All posts tagged: Russia-Ukraine war

Russia in flames in humiliating blow to Putin as ‘Ukrainian drones set oil depot on fire’ | World | News

Russia in flames in humiliating blow to Putin as ‘Ukrainian drones set oil depot on fire’ | World | News

Published by Sam

More than 10 Ukrainian drones penetrated three Russian districts in the Voronezh region on Wednesday night, a Russian official has claimed. An oil depot in the Liski District was left in flames as attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure continued. Voronezh Region Governor Roman Gusev said the drones that attacked the oil depot managed to penetrate the protective netting on the tanks. In remarks attributed to him by independent Russian news outlet Astra, he said: “At the initial stage, extinguishing the fire was complicated by the threat of repeated attacks on the facility. “At the moment, reinforced fire crews are fighting the fire at several reservoirs: dozens of units of equipment and two fire trains. Additional forces have been sent from two neighbouring regions.” The official claimed there were no casualties and citizens’ property was not damaged. According to the head of the region, there is no threat to the population, and the situation with the availability of fuel and lubricants in the region will not change, he stressed. Gurev insisted: “All emergency services are …

Three Artists Drop Out of Show at Scuola Piccola Zattere

Three Artists Drop Out of Show at Scuola Piccola Zattere

Published by skeptic

Last week, Swiss artist Reto Pulfer, Iranian artist Maryam Hoseini, and German artist Anna Witt demanded their work be removed from the inaugural exhibition at nonprofit Scuola Piccola Zattere in Venice. The show, titled  “One Year Score: Primo Movimento,” opened on November 22 and is scheduled to run until March 30, 2025. Three artists remain in the exhibition: Agnieska Mastalerz from Poland and Italians Ludovica Carbotta and Tomaso De Luca.   Scuola Piccola Zattere was founded in November by Victoria Mikhelson, the daughter of Russian billionaire Leonid Mikhelson, a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin and a public supporter of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Leonid Mikhelson was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 and, while he has not been sanctioned by the US, several companies supplied by his operations have been. He is the founder and chairman of Russian natural gas producer Novatek, which supplies gas to Russia’s Sverdlov Plant. That plant was sanctioned by the US in 2023 and makes explosives and ammunition used by the Russian military in Ukraine. He …

Ukraine’s independent Orthodox Christians may tear the country apart

Ukraine’s independent Orthodox Christians may tear the country apart

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — After the first Ukrainian-language liturgy was celebrated at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Cherkasy in central Ukraine on Thursday (Oct. 17), rival groups of Orthodox Christians clashed violently outside the church in a continuing skirmish between those loyal to the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church and supporters of the relatively new Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The brawl, which is being investigated by police, comes in the wake of a law signed in August by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month effectively banning the UOC because of its Russian ties. Though the law has been justified by credible evidence that a few UOC priests have been caught spying for Russia, it has also brought criticism in Ukraine and from abroad that Zelenskyy is impinging on Ukrainians’ religious freedom. The clash in Cherkasy points to a more dangerous reality: It is not just about a single city or church, but an indication of the brewing domestic tensions in Ukraine that have the potential to boil over into a religious and ethnic conflict that would be in no …

EU officials blast Hungary’s Orban over Ukraine stance, democratic decline | European Union News

EU officials blast Hungary’s Orban over Ukraine stance, democratic decline | European Union News

Published by Sam

Lawmakers belt out antifascist anthem, prompting European Parliament president to declare: ‘This is not Eurovision’. Top European Union officials have slammed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban over democratic backsliding at home and his Russia-friendly stance that has blocked military and financial aid to Ukraine. Orban, whose country currently holds the EU’s six-month rotating presidency, came under fire on Wednesday after warning officials gathered in Strasbourg, France, about the “migration crisis” and the war in Ukraine as he addressed the European Parliament. Leading the charge against Orban, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took aim at Budapest’s stalling of EU support for Kyiv and refusal to join Western efforts to arm Ukraine to fight off Moscow. “The world has witnessed the atrocities of Russia’s war. And yet, there are still some who blame this war not on the invader but the invaded,” said von der Leyen. “There are still some who blame this war not on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s lust for power but on Ukraine’s thirst for freedom.” In July, Orban stoked controversy when …

Fire rages at oil depot in Russia’s Rostov after Ukraine drone attack | Russia-Ukraine war News

Fire rages at oil depot in Russia’s Rostov after Ukraine drone attack | Russia-Ukraine war News

Published by Sam

The strike on a depot in Kamensky district comes amid an ongoing blaze at an oil storage facility in Proletarsk city. A Ukrainian drone attack has set an oil depot in Russia’s southern region of Rostov alight, the authorities said. On Wednesday, regional Governor Vasily Golubev confirmed the overnight strike, saying on the Telegram messaging app that firefighters were extinguishing the blaze at the depot in Rostov’s Kamensky district, with no casualties reported. Russia’s Ministry of Defence earlier said air defence units destroyed four drones over the region overnight, without mentioning the attack on the oil depot. Three tanks were burning at the oil depot after two drones fell in the area, according to the Baza Telegram channel, which is close to Russian security services. Ukraine’s strike marked its latest attack on Russian oil and gas facilities in retaliation for attacks on its energy infrastructure. A large fire has been raging at an oil storage facility in Rostov’s city of Proletarsk since August 18 after an earlier Ukrainian drone attack some 200km (125 miles) from …

Starmer accused of weakening support for Ukraine

Starmer accused of weakening support for Ukraine

Published by Sam

A Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday that the US believes the use of the missiles would be an “escalation”, and provoke a response by Russia against Ukraine’s Western allies. Mr Zelensky’s criticism of the UK comes after Sir Keir suggested at last month’s Nato summit that Ukraine would be allowed to use the missiles. A Downing Street spokesman later said the ban using Storm Shadows inside Russia, first imposed by the previous Conservative government, would remain. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said on Sunday that there had been “no change in the UK’s position”. However, four former Tory defence secretaries told The Telegraph Sir Keir should do more to help Ukraine, after John Healey, his Defence Secretary, said Britain’s support would be “iron clad” under Labour. Sir Michael Fallon, who served as defence secretary under Theresa May’s government, said: “It can’t be right to let Putin hit a children’s hospital with glide bombs from miles over the border, yet bar Ukraine from defending itself with long-range missiles like Storm Shadow.” Sir Ben Wallace, who served …

Russia claims it intercepted US fighter jets over the Arctic | Russia-Ukraine war News

Russia claims it intercepted US fighter jets over the Arctic | Russia-Ukraine war News

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Russia says its military scrambled MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets, which identified the US planes as В-52Н strategic bombers. Russia says its warplanes have prevented two bomber aircraft belonging to the United States from crossing its border over the Barents Sea in the Arctic. “The crews of the Russian fighters identified the aerial target as a pair of US Air Force B-52H strategic bombers,” Russia’s Defence Ministry wrote on the social media platform Telegram on Sunday. The ministry said the Russian military scrambled MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets, which identified the US planes as В-52Н strategic bombers. “As the Russian fighter jets approached, the American strategic bombers adjusted their flight course … and subsequently turned away from the state border of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said. The Russian warplanes carried out the flight in compliance with international rules on the use of airspace over neutral waters, it added. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Russia’s claims. Russia has reported similar incidents before when its planes have confronted military aircraft from NATO countries flying …

Hungary to allow NATO aid to flow to Ukraine | Russia-Ukraine war News

Hungary to allow NATO aid to flow to Ukraine | Russia-Ukraine war News

Published by Sam

Budapest will not obstruct NATO military aid to Ukraine as it has the EU’s efforts, but it will not help. Hungary has agreed not to block NATO military aid to Ukraine, but it will not help either, the military alliance’s chief says. After meetings with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Budapest on Wednesday that he “accepts” the position of the Central European country not to participate in NATO efforts for Ukraine. Orban, seen as the closest of any EU leader to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has persistently obstructed the bloc’s efforts to supply Kyiv with arms and financing. “No Hungarian personnel will take part in these activities and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them,” Stoltenberg said. “At the same time, the prime minister has assured me that Hungary will not oppose these efforts, enabling other allies to move forward, and he has confirmed that Hungary will continue to meet its NATO commitments in full,” he added. The NATO chief said he and Orban had “agreed …

Ukraine seeks air defence boost to protect battered energy grid | Russia-Ukraine war News

Ukraine seeks air defence boost to protect battered energy grid | Russia-Ukraine war News

Published by Sam

The Ukrainian leader asks for help in repelling air attacks, warning Russia has destroyed half of Ukraine’s power production capacity. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on allies to increase their air defence support to Ukraine to help protect his country’s energy infrastructure. Speaking on Tuesday at a conference in Germany on the reconstruction of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said that Russia has destroyed half of his country’s electricity-generating capacity. Another seven Patriot missile systems, as well as other aerial defences, are needed to allow the military to shield Ukraine’s urban centres from the storm of missiles, he claimed. The two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin marks the start of a week of intense diplomacy for the Ukrainian president, which will also see him travel to the Group of Seven (G7) summit featuring his country’s leading Western allies, and a peace summit in Switzerland. The German hosts say it is bringing together 2,000 people from national and local politics, business and other areas, arguing that the task of supporting Ukraine’s recovery is too big for governments alone. Sustained …