Ukraine hits Russian city deep behind front line
Izhevsk, more than 1,000 kilometres from the front line, has arms production facilities including factories that make attack drones and the world-famous Kalashnikov rifle.
A Ukraine security services source said Kyiv had targeted an Izhevsk-based drone manufacturer and that the attack had disrupted Moscow's 'offensive potential'.
Unverified videos posted on social media showed at least one drone buzzing over the city, while another showed a ball of flames erupt from the roof of a building.
The region's head said the drones hit an industrial 'enterprise', without giving detail.
'Unfortunately, we have three fatalities. We extend our deepest condolences to their families,' Alexander Brechalov, head of the Udmurt Republic, where Izhevsk is located, wrote on Telegram.
'I visited the victims in the hospital. At the moment, 35 people have been hospitalized, 10 of whom are in serious condition.'
Russian forces in turn struck the town of Guliaipole in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, causing 'casualties and fatalities', Ukraine's southern defence forces said, without specifying numbers.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have stalled in recent weeks.
The two sides held direct talks almost a month ago but Moscow has since stepped up deadly strikes on Ukraine.
Moscow ramps up advance
Kyiv's military chief vowed in June to increase the 'scale and depth' of strikes on Russia, warning Ukraine would not sit back while Moscow prolonged its offensive.
Moscow's army has ravaged parts of east and south Ukraine while seizing large swathes of territory.
An AFP analysis published Tuesday found that Russia dramatically ramped up aerial attacks in June, firing thousands of drones to pressure the war-torn country's stretched air defence systems and exhausted civilian population.
Moreover, in June, Moscow made its biggest territorial gain since November while accelerating advances for a third consecutive month, according to another AFP analysis based on data from US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
In another sign of an intensifying offensive, a top Kremlin-installed official claimed on Monday that Russia was now in full control of Ukraine's eastern Lugansk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly accused Russia of dragging out the peace process — something that Moscow denies.
'We are certainly grateful for the efforts being made by Washington and members of Trump's administration to facilitate negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters including AFP on Tuesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bangkok Post
an hour ago
- Bangkok Post
China braces for US trade deals that aim to shut it out
The trade truce between Washington and Beijing may be holding for now, but China is increasingly wary about what's happening elsewhere: US efforts to forge deals that could isolate Chinese firms from global supply chains. Ahead of a July 9 deadline, US officials are deep in talks with major trading partners in Asia and Europe, pushing for new agreements that would include restrictions on Chinese content, or secure commitments to counter what Washington sees as China's unfair trade practices. India, one of the countries closest to a deal, has been negotiating over rules of origin. Washington wants at least 60% of a product's value added locally to qualify as 'Made in India' and benefit from the deal, Bloomberg previously reported. India has pushed to bring that down to around 35%, according to the report. Vietnam and others are under similar pressure to adopt tiered tariff systems, with higher levies for goods that include a large share of Chinese components, according to people briefed on the discussions. Exports from Vietnam to the US that contain the highest proportion of foreign components would be charged at the top end of a range, around 20% or above, Bloomberg News reported. The approach mirrors provisions in an existing US trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. 'Asia's dilemma when it comes to Trump's trade war is all about dependence on US final demand while relying heavily on China's value-added in domestic production,' said Alicia Garcia Herrero, Asia-Pacific chief economist at Natixis, adding that Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan were among the most exposed. China, a larger trade partner than the US for most Asian economies, has warned of consequences if its interests are threatened, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to raise that again on his visit to Europe this week for talks in Brussels, Germany and France. 'China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of Chinese interests in exchange for so-called tariff reductions,' the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Saturday, repeating earlier warnings. 'If this happens, China will never accept it and will resolutely counter it to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.' President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on what he called 'reciprocal' tariffs on dozens of America's trading partners ends on July 9. Unless those countries reach trade deals with the US, they could potentially face much higher tariffs. Some governments are making moves to stay on the right side of Washington. Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea have all put in place measures to stop goods from being rerouted through their countries to the US since Trump's tariffs were announced in April. South Korean customs announced a crackdown on transshipments, citing a rise in the practice. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te also flagged the issue and followed up with new rules requiring all US-bound exports to carry a legal declaration they were made on the island. Export controls Another concern for Beijing is whether the US could convince others to impose or tighten export controls on high-tech equipment, which would further hamper Chinese efforts to buy the tools it needs to produce advanced semiconductors. Taiwan in June added Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp to its so-called entity list, barring Taiwanese firms from doing business with them without government approval. The pressure isn't limited to Asia. Europe, too, finds itself in a delicate position. The EU is China's largest export destination for electric vehicles, and investment from Chinese firms into the bloc plus the UK hit 10 billion euros ($12 billion) last year, according to recent research from Rhodium Group. Yet trade tensions are rising. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently accused Beijing of 'weaponising' rare earths and magnets and warned of the risks posed by Chinese overcapacity. Beijing is particularly concerned that the EU might sign up to provisions similar to those in the UK's deal with the US, which included commitments around supply chain security, export controls and ownership rules in sectors like steel, aluminium and pharmaceuticals. While the language did not name China, Beijing criticised the agreement in a rare public statement, interpreting it as a direct challenge, the Financial Times reported. 'China is clearly worried that the EU will accept the same wording as the UK did on export controls,' said Joerg Wuttke, a partner at the Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington and former president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. 'They are pushing the EU not to do this, and the US is pushing the EU to do it.' Washington has leverage Brussels and Washington are aiming to reach some form of an agreement before July 9, when Washington is set to impose a 50% tariff on nearly all EU products. With European exports to the US worth more than double the amount to China, the bloc sees Washington as the more important partner, giving the US leverage in the talks. China's weekend statement is 'obviously aimed entirely at Brussels', said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels, who was recently in Beijing for meetings ahead of an EU-China summit this month. 'China is concerned about what the EU might agree with the US.' The long-term risk for Beijing is that these efforts coalesce into a broader shift — not just a US-led campaign to curb Chinese exports, but a reshaping of global trade around 'trusted' supply chains, with China increasingly on the outside. In a visit to Southeast Asia earlier this year, President Xi Jinping urged the region to stand together as an 'Asian family', warning against trade fragmentation. Beijing has often responded to actions it opposes with targeted trade measures. When the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles last year, China launched anti-dumping probes into European brandy, dairy and pork. It halted Japanese seafood imports in 2023 after Group of Seven meetings in Japan were seen as critical of China. A spat with Australia in 2020 led to trade restrictions on billions of dollars' worth of goods, including lobsters, wine and barley. 'If some agreements explicitly list China as a target and show that some countries are cooperating or collaborating with the US to 'contain China', then China will definitely respond,' said Tu Xinquan, dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
Bangkok Post
4 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 14 as Trump teases ceasefire push
GAZA CITY — Gaza's civil defence agency said that Israeli strikes killed at least 14 people on Wednesday, as United States President Donald Trump urged Palestinian group Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire. After nearly 21 months of war which has created dire humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people, the Israeli military said this week it had expanded its operations. In southern Gaza on Wednesday, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that five members of the same family were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli air strike that hit a tent housing displaced people in the coastal Al-Mawasi area. AFP images from the nearby Nasser Hospital, in Khan Yunis city, showed medics treating young children covered in blood. Some appeared terrified while others lay still on hospital beds in bloodied bandages and clothes. Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes. Further north, Bassal said that four people from the same family were killed in a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City, and another five in a drone strike on a house in the central Deir el-Balah area. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military requested precise coordinates for the targeted locations and said it "will try to look into" the reports. 'End the war' On Tuesday the military said that in recent days its forces had expanded operations across Gaza, "eliminating dozens of terrorists and dismantling hundreds of terror infrastructure sites". After months of stalled mediation efforts to bring an end to the war, Trump on Tuesday said on social media that a new ceasefire proposal has Israel's support. "Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War," Trump said. He added that Qatari and Egyptian mediators, who have been in direct contact with Hamas throughout the war, would deliver "this final proposal". "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better -- IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE." Trump is due to host Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week. Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,647 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations (UN) considers these figures to be reliable.
Bangkok Post
9 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
US halting some shipments of military aid to Ukraine
WASHINGTON - The White House said Tuesday it is halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine that were promised under the Biden administration for Kyiv's battle against the Russian invasion. Stopping the delivery of munitions and other military aid including air defence systems likely would be a blow to Ukraine as it contends with some of Russia's largest missile and drone attacks of the three-year-old war. "This decision was made to put America's interests first following a DOD (Department of Defence) review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe," White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in an email. The curtailment of military aid signals a possible shift in the priorities of US President Donald Trump, who has pressed for Russia and Ukraine to speed up stalled peace talks. The Republican has moved on to playing a greater role in orchestrating a possible ceasefire in Gaza and toning down Iran-Israel tensions after a deadly 12-day conflict between the arch foes. The Pentagon review determined that stocks had become too low on some previously pledged munitions, and that some pending shipments now would not be sent, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity, according to Politico, which first reported the halt of military aid. "The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned -- just ask Iran," Kelly said, making a reference to the recent US bombings and missile strikes against the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities. Politico and other US media reported that missiles for Patriot air defence systems, precision artillery and Hellfire missiles are among the items being held back. Last week at a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) summit in the Netherlands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump and appeared to get a vague response from the US leader on Patriot air defence systems. "We're going to see if we can make some available," Trump said of the missiles that Kyiv desperately seeks to shoot down Russian attacks. "They're very hard to get," Trump added. Thousands of drones A Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Kharkiv region killed one person and wounded another, its governor said early Wednesday. The attack follows Ukrainian drone strikes which killed three people and wounded dozens in the Russian city of Izhevsk on Tuesday, striking more than 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the front line -- one of the deepest attacks inside Russia to date. An AFP analysis published Tuesday found that Russia dramatically ramped up aerial attacks in June, firing thousands of drones as Ukraine's stretched air defence systems and exhausted civilian population felt the Kremlin's increased pressure. An April report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found that Ukraine is being outgunned by Russia, despite spending more of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence than any other country in the world. Ukraine's military expenditure in 2024 was US$64.7 billion, SIPRI said, and Kyiv has relied heavily on its allies in Europe and the United States for weapons and aid. Russian leader Vladimir Putin blamed the West for fanning the flames of war with that support, telling French president Emmanuel Macron Tuesday that the West has "for many years ignored Russia's security interests." The White House's tone has openly shifted on Ukraine with the Trump presidency. Back in 2022, then president Joe Biden affectionately embraced Zelensky at the White House as his administration announced another $2 billion in weapons for Ukraine. During Zelensky's Washington visit earlier this year, he was belittled on-camera by Trump and Vice President JD Vance during an Oval Office meeting, who ganged up to accuse the Ukrainian leader of ingratitude. Asked by AFP for comment on the halt of shipments and why it was occurring, the Pentagon did not respond directly. But its chief spokesman Sean Parnell said "America's military has never been more ready and more capable thanks to President Trump and Secretary (Pete) Hegseth's leadership."
