Tag: Russia
Russia hits Ukrainian energy sites in ‘massive’ overnight attack
KYIV, Ukraine, April 27, 2024 (AFP) – Russia launched a “massive” missile strike at Ukraine overnight, damaging four power plants in the latest barrage targeting the country’s energy supply, officials in Kyiv said on Saturday. Two people were killed and at least 10 more wounded in Russian shelling. Moscow has launched some of its largest ever strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities in recent months, knocking out a significant chunk of production, and triggering blackouts and […]
Russia targets Ukraine railways as Western aid due to arrive
KYIV, Ukraine, April 26, 2024 (AFP) – Ukraine warned Friday that Moscow was ramping up attacks on railways in a bid to disrupt military supplies ahead of a fresh Russian offensive while Kyiv waits for new US weapon deliveries. Kyiv fears Russia is seeking to press its advantage on the battlefield ahead of symbolic May 9 Victory Day celebrations, as both sides continued to launch deadly cross-border strikes. A Ukrainian security source told AFP that […]
US House approves Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan aid, threatens TikTok
By Camille CAMDESSUS WASHINGTON, April 21, 2024 (AFP) – The US House of Representatives on Saturday approved long-delayed military aid to Ukraine in a rare show of bipartisan unity, while also bolstering Israel and Taiwan defenses and threatening to ban Chinese-owned TikTok. The four bills in the $95 billion package were overwhelmingly approved in quick succession, though they leave the future of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson in some doubt as he seeks to fend […]
Ticking time bomb: IAEA warns Ukraine nuclear plant dangerously close to accident
UNITED NATIONS, United States, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is dangerously close to suffering an accident because of recent attacks on it, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency warned Monday. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the attacks over the last week, but it is “impossible” at the moment to prove who is behind them, said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi. […]
Russia says ‘colossal’ amount of river water approaching Siberian city
MOSCOW, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – Russian authorities said Monday that a “colossal” amount of river water was flowing fast towards the west Siberian city of Kurgan and called for the immediate evacuation of some districts. Russia and Kazakkstan have been battling devastating floods that have already forced the evacuation of thousands of people and are expected to peak this week on the Tobol and Ishim rivers. The warning to the city of some 310,000 […]
Russian governor warns of ‘very difficult’ plight as floods rise
PETROPAVL, Kazakhstan, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Floodwaters in southern Russia on Sunday threatened to submerge thousands more homes in the Kurgan region, where the governor predicted a “very difficult situation” in the coming hours. There is widespread flooding in the Russian Urals regions and neighbouring Kazakhstan, caused by melting ice swelling rivers, exacerbated by heavy rainfall. In some places, only the roofs of houses are visible above murky waters that have engulfed entire neighbourhoods. […]
Ukraine says strengthening defenses in battered frontline town
KYIV, Ukraine, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Ukrainian troops defending the frontline town of Chasiv Yar under relentless Russian attack have received additional drones and weaponry, the commander-in-chief of Kyiv’s armed forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, said Sunday. Syrsky wrote on Facebook after visiting troops defending the battered town that “measures were taken to significantly strengthen the brigades with ammunition, drones, and electronic warfare equipment”. Russia is “concentrating its efforts to break through our defences west of […]
Kyiv says eastern front ‘deteriorated’ as Russia claims village
KYIV, Ukraine, April 13, 2024 (AFP) – Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky said Saturday the situation on the eastern front had worsened significantly as Russia claimed the capture of a village near the occupied industrial town of Avdiivka. “The situation on the eastern front has deteriorated significantly in recent days,” said Syrsky, who took over as commander-in-chief in February after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired his popular predecessor, Valery Zaluzhny. Zelensky said in his evening address […]
Thousands flee flooding in Russian Urals region of Orenburg
ORENBURG, Russia, April 13, 2024 (AFP) – Russian emergency services on Saturday said they had evacuated thousands of people from the Orenburg region in the south of the Urals as flood water continued to rise. Fast-rising temperatures have melted snow and ice, and along with heavy rain have caused a number of major rivers that cross Russia and Kazakhstan to overflow this month. In the city of Orenburg, one of the worst affected areas in […]
Germany to send additional Patriot system to Ukraine
FRANKFURT, Germany, April 13, 2024 (AFP) – Germany will send an additional Patriot air defence system to Ukraine to bolster its hard-pressed military and help it fend off increased Russian aerial attacks, Berlin said Saturday. “Russian terror against Ukrainian cities and the country’s infrastructure is causing immeasurable suffering,” said German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, announcing the move. “It is jeopardising people’s energy supply and destroying the operational readiness of the Ukrainian armed forces.” It will […]
Ukraine starts building first US-design nuclear reactors
NETISHYN, Ukraine, April 13, 2024 (AFP) – Ukraine has started constructing two US-designed reactors at a nuclear power plant in the west of the country following devastating Russian attacks on its energy network. Workers at Khmelnytskyi nuclear power station on Thursday poured a symbolic cubic metre of concrete for the reactors, which will use US technology and fuel, as Ukrainian and US flags fluttered. The project is aimed at increasing Ukraine’s energy security and reducing […]
