
Russia's Medvedev says Moscow will withstand new EU sanctions, escalate strikes on Ukraine
Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, made his comments after the European Union agreed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, including measures aimed at dealing further blows to the Russian oil and energy industry.
In a post on his official Telegram channel, Medvedev said the new sanctions would do little to alter Russia's stance on the conflict, just as previous rounds of sanctions had failed to make an impact.
Medvedev, who has emerged as one of the Kremlin's top hawks, said Russia planned to intensify its strikes on Ukraine.
"Strikes against targets in so-called Ukraine, including Kyiv, will be carried out with increasing force", Medvedev said.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced a toughened stance against Russia, promising a fresh wave of missiles and other weaponry, including Patriot missile defence systems capable of destroying Russian ballistic missiles.
He also gave Russia 50 days to sign up to a ceasefire or face new sanctions.
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Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Russia says it downed 142 Ukrainian drones, including 27 over Moscow region
MOSCOW, July 20 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry and the mayor of Moscow said it had downed 142 drones overnight, including 27 over the Moscow region. The drones were reportedly shot down over a number regions in the European part of Russia, as well as over the Black Sea. The latest attacks included four drones headed toward the Russian capital, which were downed on Sunday morning, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram around 1000 local time (0700 GMT). According to Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia, four major airports serving Moscow - Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovskiy - were affected, resulting in 134 flights being redirected. By 1000 Moscow time, only two airports remained closed to air traffic - Vnukovo in the Moscow region and Grabtsevo in the Kaluga region.


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Inside Putin's ‘Unit 31831' where troops are electrocuted like dogs – and face suicide missions if they don't pay bribes
A BRUTAL Russian unit ties its soldiers up like dogs and sends them on suicide missions if they don't pay bribes, The Sun can reveal. Unit 31831 has become renowned for its brutality among the Vladimir Putin's flailing army - already known for its executions of Ukrainians. 9 9 9 And its commander is so hated that soldiers' families are making a desperate appeal to Vlad to get Major Petrosyan Oganes sacked. The unit - which sits within the 54th Motorised Rifles Regiment - is currently fighting on the front line in Donetsk. But soldiers have complained online that they are "expendable" and are treated like "meat". Their families say troops are dying like "cockroaches under slippers". Russia's murderous army is struggling to beat the brave Ukrainians defending their homeland and a summer offensive is moving at a pace slower than a snail. But Unit 31831's commander Major Oganes has become known for disciplining soldiers by horrific beatings. That includes tying them to posts like dogs, beating one soldier with an electric fan, and trapping soldiers in electrified cages. Oganes exacts the beatings against soldiers who have been found to have broken the unit's rules - like being drunk. Soldiers are tied together with a rope around their neck and handcuffed shirtless around posts where they're forced to sleep the night on the ground. Commanders in Unit 31831 also take bribes from soldiers to not send them into the fighting. Those who don't pay the 50,000Roubles (£476) are sent to parts of the front are forced to participate in attacks where they will likely not survive. Russian commanders are intentionally killing so many of their own soldiers that the practice now has a slang term: zeroing out. They also extort soldiers for cash - robbing them of 30,000Roubles (£285) to buy perfume for their wives. 9 9 Anger against Oganes and the unit is now spilling over to Russian social media where a campaign has been launched to bring the commander down. One person who tore into Oganes said: "May you be damned, dog and coward!" Another wrote: "What b*******s. Sadists and maniacs!!! They act a hundred times more sophisticated in prison." While a third posted: "This is called an internal enemy and betrayal. "Such commanders should be put in jail for a long time." They're desperately trying to get the dictator to step in and fix the unit. 9 9 They wrote: "Dear Vladimir Putin... "We are forced to turn to you for help, as guarantors of the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of servicemen, as well as members of their families!" The Russians don't bother to tell families that soldiers have died at the front or gone missing. Dozens of posts on Russian social media site VK feature families appealing for information about their lost son in Unit 31831. One post from April reads: "My son is missing, military unit 31831, regiment 54. "He signed a contract in Persianovka. "He went to the combat zone on February 25. He went missing. Maybe someone knows, please respond, call sign Khottabych." It paints a picture of a corrupt, violent, and short life for Vlad's boys - and that's before they try and break through the Ukrainian dronegrinder. The Russian families continue to support Vlad's unjust invasion of Ukraine, but just want better treatment for their soldiers. A desperate campaign has now been launched by the families of the soldiers to have them treated with more respect. They want them to be able to kill as many Ukrainians as possible. To the Russian public, everything in the army is presented as being well-functioning and respectful. One school in the southern city of Volgograd, Secondary School No. 95, raised "humanitarian" funds for Unit 31831. Photos posted to the school's social media showed children dressed in combat fatigues proudly standing with a letter of recognition for the cash they'd raised. 9 9 Another commander of Unit 31831 wrote back: "Your assistance and caring attitude deserve deep recognition. "We wish you peaceful skies, good health, energy, optimism, and success in your work." The 54th MRR sits within the 9th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade - which was formerly under the Donetsk People's Republic, but the brigade was later incorporated into the Russian Army. In March, the Centre for European Policy Analysis assessed that Russia could be 12 times more corrupt than Europe on average. That means equipment is stolen, salaries are embezzled, and bribes are paid. The massive amount of corruption within Russian trenches is one reason why its far larger army has become ineffective and ground to a halt by Ukraine. Estimates have said that between 50,000 and 100,000 have vanished on the battlefield.


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky offers Putin fresh peace talks after weeks of Moscow's missile strikes
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has offered Vladimir Putin fresh peace talks after weeks of relentless Russian missile attacks. Mr Zelensky offered Moscow another round of ceasefire negotiations for next week, saying he wanted to speed up ending the conflict. It comes after weeks of relentless Russian strikes on Ukraine, including over 300 drones and 30 missiles launched on Friday night. 'Everything should be done to achieve a ceasefire,' Mr Zelensky said in his evening address to the nation. 'The Russian side should stop hiding from decisions.' Ukraine and Russia have held two rounds of talks in Istanbul over the past five months. They have agreed to swap prisoners but made no breakthroughs in ending almost three and a half years of conflict that started with Russia 's 2022 invasion. Mr Zelensky said Rustem Umerov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation at both talks in Istanbul, had sent the Russian side the offer to hold the meeting next week, but gave no more details. US president Donald Trump, who has sharpened his tone against Russia in recent weeks amid worsening air strikes on Ukrainian cities, threatened harsher sanctions on Russia earlier this month if a peace deal was not reached within 50 days. Person killed following Russian drone attack on Ukrainian city Person killed following Russian drone attack on city Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 July 2025 06:46 In pics: Aftermath of recent shelling in Donetsk Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 July 2025 06:01 Two killed in Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk At least two people were killed in Russian attack on Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia launched its biggest ever attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad yesterday, regional governor Sergiy Lysak said. The airstrike destroyed 'an outpatient clinic, a school and a cultural institution' in the Vasylkivska township, he added. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 July 2025 05:23 Flights suspended as Ukraine attacks Moscow Russian air defence systems shot down three drones en route to Moscow last evening, city mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram. Two Moscow airports - Vnukovo and Domodedovo - suspended arrivals and departures for safety reasons but later resumed operations, Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said. The Russian defence ministry said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 27 Ukrainian drones in total from 3 pm to 7pm local time, including four over Moscow region, 15 over Bryansk region, six over Kaluga region and two over Tula. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 July 2025 04:54 Minister accuses Russia of deporting Ukrainians Ukraine's foreign minister has accused Russia of deporting Ukrainian citizens into Georgia and leaving them stranded without proper identification. Andrii Sybiha said Moscow has escalated the practice of expelling Ukrainians — many of whom are former prisoners — across its southern border with Georgia, instead of returning them directly to Ukraine. "Dozens of people, many of whom lack proper documentation, have been stuck in the transit zone," he wrote on X. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 July 2025 04:32 Russia pounds Ukraine with over 300 drones Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine with hundreds of drones, killing at least one person, part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than three-year-old war. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X that Russia fired over 300 drones, along with more than 30 cruise missiles. One person died in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, which was hit with more than 20 drones and a missile, mayor Hennadii Trukhanov wrote on Telegram, while five people were rescued when a fire broke out in a residential high-rise building. According to Mr Zelensky, six other people were wounded in the attack on Odesa, including a child, and critical infrastructure was damaged in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar20 July 2025 04:10 Recap: We see what you are doing, Lammy warns Kremlin The UK has sanctioned a string of Russian spies and hackers, accusing them of carrying out a campaign to 'destabilise Europe'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens. 'The Kremlin should be in no doubt: we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and we won't tolerate it. That's why we're taking decisive action with sanctions against Russian spies.' Alexander Butler20 July 2025 03:00 What are Patriot missiles and why does Ukraine need them? What are Patriot missiles and why does Ukraine need them? The US will send an undisclosed number of Patriot air defence systems to Kyiv, to be paid for by the EU Alexander Butler20 July 2025 02:00 Yulia Svyrydenko: Ukraine's new prime minister who masterminded key Trump deal Meet Ukraine's new PM who masterminded key Trump deal New Ukrainian PM Svyrydenko says 'war leaves no room for delay' as she sets priorities for country Alexander Butler20 July 2025 01:00 How the EU aims to put the squeeze on the Russian economy with new sanctions package Alexander Butler20 July 2025 00:01