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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday praised the “very high level” of military drills in the Pacific as Moscow seeks closer ties with China amid a stand-off with the West. The surprise drills announced last week come as Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu is in Russia on a visit which will last until Wednesday. Putin received Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month in Moscow for a summit showing the nations’ united front against the West. During […]
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a bill to create a digital draft system, greatly facilitating mobilising Russians into the army, more than a year into the Kremlin’s Ukraine offensive. The law creates a digital conscription notice system that could bar men from leaving the country and make dodging the draft nearly impossible. It has stirred fresh fears in Russia as Moscow’s Ukraine campaign drags on for a second year. Russia rushed it through […]
Russia on Saturday claimed advances on the northern and southern outskirts of Ukraine’s embattled city of Bakhmut, the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle of Moscow’s military campaign. Russian troops have been battling since last summer to capture the town in eastern Ukraine, which has taken on huge symbolic importance even though analysts say it has little strategic value. Kyiv has said the battle for the town is key to holding back Russian forces […]
Beijing, China | AFP | Saturday 4/15/2023 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Saturday that the United States should stop “encouraging war” in Ukraine “and start talking about peace”. “The United States needs to stop encouraging war and start talking about peace, the European Union needs to start talking about peace,” Lula told reporters in Beijing at the end of a visit where he met with President Xi Jinping. In that way, the […]
Oslo, Norway | AFP | Thursday 4/13/2023 Norway on Thursday announced the expulsion of 15 “intelligence officers” working at the Russian embassy in Oslo. “The 15 intelligence officers have been engaging in activities that are not compatible with their diplomatic status,” Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement. According to the statement the “officers” had been declared “personae non gratae,” and that they must leave “shortly.” Contacted by AFP, the Russian embassy in Oslo […]
by Anna MALPAS Agence France-Presse NOVOGRYGORIVKA, Ukraine (AFP) — His fields peppered with Russian shells, Ukrainian farmer Vitaliy Sydor has resorted to desperate measures to clear explosives from the land himself so he can plant crops. “I bought metal detectors and had a bit of a look on the Internet,” said Sydor, 28. He had no protective equipment, he admitted, and relies on a friend with army experience. His village, Novogrygorivka, in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv […]
Kyiv, Ukraine | AFP | Wednesday 4/12/2023 Graphic Content Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday denounced Russian “beasts” after a video appeared to show the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner, prompting international outrage. The emergence of the footage, which AFP was unable to independently verify, sparked fury in Ukraine, with Kyiv saying Russia is “worse than ISIS” — a reference to the Islamic State group. The European Union pledged to hold war criminals to account, while a […]
by Florent VERGNES Agence France-Presse NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AFP) — A shovel and a blue bucket in hand, a Ukrainian soldier climbs out of the trench he was digging, which would be part of the new defense line if Bakhmut fell to Russian forces. After around nine months of fierce combat, Russian troops including Wagner paramilitary fighters hold about two-thirds of the eastern city. Kyiv is preparing for an eventual loss of Bakhmut, which it […]
Russia’s Shiveluch volcano erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash across a vast swathe of the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, potentially posing a risk to flights and paralysing several villages. Dramatic videos published by officials showed a huge wall of ash rising above a snowy forest. Volcanologists issued a red code warning for flights and Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsiya urged crews to “constantly monitor changes in meterological information”. The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), which monitors […]
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Monday 4/10/2023 A Moscow-backed official announced Monday that he had visited the frontline city of Bakhmut in Ukraine, suggesting that Russia’s forces have made significant gains there. The battle for Bakhmut is the longest and bloodiest of Russia’s offensive, and the city has taken on huge symbolic importance even though analysts say it has little strategic value. Denis Pushilin, the Russia-installed head of the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region, posted […]
Washington, United States | AFP | Monday 4/10/2023 The United States is assessing how the apparent leak of a trove of highly classified documents could impact national security, the Pentagon said on Sunday. The breach — which is being investigated by the Justice Department — appears to include assessments and secret intelligence reports that touch not only on Ukraine and Russia but also highly sensitive analyses of US allies. While the Defense Department is […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron was due in Beijing on Wednesday for a visit in which he hopes to dissuade China from supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while also forging closer ties with a crucial trade partner. Macron will look to stand firm on Ukraine during talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping and offer “another path” from the directly confrontational tone often heard from Washington, an official from his office told reporters […]
