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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

After his friend was killed on Oct. 7, a 25-year-old raised millions for the war effort

2024-04-20

God helps those who help themselves.
[IsraelTimes] Gidon Hazony started Soldiers Save Lives the day after David Newman was murdered in the Supernova massacre. It continues to help soldiers and civilians in the tragedy’s wake

Gidon Hazony woke up in his Jerusalem apartment on the morning of October 7 to the sound of a missile siren, but it wasn’t until a second siren went off soon afterward and videos from the country’s south started flooding in on social media that he realized something was seriously amiss. A short time later, Hazony and some of his friends got a message from their childhood friend David Newman reading, "Pray for me," and then another reading, "Something terrible has happened." Newman was among some 360 people murdered that day at the Supernova music festival, part of the largest massacre in Israeli history that saw thousands of Hamas
Hamas

...not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
-led bully boyz storm over the border into southern Israel, butchering 1,200 people of all ages amid horrific acts of brutality and abducting 253 more to the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Strip.

While the country was initially shocked by the October 7 onslaught, this soon gave way to a massive wave of civil volunteer work as organizations and individuals rallied together behind Israel’s military, which had set out to rescue the hostages and remove the threat of the Hamas terror organization from the country’s southern border.

One such organization was Soldiers Save Lives, which was founded by the 25-year-old Hazony immediately following October 7 to help supply the military during the war’s logistically challenging early days. The group, whose role has since evolved, was formed as a way to honor Newman’s memory.

Hazony said he met Newman when they were 14 and started playing soccer together.

"He was just such a warm and loving party boy," Hazony said. "He just loved spreading that energy, he loved having parties, he loved inviting his friends to parties. He was very welcoming to everyone, and he was very sympathetic and empathetic and cared about everyone around him."

Hazony added that Newman was the person friends went to when they were going through difficult times.

"He provided a comfort zone for everyone because he wasn’t judgy, he wasn’t super competitive. He was always very loving," Hazony said.

ATTEMPTED RESCUE
Hazony, who is close to finishing his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, volunteers for the Magen David Adom (MDA)

…the Israeli version of the Red Cross. They applied for membership to the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1931 and were finally recognized in 2006, because displaying a Jewish Star is just not done, my dear…

emergency ambulance service and was a medic in the army. It was this experience that motivated him to go looking for Newman on October 7 when he realized his friend was in trouble.

Hazony’s roommate at the time was Newman’s cousin, who is also a medic. When they realized that Newman needed help, the two got into a car and drove south, stopping only to pick up a gun and bulletproof vests from a friend.

"We didn’t really understand that there was a war breaking out," Hazony told The Times of Israel. "We thought it was just a terrorist attack at a party."

When the two got close to the southern city of Sderot, they faced a roadblock, but the police let them through when they explained that they were medics trying to help a friend.

"Almost immediately we saw people lying by a car who looked like they needed help," Hazony said. "We got out to help, but they were dead and had been for hours. This was shocking for me as a 25-year-old guy who was a medic in the army and a medic in MDA, but never saw anything serious."

Eventually, Hazony, along with other medics in the area, opened a field hospital near Sderot and spent the day treating maimed people who had come from the Supernova festival. They never made it to the party grounds and could not help Newman, who they were later told had been killed before 7 a.m.

"Around midnight on Saturday, I hitchhiked home and my friends and family were waiting for me," Hazony said. "And then I realized that I had done something crazy, and on top of that my best friend had been killed, and on top of that we were at war, and I hadn’t realized all that was going on while I treated people on the border."

SPRINGING INTO ACTION
That night, Hazony and his friends decided that they had to do something to help the war effort.

"It started on Sunday morning with basic missions like buying sleeping bags and hydration packs and delivering them to soldiers who were asking for them, and then delivering a drone to my brother who was on the way to battle and realizing that he didn’t have a bulletproof vest and I had to give him the one I was wearing," Hazony said.

From there, the group’s plan escalated. By getting in touch with contacts the group had in New York and Israel, they arranged for a plane to take off from JFK Airport by Monday afternoon carrying nine tons of tactical and humanitarian aid

to Israel that had been donated by Jewish communities in New York.

"We had no idea what we were doing," Hazony said. "We got in trouble with customs and the Defense Ministry, meanwhile organizing new flights while having no idea what we were doing."

Within a week, the organization had arranged for three more flights carrying aid and had raised almost half a million dollars.

The organization now has an office in Tel Aviv and a warehouse in Petah Tikva and has brought in $25 million of aid for the military and civilians and raised over $3 million. Aside from getting general aid, the group has also managed to fill specific requests for equipment by the Home Front Command’s search and rescue unit and the Air Force, and bought three armored ambulances for Israel’s police.

EVOLVING MISSION
As the months passed, the organization realized that needs were changing. While for the first couple of months, it had focused on helping supply the needs of the military and civil emergency response teams, the group has now found that its help is needed more by civilians. While it continues to help the military where needed, the primary focus has shifted elsewhere.

"We had an event recently for 200 displaced families where we collected a whole bunch of clothes in all different sizes that they could go through while the kids were playing," Hazony said.

"We’ve also been doing a lot of social media," he added. "We’ve been making a lot of ’let’s do something’ kinds of videos encouraging people to stand up to tragedy and antisemitism."

Through its work in the past few months, Soldiers Save Lives has gained recognition among Jewish communities in the United States, which Hazony said the organization uses to further its social influence, including by arranging to speak with Birthright groups visiting Israel.

"We realized that we had a responsibility [to use our influence] and it just became one of our programs," he said. "[We’re] not necessarily... telling the world that Jews are good. That’s not what we’re doing. It’s more about inspiring Jews to take action than it is about inspiring non-Jews about Jews."

While the organization was born from the needs of the war, Hazony said it was important to him that its work continues when the fighting ends.

"We’re becoming about social influence and about doing something and fighting antisemitism on some level," he said.

When the war ends, Hazony said, he hopes the organization will continue its aid by providing assistance to amputees and people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as continuing to provide aid in Israel wherever they are needed.

"There’s also our whole [social influence] educational program going on that I hope will go on forever because I think that’s very important," he said. "I’m not exactly sure where we’re going to go, but as import winds down, social influence will go up."

In the meantime, one event Soldiers Save Lives is organizing is an event for survivors of the Supernova music festival who have created art expressing their feelings about their ordeal. The survivors will take their art to New York, where they will speak about their experience and sell their work.

As for Hazony’s future, he said his October 7 experience has slightly dampened his "intense medic energy."

"As a medic, it’s always been my instinct to run and help anyone who needs it, and I’ve realized lately that if I see someone who needs help and there’s already a medic there, I’m like, ’Alright, they’re good. I don’t need to bother them,'" he said.

Once he has finished his degree, Hazony hopes to continue volunteering for MDA after completing an ambulance driver course. Ultimately, however, he hopes to become a teacher. But whatever he does, he intends to continue his work with Soldiers Save Lives.

"We have a responsibility to keep working," he said.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Remains of six more people were found in a mass grave in Khojaly

2024-03-02

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The remains of six more people were found at the mass grave site in Khojaly, and the total number of discovered remains from the times of the first Karabakh war reached 10, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan reported.

As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, on February 21, the remains of four people, including a child, were discovered during excavations in the center of Khojaly. Presumably, these are the bodies of prisoners from the first Karabakh war, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan reported.

During further excavations in the center of Khojaly, on the site of a former furniture factory, where a mass burial of people had previously been discovered, on February 29, the remains of presumably a young child were discovered, and on March 1, the remains of five more people, a press employee told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today -services of the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan.

“Thus, the human remains found in the burial belong to 10 people. Two of them are presumably minors. Signs of violence were revealed on the remains,” he said.

The discovered fragments of human bones have been sent for examination and laboratory research. “The Prosecutor General’s Office, together with other relevant authorities, continues to examine the scene of the incident in order to fully identify the human remains buried on the territory,” said an employee of the prosecutor’s office.

The discovery of new remains strengthens speculation that Azerbaijanis captured during the Karabakh conflict in the 1990s are buried there, another law enforcement source told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In 1991-1994, a large-scale war took place between Nagorno-Karabakh, which declared its independence, and Azerbaijan, according to the “Caucasian Knot” certificate, The beginning and end of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh.”

Let us remind you that the Azerbaijani authorities periodically report on the discovery of new burial places of those killed during the first Karabakh war. Thus, on the Farrukh heights near the Karabakh village of the same name, in March 2022, the remains of presumably Azerbaijani soldiers who died in the first Karabakh war were found.

In the village of Edilli of the Khojavend region (Armenian name - Ukhtadzor) of the Khojavend region (Armenian name - Martuni region), which came under the control of Azerbaijan in the fall of 2020, during search operations on September 14-28, 2022, three new burial places of victims of the 1991 Karabakh conflict were discovered -1994. Skeletons of six people were found in two burials, and 12 in one.

As a result of the first Karabakh war, 3,800 people remain missing, the Baku office of the International Committee of the Red Cross reported in August 2023. Since the 2020 war, 500 human remains have been found in mass graves and 15 people have been identified.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas terrorist tried to sell decapitated Israeli's head for $10,000: Victim's father blasts 'insanely barbaric' violation of his son's body as his head is discovered in a freezer in Gaza

2024-01-18

[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] The head of an Israeli soldier who was decapitated by Hamas terrorists on October 7 was put up for sale in Gaza for $10,000, it has emerged.

Sergeant Adir Tahar, 19, from Jerusalem, was murdered by the terrorists after they threw grenades at him as they rampaged through southern Israel and massacred 1,200 Israelis.

The gunmen then beheaded the young soldier and took his severed head back to Gaza, his heartbroken father David Tahar told Channel 14 as he blasted the 'insanely barbaric' violation of his son's body.

David, overcome with grief, was forced to bury his son's mutilated body before vowing to do everything in his power to bring Adir's head home and give him 'peace of mind and body'.

After a gruelling two and a half months, IDF soldiers finally recovered the 19-year-old's head inside a duffel bag filled with tennis balls in a freezer in Gaza, David said.

The IDF later told him that after an interrogation of two Hamas terrorists, it emerged that one of them had tried to sell Adir's head for $10,000 (£8,000) in Gaza.

'It's insanely barbaric,' David said, as the father detailed how in the depths of his despair he had found a video online showing his son's decapitated body.

'The terrorists, the barbarians, they beheaded him and took the head to Gaza. I did everything I could, it wasn't easy, in the end I got a body without a head. I insisted that the army let me see the body,' David said.

David, with quivering hands, opened his son's coffin shortly before he was buried and saw his worst nightmare - Adir's decapitated body that had been punctured by shrapnel.

'Half an hour before I buried my child, his body arrived at Mount Herzi, I opened the coffin when I was alone,' David said. 'I understood then what I was burying. He was unrecognisable.'

Adir had been identified from his soldier dog tags and a DNA test due to the horrific mutilation of his body by the terrorists.

During his search for information about Adir, the heartbroken father discovered horrific video of his son on Telegram.

'There's a video from Telegram. Unfortunately I found the video of my son, where you can see that my child is without this essential part of him,' David said.

More than two months after his son was murdered and decapitated, IDF soldiers managed to recover Adir's head from a duffel bag filled with tennis balls and documents.

David buried his son again three weeks ago after Adir's head was recovered.

The barbaric murder and beheading of Adir sheds yet more light on the terrorists' savage attack on October 7. In response, Israel has launched a withering bombardment of Gaza that has killed 24,000 people so far according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

The rampaging terrorists unleashed horrors that defy belief on October 7, with rescue workers previously detailing how Hamas gunmen killed a husband and gouged his eyes out before doing on to cut his wife's breasts off.

Medics have told how entire families were slaughtered in their homes by the black-clad terrorists who were wielding assault rifles and grenades as they launched their surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7.

One Israeli colonel also recounted how one gunman cut open a pregnant mother's stomach and killed her baby in front of her before they shot her in the head.

In response, Israel has launched withering airstrikes on Gaza, reducing the small enclave to rubble and killing thousands.

At least 24,448 Palestinians, about 70 percent of them women, young children and adolescents, have been killed in Israeli bombardments and ground assaults, according to the Gaza health ministry's latest figures.

There’s no way of confirming that the followers of the Father of Lies are telling the truth. How many of those teens were on the Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad payroll? Israel figures they killed about 9,000 in Gaza since they followed the 10/7 invaders home, plus another 1,000+ in Israel of the 3,000 invaders.

Today, the IDF stepped up strikes on Khan Yhunis in southern Gaza ahead of the expected delivery of medicines for hostages in exchange for humanitarian aid under a newly brokered deal.

The agreement announced on Tuesday allowing medicines to reach the hostages and aid to enter the besieged Palestinian territory was brokered by Qatar and France.

Under the deal, 'medicine along with other humanitarian aid is to be delivered to civilians in Gaza... in exchange for delivering medication needed for Israeli captives in Gaza,' Qatar's foreign ministry said.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the deal, under which 45 hostages are expected to receive medication.

The International Committee of the Red Cross welcomed the deal, saying it was 'a much-needed moment of relief'.

A security source in Egypt said a Qatari plane carrying medicines had arrived on Wednesday at El-Arish near the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.

France said the drugs would be sent to a hospital in Rafah where they would be handed over to the Red Cross and divided into batches before being transferred to the hostages.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: December 23, 2023

2023-12-24

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:20 The Russians shelled Kherson - seven people were injured, including a 15-year-old child, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin.

21:24 Bild writes, citing data from one of the European intelligence agencies, that Russia could strike Europe at a time when the United States finds itself “without a leader” and will be able to come to the aid of European states only after some delay. We are talking about the period between the departure of the current US President in early November 2024 and the assumption of office by his potential successor in January 2025.

21:19 The Office of the President named six EU countries that did not join the declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine: Austria, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Malta.

20:51 Zelensky in an evening video message said that the ability to shoot down Russian fighters is one of the keys to ending the war: “This week we again proved how effective strengthening our air shield is. And not only for protecting cities and villages from Russian drones " .

20:17 Russian troops fired at an infrastructure facility in Kurakhovo, Pokrovsky district, Donetsk region, wounding five workers, the prosecutor’s office reported.

19:35 The Russian Army hit the critical infrastructure of Kherson - there was a burst in gas networks and a fire started. One of the medical institutions was also damaged, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. In addition, during the day the Russians attacked Stanislav from a drone, one person was killed.

18:46 During the day, the enemy fired artillery at the Nikopol district of the Dnepropetrovsk region four times, and also fired nine kamikaze drones. One person was injured, two enterprises, an administrative building, nine private houses, a five-story building, a power line, and a gas pipeline were damaged, said Sergei Lysak, head of the OVA.

17:24 Putin is sending signals of readiness to freeze the war, writes The New York Times, citing two former senior Russian officials close to the Kremlin, as well as American and international officials. They note that since at least September, Western officials have been receiving new signals that Putin is interested in a ceasefire. The signals come through several channels, including through foreign governments with ties to both Washington and Moscow.
At the same time, some US officials suggest that this may be a habitual attempt by the Kremlin to mislead, and that it does not reflect Putin's genuine willingness to compromise. Former Russian officials add that Putin may well change his mind again if Russian troops in Ukraine gain momentum. They say Putin is considering a confluence of factors to create the right moment for a deal: a stalemate battlefield, the fallout from a failed Ukrainian offensive, weak support for Kiev in the West, a distraction from the Russian-Ukrainian war over the situation in the Gaza Strip.

14:08 Zelensky signed two new decrees on personal sanctions. The list included 134 companies and 51 individuals. Citizens of Russia, Latvia and Cyprus were subject to restrictions. Their assets on the territory of Ukraine are blocked, licenses are cancelled, and any trade operations and transit of resources across the country are prohibited. The companies are predominantly Russian, including Avtodel GAZ, which operates in annexed Crimea.

12:20 The Russians launched a massive missile strike on the Kirovograd region, all enemy targets over the Kropyvnytskyi and Alexandria regions were destroyed, said the head of the OBA Andrei Raikovich. Roofs of houses, fences, and cars were damaged by debris. No people were hurt.

08:59 On Friday, December 22, a meeting was held between representatives of the Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova with the aim of transferring humanitarian packages and letters for prisoners of war of both countries. The transfer was carried out with the participation of representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who centrally purchased warm clothes, shoes and personal hygiene items, Lubinets said.

In addition, thanks to mutual humanitarian agreements, it was possible to return four Ukrainian citizens to Ukraine. In turn, Ukraine helped ensure that citizens went to Russia for family reunification.

08:31 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 23:

personnel - about 352,390 (+1040) people,

tanks - 5854 (+17),

armored combat vehicles - 10,871 (+28),

artillery systems - 8286 (+36),

MLRS - 932 (+0),

air defense systems - 611 (+0),

aircraft - 327 (+3),

helicopters - 324 (+0),

UAV of operational-tactical level - 6384 (+19),

cruise missiles - 1613 (+0),

ships/boats - 22 (+0),

submarines - 1 (+0),

automotive equipment and tank trucks - 10,995 (+51),

special equipment - 1223 (+6).

08:09 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) admits that Ukraine may receive the first F-16 fighters by the end of this year. Analysts refer to a recent strategic document by the Estonian Ministry of Defense, which notes that the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Belgium have already committed to transfer F-16s to Ukraine “by the end of the year.”

07:42 Over the past 24 hours, 75 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In particular, in the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled 23 enemy attacks east of Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy, Avdeevka, as well as 17 attacks in the Pervomaisky and Nevelsky districts of the Donetsk region. Another 16 attacks were repelled in the Kupyansky direction in the Sinkovka area of the Kharkov region.

In addition, in the Bakhmut direction, enemy attacks were repelled near Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka in the Donetsk region; on Maryinsky - in the Marinka and Pobeda districts of the Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - west of Staromayorsky, Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - west of Verbovoy and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region. In the Kherson direction, the Defense Forces continue to expand the bridgehead, while the enemy carried out 17 unsuccessful assault operations, was repulsed and retreated with losses.

06:18 From 18:00 on Friday, December 22, until midnight on December 23, Russia attacked with nine Shahed-type attack UAVs from the areas of Balaklava and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. All nine drones were destroyed within the Odessa and Khmelnytsky regions, the Air Force command reported.

00:21 Biden signed the US defense budget for 2024, which provides a record amount for the Pentagon of $886 billion, the White House said. It provides $800 million for assistance to Ukraine.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israeli forces engage with Hamas fighters near Gaza City's Shifa Hospital which IDF believes sits on top of the terrorist group's HQ

2023-11-07

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Israeli forces have pushed further into Gaza and engaged Hamas fighters near the Shifa Hospital, is have been reported.

The IDF claims the hospital sits on top of the terror group's headquarters, and accuses Hamas's leaders of using it as a civilian shield against Israeli strikes.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said the country's forces were 'deepening the pressure' on Gaza City, with anticipation for a full ground offensive into the city's narrow streets now building.

IDF troops were reportedly near the enclave's Shifa Hospital - Gaza's main and largest medical facility - which sits about 800 yards from the coast.

The advance comes after Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel will take control of the 'overall security' of the Gaza Strip after his country's war with Hamas . Resisting calls for a ceasefire, the PM said there would be no letup in the war to destroy the terror group, whose attack one month ago today left 1,400 dead in Israel.

As he spoke, it is understood that IDF troops have been preparing to enter Gaza City, a mass of narrow streets and densely packed neighbourhoods. Residents escaping the north of Gaza said they passed tanks in position to possibly storming it.

Israel says its forces have surrounded Gaza City, home to a third of the enclave's 2.3 million people,

...a third of 2.3 million is about 760,000, for those who want the math...

and are poised to storm it soon in their campaign to annihilate the Hamas terrorists who attacked Israeli towns exactly a month ago.

Rear Daniel Hagari said the IDF killed several Hamas field commanders in airstrikes and operations overnight which aimed to 'significantly harms Hamas's ability to carry out counterattacks' - signalling the assault is drawing nearer. He also said Israeli combat engineers were working to demolish each and ever tunnel they came across using 'different and diverse devices.'

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, meanwhile, praised the efforts of the IDF's operations in the coastal strip in the past 24 hours as being 'very impressive.'

'The combination between the air force and ground forces shakes the Gaza Strip,' Gallant said in a video statement. On the Hamas field commanders killed in air strikes, he added: 'some of them were the ones we eliminated a day or two ago and they were replaced by others, and they were also eliminated.'

With international criticism of Israel's conduct of the war mounting, the Hamas-run health ministry says the death toll from Israel's bombardment of the territory - launched in response to the October 7 attack - surged past 10,000 people yesterday.

More than 1.5 million people in densely packed Gaza have fled their homes for other parts of the territory in a desperate search for cover,

...65% of the Gaza Strip’s population, as warned by Israeli leaflets and phone calls to the cell phones of residents...

with critical aid only trickling in.

Last night, Netanyahu told ABC News the war would continue until Israel had restored 'overall security' control of Gaza, adding that Gaza should be governed by 'those who don't want to continue the way of Hamas'.

'Israel will, for an indefinite period, have the overall security responsibility,' he said. 'When we don't have that security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn't imagine.'

While key Israeli ally the United States is seeking a humanitarian 'pause' in the fighting, several countries and UN agencies have repeatedly called for a ceasefire. But Netanyahu has resisted the calls so far, and in his comments said he had no intention of changing his approach.

'There will be no ceasefire - general ceasefire - in Gaza, without the release of our hostages,' Netanyahu said.

'As far as tactical, little pauses - an hour here, an hour there - we've had them before. I suppose we'll check the circumstances in order to enable goods - humanitarian goods - to come in or our hostages, individual hostages, to leave,' he added.

'But I don't think there's going to be a general ceasefire. It will hamper the war effort, it will hamper our effort to get our hostages out, because the only thing that works on these criminals in Hamas is the military pressure we're exerting.'

In its October 7 attack, Hamas gunmen took more than 240 people hostage, including children and elderly people, into Gaza. The attack that prompted Israel's massive bombardment of Gaza and an intensifying ground offensive.

Such an anodyne description of deliberately brutal murder and rapine, the details of which drove hardened reporters to speechless tears.

Asked if there would be a pause if Hamas agrees to release the hostages, Netanyahu said 'there would be a ceasefire for that purpose, and we're waiting for that to happen. It hasn't happened so far.'

Asked if Israel knows where the hostages are inside Gaza, the PM said while the country has some intelligence, 'I'm not sure its wise to share it here with Hamas.'

Around 30 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the offensive,
That means slow is fast. the latest on Monday, according to a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing Israeli sources.

Israel has air-dropped leaflets and sent text messages ordering Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza to head south. A US official said Saturday at least 350,000 civilians remained in the worst-hit areas.

Hamas got an estimated 15% of the population (or perhaps 30% of the population of the northern half of Gaza) to remain as human shields, whether because of patriotic sentimentality or by force.

The Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt reopened Monday to allow the evacuation of foreigners and dual nationals, the Hamas government said, ending a two-day closure prompted by a dispute over the passage of ambulances.

On Monday, 93 aid trucks carrying food, medicine and water crossed from Egypt into Gaza, the United Nations said, but the needs are overwhelming.

Especially when the warehouses are raided by the strong before the supplies can be handed out to the most needy.

A convoy including four ambulances arrived in Egypt via the Rafah crossing on Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

Full of injured Hamasniks, one imagines. Or not injured but important Hamasniks. Which is why they were not let through.

'I have lost my home and have nothing left. I came here with nothing but the clothes I'm wearing,' said Dana Okal, a Swedish passport holder.

Just like the Israelis and international workers and visitors who fled the Gaza border areas. But the Israelis made sure they quickly were given a place to stay, supplies, and medical care, unlike either the Hamas government or Palestinian civilians, whose culture does not drive them to self-organize to give aid to needy strangers.

Israel withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip in 2005. A year later, Hamas won elections in Gaza, and subsequently seized control of the territory in 2007.

There was a short, sharp civil war, upon which the Palestinian Authority (Fatah in fancy uniforms) folded like a wet paper napkin.

The Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, only exercises limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested last week that the Palestinian Authority should retake control of Gaza after the war,

...an amusing thought. They could try, one supposes...

and visited the West Bank to meet Abbas on Sunday. He has advocated for a two-state solution.

But Hamas said they would never accept a puppet government in Gaza and that 'no force on Earth could annihilate' it, said senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan.

Challenge clearly accepted.

Hamas militants fired 16 rockets from Lebanon towards northern Israel on Monday, while Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed they had launched a fresh drone attack against Israel. Such attacks have raised fears of a wide conflict.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: October 25th, 2023

2023-10-26

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:32 The Welsh Parliament recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian embassy in Britain reported.

21:48 According to various sources, several hundred Russian citizens are fighting in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and their number is growing every day. More details in the material Plus one battalion .

21:07 In the United States, on the fourth attempt, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, known for supporting Trump and criticizing aid to Ukraine, was elected.

21:04 Germany will allocate an additional 195 million euros to support Ukraine’s energy sector, said the country’s Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze. About half of the amount will go to protecting energy infrastructure ahead of winter and restoring the damaged power grid.

20:49 Zaluzhny said that he carried out work at one of the control points of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: “We discussed key issues related to strengthening air defense, the use of aviation weapons and covering critical infrastructure facilities in the autumn-winter period with the Chief of the General Staff and the Commander of the Air Force.” .

20:43 The Russians hit a residential building in Berislav, Kherson region, killing a 13-year-old child, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.

20:08 The US Air Force reported that Ukrainian pilots have begun training on F-16 fighter jets at an air base in Arizona.

20:05 Zelensky said in an evening video message that at night Russia tried to attack the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant with drones. The UAVs were shot down, but many houses were damaged, and “two dozen local residents were injured.”

“This strike in the direction of the nuclear power plant is another reminder to all our partners of how important it is to strengthen Ukrainian air defense and how dangerous it is when Russia can bypass global sanctions. Many components in the attack drones used by Russian terrorists and in missiles originate from other countries , from various companies, including Western companies. Sanctions against Russia are literally protection against terrorism," the president emphasized.

He said that tomorrow he will take part in a meeting of the European Council at the level of leaders of EU states and will talk, among other things, about expanding and strengthening sanctions against the Russian Federation.

19:56 Night explosions near the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant did not directly affect its operation, but this “once again emphasizes the extremely unstable situation with nuclear safety in Ukraine,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. Agency experts said that two explosions occurred in the morning, and subsequently they were informed that two drones had been shot down approximately 5 and 20 km from the station.

19:53 The Kharkov OVA is preparing a decision on the forced evacuation of families with children from ten settlements of the Kupyanskaya, Kondrashevskaya and Kurilovskaya communities of the Kupyansky district, said the head of the OVA, Oleg Sinegubov. According to him, there are 275 children there. Children may be evacuated with at least one parent or other guardian. The regional administration also recommends that civilians, especially families with children, evacuate from the Borovskaya community of the Izyum district, including Borovaya. Now 8,900 people live there, including 844 children.

19:39 Strategic nuclear forces exercises took place in Russia under the personal leadership of Putin. Shoigu reported to the head of the Kremlin that the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation practiced a massive nuclear strike in response to an enemy nuclear strike during exercises.

19:22 In Donetsk, on Revyakina Street, on the night of October 23, a Russian ammunition warehouse was destroyed, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported. The weapons base belonged to the 110th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 1st Army Corps of the Russian Federation, which is now involved in assault operations in the Avdeevka area. It was destroyed by a high-precision weapon.

19:14 The Ministry of Defense has approved several new models of UAVs for operation at once, said Minister for Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin. According to him, this happened for the first time thanks to a new scheme for simplified admission of innovations to the battlefield within a few days. “What had previously been slow for months has started working according to a fast and transparent algorithm,” the minister emphasized and assured that “there will be more drones.”

19:03 The Russian corporation Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau, which produces Iskander and Kinzhal missiles, receives the necessary components from Poland, Germany, Lithuania and the USA from contractors, The Insider writes. Despite the sanctions, missile production in the Russian Federation has exceeded pre-war levels. Russia receives many sanctioned goods through third countries: for example, imports of semiconductors, microcircuits and other technologies from Kazakhstan, the UAE, Turkey, and China have increased.

18:20 The United States may today announce a new aid package for Ukraine worth $150 million, Voice of America reports, citing three American officials. The package is expected to include additional GMLRS missiles for HIMARS, ammunition for NASAMS, TOW anti-tank missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and 155mm shells.

17:46 Medvedev claims that more than 1,600 people enter into contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense every day, and since the beginning of the year, 385 thousand people have been recruited into the army, of which 300 thousand are under contract and 85 thousand are “volunteers”. Also, according to the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, next year Russia allegedly plans to form a new army corps, seven divisions, 19 brigades, 49 regiments and one flotilla.

17:10 President of Slovakia Zuzana Caputova approved a new government headed by Robert Fico, who opposes aid to Ukraine. In key positions for Ukraine in the new government were officials who were unfavorable to supporting Kyiv. In particular, Yuri Blanar became the head of the Foreign Ministry, who called the war against Ukraine “a conflict between Russia and the United States,” argued that Kyiv was “fighting against its own people,” and opposed the transfer of weapons to Ukraine.

16:07 The Russian Army is regrouping in the Avdiivka direction, said Alexander Shtupun, spokesman for the Tauride Defense Forces: “The enemy is regrouping because he suffered almost 3,000 losses in the Donetsk region in the last week alone. Even for Russia this is quite noticeable, and the enemy needs to regroup, to try to move on."

15:32 Ukraine and Russia are negotiating on a number of issues during the war, The Washington Post writes, citing sources. In particular, the parties continue to communicate regarding the exchange of prisoners of war and the bodies of dead soldiers, the passage of ships from Black Sea ports and the return home of Ukrainian children.

In some cases, mediators are used, including Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Vatican and the International Committee of the Red Cross. However, most of the negotiations are carried out directly, by individual representatives, including during "tough and unpleasant personal meetings" on the Ukrainian-Russian border and in Istanbul, as well as telephone calls.

"This is very, very emotionally difficult. They are enemies, but if we talk about the negotiation process, then this conflict of interests must be overcome. We understand that no matter what happens, no matter what relations we have now, we, Ukrainians, are interested in returning our defenders, and if we reject all communication channels, we will not be able to do this,” Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Dmitry Usov, who heads the coordination center for the exchange of prisoners of war, told the newspaper.

14:49 By the end of the year, Ukraine will begin producing “tens of thousands” of drones per month, said Minister for Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin. According to him, now “we produce them in the thousands.” The minister noted that this area is growing in Ukraine “even faster than ammunition and military weapons.”

Kamyshin also announced a significant increase in the production of shells: “As for the capabilities of the domestic defense industry, we are growing significantly. And if we talk, for example, about shells, now we are producing many times more of them than in the entire last year. But this is in any case far enough from what we need."

14:18 Members of the European Parliament will put pressure on EU countries to transfer military equipment seized from Libya to Ukraine, Politico writes with reference to the Dutch television program RTL Nieuws. We are talking about 146 armored vehicles confiscated last year during two operations by the EU naval mission IRINI.

13:31 The drones with which the Russians tried to attack Kiev and the region on October 21 and 22 are the new kamikaze attack drone Italmas. Its production code name is Product 54. For more information about what is known about the new UAV, see the article Why Russia is attacking Ukraine .

12:50 Zelensky said that at the daily conference call he received reports on the receipt of equipment, ammunition, new contracts and new geography of supplies. I also heard information about the front: “Kupyansk, Avdeevka - heavy, sticky battles, but our soldiers are holding their positions.”

In addition, the meeting participants discussed preparations for Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. “ This year we will not only defend ourselves, but also respond. The enemy knows this well. First, they removed the fleet from Crimea, and now they are moving their aircraft further away from our borders,” the president emphasized.

12:17 The EU is ready to cover only half of the 2024 budget deficit for Ukraine, said Deputy Minister of Economy Alexey Sobolev. He explained that we are talking about 18 billion euros, which Ukraine planned as a deficit in the draft budget for 2024. However, the European Union is ready to allocate only 9 billion euros to cover it.

11:49 At night, the enemy struck an area near the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant, the Ministry of Energy reported. As a result of the explosion, windows in the administrative and amenity and laboratory buildings were damaged. Due to damage to power lines, 1,860 consumers were de-energized in the cities of Slavuta and Netishin, Khmelnitsky region. Restoration work will begin as soon as power engineers are allowed to the damage site.

11:13 As a result of a morning airstrike on Berislav, Kherson region, one person was killed - a Russian guided bomb hit a residential building, said the head of the Air Force, Alexander Prokudin.

10:48 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will likely arrive in Ukraine in early November - this may indicate that the assessment of Kiev's progress in reforms for EU accession will be positive, writes Radio Liberty's European correspondent Rikard Jozwiak.

10:42 The Siberia battalion is being formed in Ukraine, consisting entirely of Russian citizens who are ready to fight against the Putin regime, writes Bloomberg. Unlike the Russian Freedom Legion and other volunteer formations, the Sibir battalion is part of the regular Ukrainian army. It has already included dozens of Russians, among whom there are many representatives of ethnic minorities - Buryats, Yakuts and others. They had to go to Ukraine through third countries to get into the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The publication writes that all members of the 60-man battalion are volunteers, and there are no former captured Russian soldiers among them. Before signing a contract, citizens of the Russian Federation undergo a thorough check, which can last up to a year.

10:27 Australia announced a new package of military assistance to Ukraine worth $12.7 million. It included, among other things, mine clearance equipment, portable X-ray machines, a 3D metal printer and an anti-drone system.

09:10 At night, the Russians attacked the Kherson region with 13 guided bombs, a Shahed drone and a missile, said the head of the OBA, Alexander Prokudin. A rescue operation is ongoing at the site of one of the hits; there are probably people under the rubble. Over the past 24 hours, four people were wounded as a result of Russian shelling in the region.

09:04 In the city of Slavuta, Khmelnitsky region, as a result of falling UAV debris, 11 apartment buildings and nine private houses, two educational institutions, an administrative building, a store and cars were damaged, the State Emergency Service reported. Also in the cities of Slavuta and Netishin, the premises of the fire and rescue units and the building of the police department were damaged by the blast wave.

08:48 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Russian troops recently used for the first time the Italmas drone, which is cheaper than the Shahed, and used it to attack the Kiev region. Italmas is probably produced by the same Russian company that makes Lancet.

08:26 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of October 25:

personnel - about 296,310 (+800) people,

tanks - 5112 (+7),

armored combat vehicles - 9697 (+28),

artillery systems - 7125 (+44),

MLRS - 833 (+5),

air defense systems - 554 (+2),

aircraft - 320 (+0),

helicopters - 324 (+0),

UAV of operational-tactical level - 5372 (+9),

cruise missiles - 1538 (+1),

ships/boats - 20 (+0),

submarines - 1 (+0),

automotive equipment and tank trucks - 9474 (+27),

special equipment - 1007 (+1).

08:03 Air defense at night shot down all 11 Shahed-type attack UAVs, which Russia attacked from the south-eastern direction (Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Russian Federation), the Air Force command reported. In particular, air defense worked in Cherkasy, Kherson, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytsky and Nikolaev regions.

07:39 In the Avdeevka direction, the enemy is not abandoning attempts to encircle Avdeevka. Over the past 24 hours, the Defense Forces have repulsed more than ten enemy attacks in this direction in the Stepnoy, Avdeevka, Severny, Nevelskoye areas of the Donetsk region, the General Staff reported in its morning report .

In total, about 80 military clashes took place at the front over the past 24 hours. In the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian forces repelled enemy attacks near Sinkovka and Ivanovka, Kharkov region; on Limansky - not far from Nadezhda and Makeevka, Lugansk region; on Bakhmutsky - in the Bogdanovka, Kleshcheevka, Andreevka districts of the Donetsk region; on Maryinsky - in the Marinka and Pobeda districts of the Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky and Zaporozhye - in the areas of Novomikhailovka, Prechistovka, Staromayorsky, south of Zolotaya Niva in the Donetsk region and southeast of Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporizhzhya region.

At the same time, the Defense Forces continue their offensive in the Melitopol direction, and had partial success west of Verbovoy, Zaporozhye region. Assault operations are also continuing south of Bakhmut.

07:28 The Russians have been attacking the Khmelnitsky region for the fourth day in a row, said the first deputy head of the OVA, Sergei Tyurin. This night in the Shepetovsky district, debris from downed enemy targets fell on the territory of a critical infrastructure facility. The blast wave damaged non-residential premises, residential buildings and vehicles, injuring 16 people.

The Slavuta community suffered significant damage as a result of the Russian attack, said mayor Vasily Sidor.

05:25 A number of Republicans in the US Congress insist on dividing the aid packages for Israel and Ukraine into separate bills, which reduces Kiev’s chances of receiving money, Politico writes. The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on Biden's request in a week, according to the newspaper.

05:09 The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that Shoigu allegedly checked the forward command post of the Vostok group of troops in the southern Donetsk direction during a working trip to the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: August 22nd, 2023

2023-08-23

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
22:57 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that over the Black Sea, the flight of the MQ-9 Reaper and TB2 Bayraktar UAVs was allegedly recorded, which conducted aerial reconnaissance near the Crimean peninsula. Fighters of the air defense forces on duty were lifted into the air, as a result of which the UAVs changed the direction of their flight and left the air reconnaissance areas, according to Moscow.

22:14 The Russians fired artillery at the settlements of the Limansky territorial community of the Donetsk region: three people were killed, two were injured, the Office of the Prosecutor General said. In particular, three people were killed and one wounded as a result of shelling. Torsk. Another wounded - in with. Zakotnoe.

21:52 171 children remain in the front-line communities of the Donetsk region, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said. He clarified that these are the children who have parents. "We are using a tougher mechanism, in particular, forced evacuation with parents. The evacuation continues, we hope to reach zero within two weeks so that there are no children here," Kirilenko said.

To date, 492 thousand people live in the Donetsk region. In particular, Avdiivka, where about 40,000 people lived until 2014, currently has 1,691 people. These are mostly elderly people, although there are also young people under 30 years old.

20:59 The Ukrainian Armored Vehicles Company announced that it had established a joint production of 120 mm mortar shells with two NATO member countries at once. Mortar shells fully comply with NATO standards, and international cooperation and the dispersal of production facilities have helped the company increase the monthly supply of these ammunition for the Defense Forces.

20:26 Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Russia is now transferring tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. According to him, "such actions are changing the security architecture in Europe and on NATO's eastern flank."

20:22 The war in Ukraine has not reached a stalemate, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: “We have always clearly understood that the battlefield is very dynamic. Attacks and defenses are taking place from both sides at different points along a very long front line. We see how Ukraine continues to methodically and systematically reclaim territories."

In addition, Sullivan said the Biden administration is confident it can secure additional funding for Ukraine, despite opposition from some Republicans: "We believe that support will and will be sustained - even if there are dissident voices on the other side, we believe that at the core there is still a strong bipartisan basis of support for our policy toward Ukraine."

20:17 PMC Wagner is no longer involved in hostilities in Ukraine and is not going to return in the near future, said Andrey Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate, in a commentary to Liga. At the same time, he added that individual Wagnerites with military experience are fighting against Ukraine, but this is not of a systemic nature.

20:09 Zelensky announced that he was returning to Ukraine after a visit to Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark and Greece. On the sidelines of the Ukraine-Balkans summit, the President held talks with the leaders of Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, and with the President of the European Commission. "We are returning home with new political support, new agreements. Everyone clearly confirms the territorial integrity of Ukraine. There will be planes for Ukraine. There will be additional armored vehicles. We will strengthen air defense," Zelensky assured.

He also said that almost all meetings discussed the protection of export routes through the Black Sea and corridors of solidarity by land. The president called the readiness of the country to take patronage over the restoration of Odessa as a very important agreement with Greece.

19:25 Putin fired the commander of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation, Sergei Surovikin, who, according to media reports, was detained by counterintelligence in connection with Prigozhin's rebellion. Former Editor-in-Chief of Echo of Moscow Alexei Venediktov claims that, according to the decree, Surovikin will be left at the disposal of the Russian Defense Ministry. Officially, such a decree was not published.

19:13 Putin once again announced Russia's alleged readiness to return to the grain deal in the event of a "real" fulfillment of obligations to the Russian side.

19:08 Russians fired at Nikolayevka of the Kherson region, one person is wounded, reported OVA.

19:04 The minefields of Russians on the territory of Ukraine have reached the size of approximately the size of West Germany, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said: "The situation now is such that there are giant minefields, primarily in eastern Ukraine. In such conditions, Ukrainian forces sometimes find themselves in a trap. There are estimates that the minefields are about the size of West Germany, so the question is how to overcome them."

Burbock also noted that Germany is "working at full strength" on the issue of possible deliveries of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

18:19 The Russians fired from the territory of the Russian Federation from a mortar and a grenade launcher on the outskirts of Seredina-Buda, Shostka district, Sumy region, four people were injured, the Office of the Prosecutor General said.

18:05 The Russian Federation for the first time put the new ship Cyclone on combat duty. The Russians say that the ship will replace the cruiser Moskva, but there is one caveat - the launch vehicle failed the tests. More details - in the material Replacement of Moscow .

17:44 The Russians are flooding the ferries to protect the Kerch bridge. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, preparatory work is currently being carried out near the bridge to flood the second ferry, and the occupiers plan to flood at least six such boats in total to create a protective strip in front of the bridge. Between the flooded ferries, they plan to install booms.

The GUR noted that periodic successful attacks by the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine on the bridge led to serious damage to its structure, in particular, road and railway tracks. "A simple measure to protect the 19-kilometer bridge in the form of flooding of ferries testifies to the feverishness of the enemy's decisions and the intellectual crisis within the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation," Ukrainian military intelligence notes.

17:19 Denmark has begun training eight Ukrainian pilots on the F-16, the country's Armed Forces reported. Pilots arrived at the military air base in Skrydstrup, as well as 65 military personnel who will be trained to operate these aircraft.

16:58 Reznikov admits that the war will last a long time: "To win means not just to liberate our land, but to make sure that the enemy never even thinks about returning. And this is a very difficult task. Many in the world still believe that this is impossible." However, according to the minister, the Ukrainians have already proved that "we have a different idea of what is possible and impossible, so we will definitely win."

"We have a strong, insidious enemy, and the war can be long, because this is a real marathon. We will still have painful losses, and in order to defeat the Russians, we must realize that the main thing for victory ... It depends on how people feel our advantage over the enemy at a long distance. This is unity and readiness to fight," Reznikov stressed.

16:13 Rabotino, where the Ukrainian military entered, is an important springboard for expanding counter-offensive actions towards Tokmak, experts say. Attacks there will allow you to start working around the densest minefields of the Russians. For more details, see Where the Armed Forces Break Through .

16:06 Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has handed over to Ukraine 12 bodies of Ukrainian defenders who were listed as prisoners of war, said Yury Taranyuk, a representative of the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. According to him, their faces were confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross as being held captive in the Russian Federation. At the same time, the Ukrainian side did not receive any notifications from the Russian Federation about the deterioration in their health. Taranyuk stressed that this "casts doubt on the quality of work or the presence of a medical commission on that side."

15:57 Croatia will provide Ukraine with a new military aid package in the amount of 30 million euros, Prime Minister Andrei Plenkovic said after a meeting with Zelensky. According to him, the Croatian government should clarify the issue of assistance at a meeting on 31 August. Plenkovic also announced a "big international demining conference" to be held in October. In addition, the parties discussed plans to use Croatian ports for the export of Ukrainian grain. According to the prime minister, several thousand tons of grain have already been exported from Croatian ports.

15:25 Montenegro also joined the G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelensky said after a meeting with his Montenegrin counterpart Yakov Milatovich.

15:21 Danilov said that Crimea would be liberated, most likely by military means: "Crimea is part of our territory, and we must liberate it. Moreover, we will liberate it. Most likely, this will happen by military means - if the country Until then, the aggressor will not understand that she needs to leave our territory. We have no other option. Any other case in relation to Crimea means conservation of the situation, passing the war on to our descendants, children, grandchildren."

15:12 Ukraine initiates the creation of mixed medical commissions for the exchange of prisoners of war, said Andrei Yusov, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. According to him, this is the third case in world history when such an initiative will be implemented.

According to the Geneva Conventions, such a commission includes three doctors: one from the country that holds prisoners of war, and two from neutral countries. The creation of mixed commissions will help release Ukrainian prisoners, and Russia will return its own.

14:50 Speaker of the Kharkiv OVA Elena Shapoval denied the information of Russian telegram channels that the Russian army allegedly entered Sinkovka, and the Ukrainian troops retreated. According to her, all local authorities are on the ground and working. OSINT analysts have established that the video posted by Russian publics allegedly to confirm their information is actually the village of Voronovo in the Luhansk region.

14:39 Governor of the Bryansk region Alexander Bogomaz announced an attempt by allegedly "Ukrainian saboteurs" to break into Russian territory in the Klimovsky district. According to him, the attack was repelled, "measures are being taken to ensure the safety of civilians."

14:04 Ukraine has already received all the SCALP long-range cruise missiles promised by Paris, Ambassador to France Vadim Omelchenko said. At the same time, he clarified that this batch was a test one, and the shells "proved themselves well." Omelchenko assured that there will be new deliveries.

13:52 Luxembourg joined the G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine.

13:41 Zelensky said during the veterans' forum that all officials who do not understand the meaning of the heroes' policy should be replaced: "Pokrov is ahead, the Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine. It is on this day that we must see and evaluate the result. The first significant result of the implementation the politics of heroes and overcoming the problems that will be discussed, in particular today at the forum. I am sure that the result will be."

The President named the main principles at the heart of the policy of heroes: "No lost destinies. No lost generations. No lost opportunities. And of course, do not waste time. Life time. Everything in it, from honoring the feat of Ukrainians to new educational opportunities for veterans, from the quality of work VLK and rehabilitation to economic opportunities, business and legal opportunities, housing for veterans - everything in the politics of heroes should be such as to help people live.

13:37 Erdogan himself will come to Russia for talks with Putin, Yeni Şafak reports, citing sources in the Turkish presidential administration.

13:18 Russia has launched a new missile ship Cyclone into the Black Sea, which has not yet been tested, said Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden. According to her, in total, at the moment, the Russian Federation keeps three launch vehicles in the Black Sea ready for use - two surface and one underwater, the number of Calibers is up to 20 units.

12:59 The European Union transferred another tranche of 1.5 billion euros to Ukraine as part of the macro-financial assistance program for 18 billion euros, Ursula von der Leyen said. In total, this year Ukraine has already received 12 billion euros of this amount.

12:23 Zelensky said that he had a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stressed the need to fully resume Ukrainian food exports and transit from September 15.

12:18 The Russian army hit the Kamyshans of the Kherson region. Local residents who were on the street came under fire: one person was killed, one was wounded, said Alexander Prokudin, head of the OVA.

11:55 Reznikov said that 6-7 months is the minimum period for the transfer of F-16 to Ukraine. "But if it is a little more - do not be disappointed, because our pilots have demonstrated their ability to be ready in six months," the minister added. At the same time, it is not yet known how long the training of technicians and engineers will last.

11:47 Over the past 24 hours, the enemy has fired four times at the border settlements of the Chernihiv region - civilian infrastructure, the city council building in Semyonovka, and residential buildings have been damaged. One person died, said the head of the OVA Vyacheslav Chaus.

11:44 As a result of attacks on the airfields of Soltsy and Shaikovka, two Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were completely destroyed, two more aircraft were damaged, UP reports, citing an intelligence source. According to the publication, the airfields were attacked by quadrocopters from the territory of the Russian Federation.

11:29 British intelligence believes that the drone attack on the airfield in Soltsy in the Novgorod region, where the Tu-22M3 strategic bomber was destroyed, was carried out from the territory of Russia, since it is unlikely that copter UAVs have sufficient flight range to reach the object in Soltsy due to outside the borders of the Russian Federation.

11:02 Zelensky said that he had an "open, honest, productive conversation" with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic: "Good conversation. About respect for the UN Charter and the inviolability of borders. About the future of our peoples in a common European home. About the development of relations, which is our common interest."

10:51 Ukraine wants to receive JASSM cruise missiles for F-16s from the United States, which can help liberate Crimea, writes Forbes. The Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles, which have already been handed over to Kyiv, are incompatible with the F-16, unlike JASSM. JASSM-equipped F-16 fighter jets could be critical to a long-term plan to liberate Crimea without a fight, analysts say.

10:27 Hungarian President Katalina Novak has arrived in Transcarpathia, OVA reported. She has already met with the leadership of the regional administration, the regional council, Berehove and the district. After a visit to Transcarpathia, Novak will travel to Kyiv, where he will take part in the third International Summit of the Crimean Platform, which will be held on August 23.

09:58 Warriors of the 47th brigade entered the village of Rabotino and organized the evacuation of civilians on the Bradley BMP, Anna Malyar said. According to her, fighting is going on in the city, the Defense Forces are "performing planned combat work and destroying the enemy," in response, the Russians are continuously shelling Rabotino from artillery.

09:35 Zelensky said that yesterday, as part of the Ukraine-Balkans summit, he held productive talks with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov. We discussed, in particular, Black Sea security and the protection of alternative grain corridors.

09:07 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed (in Podolsky). In the Kherson region, four people were injured, according to the IVA.

08:53 At night, the Russians launched two missile attacks on the outskirts of Zaporozhye, and also attacked with three UAVs in the open area. Nearby houses were damaged by the blast wave, people were not injured, said Yuriy Malashko, head of the OVA. Over the past day, the enemy shelled the frontline settlements of the region, one person was killed as a result of artillery shelling of Preobrazhenka, another was wounded.

08:44 Ukrainian troops were successful in the direction of Rabotino on the southern front, they are fixed on the achieved lines, Andriy Kovalev, the speaker of the General Staff, said. In turn, the American Institute for the Study of War notes that Ukrainian forces on August 20-21 achieved tactically significant successes in Rabotino in the west of the Zaporozhye region.

08:31 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of August 22:

personnel - about 258,340 (+410) people liquidated,

tanks - 4362 (+4),

armored fighting vehicles - 8476 (+27),

artillery systems - 5295 (+31),

MLRS - 721 (+2),

air defense systems - 491 (+2),

aircraft - 315 (+0),

helicopters - 316 (+0),

UAV operational-tactical level - 4312 (+3),

cruise missiles - 1406 (+0),

ships/boats - 18 (+0),

automotive equipment and tankers - 7722 (+30),

special equipment - 797 (+3).

08:17 Over the past day, about 30 clashes have occurred at the front, the General Staff said in the morning summary . In particular, in the Bakhmut direction, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive operations in the Klescheevka area of the Donetsk region. In the Avdiivka direction, Ukrainian defenders continue to hold back the advance of Russian troops in the Avdiivka area, in the Maryinsky direction, in the area of Maryinka and Novomikhailovka, Donetsk region. The Ukrainian Defense Forces continue their offensive operation in the Melitopol direction.

07:50 The Russians hit Krivoy Rog with a rocket in the morning: more than 20 private houses and energy infrastructure were damaged, one person was injured, said the head of the GVA Alexander Vilkul. At the moment, several streets and electric transport lines are partially de-energized.

In addition, at night the enemy attacked the Sinelnikovsky district of the Dnepropetrovsk region with a drone, hitting a private enterprise. Another blow to the area was inflicted in the morning - the power line and other civilian infrastructure were damaged, said the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.

05:13 In Russian Krasnogorsk, a 25-storey building was damaged by a blast wave when a drone fell. Windows were broken in the high-rise building, cars were damaged, there were no injuries among residents and there was no fire, said the governor of the Moscow region Andrei Vorobyov.

03:49 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that at night two UAVs were detected and suppressed by electronic warfare systems, crashed over the territory of the Bryansk region. Two more drones were detected and destroyed by air defense systems over the territory of the Moscow Region. Dozens of flights have been canceled and delayed at Moscow airports. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin specified that air defense shot down two attack drones in the area of Krasnogorsk and Chastsov.

00:24 Russia has lost its advantage in artillery on the battlefield, said Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Gavrilov. He explained that this happened due to the fact that the Ukrainian forces began to widely use 155 mm artillery, because "every 100 barrels is the same as 300-400 barrels of 152 caliber." "And in fact, today we are balanced with Russian artillery due to the better quality of our artillery, more accurate, more reliable, more modern," Gavrilov added.

00:07 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced an attempt to attack a UAV in the Crimea region. Two drones were allegedly detected and suppressed by electronic warfare. Having lost control, the UAVs crashed over the Black Sea, 40 km northwest of the Crimean peninsula, according to Moscow.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: July 28th, 2023

2023-07-29

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 23:02 For the third time, the Russians attacked the empty building of the SBU in Dnipro with Iskanders, and today they attacked a residential building nearby, Mayor Boris Filatov said. According to him, there were no tenants in the residential building, "because it was the second stage for sale."

22:36 Ukrainska Pravda reports that a new residential complex in Dnipro was damaged by a Russian strike, where many apartments have not yet been occupied. UP sources also reported that the building of the SBU has been empty for a long time. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, five people were injured as a result of the strike.

22:18 The Russians launched a missile attack on the Dnieper, hit a high-rise building and an administrative building, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak. A fire broke out in an area of 100 sq. m, previously known about the three victims. Zelensky specified that the enemy hit a multi-storey residential building and the building of the SBU.

20:35 Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin claims that Ukraine now has the highest level of production of lethal, ground and swimming drones in the world: "Today, more than 40 companies are involved in deliveries, more than 100 companies are producing something that "flies, travels on land and floats on water. In this regard, Ukraine will definitely become a Mecca for people who want to understand the specifics of UAVs. No other country in the world has such a level of production of lethal, ground and swimming drones as in Ukraine."

20:29 NATO plans to build a repair and logistics center in Rzeszow, Poland, which, thanks to its strategic location, has become an important transport hub for helping Ukraine, reports The Globe and Mail, citing Canadian and Polish officials.

20:14 Chairman of the African Union Azali Assoumani said after the Africa-Russia summit in St. Petersburg that "we must achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine." According to him, Putin "showed his readiness to conduct a dialogue on Ukraine, now we need to convince the other side."

19:20 The Russians have kidnapped another employee of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Energoatom reported. More than a month ago, on June 23, the occupiers kidnapped Sergey Potyng, an engineer for labor protection of the ZNPP thermal automation and measurement shop, who remained in Energodar and worked at the station. He was seen at the police station where the Russians are holding city residents and ZNPP workers. There he is tortured, and after torture each time he is sent to the hospital so that he does not die. At the same time, no charges have been brought against the engineer.

Energoatom appeals to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and the entire world community with an appeal to make every effort to free all ZNPP workers who are being held captive by Russian terrorists.

19:14 Zelensky said in an evening video message that "our international officials are preparing quite significant decisions for Ukraine, for our soldiers. We are doing our maximum now non-publicly - so that the results of our soldiers, which everyone will see, can also become maximum."

19:11 Russian media report a blow to the building of the "Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR" in Donetsk.

19:09 In the Russian Samara, there was an explosion at the Kuibyshev oil refinery, there were no serious damages and no casualties, deputy Alexander Khinshtein said. According to him, an explosive device was planted, and the alleged organizer of the explosion, allegedly a native of Ukraine, was detained while trying to leave Russia.

18:58 Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov called the events in Taganrog "absolutely illiterate actions of operators of Russian air defense systems."

18:46 Zelensky said that during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, they discussed further steps to ensure global food security and continue the safe operation of the grain corridor, the Formula of Peace, in particular the return of children illegally deported by Russia, Qatari investments.

18:27 Experts believe that the Ukrainian counter-offensive has reached its first culmination - the assault on the first line of defense of the invaders. About where the Armed Forces of Ukraine can direct the main blow - in the material Found a weak spot .

18:10 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that Ukraine made a second attempt to attack with an anti-aircraft missile of the S-200 air defense system converted into a strike version. The rocket was allegedly intercepted near the city of Azov in the Rostov region, the wreckage fell in a deserted area.

17:39 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that Ukraine allegedly attacked the "residential infrastructure" of the city of Taganrog with an anti-aircraft missile of the S-200 air defense system converted into a strike version. According to Moscow, the Ukrainian missile was detected and intercepted in the air by Russian air defense systems, fragments of the downed missile fell on the territory of Taganrog.

The governor of the Rostov region, Vasily Golubev, said that the epicenter of the explosion allegedly fell on the territory of an art museum, its wall, roof, garages and outbuildings were destroyed, nine people were taken to hospitals.

17:16 Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk said that the Constitution does not prohibit holding elections during martial law. He explained that such a norm is contained in the law on the legal regime of martial law. According to the speaker, this may be a matter of discussion, "and I think that it will be updated in the near future."

16:55 Putin ignored Erdogan's request to negotiate the renewal of the grain agreement, writes The Wall Street Journal, citing diplomats and analysts. According to them, Ankara is trying to resolve the issue through channels of communication with the Kremlin, but Putin has not spoken to Erdogan on this topic. Interlocutors of the newspaper say that Erdogan "angered" the Russian authorities when he returned Azovstal commanders to Ukraine and allowed Sweden to join NATO.

16:26 Rheinmetall trains Ukrainians to repair Leopard tanks and plans to start repair work on the territory of Ukraine in a few weeks, said the head of the German concern Armin Papperger.

15:59 Romania intends to quickly expand one of the key transit routes for Ukrainian grain, said Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu. She said Romania could open new border crossings with Ukraine, increase staffing at existing crossings, and bring in retired and military pilots to speed up the transit of ships through the Danube canals.

Romania has already secured the transit of more than 20 million tons of grain from Ukraine, about half of the 41 million tons transported along the "corridors of solidarity" since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

15:27 Qatar is allocating $100 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine, Prime Minister Muhammad bin Abdulrahman bin Jasim Al Thani said during a visit to Kiev. The funds will be used to restore medical care, education, humanitarian demining and other important social and humanitarian projects.

15:22 Zelensky signed a law to postpone the celebration of Christmas to December 25. The Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine is also postponed to October 1, and the Day of Ukrainian Statehood to July 15.

15:16 The State Border Service published an interception in which a Russian warship threatens a civilian ship passing near the ports of Ukraine. The warship declares a ban on movement in the direction of Ukrainian ports and threatens war with the country under whose flag such ships sail.

Yermak stressed that such threats to civilian ships in the Black Sea are a violation of all norms of international maritime law: "These are the methods of terrorists. The effective tool against terrorism is force. The international community must condemn the actions of the Russians. We need a systematic position."

14:57 The African Union, which includes 55 countries, called on Russia to immediately renew the grain agreement through the mediation of the UN. Azali Assumani, head of the bloc, said he would raise the issue at a meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg.

14:34 The Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Ukraine, reports The Guardian. He is expected to meet with his Ukrainian counterparts - Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

14:09 Ukraine needs 10-12 Patriot complexes or similar to protect its entire territory, Podolyak said in an interview with The Guardian. According to him, the recent strikes on Odessa showed that the strengthening of air defense systems was right both economically and morally: "Fixing all this later will be much more expensive than providing a Patriot system to protect the south."

14:02 Putin said that all problems regarding the situation in Ukraine and NATO expansion should be resolved during negotiations, "but they refuse to talk to us, including issues of strategic security."

13:54 Germany handed over to Ukraine another package of military assistance, which included, in particular, six Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and 15,000 ammunition for them; ten all-terrain vehicles Bandvagn 206; 20 RQ-35 reconnaissance drones and 13 Vector reconnaissance drones; eight ambulances.

13:17 The Russians have begun transferring power unit No. 5 of the Zaporizhzhya NPP to a state of "cold shutdown", said Oleg Korikov, head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Commission. According to him, as of today, power unit No. 4 is in a "hot shutdown" state, and power unit No. 5 is cooling down. The remaining power units are in a stopped and cold state.

12:55 The Office of the Prosecutor General submitted to the court an indictment against the former General Director of the State Enterprise Antonov on the fact of official negligence. The investigation established that it was precisely because of his actions that the AN-225 Mriya aircraft was not transported from the danger zone in a timely manner. As a result of Russian shelling, the aircraft was destroyed, and the state suffered damage in the amount of almost UAH 8.5 billion. The accused is currently in custody.

12:36 The situation is very tense in the Bakhmut direction, but the Defense Forces are gradually moving forward, said Alexander Syrsky, commander of the Ground Forces. According to him, counter-battery combat has now come to the fore in the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To support their troops in the area of Klescheevka, Kurdyumovka, Andreevka, the enemy concentrated a significant amount of artillery, the destruction of which is one of the main tasks of the Ukrainian troops.

On the Kupyansk and Limansk directions, the enemy is constantly attacking, using his most professional units. Every day, the Defense Forces repulse numerous assaults in these directions, not a single one of our positions is lost.

12:24 Russia now does not have the opportunity to strengthen the Black Sea Fleet at the expense of other fleets - the Baltic or the North, said the speaker of the Navy Dmitry Pletenchuk. He explained that such strengthening is impossible, in particular, because of the closed Bosphorus Strait by Turkey. According to Pletenchuk, usually in the Black Sea there are from seven to 11 warships of the Russian Federation and from one to three border guard ships. They pose a threat to Ukraine, in particular because of the "possibility of a direct military confrontation" at sea, the Navy spokesman added.

12:08 Explosions were heard near the Zaporozhye NPP on July 26 and 27, they were recorded by IAEA experts, said Oleg Korikov, head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

11:43 Peskov said that Russia "remains open to a settlement on Ukraine," and Kiev "even now, in a rather difficult situation for itself, rejects the possibility of dialogue."

11:29 Air Force Speaker Yuriy Ignat does not believe in the resumption of civil aviation flights in Ukraine before the end of the war. According to him, the practice of Israel cannot be applied here, since the area of Ukraine is much larger, and it is very difficult to cover it with air defense. It is also not clear how passengers and aircraft will be insured during the war.

11:24 Rada canceled VAT and duties on the import of anti-drone guns and thermal imagers.

11:17 Shoigu visited the DPRK amid the Kremlin's difficulties in acquiring weapons, said US National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby: "It's not a secret ... Putin is turning to other countries for help and support in waging war in Ukraine. And this, as we know, includes some contact with North Korea." Kirby recalled that Pyongyang supports Moscow in the war against Ukraine and supplies weapons, including infantry rockets and shells.

10:55 The Verkhovna Rada appealed to UNESCO, the parliaments and governments of its member states on the need to deprive the Russian Federation of membership in the organization. The parliamentarians also ask UNESCO to immediately send a mission to Ukraine to assess the damage caused by Russian attacks on World Heritage sites in Lviv and Odessa, and parliaments and governments of foreign states to take all possible measures to investigate crimes, bring to justice and justly punish those responsible.

In addition, the Rada appealed to the UN, the parliaments and governments of countries, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Independent International Medical Humanitarian Organization Doctors Without Borders on the issue of ensuring the exchange and return of Mariupol POWs to Ukraine.

10:49 Poland is almost doubling the number of troops, said Deputy Prime Minister Yaroslav Kaczynski. In particular, the country's army used to consist of three divisions, now it will have six. One of the new divisions will appear soon enough. Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak added that today the Polish Army has 172,000 soldiers, and they plan to increase this number to 300,000.

10:45 The political movement Another Ukraine , headed by Medvedchuk and former Ukrainian journalist Denis Zharkikh, was officially registered in Russia , Radio Liberty reports. The register of legal entities of the Russian Federation indicates that the Other Ukraine movement was created in June. Its status is "public non-religious organization".

The organization has already started holding public anti-Ukrainian events in Russia. In particular, on July 19, a round table was held on the topic of "Ukrainian Russophobia" - the basis for discussion was Medvedchuk's article "Two Ukraines as a New Political Reality."

10:37 Belarus uses PMC Wagner mercenaries to escalate the situation, and their number and location in Belarus currently do not pose a threat to Ukraine, State Border Service spokesman Andrei Demchenko said. According to him, the situation on the border with Belarus remains under control, and calm directly along the state border.

According to the State Border Guard Service, at present the number of Wagnerites in Belarus is just over 5,000, and they are located at a considerable distance from the border with Ukraine. "Now we see that they are escalating the situation more, including in relation to the countries of the European Union. This is one of the factors of influence that they continue to use," Demchenko added.

09:58 Russia is accumulating forces to intensify attacks on the infrastructure and coastal zone of Ukraine, said Natalya Gumenyuk, spokeswoman for the Southern Defense Forces. "From the radio intercepts, we hear that the occupiers are warning civilian ships at sea that it is impossible to proceed to Ukrainian ports," she said.

Gumenyuk also spoke about the situation on the Kinburn Spit. According to her, the Russians hide their equipment there behind the houses of local residents, and also mine the surroundings of the villages so that the Ukrainians could not leave their settlements. "However, we are still successfully working on the artillery of the occupants when they bring their weapons to firing positions. The morale and psychological state of the Russians on the Kinburn Spit is extremely low. There is no rotation due to a lack of personnel. Therefore, they bought a ticket to one end," said Gumenyuk.

09:36 In the battles for the southern approaches of Bakhmut, near Kleshcheevka, one of the main commanders of the "LPR" Artur Bogachenko was liquidated, Russian publics report. He led the Prizrak battalion, created in 2014, replacing its founder Alexei Mozgovoy, who was killed in 2015, in this position.

09:01 In the Nikolaev area last night Russians fired at Kutsurubsky community from artillery, two people, including the 15-year-old girl are wounded, the head of OVA Vitaly Kim reported.

08:57 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed (in Avdiivka), three more were injured. In the Kharkiv region, five were wounded, in the Kherson region - one, according to the OVA.

08:38 From August 9, Japan expands the list of cars that are prohibited from exporting to Russia, Kyodo reports. In 2022, the country stopped deliveries to the Russian Federation of new premium cars worth more than 6 million yen (43 thousand dollars), and now the ban will be extended to new and used cars with gasoline and diesel engines of more than 1.9 liters and tires for them as well as electric and hybrid cars.

08:32 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of July 28:

personnel - about 244,830 (+560) people liquidated,

tanks - 4190 (+4),

armored combat vehicles - 8161 (+14),

artillery systems - 4775 (+30),

MLRS - 698 (+0),

air defense systems - 458 (+1),

aircraft - 315 (+0),

helicopters - 311 (+0),

UAV operational-tactical level - 4007 (+11),

cruise missiles - 1347 (+0),

ships/boats - 18 (+0),

automotive equipment and tankers - 7240 (+11),

special equipment - 709 (+1).

07:58 Over the past day, more than 30 clashes have occurred at the front, the General Staff said in the morning summary . In particular, in the Liman direction, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive operations in the Nadezhda area. In the Bakhmut direction, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the areas west and south of Kleshcheevka, Donetsk region, and in the Avdeevsky direction, in the Avdeevka area. In the Maryinsky direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to restrain the offensive of Russian troops in the Maryinka area. In the Shakhtyorsk direction, the Defense Forces liberated Staromayorskoye, and in the areas of Rovnopol and Makarovka, Donetsk region, the enemy made an unsuccessful attempt to restore the lost position.

06:43 In the occupied Shakhtersk, Donetsk region, after a missile attack, an oil depot caught fire at night, local publics write.

05:30 In Japan, a new white paper of defense is presented, in which Russia is called a direct threat to Europe, and the strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing is of great concern. It is also assumed that the DPRK may already launch a nuclear strike against Japan. According to the document, Japan intends to multiply its military spending in a number of areas.

04:54 The US Agency for International Assistance (USAID) will hand over nine autonomous Skydio drones to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine to document war crimes, Voice of America reports. The drones are equipped with 4K cameras that will be used for photography and video. This will help document more than 115,000 cases of destruction of civilian infrastructure and evidence of human rights violations in front-line and liberated territories.

To date, two Ukrainian human rights coalitions backed by USAID have documented more than 40,000 cases of Russian war crimes since the start of the full-scale invasion.

04:15 Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that at night an attempt was made to attack an "enemy drone", which was shot down by the forces of the Ministry of Defense, there were no damages or casualties.

03:19 The first American Abrams tanks may hit the battlefield in Ukraine in September, Politico writes, citing sources. It is assumed that in August several tanks will be sent to Germany, where they will undergo final repairs, and then the first batch of Abrams will be sent to Ukraine. According to the publication, the US will send older models of the Abrams M1A, and not the modern version of the A2, which would take a year to deliver to Ukraine.

The first batch will include from six to eight tanks, and the US plans to send 31 Abrams in total. According to a Defense Ministry official, the Ukrainian military should complete training on Abrams tanks in August.

02:20 The resumption of grain deliveries from Ukraine through the Black Sea is a global problem, not a regional one, said US State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel: “Of course, we strive to ensure that grain goes as much as possible to all countries in need. And this is not only a regional problem Eastern Europe, Africa, this is a global problem." He stressed that Ukrainian food and, in particular, grain products are "incredibly important", and the US continues to urge Russia to return to the grain agreement.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: July 19th, 2023

2023-07-20

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22:16 The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to successfully hit the rear positions of the Russian military. Following the explosions on the Crimean bridge on the occupied peninsula, a military warehouse caught fire. About how important these events are for the course of hostilities - in the material Big fire in the Crimea .

21:51 Russia broke the grain agreement, and now ships moving to Ukraine can no longer pass through the safe corridor. Moreover, Moscow said today that all ships that will navigate the old route will be considered hostile. Read more in the material Tension in the Black Sea .

21:39 Washington is not ready to announce any measures to support the movement of ships to Ukrainian ports after the statements of the Russian Defense Ministry, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

20:47 Putin said that Russia would consider the possibility of returning to the grain deal, "if all the principles of its participation in it, without exception, are taken into account and implemented." In particular, according to him, the connection to SWIFT of financial organizations serving the export of Russian grain "should be immediate." Also, one of the conditions is the resumption of operation of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline.

20:00 The Pentagon announced the provision of a new $1.3 billion military aid package to Ukraine. It will include four NASAMS anti-aircraft missile systems, artillery shells, mine clearance equipment, UAV detection and electronic warfare equipment.

19:56 In the ports that Russia attacked at night, about a million tons of food were stored - "exactly the volume that should have been delivered to consumer countries in Africa and Asia for a long time," Zelensky said in an evening video message. And in the port terminal, which suffered the most that night, 60,000 tons of agricultural products were stored, destined for shipment to China.

19:23 In the Melitopol direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have advanced a kilometer, said the speaker of the press center of the Defense Forces of the Tauride direction, Valery Shershen.

18:49 Zelensky said that he had met in Kiev with the head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power: "We discussed further support for Ukraine, our people, our economy. We discussed in detail the consequences of the Russian attempt to destroy the Black Sea Grain Initiative."

18:32 Russian administrations in the occupied territories began to massively evict citizens of Ukraine from their homes and apartments under the pretext of alleged debt for utilities. This primarily applies to those who have not received a Russian passport, said Anna Malyar. In particular, in Starobelsk, after the legal owners of housing have been evicted in this way, citizens of the Russian Federation are settled there.

In addition, the Russian occupation regime forbade residents of the Kherson region who do not have Russian passports to return to their settlements, which they urgently left after the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. At the same time, the invaders are forcing flood victims and forcibly evicted Ukrainians to move to Russia or Crimea. According to Malyar, in this way the Russians, in particular, are trying to artificially increase the number of people with Russian passports in order to participate in the so-called "elections" in September.

18:20 The family of Russian Alexander Zakharov, who has been developing and manufacturing UAVs for more than 15 years and created the Lancet kamikaze drone, lives in London and owns real estate there in an elite area, Important stories report . The UK imposed sanctions on his company CFTS, but the Zakharov family was not subject to restrictions.

On this occasion, Yermak said that personal sanctions should be expanded and strengthened: "The relatives of the designers of Russian weapons, as well as themselves, Russian propagandists, their relatives, cultural figures, must be deprived of the right to own real estate in the West. They must also be banned from even traveling around countries of the Western world."

18:06 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that from 00:00 Moscow time on July 20, all ships sailing in the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports will be considered as "potential carriers of military cargo", and the flag countries of such ships will be considered involved in the " Ukrainian conflict" on the side of Kiev. A number of sea areas in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea have been declared "temporarily dangerous for navigation."

17:11 A network of Russian agents who planned to blow up trains with weapons and humanitarian aid for Ukraine was exposed in Poland, writes Gazeta Polska. A total of 15 people were detained - these are citizens of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. They are accused of spying for the GRU.

16:55 Brazilian President Lula da Silva said that the world is getting tired of the war in Ukraine: "The world is starting to get tired. Countries are starting to get tired. So the moment will come when there will be peace. And then there should be a group of countries capable of talking with Russia and talking Ukraine". He also accused Zelensky and Biden of failing to continue negotiations with Putin.

In addition, da Silva criticized Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font, who demanded that Russia be condemned at the Brussels summit. In his opinion, this is due to the "youth and inexperience" of the Chilean politician.

16:17 The Russians are planning another provocation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant with the use of heavy weapons, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. The Department of Military Counterintelligence of the FSB is disseminating among the personnel of the occupying contingent information about alleged preparations by the Ukrainian Security and Defense Forces for an assault on the ZNPP.

The dissemination of such information may indicate that the invaders are preparing an operation under a false flag, which will lead to a large-scale accident at the ZNPP. According to available information, another simulated shelling of the station is being prepared with the aim of further blaming Ukraine for them, the GUR reported.

16:10 During the night attack, Russia destroyed 60 thousand tons of grain in the port of Chornomorsk, Odessa region, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy reported. This grain should have been sent through the grain corridor 60 days ago. The department reported that the night strike disabled a significant part of the grain export infrastructure of the port of Chornomorsk. According to experts, it will take at least a year to fully restore the facilities.

16:06 Ireland allocates an additional 5 million euros for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and another 2 million through the UN, said Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. In addition, Ireland joins the training mission - it will train the Ukrainian military in demining and military medicine. The country also provided equipment for the restoration of energy supply and for water purification. In turn, Zelensky recalled that Ireland provided Ukraine with non-lethal assistance for more than 170 million euros and was actively involved in the demining process.

15:59 Ireland is investigating how the details of the production of an Irish company ended up in a kamikaze drone, with which the Russian Federation attacked Nikolaev, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said at a joint press conference with Zelensky in Kiev. "We do not believe that any Irish companies could have violated the sanctions. It is possible that some third party has violated the sanctions. We take this very seriously," he added.

Varadkar assured that, despite the military neutrality, Ireland is not politically neutral and fully supports Ukraine in the struggle for independence and the return of territories.

15:45 Ukraine is studying the possibility of the safe operation of the grain corridor in the Black Sea, including the possible escort of convoys, Zelensky said. He added that the possibility of such convoys should be discussed not only with Turkey, but also with other partners. "Both the UN, Turkey, and the military can say that no one gives 100% guarantees. But this is a very easy position. This is not the position we are ready for. Because we need the corridor to function," the president stressed. .

15:19 To protect Odessa from the air, Ukraine needs additional SAMP-T or Patriot air defense systems, Zelensky said: “There are two systems today. I agreed with President Macron and Italian Prime Minister George Maloney when we received SAMP-T. We won’t say where these systems are now, but they work, they work perfectly... If we had the appropriate additional systems, they would protect the infrastructure of Odessa, and not only the port infrastructure.Or these are Patriot systems. You also know very well who gave us these systems. But all this is still not enough to protect the relevant infrastructure."

14:54 The decision to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will be made after the training of pilots and technicians is completed, Reznikov said. According to him, training should begin in August in one of the 11 countries that have signed a memorandum in Vilnius. After that, the program will be expanded to other countries. “Yesterday at Ramstein, the Polish Minister of Defense confirmed that they also provide their equipment and capabilities. Therefore, we will simultaneously train pilots and technical engineers in several countries,” Reznikov said.

According to the minister, in parallel, Ukraine will do "its homework" - it is necessary to assess the possibility of airfields, organize infrastructure. "As soon as the infrastructure and pilots are ready, which can carry out combat missions, and service engineers, at this moment the partners will make a decision: ok, now the planes. Therefore, it will take a little time. I optimistically think that next year," Reznikov noted.

14:25 The Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar is visiting Ukraine. Zelensky said that important negotiations would take place today: "security, political cooperation, justice for Ukraine and our economic cooperation." "Although Ireland is a neutral country, this neutrality does not mean indifference, and this is very important," the Ukrainian president added.

14:18 Zelensky signed a law that makes it easier for the military to transfer to the reserve. Now the military personnel, whom the military medical commission, during martial law, declared unfit for service for health reasons with a review after 6-12 months, can be transferred to the reserve.

14:06 The office of the President of South Africa said that Putin will not go to the BRICS summit in August, a joint decision has been reached on this matter. Russia will be represented at the summit by Lavrov.

13:37 The Belarusian Red Cross takes part in the removal of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories to Belarus, said the head of the organization Dmitry Shevtsov during a trip to Donbass. According to him, the Belarusian Red Cross "accepted, is taking and will take an active part" in the removal of children from the occupied Ukrainian territories, allegedly "for recovery."

During his previous trip to the occupied Ukrainian territories, Shevtsov was seen in camouflage and with the letter Z on his sleeve, according to the Zerkalo newspaper, although the Red Cross charter requires members of the organization to remain neutral. The International Committee of the Red Cross said they are looking into the incident.

12:48 In the Lugansk region, the commander of the 123rd motorized rifle brigade of the Russian Federation, Denis Ivanov, with the call sign Tashkent, was eliminated, Russian media report. However, it is not known exactly how he was killed. Ivanov was a frequent hero in the plots of Russian propagandists, Skabeeva called him "the legendary brigade commander."

12:45 As a result of night shelling, the Odessa region suffered the most. The main targets of the enemy were the port and critical infrastructure of the region. Details about the consequences - in the material Night attack of Russia .

12:33 Zelensky said that at a conference call he heard information about a Russian night attack: "Russian terrorists absolutely deliberately aimed at the infrastructure of the grain agreement, and every Russian missile is a strike not only against Ukraine, but also against everyone in the world who seeks to a normal and safe life." The President instructed the military to strengthen the protection of people and port infrastructure, and the Foreign Ministry to intensify contacts with partners to increase pressure on the Russian Federation and continue the normal export of Ukrainian grain.

12:14 In the Luhansk region, the occupiers are threatening to deport local residents in the absence of a Russian passport not from July 1, 2024, as previously thought, but from December 1 of this year, said the head of the OVA Artem Lysogor.

12:03 Spain has sent the last four Leopard 2А4 tanks promised to Ukraine, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said. According to her, the tanks will be delivered by sea next week. Also, Spain will soon transfer ten armored personnel carriers after overhaul and several armored all-terrain vehicles, trucks and ambulances, ammunition, including large calibers.

In addition, Madrid sent Ukraine a field hospital with emergency surgery facilities, the necessary post-operative rooms, a pharmacy, sterilization, a laboratory and two hospitalization modules. Ukrainian doctors and logistics personnel have already completed two weeks of intensive training in Zaragoza and are ready to deploy, set up and manage this hospital at the front.

11:47 The European Union plans to create a fund for military support to Ukraine for the next four years in the amount of 20 billion euros, Politico writes, citing sources. From this fund, the EU member states will be compensated for the costs of transferring weapons to Kyiv and funding the training of the military. The difference from the European Peace Fund will be that the consent of all member countries will not be required for decision-making.

The newspaper notes that the creation of such a fund is part of the European security guarantees to Ukraine, promised at the summit in Vilnius. The new fund will complement the EU proposal for 50 billion euros in non-military assistance to Ukraine for 2024-2027.

11:24 Ukraine is studying the possibility of launching a new grain corridor without Russia's participation - through the territorial waters of Romania and Bulgaria, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar said. He did not rule out that the Russian Federation would fire on ships if they now move along the previous sea route after Moscow withdraws from the deal.

11:09 "The head of the parliament" of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, said that it would take "a day or two" to eliminate the consequences of a fire at the training ground, detonation of ammunition continues, civilian infrastructure is not damaged. Crimean villages, from where people are being evacuated, are taken under police protection.

10:36 The United States may announce new sanctions against Kyrgyzstan this week due to the fact that it helps Russia bypass sanctions, The Washington Post writes, citing sources.

10:25 PMC Wagner mercenaries continue to arrive in Belarus: only during July 18, three columns arrived. Destination - a field camp in the village of Tsel (Osipovichi district). According to the Belaruska Gayun group, there are currently 1,400-1,500 Wagner fighters and about 300 pieces of equipment, mostly automobiles, on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

09:57 In Odessa, a blast wave as a result of the destruction of the Russian Kh-59 missile damaged several buildings, three people were injured, OK Pivden reported. Also, as a result of falling debris in residential complexes in Odessa, several apartment buildings were damaged, at least six people, including a nine-year-old child, sought medical help.

The enemy attacked the port and critical infrastructure with Oniks and Kh-22 missiles - there were hits on the grain and oil terminal, tanks and loading equipment were damaged, a fire started. Information about the victims was not received.

In addition, in the Odessa region there was a hit in an industrial facility where a civilian employee was injured and two warehouses in different locations were hit - with tobacco and fireworks. Rescuers eliminate the fire on an area of more than 3000 square meters. m.

09:28 Croatia offers its railway network and ports in the Adriatic Sea to transport Ukrainian grain after Russia withdraws from the grain deal, Frano Matusic, State Secretary of the Croatian Foreign Ministry, said.

09:26 Tonight, the enemy also attacked the Poltava and Kirovograd regions with drones. There were no hits on critical infrastructure, no people were injured, the OVA said.

09:20 As a result of night enemy attack on the settlement of the Koblevsky community of the Nikolaev area objects of recreational infrastructure in a coastal zone are damaged, two people were injured, the head of OVA Vitaly Kim reported.

09:14 At night, the Russian army attacked Kherson with Shahed drones, a hit was recorded in the Shumen microdistrict. There was a fire in the house of culture, a two-story house was damaged, one person was injured, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.

09:11 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, ten people were injured (five in Zhelanny Pervoi, two in Lyman, one each in Avdiivka, Kurakhovka and Krasnogorovka). In the Kharkiv region, as a result of the shelling of the village of Dvurechnaya, Kupyansky district, one person was killed, two were injured. In the Kherson region, one person was injured, according to the IVA.

09:05 At night, the Russians massively attacked Ukraine from the Black Sea with missiles and kamikaze drones, the Air Force command reported. Critical infrastructure facilities and military installations were attacked, the main direction of attack was the Odessa region. During several waves of attacks, the enemy used 16 Caliber sea-based cruise missiles, eight Kh-22 cruise missiles from Tu-22M3 long-range aircraft, six Onyx cruise missiles from the Bastion coastal missile system (Crimea), one Kh-59 guided air missile from a fighter Su-35, 32 attack UAVs of the Shahed-136/131 type from the Chauda training ground (Crimea) and Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Krasnodar Territory).

Air defense forces destroyed 37 air targets: 13 out of 16 Caliber cruise missiles, one Kh-59 missile and 23 strike UAVs. The Kh-22 and Oniks missile strikes were aimed at the infrastructure of the Odessa region.

08:51 Ukrainian troops are successful in two directions on the southern front: Bolshaya Novoselka - Staromayorskoye and Novoselka - Staromayorskoye, General Staff Speaker Andriy Kovalev said. Also, the Defense Forces knocked out the Russians from their positions near Orekhovo-Vasilyevka in the Bakhmut direction, have a partial success, are fixed on the achieved lines.

08:20 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of July 19:

personnel - about 239,480 (+470) people liquidated,

tanks - 4123 (+4),

armored combat vehicles - 8059 (+8),

artillery systems - 4573 (+31),

MLRS - 689 (+0),

air defense systems - 430 (+2),

aircraft - 315 (+0),

helicopters - 310 (+0),

UAV operational-tactical level - 3885 (+46),

cruise missiles - 1279 (+6),

ships/boats - 18 (+0),

automotive equipment and tankers - 7105 (+19),

special equipment - 683 (+6).

08:14 This morning, the enemy attacked the Zhytomyr region with kamikaze drones. According to preliminary information, an infrastructure facility was damaged as a result of the strike, there are damages to private households, said Vitaliy Bunechko, head of the OVA. There is no information about victims and injured.

07:42 "Head" of the occupied Crimea Sergey Aksyonov announced a strong fire at the training ground in the Kirovsky district of the peninsula, the Tavrida highway was blocked in the section from the 118th to the 130th kilometer. Aksyonov added that more than 2,000 residents of four settlements are planned to be evacuated from the area adjacent to the landfill. According to Russian telegram channels, an ammunition depot is on fire at the Starokrymsky training ground, local residents have been hearing the sounds of explosions for several hours.

07:28 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on the Kupyansky, Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions - more than 20 clashes have occurred over the past day, the General Staff said in the morning summary .

05:47 The Russians tried to attack Kiev with Shahed drones, all of them were discovered and destroyed on the outskirts of the capital. According to preliminary information, no casualties and no damage, said the head of the KGVA Sergei Popko.

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Good Morning

2023-06-30

Six white Mississippi deputies are fired after they entered home of two black men and 'tortured them for hours' before putting gun in one's mouth and shooting him

Friday June 30th, 2023

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International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it has facilitated the release of 125 soldiers of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) held by the Rapid Deployment Forces (RSF)		Air raids reported in Khartoum despite Eid truce

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Africa Horn

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it has facilitated the release of 125 soldiers of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) held by the Rapid Deployment Forces (RSF)

2023-06-30

[TWITTER]

UPDATE: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it has facilitated the release of 125 soldiers of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) held by the Rapid Deployment Forces (RSF) in its role as neutral intermediary and following a request by the parties to the conflict. pic.twitter.com/Ac9kKORpqx
— Goobjoog News (@GoobjoogNews) June 29, 2023

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: June 12th, 2023

2023-06-13

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22:44 The UN is already supplying humanitarian aid to the right bank of the Dnieper in the flood-affected Kherson region, and has also formed a mission for the occupied left bank, which is waiting for security guarantees from Russia, Kuleba said. "The United Nations has finally turned around, the International Committee of the Red Cross has begun to work. They also supply their humanitarian aid to the affected population on the right bank," the minister said.

Kuleba also said that the UN coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, promised him to redouble the relief effort: "And they really did. And they promised to prepare missions ready to go to the left bank to alleviate the humanitarian consequences for the population." Such a mission, according to him, has already been formed. She sent a request for security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine immediately provided such guarantees, the Russian Federation has not yet responded. According to Kuleba, 19 countries have already provided humanitarian assistance to overcome the consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station.

22:39 The United States warned the Chinese side about the inadmissibility of military support for the Russian Federation and so far does not see Beijing stepping over this red line, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said. At the same time, according to him, Washington is concerned about the activity of some private Chinese companies engaged in the transfer of technology, including dual-use technology, to Russia. In addition, Blinken drew attention to the problem of Iran's transfer of weapons to Russia, including drones. He stressed that the United States continues to make efforts to deprive the Russian Federation of this opportunity.

22:31 Macron said following a meeting with Scholz and Duda that the Ukrainian offensive will last several weeks or months: "The Ukrainian counteroffensive began several days ago, it was carefully planned. This counteroffensive should last several weeks or months ... We have done everything to help implement it within the framework we have outlined since the beginning of the conflict: punish Russia to stop its military efforts, help Ukraine resist and retake territory, but never attack Russia and avoid any form of escalation of this conflict."

22:26 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he had held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief: “The fighting is tough, but our movement is there, and this is very important. The enemy’s losses are exactly what we need. And although the weather these days is unfavorable, our rains the task is complicated, but still the strength of our soldiers gives results. Generals Syrsky and Tarnavsky reported on the successes already achieved, on which points of the front we need to strengthen and by what actions we can break more Russian positions."

"There was a report by the commander-in-chief on the general situation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Security Service - on stabilization measures in the de-occupied territories. We are very actively working with the supply of the necessary weapons, shells. There was also an intelligence report - on the options for the enemy's actions. We maintain and strengthen our operational dominance. I am especially grateful for Bakhmut We are increasing our control in this area," the president added.

22:22 The G7 countries are developing a scheme to combat the theft of Ukrainian grain by Russia, said UK Minister of Food and Agriculture Mark Spencer. According to him, it is planned to use chemical identification of the origin of grain. The G7 countries are already cooperating with Ukraine to prevent grain theft, he added.

22:18 Due to the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and the spill of the reservoir, four regions - Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Nikolaev - will suffer from problems with water supply in the near future, and water will not flow to Crimea for at least a year, Ukrhydroenergo CEO Igor Sirota told Radio Liberty . He clarified that even if the peninsula is de-occupied, Ukraine will not be able to provide it with water at first. Sirota added that alternative solutions are now being considered to provide the population, primarily with drinking water.

21:47 Kiev is working on creating an alliance of defense industries that would unite the production capacities of Ukrainian and Western arms enterprises and help establish the production of modern equipment for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kuleba said. "Since the scale of the war is not decreasing, since we are receiving more and more assistance, all this needs to be serviced. Secondly, we need new modern developments: drones, the production of high-precision projectiles, many other things - all this also needs to be created," the minister explained.

The new alliance is designed to solve two problems: to ensure the continuity of the supply of Western equipment to Ukraine, and to integrate the Ukrainian military-industrial complex into the Western defense industry.

21:04 Over the past week, during the offensive operation in the Donetsk and Taurida operational areas, seven settlements were liberated: Lobkovoe, Levadnoye, Novodarovka, Neskuchnoye, Storozhevo, Makarovka, Blagodatnoye, said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar. The advance of the Ukrainian troops amounted to 6.5 km, the area of the territory taken under control - 90 square meters. km.

20:59 11 people have already been evacuated from the recently liberated settlements of Donbass, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said. In particular, three people were evacuated from Blagodatnoye, seven from Storozhevoye, and one from Neskuchnoye.

20:53 Kiev's partners no longer doubt that Ukraine is not involved in undermining the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, but have not yet built a consensus on Russia's direct responsibility for this, Kuleba said. According to him, the Western media, with their ambiguous headlines, "caused great harm to the truth about this story, and now we have to turn this story towards the truth with super efforts."

20:01 Iran receives Chinese spare parts for drones, which allows them to be quickly produced and transferred to Russia. The process takes about three months, writes The Wall Street Journal. The journalists found out that in the Iranian drone, which was shot down over Ukraine in April, they found a Chinese part - a voltage converter. For the first time, experts found a component from China, manufactured in 2023, in a drone.

19:45 The death toll due to the flooding of Kherson has increased to ten, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin. Another 20 people were injured, including five police officers and two rescuers. 35 people are listed as missing, including seven children.

19:34 Denmark will provide Ukraine with additional ammunition, including 2,000 artillery shells, worth about 33.5 million euros, the country's government said.

19:28 NATO defense ministers on June 15, the day of the Ramstein meeting, will also meet with the heads of 25 major Western defense companies as part of efforts to increase the production of ammunition, Euractiv writes, citing defense sources. Western states are looking for ways to continue military support for Ukraine and replenish their own supplies.

19:17 Ukrainian defenders destroyed another Russian attack helicopter Ka-52, known as the Alligator, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.

According to the General Staff, cases of desertion in the Storm-Z assault units of the Russian troops have become more frequent in the Luhansk region, which are increasingly leaving their combat positions without permission. It is also known about the desertion of about 25 Russian soldiers in Mariupol and Novoazovsk due to the unofficial termination of vacations promised to them by the Russian military leadership.

In the flooded Hola Pristan, Kherson region, the invaders allow the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens only after receiving a bribe. At the same time, passports and birth certificates and other Ukrainian documents are destroyed. Local residents are resettled in the Crimea and Krasnodar.

18:39 The Russians mined a chemical plant in the Crimea. In the event of its undermining, not only seven regions of Ukraine will suffer, but also Turkey and the Russian Federation itself. Both the Main Intelligence Directorate and experts are convinced that the occupiers are ready to create a new man-made man-made disaster. About why this is for the enemy - in the material New threat from the Russians .

18:33 Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren said that Ukrainian pilots can start training on F-16 fighters this summer. Reuters, citing two sources, reports that the training will begin with two groups of 12 Ukrainian pilots who already have experience flying MiG fighter jets. A likely training location would be Denmark, which has the necessary flight simulators.

18:15 A division of the Bal missile system has been relocated to the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, which is capable of launching X-35 / 35U missiles with a range of up to 500 km, the National Resistance Center under the MTR of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported, citing information from the underground. This installation is part of the 11th separate coastal missile and artillery brigade of the coastal troops of the Black Sea Fleet, the location is Utash, Krasnodar Territory. The division is designed to destroy ships, however, due to the lack of missiles, the Ball was compared in terms of range and ability to fire at land targets with the Bastion missile defense system using the Onyx supersonic missile.

17:57 In Kherson, a ban on entry to the Korabel microdistrict is introduced, said the head of the Kherson GVA Roman Mrochko. The curfew for this microdistrict will be in effect from 15:00 Tuesday, June 13, until 12:00 the next day. The curfew in this mode will last until June 19 inclusive. Demining, investigative actions and work of utilities will be carried out. Mrochko also said that after the water drops, the locations for the distribution of humanitarian aid and medicines will be determined, which can be received from 12:00 to 15:00 daily.

17:34 Head of the Defense Committee of the British Parliament Tobias Ellwood said that "in the next few days we should expect a big attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in one or another part of Donbass." According to him, Ukraine is now conducting probing and formative operations, and "the main front of the Ukrainian potential is still in reserve, ready for this attack."

16:46 The Russians dropped three guided bombs on the front-line city of Orekhov, Zaporozhye region. One person was killed, one was wounded, private houses and communications were destroyed, said the head of the OVA, Yuri Malashko.

16:21 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin denied media reports about the supply of Chinese armored vehicles to Russia: "We are making efforts for a peaceful dialogue, and do not supply weapons and do not incite enmity. This position is obvious to the world community."

Information about the deliveries appeared in the media after Ramzan Kadyrov published a video of new purchased military equipment from his Akhmat unit on June 6. What kind of equipment it was and where it was bought, he did not say.

15:55 IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that he was already on his way to Ukraine, where, in particular, he would meet with Zelensky, assess the situation at the ZNPP and present his assistance program after the disaster at the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station.

15:19 In Melitopol, in the locomotive depot, a diesel locomotive was blown up at night, with which the Russians transported fuel to the front, Mayor Ivan Fedorov said.

15:05 Zelensky signed a law establishing May 8 in Ukraine as the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War of 1939-1945, and May 9 as Europe Day. Now the day off will be exactly May 8th.

14:47 The water level in the cooling pond of the Zaporozhye NPP is 16.67 meters - this is quite enough to meet the needs of the station. Despite the undermining of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam by the Russians, the situation at the ZNPP remains stable and under control, Energoatom said.

14:21 Borrell believes that peace talks on Ukraine are unlikely to begin before the 2024 US presidential election, as Putin is waiting for the results of these elections. At the same time, the European diplomat urged China to put pressure on Putin to end the war as soon as possible.

13:56 The State Bureau of Investigation handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine the arrested cars of Medvedchuk and Kozak's relatives for $1 million. In particular, 12 trucks, a truck crane, a minibus, a van and two SUVs were handed over.

13:38 Russian publics write that the reason for the derailment of a freight train with 15 wagons in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation was the attack of kamikaze drones. According to them, one drone hit the tail of the freight train, and the second exploded right in front of the train. The authorities of the region claim that all 15 cars were empty.

13:26 In the Kherson region, the number of deaths due to flooding after the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station has increased to eight, Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said. In addition, 42 people are considered missing, including seven children. In the Nikolaev area two persons were lost.

13:07 The leader of the private military campaign Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, firmly refused the contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. The militant Igor Strelkov-Girkin has already reacted to such an attack. He dubbed the current situation in the Russian army as a "military mutiny." For more details, see the article Military conflict in Russia .

12:58 Brazil will be invited to the Global Peace Summit, which will discuss the Zelensky Peace Formula, Yermak said: "I believe that the summit will not be complete without the participation of the countries of the Global South, in particular, Brazil, India, China, Saudi Arabia and African countries "Ukraine is very interested in developing relations with Brazil, in our strategic partnership. And we are ready to do everything in our power to achieve this goal."

12:29 In the morning, the Russians fired two rockets at Avdiivka, Donetsk region. According to preliminary information, two people were injured, the House of Culture and residential high-rise buildings were damaged, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.

12:02 Kadyrov's special unit Akhmat reported that he had signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry, as required by Shoigu's new order. Earlier, Prigozhin said that his mercenaries would not do this.

11:57 Zaporozhye separate territorial defense brigade reported that on June 4, the village of Novodarovka was liberated from the invaders. Numerous attempts by the enemy to return the settlement under control, which lasted several days, were unsuccessful.

11:26 Over the past day, the Defense Forces advanced on the flanks in the Bakhmut direction at a distance of 250 to 700 meters, said the speaker of the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Cherevaty. According to him, positional battles are taking place in this direction, the enemy is trying to counterattack, but to no avail.

11:23 In Armyansk in the north of Crimea, the Russians are preparing representatives of the occupation administration and the local population for the evacuation, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reports. According to Ukrainian intelligence, due to the terrorist attack at the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and, as a result, the lack of water in the North Crimean Canal, production processes at the Crimean Titanium plant in Armyansk have been disrupted to a critical level. There is talk in the city about a possible shutdown of the plant. At the same time, the engineering units of the Russian army over the past few days have been mining the workshops of the enterprise, which are still working, and also laying explosives in the factory and adjacent territory.

The terrorist attack at the Crimean Titan enterprise, for which the Russians are preparing, will mean an artificial man-made disaster, terrifying in its consequences, the GUR warns. Thus, about 200 tons of technological ammonia are used in the refrigeration equipment of the plant. In the event of an explosion at the plant, the ammonia cloud, depending on the direction of the wind, will cover the surrounding areas in half an hour. Under the threat, first of all, will be the occupied Armyansk, Krasnoperekopsky district and the southern regions of the Kherson region.

11:09 NATO begins unprecedented exercises to deploy air forces in Europe. Up to 10 thousand people and about 250 military aircraft from 25 countries of the Alliance and partners, including Japan and Sweden, will take part in them. The purpose of the event is to increase readiness to defend against drones and cruise missiles in the event of an attack on cities. The exercises will last until June 23.

11:03 Patriot manufacturer Raytheon Technologies intends to increase the production of these air defense systems to 12 units per year and transfer five more systems to Ukraine by the end of next year, Greg Hayes, the company's executive director, told The Wall Street Journal.

10:58 The Russian Telegram channel Mash writes that a cell tower has been destroyed in the village of Novy, Volokonovsky District, Belgorod Region. According to the channel, on the evening of June 11, local residents heard a strong explosion - a kamikaze drone flew into the tower of one of the mobile operators. The border is about 4 km from the scene of the incident. Residents report that there are minor communication problems in the Volokonovsky district.

10:47 The Russian side does not carry out the evacuation of people after the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, but instead uses the information of the Ukrainian side and passes it off as their work, spokesman for the State Border Service Andriy Demchenko said. In particular, according to him, they use the staff of the State Border Guard Service, passing them off as their own.

Demchenko said that the entire subdivision of the GNSU involved in the evacuation of the victims, evacuated about 100 people, including 15 over the past day. Aerial reconnaissance units are also involved in the process to identify people in need of help.

Demchenko also said that the border guards are recording uncontrolled explosions of ammunition, which, together with fragments of household items and garbage, were carried into the Black Sea by water from the Kakhovka reservoir. The State Border Guard Service urges citizens not to get anything out of the water on their own.

10:08 More than 72% or 14,395 cubic meters have already been lost from the Kakhovka reservoir. km of water, the Ministry of Ecology reported. The water level in the Dnieper in Kherson, on average, has been decreasing by 1-5 cm per hour over the past day. In the area of the Nizhnedneprovsky Natural Park, the water is gradually disappearing. The shallowing of the water area in the Kamenskaya Sich National Park by 8.5 meters continues. River water level Ingulets in the alignment of the Ingulets irrigation system is slowly decreasing, but the water gradually continues to arrive in the Nikolaev region.

09:39 In Kherson, the water continues to recede and has already reached 3.29 meters. For half a day, the level decreased by 64 cm, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. 46 settlements remain flooded: 32 on the right bank (3801 houses) and 14 on the temporarily occupied territory. 2743 people were saved, including 228 children. On the left bank, the situation remains critical, with the Russians blocking the evacuation and opening fire in the back of those trying to escape. However, 112 people still managed to evacuate.

09:03 The water level in the Kakhovka reservoir near Nikopol as of 20:00 on June 11 was 9.04 meters. Due to the loss of hydraulic connection with the main part of the reservoir, further observations are not possible, Ukrhydroenergo reported. The water level in the Dnieper at the level of Kherson per day decreased by 57 cm and as of 6:00 on June 12 is 3.62 meters. The undermining of the Kakhovskaya HPP did not affect the operating modes of the Kievskaya HPP and the PSP, Kanevskaya, Kremenchugskaya and Srednedneprovskaya HPPs.

08:45 In the Kherson region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, three people were killed, 12 were injured. In the Donetsk region, one dead (in Avdeevka), two wounded. In the Kharkiv region, three people were injured, in Zaporizhia - one, according to the IVA.

08:41 At the next meeting in the Ramstein format, which will be held on June 15, Ukraine's partners will discuss the details of creating an "aircraft coalition," Reznikov said. "For the time being, we are talking about the training of pilots and our technicians and engineers who will be involved in aircraft maintenance. Substantive issues will be discussed with the teams of the ministries of defense of the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States and other countries that have joined this coalition," the minister specified. Also, according to him, "everything related to air defense, shells, ammunition, artillery" will be discussed.

08:34 The Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Storozhevoye in Donetsk region , the joint press center of the Defense Forces of the Taurida direction reported.

08:30 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of June 12.

personnel - about 216,180 (+540) people liquidated,

tanks - 3931 (+5),

armored combat vehicles - 7636 (+5),

artillery systems - 3746 (+10),

MLRS - 601 (+0),

air defense systems - 362 (+0),

aircraft - 314 (+0),

helicopters - 299 (+0),

UAV operational-tactical level - 3307 (+7),

cruise missiles - 1183 (+0),

ships/boats - 18 (+0),

automotive equipment and tankers - 6471 (+10),

special equipment - 510 (+1).

07:33 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions, there are heavy battles. Over the past day, there have been 25 clashes, the General Staff said in the morning summary .

According to the General Staff, over the past week, the Russians have suffered significant losses in the Bakhmut direction. Only in the military hospital near the village of Persianovka, Rostov region, more than 50 soldiers with severe wounds arrive daily. The hospital is overcrowded, and due to the lack of medical staff, the mortality rate among the seriously injured is very high.

01:09 Vladimir Rogov, a representative of the "administration" of the occupied Zaporozhye region, reported explosions in Tokmak and Melitopol. According to him, Tokmak was allegedly shelled from multiple launch rocket systems, and air defenses went off in Melitopol.

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