine. "Russia responds to @Zelenskiy's powerful speech at #G20 with a new missile attack. But at the end of the day, terrorists always lose," Andriy Yermak, chief of the presidential staff, wrote on Twitter. Reporting by Max Hunder, Pavel Polityuk and Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Donetsk battles are 'hell', Ukraine's Zelenskiy says as Kherson mops up
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/3] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a joint news conference with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (not seen), as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 31, 2022. Ukraine's success in Kherson, where its troops now control more than 60 regional settlements, as well as in other places, benefited partly from resistance in the Donetsk region, despite repeated Russian attacks, Zelenskiy added. "There it is just hell - there are extremely fierce battles there every day," he said. In a telephone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi emphasised "further enhancing cooperation in the political, trade and economic fields, including the transport and logistics sector," the Kremlin said on Saturday. The visit followed accusations by Ukraine and the West that Russia has used Iranian drones to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

☆ Biden in Cambodia as global leaders join Southeast Asian summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden is greeted upon his arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport to attend the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 12, 2022. Cambodia is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) annual summit and a parallel East Asian Summit, with the regional bloc engaging with a host of leaders. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met ASEAN leaders on Friday. "President Trump didn't attend a single East Asian Summit during four years in office," said Greg Poling, head of the Southeast Asia programme at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies. ASEAN leaders on Friday issued a "warning" to Myanmar to make measurable progress on a peace plan or risk being barred from the bloc's meetings, as social and political chaos escalates in the country.

☆ Factbox: G20 summit: Which leaders will attend Bali summit?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It will also mark the first face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping since Biden became president. CHINA'S PRESIDENT XI JINPINGXi's visit to Southeast Asia will be only his second foreign trip since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY (VIRTUAL)Indonesia invited Zelenskiy to attend the summit as an obsever, although the Indonesian foreign ministry has said he will appear at the summit virtually. INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODIModi is due to symbolically take over the G20 presidency from current chair Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali. He also committed to work closely with the Indonesian president to help deliver a successful summit.

☆ Ukraine will make decision on any negotiations with Russia - Blinken
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine would decide on the timing and contents of any negotiation framework with Russia, according to a readout of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Phnom Penh on Saturday. Blinken also discussed the United States' unwavering commitment to assist Ukraine in mitigating the effects of Russia's attacks on critical infrastructure as winter approaches, including accelerated humanitarian aid. "Secretary (Blinken) reiterated that the timing and contents of any negotiation framework remains Ukraine's decision," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. During Saturday's meeting, Blinken and Kuleba reaffirmed the importance of renewing an agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea, before it expires next Saturday. According to the United Nations, 10 million tonnes of grain and other foods have been exported from Ukraine under the Black Sea initiative agreed in July, helping to stave off a global food crisis.

☆ Biden says U.S.-ASEAN pact to address 'biggest issues of our time'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 12, 2022. In his first visit to Southeast Asia as president, Biden said the region was at the heart of his administration's Indo-Pacific strategy and Washington was committing resources, not just rhetoric, under a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. ASEAN is engaging a host of leaders, including Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. At the gatherings, Biden will focus on the Indo-Pacific region and talk about U.S. commitment to a rules-based order in the South China Sea, a senior administration official said earlier this week. Biden on Saturday said the meetings would discuss Russia's "brutal" war against Ukraine and U.S. efforts to address the war's global impact.

☆ Ukraine works to stabilize Kherson after Russian pullout
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In a regular social media update Saturday, the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said Russian forces were fortifying their battle lines on the river’s eastern bank after abandoning the capital. About 70% of the Kherson region remains under Russian control. A view of the Ukrainian flag in front of a damaged settlement in Potemkin village which is recently retaken from Russian Forces, Kherson Oblast, Kherson, Ukraine on November 10, 2022. Despite the advances in Kherson, other parts of Ukraine continued to face civilian casualties, energy shortages and other fallout from Russian military attacks and Putin’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukrainian Armed Forces continuing their move toward the Kherson front in Ukraine on Nov. 9, 2022.

☆ Ukraine minister urges ASEAN to stop Russian 'hunger games'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PHNOM PENH, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine's foreign minister on Saturday urged Southeast Asian countries to take all measures possible to stop Russia from playing "hunger games" over a Ukrainian Black Sea grain deal, which could expire next week. "I call on all ASEAN members to take every method possible to stop Russia from playing hunger games with the world." The United Nations says more than 10 million tonnes of grain and other food has been exported from Ukraine under the deal. Ukraine is joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and a parallel East Asian Summit for the first time. "Sitting down at a table for a nice picture, we've been there, we've done it, we've tried."

☆ Zelenskyy hails UN nuclear investigation result; UK says Russia likely shooting retreating soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency after it wrapped up its inspection of three nuclear power facilities in Ukraine and found no evidence of undeclared nuclear material or activities. The inspection, which was prompted by Kyiv inviting IAEA officials to its facilities, was welcome news after Moscow accused Ukraine of building a so-called radioactive "dirty bomb" to use on its own territory. The results of the inspection confirmed Russia's "status of the world's top liar," Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet. Meanwhile, Russian missiles hit populated areas of Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia, the region's governor said, although no casualties were reported. Accounts of this have been shared in independent Russian media outlets.

☆ Russia rains missiles on Kyiv, other cities after pulling out of grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Instead of fighting on the battlefield, Russia fights civilians,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. “Don’t justify these attacks by calling them a ‘response.’ Russia does this because it still has the missiles and the will to kill Ukrainians.”Foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said missiles had hit energy infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities, causing electricity and water outages. Russia and Ukraine are both among the world’s biggest food exporters, and a Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain shipments caused a global food crisis earlier this year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of “blackmailing the world with hunger” by pulling out of the food export deal negotiated by the United Nations and Turkey. The United Nations said it had agreed with Turkey and Ukraine on a transit plan for Monday for 16 ships to move Black Sea grain — 12 outbound and four inbound.

☆ Wheat prices jump by nearly 6% after Russia withdraws from vital Ukrainian export deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesGlobal wheat prices rose sharply Monday following Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain export deal over the weekend. The increases come after Russia announced Saturday that it was suspending its involvement in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed vital agricultural products to be exported from several Ukrainian ports. Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of starting to sabotage the grain deal in September. Antonov told Russian media on Saturday that Kyiv's "reckless actions" had caused Moscow to suspend implementation of the grain deal. Many of the grain ships that left Ukraine in recent months, under the grain deal, were bound for both European and African ports.

Feb 24, on Saturday halted its role in the Black Sea deal for an "indefinite term", cutting shipments from one of the world's top grain exporters, because it said it could not "guarantee safety of civilian ships" travelling under the pact after an attack on its Black Sea fleet. During Sunday's session among the grain deal delegations, Russian officials said Moscow will continue the dialogue with the United Nations and the Turkish delegation on pressing issues, the U.N. said in its statement. FALSE PRETEXT'The Russian defence ministry said Ukraine attacked the Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol with 16 drones early and that British navy "specialists" had helped coordinate what it called a terrorist attack. Russia said it repelled the attack but that the ships targeted were involved in ensuring the grain corridor out of Ukraine's Black Sea ports. SHIPS BLOCKEDThe grain deal had restarted shipments from Ukraine, allowing sales on world markets, targeting the pre-war level of 5 million metric tonnes exported from Ukraine each month.

President Joe Biden was among several world leaders to send his condolences to South Korea after at least 153 people were killed and 82 injured during Halloween festivities in a popular nightlife district, in the capital Seoul. Xi added that he hoped South Korea “will make every effort to cure and deal with the aftermath,” Xinhua reported. “I am devastated by news of the terrible incident in connection with Halloween celebrations in Seoul,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on Twitter that he was deeply shocked by the “tragic events in #Seoul” and added that “This is a sad day for South Korea. "My heart goes out to those who lost their loved ones and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured.

☆ EU urges Russia to revoke Ukraine Black Sea grain deal suspension
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A view shows silos of grain from Odesa Black Sea port, before a shipment of grain as the government of Ukraine awaits signal from UN and Turkey to start grain shipments, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine July 29, 2022. Russia said it had repelled the attack but that the ships targeted were involved in ensuring the grain corridor out of Ukraine's Black Sea ports. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff accused Russia on Saturday of inventing attacks on its own facilities. Kyiv often accuses Russia of using the Black Sea Fleet to fire cruise missiles at Ukrainian civilian targets, a charge supported by some military analysts, who say that makes the fleet a legitimate military target. Zelenskyy called for a strong response from the United Nations and Group of 20 (G-20) major economies to what he called Russia's nonsensical move on the grain deal.

☆ Russia halts participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the UN-backed deal that reopened Ukraine’s ports to feed countries around the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul, Turkey August 3, 2022. WASHINGTON – Moscow suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement brokered earlier this year that reopened Ukrainian ports for agricultural product export. Russia also said British operators helped Ukraine's military carry out the predawn attack, adding that at least 15 drones were involved. "We have warned of Russia's plans to ruin the Black Sea Grain Initiative," Kuleba wrote in a tweet. "I call on all states to demand Russia to stop its hunger games and recommit to its obligations."

☆ Russia halts Ukraine Black Sea grain exports, citing attack on Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

in the sea port in Odesa after restarting grain export, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, Ukraine August 19, 2022. Russia said the step, which will cut Ukrainian grain exports from its crucial Black Sea ports, was taken due to the drone attack and the participation of British specialists. 'HUNGER GAMES'Since Russia and Ukraine signed the U.N.-backed Black Sea Grain Initiative in Turkey on July 22, more than 9 million tonnes of corn, wheat, sunflower products, barley, rapeseed and soya have been exported from Ukraine. But ahead of the Nov. 19 expiry of the grain deal, which allows Ukrainian Black Sea grain exports, Russia has repeatedly said that there are serious problems with it. Russia will officially notify U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres shortly of its suspension of the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal, Russia's Deputy U.N.

ISTANBUL, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it was pulling out of a deal aimed at unlocking Ukrainian grain and fertiliser exports from Black Sea ports and easing global food shortages. TIME FRAMEThe deal signed on July 22 was valid for 120 days and the United Nations expected it to be renewed unless the war had ended by then. Under the deal, Ukrainian pilots guide the ships along safe channels in its territorial waters, with a minesweeper vessel on hand but no military escorts. Monitored by the JCC, the ships then transit the Black Sea to Turkey's Bosphorus strait and off to world markets. He added the deal had been successful in bringing food prices down and boosting export quantities.

☆ Investigators found Western parts in the Iranian drones Russia has been using to wage war in Ukraine and terrorize its cities
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian forces have recently been using Iranian-made suicide drones to terrorize Ukrainian cities. Investigators inspecting downed drones have found US and European parts inside of them, The Wall Street Journal reported. Both Russia and Iran have denied the use of such weapons, despite evidence from the West. Iranian-made drones used by Russian forces include the Shahed-136, Shahed-129, Shahed-191, and Qods Mohajer-6. Both Russia and Iran have denied the use of Shahed-136 drones in Ukraine, despite accusations and evidence from Western governments and their intelligence agencies.

☆ Russia isn't backing off its 'dirty bomb' talk, with even Putin himself now peddling baseless claims Ukraine is going to set one off
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Putin himself baselessly accused Ukraine of preparing to detonate a dirty bomb. Putin joined Kremlin leadership in accusing Ukraine of preparing to detonate a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory, a claim Ukraine and the West have called "absurd." "There are also plans to use the so-called dirty bomb for provocations," Putin said during the conference, according to a Kremlin translation of the meeting. A dirty bomb is a radiological dispersal device that uses conventional explosives to spread radioactive material. Putin's remarks appear to be his first related to the dirty bomb claims, which other Russian officials have made — without citing any evidence — in recent days.

☆ Ukraine alleges Russian operatives are doing 'secret' work at a captured nuclear power plant and could make a dirty bomb
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine alleged Russian forces are doing "secret" work at a captured nuclear power plant. The country's state nuclear operator said the unauthorized activity could yield a dirty bomb. Energoatom, Ukraine's state energy operator, alleged Russian operatives have been carrying out "unauthorized construction works" over the last few days at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant's Dry Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility, where spent nuclear fuel is kept. "Russian lies about Ukraine allegedly planning to use a 'dirty bomb' are as absurd as they are dangerous. "Russia's statements about the creation of a [dirty nuclear bomb] may indicate that [Russia] is preparing an act of nuclear terrorism," Energoatom said.

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