PARIS, March 24, 2024 (AFP) – A video apparently shot by gunmen who carried out the deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall has been posted on social media accounts typically used by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The video, which lasts a minute and a half, shows several individuals with blurred faces and garbled voices, armed with assault rifles and knives. They appear to be the lobby […]
Tag: Ukraine
Gun attack at Moscow concert leaves more than 60 dead
KRASNOGORSK, Russia, March 23, 2024 (AFP) – Gunmen who opened fire at a Moscow concert hall killed more than 60 people and wounded over 100 while sparking an inferno, authorities said Saturday, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility. Attackers dressed in camouflage uniforms entered the building on Friday, opened fire and threw a grenade or incendiary bomb, according to a journalist for the RIA Novosti news agency at the scene. Fire quickly spread through […]
BREAKING: ‘Brutal’ Russia strikes show Ukraine aid needs: White House
WASHINGTON, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – The White House condemned Russia’s massive wave of attacks on Ukraine on Friday, saying Republicans in Congress must end the “inexcusable” blocking of military aid to Kyiv. “We condemn Russia’s brutal strikes overnight against Ukraine’s cities and civilian infrastructure,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. She said Ukraine had reported that it was the “largest series of air strikes Russia has launched against Ukraine’s energy […]
UPDATE: Russian missiles cause ‘significant damage’ to Ukraine’s largest hydro plant
KYIV, Ukraine, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – Eight Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric power plant in the early hours of Friday, causing “significant damage” to the facility, the office of Ukraine’s Prosecutor General said. Moscow launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Ukrainian energy facilities overnight, one of the largest aerial attacks of the two-year war. The Dnipro Hydroelectric Station “was hit eight times,” said Yury Belousov, head of the Prosecutor General’s war […]
Russia admits ‘state of war’ amid massive strikes on Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – Russia admitted two years into its invasion of Ukraine on Friday that it was “in a state of war,” as it launched a massive wave of missile and drone attacks on its neighbour’s territory. Russia fired almost 90 missiles and more than 60 Iranian-designed kamikaze drones, damaging dozens of energy facilities including power stations, in what Ukrainian officials said was an attempt to cripple the country’s electricity and […]
EU chief proposes raising tariffs on Russian grain
BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday Brussels was proposing raising tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grain to protect Europe’s farmers and punish Moscow over its war on Ukraine. The announcement came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky complained to EU leaders that it was not fair Russian grain continued to have “unrestricted” access to their markets, while Ukrainian imports were being limited. “It will prevent Russian […]
Russia targets Kyiv after Putin vows revenge for border strikes
KYIV, Ukraine, March 21, 2024 (AFP) – Russia fired more than 30 missiles at Kyiv early Thursday, the largest attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retribution for strikes and incursions into Russia’s border regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West to deliver air defence systems after the attacks, which wounded 17 in Kyiv and the surrounding region. A later missile strike on the southern city of […]
EU agrees to move ahead on using Russian assets for Ukraine
By Max DELANY BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – EU leaders on Thursday agreed to “take work forward” on a plan to use the profits from frozen Russian central bank assets to arm Ukraine, as Kyiv pleaded for more ammunition for its outgunned forces. More than two years into Moscow’s war against its neighbour, Kyiv’s troops are struggling to hold back the Russian army as Western deliveries of weapons have faltered. Meanwhile, Putin has […]
Cheap drones ‘cannot match’ artillery power in Ukraine: experts
By Mathieu RABECHAULT PARIS, March 18, 2024 (AFP) – Ukraine is relying on the massive use of drones to compensate for an artillery shell shortage and undermine Russian military capabilities, but experts warned they cannot tip the balance. Both drones used for strikes hundreds of kilometres away and commercial drones are starting to dominate the battlefield. In particular, so-called First Person View (FPV) drones allow their pilots to see live images of the ground as […]
Putin vows Russia cannot be held back in victory speech
MOSCOW, March 17, 2024 (AFP) – Vladimir Putin said Russia would not be “intimidated” as he hailed an election victory that paves the way for the former spy to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years. All of the 71-year old’s major opponents are dead, in prison or exiled, and he has overseen an unrelenting crackdown on anybody who publicly opposes his rule or his military offensive on Ukraine. “I want to […]
Deadly Ukrainian strikes rock Russia as vote cements Putin’s grip
MOSCOW, March 16, 2024 (AFP) – Ukrainian bombardments killed two people and set an oil facility ablaze in Russia on Saturday, the second day of showpiece elections guaranteed to cement President Vladimir Putin’s hardline rule. Presidential polls opened this week but voting has been marred by a surge in fatal Ukrainian aerial attacks and a series of incursions into Russian territory by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups. Fresh bombardments Saturday prompted authorities to close schools and shopping […]
Russia orders more firepower against Ukraine naval drones
MOSCOW, March 17, 2024 (AFP) – Russia on Sunday ordered increased firepower and training for the navy to counter the threat of Ukrainian air and naval drones after a series of strikes on Russian warships. “There must be training for personnel every day. Training on how to repel attacks from the air and by uncrewed boats,” Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a statement during a visit to the Black Sea fleet in southern Russia. […]
