Russian navy parade cancelled due to 'security reasons'
'It has to do with the general situation. Security reasons are of utmost importance,' said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian news agencies.
The parade was meant to be the highlight of Russia's Navy Day, which falls on the last Sunday of July each year and honours the country's sailors.
But local authorities in the coastal city of Saint Petersburg, where the warships and submarines were scheduled to pass, said on Friday the parade had been cancelled without giving a reason.
Russian President Vladimir Putin—who re-established Navy Day in 2017, nearly four decades after it was cancelled in Soviet times—appeared in a video message hailing the 'bravery' and 'heroism' of Russia's sailors participating in the offensive in Ukraine.
'We are celebrating the holiday in a working atmosphere,' Putin said later on Sunday, in a video address to Russian forces involved in large-scale naval manoeuvres called 'July Storm'.
The drills, launched earlier this week in the Baltic and Caspian seas as well as in the Arctic and Pacific oceans, involved more than 150 ships and over 15,000 troops, Putin said.
'Our main task is to ensure Russia's security and firmly protect the sovereignty and national interests,' Putin said in Saint Petersburg, where he was travelling on Sunday, according to the Kremlin.
Russia, which launched its military operation on Ukraine in February 2022 with daily bombardments of its neighbour, has faced retaliatory Ukrainian drone strikes on its territory in recent months.
The Russian defence ministry said on Sunday that 100 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight.
At least 10 of them were intercepted not far from Saint Petersburg and a woman was wounded, the governor for the northwestern Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, said on Telegram.
That drone assault also disrupted operations at Saint Petersburg's Pulkovo airport, delaying dozens of flights, the facility's authorities said.
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France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Russian navy parade cancelled due to 'security reasons'
Russia said on Sunday a major annual navy parade had been cancelled for 'security reasons', without specifying the threat or concern. 'It has to do with the general situation. Security reasons are of utmost importance,' said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian news agencies. The parade was meant to be the highlight of Russia's Navy Day, which falls on the last Sunday of July each year and honours the country's sailors. But local authorities in the coastal city of Saint Petersburg, where the warships and submarines were scheduled to pass, said on Friday the parade had been cancelled without giving a reason. Russian President Vladimir Putin—who re-established Navy Day in 2017, nearly four decades after it was cancelled in Soviet times—appeared in a video message hailing the 'bravery' and 'heroism' of Russia's sailors participating in the offensive in Ukraine. 'We are celebrating the holiday in a working atmosphere,' Putin said later on Sunday, in a video address to Russian forces involved in large-scale naval manoeuvres called 'July Storm'. The drills, launched earlier this week in the Baltic and Caspian seas as well as in the Arctic and Pacific oceans, involved more than 150 ships and over 15,000 troops, Putin said. 'Our main task is to ensure Russia's security and firmly protect the sovereignty and national interests,' Putin said in Saint Petersburg, where he was travelling on Sunday, according to the Kremlin. Russia, which launched its military operation on Ukraine in February 2022 with daily bombardments of its neighbour, has faced retaliatory Ukrainian drone strikes on its territory in recent months. The Russian defence ministry said on Sunday that 100 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight. At least 10 of them were intercepted not far from Saint Petersburg and a woman was wounded, the governor for the northwestern Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, said on Telegram. That drone assault also disrupted operations at Saint Petersburg's Pulkovo airport, delaying dozens of flights, the facility's authorities said.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Hundreds rally in Scotland to protest against Trump's golf visit
US President Donald Trump played golf under tight security on the first full day of a visit to Scotland Saturday, as hundreds of protesters took to the streets in major cities. Trump played at his Turnberry resort with son Eric and US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens, waving to photographers following his arrival in his mother's birth country on Friday evening. His presence has turned the picturesque and normally quiet area of southwest Scotland into a virtual fortress, with roads closed and police checkpoints in place. Police officers -- some on quad bikes and others on foot with sniffer dogs -- patrolled the famous course and the sandy beaches and grass dunes that flank it. Secret Service snipers were positioned at vantage points while some other golfers on the course were patted down by security personnel. 01:43 The 79-year-old Trump touched down Friday at nearby Prestwick Airport as hundreds of onlookers came out to see Air Force One and catch a glimpse of its famous passenger. The president has professed a love of Scotland, but his controversial politics and business investments in the country have made for an uneasy relationship. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, Trump immediately waded into the debate surrounding high levels of irregular migration, and lashed out at renewable energy efforts. "You better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore," he said, adding that migration was "killing" the continent. "Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries," he added. Trump's five-day visit, which is set to mix leisure with business and diplomacy, has divided the local community. Several hundred protesters demonstrated outside the US consulate in the capital Edinburgh and in the city of Aberdeen, near where Trump owns another golf resort. The protests were organised by the Stop Trump Coalition. Participants held placards with slogans like "Scotland hates Trump" and waved Palestinian flags. "I am here because of fascism in America under Trump's rule. I am here because of genocide in Gaza that is being funded and enabled by British and American governments," said 44-year-old Amy Hanlon in Aberdeen. No demonstrations could be seen near Turnberry. Trade talks Not everyone was against his visit. At Prestwick Airport on Friday evening a boy held a sign that read "Welcome Trump" while a man waved a flag emblazoned with Trump's most famous slogan -- "Make America Great Again". "I think the best thing about Trump is he's not actually a politician yet he's the most powerful man in the world and I think he's looking at the best interests of his own country," said 46-year-old Lee McLean, who had travelled from nearby Kilmarnock. 01:44 "Most politicians should really be looking at the best interests of their own country first before looking overseas," he told AFP. Trump had no public events scheduled for Saturday, but he posted on his Truth Social network to say he was talking with the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand in a bid to end their border conflict that has left at least 33 people dead. Trump is due to discuss trade with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry on Sunday. He is also due to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, before heading to Balmedie in Aberdeenshire where he is expected to formally open a new golf course at his resort there. King Charles III.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Gaza civil defence says Israeli fire kills 25
Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the dead included nine people killed in three separate air strikes in Gaza City. Eleven people were killed in four separate strikes near the southern city of Khan Yunis, while two were killed in a drone strike in Nuseirat refugee camp, he added. Bassal said three people were killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting for aid in three separate incidents in northern, central and southern Gaza. One of the three was killed "after Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for humanitarian aid" northwest of Gaza City, the agency said. Witnesses told AFP that several thousand people had gathered in the area. One of them, Abu Samir Hamoudeh, 42, said the Israeli military opened fire "while the people were waiting to approach the distribution point", located near an Israeli military post in the Zikim area, northwest of Sudaniyah. The Israeli military told AFP that its troops fired "warning shots to distance the crowd" after identifying an "immediate threat". The civil defence agency said another man was killed by a drone strike near Khan Yunis, while one was killed by artillery fire in the Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza. The Israeli military said it was continuing its operations in Gaza, adding that it killed members of a "terrorist cell" which it accused of planting an explosive device. It said the air force had "struck over 100 terror targets" across Gaza over the previous 24 hours. Bassal said civil defence teams also recovered the bodies of 12 people following Israeli bombardment north of Rafah the previous night. The recovery operation was conducted in coordination with the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), he said, adding that the bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after a deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,676 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
