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☆ Putin's Victory Day speech was as extreme as ever, claiming a 'real war' was being waged against Russia, even as his military had a measly showing at the celebration
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Vladimir Putin said the West was waging a "real war" against Russia in his Victory Day speech. Victory Day is celebrated on May 9 every year in Russia to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Germany in World War II. Leading up to Victory Day, officials in several Russian cities canceled their parades. "He almost acts as if the world is no different than it was in World War II," Norris explained. He also said Ukraine would replace Russia's Victory Day with a new holiday to be celebrated annually on May 9 — Europe Day.

☆ Exclusive: Biden to sign defence pact in Papua New Guinea, with eyes on China
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Washington is seeking to deter Pacific island nations, which span 40 million kilometres of ocean, from security ties with China, a rising concern amid tensions over Taiwan. Biden will visit PNG capital Port Moresby on May 22 on his way to a summit of the Quad countries - the United States, Japan, India and Australia - in Sydney, the White House has confirmed. There he will meet 18 Pacific island leaders. Biden's meeting in person with Pacific leaders is seen in the region as a major step in restoring trust. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was told by Pacific leaders in Fiji last year: "We have felt at times, to borrow an American term, like a flyover country.

☆ A Ukrainian donation drive built an 'Army of Drones' and picked up an unusual system called a 'Shahed Hunter' for Kyiv's forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It has used the funds to purchase thousands of UAVs, and systems to hunt Russian drones. The Shahed Hunter system is a network of radars and signal jammers that can detect Russian drones from around 25 miles away, Fedorov said. It's unclear where, exactly, the Shahed Hunter systems have been used or how many times they have been deployed. But Fedorov noted that Ukraine needs more of the systems to defend against continuous waves of Russian drone attacks. On Sunday night alone, Ukraine's air defense systems shot down 35 drones — 30 of which targeted Kyiv, according to the country's defense ministry.

CNN —Russian-appointed authorities in Crimea reported on Sunday that their air defense forces and electronic warfare units had fended off at least three Ukranian drone attacks in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol. The Russian-back governor of the city, Mikhail Razvozhaev said that “more than ten drones” were sent to Crimea and Sevastopol overnight. “The air defense forces and electronic warfare units prevented another attack on Sevastopol,” he said in a statement shared on Telegram. An important port and a major naval base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol city has been the site of multiple suspected Ukrainian attacks. Last week saw reports of a suspected drone strike which sparked a huge fire at a fuel storage facility in Sevastopol.

☆ Opinion: For women, it’s past time to give up the ghost of equality
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Opinion Marcie Bianco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which states that equal rights under the law cannot be denied on account of sex, has been in a perpetual state of limbo for 100 years. And worldwide, those dreaming of gender equality will have to wait another 300 years, according to the latest United Nations estimates. Arguably, billionaires will land on Mars before we achieve gender equality. With odds like those, it’s well worth asking: What does “achieve gender equality” even mean? It’s past time to give up the ghost of equality and pursue a goal that has hope of transforming women’s lives for the better: freedom.

☆ Ukraine stages raids across Dnipro River as counteroffensive looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 25 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces based on the western side of the River Dnipro are frequently carrying out raids on the eastern bank near the city of Kherson to try to dislodge Russian troops, a regional official said on Tuesday. Yuriy Sobolevskiy, deputy head of the Kherson regional administration, said the raids were intended to reduce the combat capability of Russian troops who have been shelling Kherson city since being forced to retreat. "Our military visit the left (eastern) bank very often, conducting raids. Russia seized the Kherson region soon after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine 14 months ago, and has continued since then to hold all of the region's territory east the Dnipro. Retaking all the Kherson region would be an important step towards achieving this goal.

☆ Ukraine will 'test and use' any non-banned weapons to retake Crimea: official
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, April 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine will "test and use" any non-banned weapons to liberate its territory, including Russian-occupied Crimea, the head of its National Security and Defence Council said on Friday. Oleksiy Danilov's comment comes with Kyiv expected to mount a counteroffensive in the coming weeks or months aimed at retaking Russian-held territory in the south and east. "Crimea is the territory of Ukraine, and we will test and use there any weapons not prohibited by international laws, that will help liberate our territories," he tweeted. Kyiv's Western partners have provided crucial military support, including modern battle tanks and armoured vehicles, since Russia's full-scale invasion last year. But they have stopped short of providing heavier weapons, such as F-16 fighter jets, which Ukraine has asked for.

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared Iftar with Ukrainian Muslim soldiers observing Ramadan on Friday, in what he said would become an annual “new tradition of respect.”Iftar is the meal breaking the daily fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Addressing participants at the dinner which included leaders of the Mejlis, the single highest executive-representative body of the Crimean Tatars, and representatives of the Muslim clergy, Zelensky thanked the Muslim community. Zelensky has repeatedly vowed to liberate Crimea, which he says remains “part of Ukrainian people and society. “Russia’s attempt to enslave Ukraine and other people of Europe began precisely from the occupation of the Ukrainian Crimea, precisely from repressions in the Crimea against Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar freedom, against Crimean Muslims,” Zelensky said. “The liberation of Crimea has no alternatives not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole world.”

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Iftar, Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN Locations: Crimean Tatars, Ukraine, Crimea, Moscow, Europe, Ukrainian Crimea, Crimean, Crimean Muslims

☆ Ukraine is training 40,000 'storm brigade' troops to strengthen the planned counter-offensive against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is training eight new 'storm brigades' totaling 40,000 soldiers, according to Reuters. New soldiers are being trained in target practice, flying drones, and rescuing injured soldiers. As Russia continues its attacks in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv has bolstered its recruiting campaigns in order to attract new volunteers. Recruits of the Steel Border storm brigade practice launching drones, at the unit's base in central Ukraine March 24, 2023. More than a year into Russia's invasion of the country, a counter-offensive operation is considered crucial for Ukraine.

Border of Steel is one of eight new storm brigades totalling 40,000 soldiers that Ukraine wants to use during a counter-offensive against Russian occupiers in coming weeks or months. Ukraine beat back Russian forces from Kyiv last year before liberating swathes of the northeast and of the southern Kherson region. But Russian forces still occupy tracts of the east, the strategically important south and the Crimean peninsula. "For them, the objective is to liberate Ukraine," Klymenko said of the recruits during an interview in Kyiv. He gave no clues as to when or where Ukraine would launch its counter-offensive.

☆ Ukraine Says Bakhmut Tactics Will Give It Advantages Elsewhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Ian Lovett | Thomas Grove | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine’s efforts to exhaust and deplete Russian forces in the eastern city of Bakhmut will help it reclaim other territory in the country, a Ukrainian commander in the area said. “Our main task is to wear down the overwhelming forces of the enemy and inflict heavy losses on them,” Ukrainian Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy wrote on Telegram below a video in which he delivered a similar message to troops. “It will create the necessary conditions to help liberate Ukrainian land and speed up our victory.”

☆ Ukraine aims to exhaust Russian troops in Bakhmut - general
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

93rd Mechanized Brigade "Kholodny Yar" via REUTERSKYIV, March 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine is aiming to exhaust and inflict heavy losses on Russian forces trying to capture the small eastern city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said in a video posted on Tuesday. Moscow sees capturing Bakhmut as vital to its efforts to establish complete control over the Donbas industrial region in eastern Ukraine. Syrskyi has been meeting troops near the frontline as Ukraine prepares for a possible counter-offensive after 13 months of war. His remarks again underlined Ukraine's desire to hold on to Bakhmut rather than pull back to limit casualties. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has also visited troops in the east, south and southeast Ukraine this month.

☆ No signs Ukraine is withdrawing troops from Bakhmut - Russian-installed official
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 16 (Reuters) - The situation for Russian forces trying to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is "difficult", because there are no signs Kyiv is ready to order a withdrawal of its troops, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine's Donetsk region said on Thursday. "The situation in Artyomovsk remains complex and difficult," Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of Ukraine's Donetsk region, said in an interview on state TV on Thursday. "That is, we do not see that there is any premise that the enemy is going to simply withdraw units," he added. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin has said his forces are in control of practically half the city and only one exit road remains available to Ukraine. Reporting by Caleb Davis; Writing by Jake Cordell; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kremlin says its goals in Ukraine can only be achieved by military force
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Kyiv's position means Russia's goals in Ukraine can only be achieved by military force, Russian state news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. Right now this is only possible by military means due to the current position of the Kyiv regime," Peskov said. Russia claims it is fighting in Ukraine to "liberate" Russian speakers in the eastern Donbas from what it has called a neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv. Ukraine and the West say this is a baseless pretext put forward to justify a war of aggression and Moscow's attempts to seize swathes of Ukrainian land. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Silicon Valley Bank's spectacular implosion shows how digital banking can decimate a lender in 24 hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Silicon Valley Bank's rapid implosion showed how bank runs can go at warp speed in the digital age. But while digital banking meant SVB's collapse accelerated to warp speed, its foundations had been left shaky. Digital banking, and the expectation of instantaneous transactions, is now the norm for the internet generation. Bianco said SVB's collapse should "scare the hell" out of bankers and regulators worldwide. Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, an independent financial adviser, said SVB's collapse had brought Trump-era deregulation into question.

☆ How weapons from Western allies are strengthening Ukraine's defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +15 min

In the months after, artillery ammunition came, then Western artillery and vehicles. Ground-Launched Small Diameter BombAdd a description of the graphic for screen readers. Add a description of the graphic for screen readers. Although it uses a NATO-standard calibre for its main gun--120mm--the Challenger 2's barrel is rifled, unlike the smoothbore weapons used in other Western tanks. Air defense Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, including power plants and residential buildings, have come under increasing attack from Russian missiles and one-way drones, often launched from outside Ukraine's territory.

☆ Pro-Ukraine group sabotaged pipelines, intelligence suggests, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

On the battlefield, Ukraine's forces continued to fight for the eastern city of Bakhmut on Tuesday despite Russian troops and mercenaries nearly encircling them. "Without a doubt, Ukraine is absolutely not involved in the excesses on the pipelines," presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said in a statement. Several towns and villages near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region came under Russian shellfire, including Dubovo-Vasylivka, Ivanivske, Dyliivka and Bohdanivka, the statement said. Other provinces of Ukraine were attacked by Russian troops on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said, including in central Zaporizhzhia region. That narrative is rejected by Kyiv and the West, which say Ukraine is fighting for survival against a Russian imperial land grab.

☆ President Biden Discusses Ukraine Strategy With Germany’s Olaf Scholz
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Ken Thomas | Bojan Pancevski | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on Friday. WASHINGTON—President Biden held talks Friday at the White House with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany about the war in Ukraine, conferring ahead of an expected counteroffensive that Western leaders hope will help Kyiv liberate more territory occupied by Russia. Mr. Biden, seated with Mr. Scholz in the Oval Office, thanked the German leader at the start of the meeting for providing both military and moral support to Ukraine in the allied response to the Russian invasion. “Together we worked in lockstep to supply critical security assistance to Ukraine,” Mr. Biden said.

☆ Russia used drones to attack civilians, including a child, waiting for aid in a line outside a school, Ukrainian officials allege
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia used drones to attack civilians, including children, waiting for aid, Ukraine officials say. The attack reportedly happened in the Kherson region. The incident is the latest reported Russian attack on Ukrainian civilians during the year-long brutal war. According to Ukrinform, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office released a statement accusing Russian drones of attacking a group of civilians who were waiting for help outside a school. Russian officials announced a full retreat from Kherson in November 2022.

☆ Kremlin: Russia open to Ukraine talks, but won't give up annexed regions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia would never renounce its claims to four Ukrainian regions that Moscow declared it had annexed last year following referendums that Kyiv and the West slammed as bogus and illegal. Russia proclaimed it had annexed the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions last September in a grand ceremony in Moscow. Peskov said Russia was open to negotiations if Kyiv accepted Moscow's control over the regions. Ukraine says Russian troops must leave every inch of its territory including the four annexed regions and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow unilaterally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, before a peace plan can be discussed.

☆ Ukrainian troops equipped with devastating HIMARS are waiting for US targeting data before firing on Russian forces, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Chris Panella | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian troops usually won't fire their HIMARS without targeting data from the US, officials said. The US-provided HIMARS have been a key weapon for Ukrainian forces throughout the war. According to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke to the Post, the targeting process often involves Ukrainian forces identifying a Russian target, requesting more accurate coordinates from US partners, and then waiting to receive said coordinates. In one particular noteworthy incident from earlier this year, Ukrainian troops used their HIMARS to carry out a deadly strike on Russian positions in the eastern occupied city of Makiivka. The attack left scores of Russian troops dead and triggered widespread criticism of Moscow's military leadership.

☆ Shopify is trying to lure sellers away from Amazon by promising seamless shipping and VIP access on container ships
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Shopify rolled out the latest iteration of its e-commerce logistics service Thursday. Shopify Logistics is a "port to porch" logistics service for even the smallest merchants. Flexport will allow Shopify merchants to get "front of the line access," to space on container ships they'd struggle to get otherwise, Brown said. Shopify rolled the badge, a direct competitor to Amazon's Prime shipping program and its newer "Buy with Prime" feature, out last year and expanded it to all Shopify sellers Thursday. A lot of e-commerce businesses with good products "flame out" because they simply can't hack the operations, Sauceda said.

☆ An elite Russian tank force that's been repeatedly beaten on the battlefield appears ready to try its luck again
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

After training in Belarus, an elite Russian tank force is back in eastern Ukraine to fight again. The 1st Guards Tank Army has repeatedly been beaten in battle and has suffered heavy lossesThis move comes ahead of an expected Russian offensive in the near future. This tank army consists of several powerful divisions, including the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division (GMRD), which had been deployed to Russian ally Belarus for training over the last few months. Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by the Ukrainian forces on the side of a road in Luhansk region on February 26, 2022. Ukrainian and Western officials have warned recently that a possible Russian offensive is looming in the near future.

☆ India's Gandhi ends 135-day march to revive Congress party in snowy Kashmir
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Fayaz Bukhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"All secular parties must come together to liberate the country from BJP," D. Raja, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, said at the rally. Several other opposition leaders failed to make it to the rally because flights into Srinagar's airport were cancelled due to the heavy snow. The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has controlled the Congress party for decades but has also overseen its recent decline. Rahul Gandhi resigned as Congress president after the last election. "I am not from the Congress party but want to support the cause Gandhi stands for," Ahmad said.

☆ Crimea is shaping up to be the battleground that will decide the Russia-Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Crimea is poised to be the next big battlefield, and one that could decide the Ukraine war. "The decisive terrain for this war is Crimea," Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, told Insider. Ukraine will "never be safe or secure" if Russia retains control of Crimea, Hodges siad. The fight to retake Crimea could be extremely bloody, in a war that's already led to massive casualties for both sides. President of UkraineUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to expel Russian forces out of all occupied territory, including Crimea.

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