DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine was behind what it described as a “terrorist attack” and that all eight were intercepted. Several buildings in Moscow were damaged, and some residents were evacuated early Tuesday, the city’s mayor said. At least two of the drones crashed into residential towers, Russian state media reported, citing state emergency services. It was the 17th assault on the city this month, a spate of attacks that has taken a toll on residents. On Monday, Kyiv was targeted with 11 ballistic missiles shortly after 11 a.m.

☆ Drone attacks that shook Moscow showed Russians they can no longer trust Putin to protect them, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Drones hit residential buildings in Moscow for the first time in its war with Ukraine. An expert said it "brought the war to the streets" for Russians and may shake their faith in Putin. People shelter inside a subway station during an air raid alert, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 29, 2023. Other recent attacks on Russian soil — which Ukraine has also said were not its responsibility — have been closer to Ukrainian territory. Moscow is the capital of Russia, which perceives itself as a great country, rightly or wrongly."

☆ Ukraine's defense ministry says its Storm Shadow long-range missiles have hit 100% of their targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's defense ministry tweeted that its Storm Shadow missiles have hit "100%" of their targets. However, Russia also claims it's intercepted two of the Storm Shadow missiles, per Reuters. "Storm Shadow long-range missiles have hit 100% of the targets identified by the General Staff," the ministry tweeted on Sunday, attributing the information to Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. The Storm Shadow missiles have a range of over 155 miles, per MBDA, a European missiles developer and manufacturer. Ukraine's defense ministry did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ Russia's brash invasion plan for Ukraine wasted special-operations units on missions they weren't meant to do
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russia's invasion also struggled because of flaws in its planning for the operation. "The lack of effective line infantry units caused Spetsnaz units to be deployed mostly as light infantry, which also led to a high level of casualties among these units. It details not only structural flaws but also the tactical misuse of Russian special forces during the invasion itself. When the airborne assault on Kyiv failed and the tank columns stalled, the special forces were left adrift. Russian commanders then sent Spetsnaz units in to operate like light infantry, which increased their casualties and left fewer Spetsnaz units available for their designated missions.

☆ Russia is fortifying its 600-mile front line with anti-tank ditches, mazes of trenches, 'dragon's teeth' barricades, and minefields, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Satellite images show the scale of Russia's new defenses as Ukraine preps for a counteroffensive. Russia has constructed miles of trenches, rows of concrete "dragon's teeth," and minefields. Much of the defense focuses on Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, which Ukraine wants back. Military analysts told the Financial Times that Russia's defenses won't be enough to stop Ukraine moving forward, but will likely slow down its efforts. And it has also done so along the northern border of Luhansk province in eastern Ukraine, the Financial Times said.

☆ Russia and China hit back at a G7 that saw them as a threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Moscow and Beijing lashed out against the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, where leaders of major democracies pledged new measures targeting Russia and spoke in one voice on their growing concerns over China. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday slammed the G7 for indulging in their “own greatness” with an agenda that aimed to “deter” Russia and China. G7 member countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Concern about such incidents was reflected in the G7 statement on ensuring economic security and countering economic coercion, which did not explicitly mention China. “The bottom line is that the G7 has shown it will increasingly focus on China and will try to maintain a coordinated policy approach.

Walking away, President Joe Biden wrapped his arm around Zelensky’s shoulders. None of the G7 leaders are particularly popular at home, even as they produce results abroad. After all, it was Trump who had argued over dinner at the 2019 G7 summit in Biarritz, France, that Russia should be allowed back into the group. That level of chaos was nowhere to be found in Hiroshima this past week, when leaders appeared to generally like each other. Even before Biden left for the G7 summit, the stalemate over raising the federal borrowing limit prompted a scramble to rearrange the president’s engagements so he could return to Washington early.

☆ G7 Summit: Talks culminate Sunday with Zelensky making in-person appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hiroshima, Japan CNN —Group of Seven talks were set to culminate Sunday with a dramatic, in-person appeal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is pressing leaders gathered here to remain united against Russian aggression. Against the nuclear backdrop of Hiroshima, which was obliterated by an American atomic bomb in 1945 during World War II, Zelensky’s warnings of potential Russian escalation will carry significant weight. In a message as he landed, the Ukrainian leader hinted that potential peace talks might be up for discussion. Biden is also expected to unveil a new $375 million military aid package after world leaders hear from Zelensky, according to a person familiar with the matter. Earlier in the summit, G7 leaders agreed on a major new sanctions package aimed at tightening the noose on the Kremlin’s war machine.

☆ Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe's deadliest ground combat since World War Two. Ukraine's gains have been accompanied by a deepening public split within Russia's forces between Wagner, which has led the Bakhmut campaign, and the regular Russian military. The Russian defence ministry has acknowledged some withdrawals from positions near Bakhmut over the past week but denies Prigozhin's assertions that flanks are crumbling, or that it has withheld ammunition from Wagner. "Using the principle of active defence, we resort to counteroffensive actions in some directions near Bakhmut. Russia has also been experiencing attacks and explosions both in Ukrainian territory it controls and in Russian territory near the border.

☆ Li Hui: Beijing attempts to play peacemaker with planned trip by special envoy to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A source within the Ukrainian government told CNN earlier this week that a Chinese envoy would be in Kyiv Tuesday and Wednesday, though Ukraine has not released further details. Beijing’s ties with Moscow have been under close scrutiny over the past week as European officials discussed a recalibration of the bloc’s China strategy. On Monday ahead of Li’s expected arrival in Ukraine, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called for Ukraine’s peace plan to be the basis of efforts to resolve the conflict. It is therefore the one that should set out the core principles for a just peace,” she said in Brussels. Ukraine, the US and more than 100 nations have called for peace predicated on the unconditional withdrawal of Russia troops from Ukrainian territory.

☆ Ukrainian troops used 'wedding drones' and Google Maps to batter Russian forces during the war's chaotic early days, commanders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the days after Russia's invasion last year, Ukrainian forces need help targeting Russian troops. One Ukrainian artillery unit relied on help from Ukrainian civilians to guide their strikes. Ukrainian and Russian drones prowl the skies constantly, looking for enemy positions and movements, as well as for artillery batteries, supply depots, and command posts. SERGEY SHESTAK/AFP via Getty ImagesSometimes Ukrainian forces would get indications that Russian troops were in a village, but not their precise location. Ukrainian troops fire an 2S7 Pion howitzer at Russian positions near Bakhmut in March.

☆ Russia says Ukraine used Storm Shadow missiles from Britain to attack Luhansk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian ministry said the missiles had hit a plant producing polymers and a meat-processing factory in Luhansk on Friday. "Storm Shadow air-to-air missiles supplied to the Kyiv regime by Britain were used for the strike, contrary to London's statements that these weapons would not be used against civilian targets," the ministry said. It also said Russia had downed two Ukrainian warplanes - an Su-24 and a MiG-29 - that had launched the missiles. "The units of the Airborne Forces provided support to the assault units and pinned down the enemy on the flanks," it said. The ministry often uses the term "assault units" to denote the Wagner private militia, which has been spearheading the assault on Bakhmut at great cost in casualties.

☆ Dramatic video shows a Russian soldier being shot at by his own side as he tries to surrender to a drone, Ukrainian official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dramatic video footage shows a Russian soldier's surrender to a Ukrainian drone, Ukraine said. The "I Want to Live" hotline, which claims to receive thousands of calls a month, is an official project of Ukraine allowing Russian soldiers to pre-arrange to surrender once on Ukrainian territory. In the footage, the soldier can be seen making various signals to the drone indicating he doesn't want to fight, Matvienko said. The drone drops him a package containing a note which, per Matvienko, tells him to surrender and to follow it. The encounter, Matvienko said, is one example of how "Ukrainian soldiers find such creative ways to defeat Russians on the battlefield."

☆ Russia's army took just 6.8 square miles of Ukrainian territory in April, less than a 0.02% increase, US think tank says, as military losses mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia increased its Ukraine territory by 0.016% in April, the Institute for the Study of War told Insider. That's just 6.76 square miles, as its troop losses continue and Ukraine readies for a counterattack. Washington DC-based think tank Institute for the Study of War told Insider that Russia held just 6.76 square miles more Ukrainian territory on April 31 than it did in April 1, according to its mapping data. Russia saw territorial gains of 0.039% in February, the think tank previously told Insider, followed by 0.28% in March, the equivalent of 115.9 square miles. Ukraine's prime minister told Sky News last week that the offensive will start at the "proper time, when it will be absolutely ready."

☆ Russia launches new attack on Ukraine on Moscow's 'sacred' day
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The attack - the fifth in May - came a day after Russia launched its biggest drone swarm yet in a renewed air campaign unleashed 10 days ago after a lull since early March. "Overnight into the 'sacred' May 9, (they) launched an attack on the territory of Ukraine," Ukraine's air force said on its Telegram messaging app. But Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said he did not want to "spoil" Russia's Victory Day parade and would reveal more details later. Victory Day this year is even more emotionally charged as Russia mourns thousands of soldiers killed in the nearly 15-month war in Ukraine that shows no sign of ending. Putin has repeatedly likened the Ukraine war - which he casts as a battle against "Nazi"-inspired nationalists - to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Hitler invaded in 1941.

☆ Russia to hold Victory Day parade amid tight security after drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Gareth Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Russian service members march in columns before a rehearsal for a military parade, which marks the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow, Russia May 7, 2023. Russia is also reeling from drone attacks, including one on the Kremlin on May 3 which it said was an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Putin has repeatedly likened the Ukraine war - which he casts as a battle against "Nazi"-inspired nationalists - to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Hitler invaded in 1941. Kyiv says this is absurd and accuses Russia of behaving like Nazi Germany by waging an unprovoked war of aggression and seizing Ukrainian territory. However, reflecting increased security concerns caused partly by the drone attacks, authorities have cancelled the traditional flyover.

☆ Opinion: Vladimir Putin’s anxious time
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. He imagines a boy sitting “upon the high and giddy mast” of a ship tossed by wind and waves. “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” concludes the king in Shakespeare’s play. Russia said that President Vladimir Putin was the intended target of a foiled Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin, an allegation Ukraine denied. The unfortunate monarch who was the last to own the original St. Edward’s Crown, King Charles I, was convicted of treason and beheaded on January 30, 1649.

☆ 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.

☆ Opinion: Whatever happened in the skies over Putin’s fortress, one thing is certain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. (The following day, the Kremlin also accused the US of involvement in the alleged attack, which the US denies). What exactly happened over the presumably heavily fortified Kremlin – a word that means fortress in Russian – the seat of government and home to the president? Russia’s credibility, particularly concerning its war against Ukraine, has been crushed by its persistent lies. In the Immortal Regiment parade, hundreds of thousands of Russians take to the streets, many holding up photographs of their relatives who served the nation in World War II, the Great Patriotic War, as it is known there.

☆ Ukrainian farmer comes up with novel way to demine his fields
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Vitalii Hnidyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Vitalii HnidyiHRAKOVE, Ukraine, May 2 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian farmer has come up with a novel way to remove mines left in his fields after Russia's invasion -- he's kitted out his tractor with protective panels stripped from Russian tanks and operates it by remote control. After Russian forces were driven back from parts of eastern Ukraine by a Ukrainian counteroffensive last year, mines remained in many fields, making it perilous for farmers to sow grain for the next harvest. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said last week about 30% of Ukrainian territory had been mined by Russians and that the government was focused on de-mining agricultural land as quickly as possible. The amount of work is enormous," said Serhii Dudak, head of the demining unit now overseeing the tractor's work. "It would take years to demine this particular field by hand and to guarantee that there are no mines here."

☆ Russia Ramps Up Pressure on Civilians in Occupied Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russia is ramping up pressure on civilians in occupied parts of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, whose forces have stepped up their assaults behind enemy lines ahead of a widely expected counteroffensive. Anticipating the campaign, and still recovering from their costly and stumbling winter offensive, many Russian forces have shifted into defensive positions. Despite its staggering losses, Russia still controls a large swath of Ukrainian territory. The Russian authorities in occupied territory, wary of strikes by Ukrainian partisans and special forces, have imposed strict new measures on civilians. Most recently, they have “reinforced” counterintelligence units and are restricting travel between towns and villages, Ukraine’s military high command said Tuesday.

☆ Russia is building defenses deep inside its own territory, fearing a sweeping Ukrainian counterattack: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK officials on Monday noted extensive Russian defense far from the current front lines. Ukraine is preparing a counteroffensive, but it isn't clear that could invade Russia, or wants to. The UK Ministry of Defence posted an update on Twitter Monday morning, noting the presence of trench networks "well inside internationally recognised Russian territory including in the Belgorod and Kursk regions." The UK update noted that the defenses far from the front line might be more of a propaganda effort to harden the population's resolve by making them think the Ukrainian military could come close to their homes. The UK update noted that Russia has also been fortifying defensive lines inside occupied Ukrainian territory, much closer to the fighting.

☆ Head of Wagner mercenary group threatens to withdraw from Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The head of the Russian private military company Wagner has threatened to withdraw his mercenaries from the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut if they don’t receive more munitions to continue the fight. The pointed warnings for Russian defense officials, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, come as Bakhmut remains heavily contested. “I am appealing to Sergei Shoigu with a request to issue ammunition immediately. The mercenary leader has a track record of misleading statements and did not provide evidence for his statements. Prigozhin, whose forces have played a key role in Russian assaults on Ukrainian territory including Bakhmut, has often clashed with Putin’s generals and other defense officials in Moscow.

☆ Ukraine says it's wrapping up preparations for counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, April 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine is wrapping up preparations for a counteroffensive against Russian forces and is largely ready for it to go ahead, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday. He gave no date for when the counteroffensive would start but said: "Globally speaking, we are to a high percentage ready." Kyiv hopes its planned counteroffensive will change the dynamics of the war that has raged since Russia invaded Ukraine 14 months ago. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this week that Kyiv's foreign allies and partners had delivered almost all their promised combat vehicles to Ukraine. Reznikov said Ukraine had received a lot of modern equipment, including arms that would serve as an "iron fist", and that training on some Western equipment was continuing.

Rescuers carry a covered body as they work at the site of a heavily damaged residential building hit by a Russian missile in the town of Uman on Friday. Her voice cracked as she told CNN how the strikes had shaken the small community and left her feeling terrified. Local residents told CNN that there hadn’t been a strike of this scale on the city since March last year. Burnt-out cars lie in front of a destroyed residential building in Uman. Yevhenii Zavhorodnii/Global Images Ukraine/Getty ImagesAerial view of a destroyed residential building.

Search resuls for: "Ukrainian Territory"

25 mentions found