Tag: Russia

Russia says repelled ‘large-scale’ Ukraine offensive in Donetsk

    MOSCOW, June 5, 2023 (AFP) — Russia said Monday it had repelled “a large-scale offensive” by Ukrainian forces in Moscow-annexed Donetsk, as fighting intensified along their border. Kyiv has for months said it is preparing a major counteroffensive, hoping to reclaim territory lost since Russia launched its military operation in February 2022. Its army said recently there would be no announcement on the start of the manoeuvres. Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported that […]

Russian border region residents flee as shelling kills four

BELGOROD, Russia, June 2, 2023 (AFP) – Four civilians were killed on Friday in shelling on Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, a local official said, while Moscow’s forces attacked Kyiv for a sixth day in a row. Over the past few days, thousands of residents have fled villages near Russia’s southwestern border as shelling has intensified. Residents from the town of Shebekino, which has been hard hit, have poured into the region’s main city, also […]

Russia says repels attack on border as three killed in Kyiv

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Moscow said Thursday it thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to penetrate its southwestern border as it pounded Kyiv with missiles, killing three including a child. The Ukrainian capital has faced nearly nightly air raids in May, and an unusual daytime attack on Monday that sent residents running for shelter. As Kyiv deployed its air defenses against a fresh volley of Russian missiles, Moscow said it pushed back an attempt by Ukrainian troops […]

Two wounded after drone hits Russian city near Ukraine: governor

MOSCOW, June 1, 2023 (AFP) – Two people were wounded on Thursday when a drone hit Russia’s southwestern city of Belgorod near Ukraine, regional officials said. “An unknown device exploded in Belgorod,” regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. “According to preliminary data, a UAV fell onto a road,” he said, referring to an unmanned aerial vehicle. The governor said two men were injured and one of them was hospitalised with a suspected concussion. Belgorod […]

Russia fines WhatsApp for failing to delete content

MOSCOW, June 1, 2023 (AFP) – A Russian court imposed a fine on US messenger service WhatsApp on Thursday for failing to delete banned content. The three-million-rouble ($37,000) fine was the first imposed on WhatsApp for such an offence. WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, was banned and branded “extremist” by Russian authorities last year. Meta’s other platforms, Facebook and Instagram, were blocked in Russia along with Twitter, but WhatsApp remained accessible. WhatsApp was punished for failing […]

In Moldova, Europe bids to show Putin united front

By Dave CLARK, Daniel ARONSSOHN Agence France-Presse CHISINAU, June 1, 2023 (AFP) – European leaders meet Thursday at a summit held on one of the most vulnerable points on the continent’s strategic frontline, in a show of diplomatic force designed to pressure Moscow. The European Political Community (EPC), which groups 27 EU members with 40 of their allies and excludes Russia and Belarus, chose Ukraine’s tiny neighbor Moldova for its second summit. Less than an […]

Russia evacuates children from border villages as situation ‘alarming’

MOSCOW, May 31, 2023 (AFP) – Russia said it would evacuate hundreds of children from villages due to intensifying shelling in the border region of Belgorod, where the situation was deemed “alarming” by the Kremlin. Russia has seen intensifying attacks on its soil over a year into its Ukraine campaign, with an unprecedented incursion last week in the southern region of Belgorod and a drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday. “We are starting today to […]

UN nuclear chief encouraged by Russia, Ukraine support of ‘principles’

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said Tuesday he was encouraged by the reaction of Ukraine and Russia to “concrete principles” laid out by the body to prevent catastrophe at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power facility, located in Ukraine’s southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, has been a concern since Russian forces seized it over a year ago during Moscow’s war on its neighbor. It […]

Drones hit Moscow high-rises as Kyiv struck for third day

MOSCOW, May 30, 2023 (AFP) – A swarm of drones hit Moscow on Tuesday in an unprecedented attack, while Russian drones struck Kyiv for a third straight day as Ukraine gears up for a major offensive against Russian forces. The Russian defence ministry blamed Kyiv for the attacks that saw three drones crash into residential buildings in Moscow. Officials said no one was seriously injured and there was only “minor” damage to buildings. The Russian […]

S.Africa faces legal bid to force Putin’s arrest

JOHANNESBURG, May 30, 2023 (AFP) – South Africa’s leading opposition party said on Tuesday it had taken legal action to force the government to arrest Vladimir Putin if the Russian President were to attend a planned summit in the country. Pretoria has been faced with a diplomatic dilemma since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin, who is supposed to visit the nation for a BRICS meeting in August. On Tuesday, […]

Russia fires missiles on Kyiv in rare daytime attack

By Anna MALPAS Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine, May 29, 2023 (AFP) — Russia fired a barrage of missiles at Kyiv on Monday, sending panicked residents running for shelter in an unusual daytime attack on the Ukrainian capital following overnight strikes. A series of explosions rang out in Kyiv as Russia targeted the city for the second time in 24 hours. The latest barrages hit the pro-Western country as the Ukrainian capital was still recovering from […]

Kyiv repels air strikes, day after huge Russian bombardment

KYIV, Ukraine, May 29, 2023 (AFP) — Kyiv repelled another large volley of overnight air strikes, officials said Monday, as the Ukrainian capital was still picking up the pieces from the biggest drone attack to hit it since Russia’s invasion began. Local air defenses managed to fend off more than 40 drones and cruise missiles, and there were no casualties, authorities said. Kyiv had been mostly spared since the beginning of the year, but this […]