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Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
A landscape of death: What's left where Ukraine invaded Russia
Advertisement Then there were the unburied. When I visited the area in March, the fields were scattered with carcasses of cows and pigs, and with the corpses of civilians and soldiers. The uniforms visible among the fallen were mostly Russian. Amid shattered homes, other bodies had lain decomposing for months, seemingly untouched, the circumstances of their deaths unknown. I reported there for six days, escorted at times by members of Russia's Chechnya-based Akhmat special forces unit, which had fought to reclaim the area and was helping with evacuations. Drone attacks remained frequent. The sounds of incoming and outgoing fire were constant. Mines, unexploded drones and rockets lay everywhere. Deminers worked tirelessly, while soldiers sifted through rubble and woodland, collecting remains. The devastation has fueled anger within the community against Russian authorities, as well as against Ukraine and its Western supporters. Kursk represents the rare place in this war where Russian civilians found themselves under the control of Ukrainian forces, while large areas of Ukraine still remain occupied by Russia. Advertisement 'People should have been evacuated,' said Oksana Lobodova, 47, whose sister Olesya, 38, fled the village of Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and joined her in the city of Kursk at the beginning of the incursion. Their mother remained in nearby Russkoye Porechnoye; they last heard from her in August. 'How were people supposed to survive?' Lobodova said. 'Seven months in winter, without water, without food, without medicine, without communication, without electricity -- sick pensioners! 'What difference does it make if they were killed or died on their own?' she added. 'They were left there.' Russian officials have said that more than 150,000 people were successfully evacuated from the Kursk border region and that the idea the government did too little to help people escape was false information spread by the Ukrainian news media. But senior regional officials and former officials have been forced to retire, arrested on suspicion of corruption and, in one case, fired and then found dead. The body of Lobodova's mother was recovered from her backyard in Russkoye Porechnoye after Russian forces retook the village. According to Lobodova, authorities said she was killed by shrapnel. She was 68. Lyubov Blaschuk, 76, whom I met in a shelter, said she was from western Ukraine and had moved to Sudzha in 1986. In those Soviet days, she said, 'everything was one.' She spoke of NATO expansion as a cause of the war, reflecting arguments in state media. She characterized Ukrainians as victims of propaganda who blamed everything on President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Advertisement 'Fine,' she added. 'Let him be at fault. But it takes a lot to twist people's minds like that.' Her views on Ukraine found many echoes in the shelters. The conflict's toll in this area was most visible in villages cratered by bombardment that I visited near the former front line. The smell of decomposing corpses rose from the rubble, and I saw bodies in civilian clothing. For most, I did not see an obvious cause of death, though shrapnel had torn the buildings. One body lay in a bullet-ridden car. In the kitchen of one house in the village of Martynovka, I saw a largely naked body of a man bearing signs of violence at close quarters: a wound to the neck and a hole in the chest that appeared to be a gunshot wound. Who killed these people, and under what circumstances, is unclear. No one was living in these villages, and I could find no witnesses in the shelters. The New York Times previously documented two instances of indiscriminate use of lethal force against Kursk civilians early in the incursion, actions that may amount to war crimes. But reporters were unable to establish who was responsible for those deaths. One of Russia's top law enforcement bodies, the Investigative Committee, has accused Ukrainian forces of torturing and killing a civilian in a residential building in Martynovka, and of killing two other residents of the village. Russian officials and outlets blame Ukraine for other deaths, including in the village where Lobodova's mother died. State media has published reports describing harsh treatment of civilians, rarely providing evidence. Advertisement Russian authorities denied requests by the Times for more detailed information. In a statement, the Ukrainian army said that its forces had fully complied with international law in Kursk, assisting civilians and trying to rescue survivors of Russian bombing in Sudzha. It denounced the Russian accusations as fakery and propaganda. People I spoke to who were in Sudzha during the occupation generally reported respectful treatment by Ukrainian forces within the town, including some medical help and other aid. 'They didn't touch us,' Blaschuk said. 'Neither the Russians nor the Ukrainians -- they fought each other, but no one touched civilians.' One woman who remained in the town, Olga Novoselova, said the Ukrainian forces had arrived with the greeting: ''Good day, Slavs. We don't harm civilians.' 'And that was it,' she added. 'But still, it was stressful -- there were a lot of patrols. You could get stopped four or five times, even just trying to go somewhere with the dog.' The Ukrainian forces fortified their positions and laid minefields that may take the Russians years to clear, even with North Korean help. By holding the territory, they hoped to divert Russian soldiers from battles inside Ukraine and provide a bargaining chip for future negotiations. A high-stakes operation appears to have allowed some Russian troops to emerge at an unexpected point. Russia drained a mileslong section of the gas pipeline that passes through Sudzha and refilled it with air. Then it sent soldiers through to attack. Akhmat soldiers who traveled the pipe spoke of having helped deliver a telling blow. One, who gave only his call sign, Skull, in accordance with military protocol, described emerging almost 10 miles behind defensive lines, wearing a blue armband to confuse Ukrainian forces. 'When the enemy realized we were there,' he said, 'they started to retreat very quickly.' Advertisement Their stay was brief. While I was reporting, the Akhmat fighters were summoned away to face another potential Ukrainian advance. Russia has since launched another bloody cross-border attack, targeting Ukraine's Sumy region. Many of the civilians who remain speak of their yearning for an end to the war. Even during the isolation of the occupation, Blaschuk said, people here heard the promises of a quick deal proclaimed by Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign. 'Everyone was waiting -- waiting for Trump to end it all, to force peace,' she said. Now they are waiting on another promise, a promise of reconstruction from Putin. 'Vladimir Vladimirovich said that we will rebuild the Kursk region. Yes, it will be better than it was,' said Nikolai Ivanenko, a resident of the village of Kazachya Loknya now sheltering in Kursk city, using the Russian president's patronymic. He drew on a previous brutal conflict to justify his hope: 'We saw Chechnya, they rebuilt the most modern cities -- there were ruins there.' Novoselova, still in Sudzha, had a certainty of her own. 'The time will come, I'll pack my things, my animals, and leave here for good,' she said. 'Whether he rebuilds this city, as you say, or not, I still won't be able to live here anymore.' This article originally appeared in
Irish Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Putin's general declares 'WW3 has begun' and demands one million fresh troops
A Russian general has sparked alarm by claiming that World War 3 is in full swing, pointing to escalating global tensions in the wake of Israel's strike on Iran. Major General Apti Alaudinov, a key figure within Russia's military hierarchy, has called on the Kremlin for a massive mobilisation, suggesting the recruitment of up to a million new soldiers in light of the recent conflict escalation, which he believes has "already taken on a new turn and a new momentum". At 51, Alaudinov holds the position of deputy chief of the Russian Armed Forces' main military-political directorate, responsible for indoctrination and propaganda, and also commands the Akhmat special forces from his homeland of Chechnya. "We need to declare mobilisation," he declared on Telegram. "We need to prepare at least half a million people in advance. But realistically one million people." He further stated: "We need to call them up and start preparing them for the fact that the war has already begun, which we already know is happening - World War III. But it has already taken on a new turn and a new momentum," reports the Mirror. "And so that no one dares to play with us the way they played with all the other countries, and now with Iran. Believe me, we all need to unite, unite, unite at all levels." Alaudinov has been deeply involved in Russia's campaign to reclaim territory held by Ukraine in the Kursk region and is tipped as a likely successor to the ailing pro-Putin Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Earlier today, Alaudinov shared a post from Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei calling for "severe retribution" against Israel. He signalled his readiness to voice his opinion directly to Putin with a call for mass mobilisation, suggesting a large-scale draft is necessary to break the deadlock in the conflict with Ukraine. Alaudinov's remarks followed Israel's bombardment of at least six military bases around Tehran, including Parchin, homes in two secure complexes for military chiefs, and various residential buildings in Tehran. Iranian authorities have labelled the attacks as targeted killings. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed that Israel will encounter "severe punishment" for its assault on the nation. Khamenei's declaration was broadcast by the state-controlled IRNA news agency, confirming the deaths of top military figures and scientists in the strikes. Israel "opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to a crime in our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers," Khamenei stated.
Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Putin's general declares 'WW3 has started' and demands one million fresh troops
Major General Apti Alaudinov urged the Kremlin to carry out mass mobilisation of up to one million fresh troops following Israel's attack on Iran - as he claimed World War 3 is already underway One of Vladimir Putin's generals has declared World War 3 is already underway, citing rising global tensions following Israel 's recent attack on Iran. Major General Apti Alaudinov, a prominent figure in Russia 's military leadership, urged the Kremlin to carry out mass mobilisation of up to one million fresh troops following the attack, which he said has 'already taken on a new turn and a new momentum.' Alaudinov, 51, currently serves as the deputy chief of the Russian Armed Forces main military-political directorate, in charge of indoctrination and propaganda in the military machine, as well as commander of Akhmat special forces, based in his native Chechnya. 'We need to declare mobilisation,' he posted on Telegram. 'We need to prepare at least half a million people in advance. But realistically one million people.' He added: 'We need to call them up and start preparing them for the fact that the war has already begun, which we already know is happening - World War III. But it has already taken on a new turn and a new momentum. 'And so that no one dares to play with us the way they played with all the other countries, and now with Iran. Believe me, we all need to unite, unite, unite at all levels.' Alaudinov has been closely involved with Russia 's effort to win back territory controlled by Ukraine in Kursk region. He is also seen as a probable successor for sickly pro-Putin Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Earlier today Alaudinov reposted a message from Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei demanding 'severe retribution' against Israel. He made clear with his mass mobilisation call that he felt able to publicly express his own view to Putin about the need for a giant call-up to break the stalemate in the war with Ukraine. Alaudinov's comments came after Israel attacked at least six military bases around Tehran including Parchin, residential homes at two highly secure complexes for military commanders - and multiple residential buildings around Tehran. Iranian officials called the strikes targeted assassinations. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel will face a 'severe punishment' over its attack on the country. Khamenei issued a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. It confirmed that top military officials and scientists had been killed in the attack. Israel 'opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to a crime in our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers,' Khamenei said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
4 Chechen officers killed in car bombing in Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine's HUR claims
Four Chechen officers from Russian-backed Akhmat unit were killed in a car bombing near the occupied city of Skadovsk in Kherson Oblast on May 20, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) claimed on May 22. According to HUR, the car exploded between Skadovsk and Antonivka in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast. Skadovsk, a city with a pre-war population of 17,000, lies on the Black Sea coast. Russia has occupied it since March 2022. The first blast was followed by more explosions, as the officers were allegedly transporting ammunition that detonated, HUR said. While Ukrainian intelligence did not explicitly claim responsibility for the incident, it said that "there will be just retribution for every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people." The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims. Russian officials, their proxies, and collaborators have been routinely targeted in both occupied parts of Ukraine and inside Russia. Kyiv does not typically comment on the attacks or claim responsibility. Read also: 47th Brigade battalion commander's resignation puts Ukraine's military leadership under new scrutiny We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Saba Yemen
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Russian forces thwart Ukrainian infiltration attempt
Moscow - Saba: Ramzan Kadyrov, the ruler of the Russian Chechen Republic, announced that the Russian "Akhmat" special forces thwarted an infiltration attempt by Ukrainian armed forces into Kursk Oblast. Russia Today quoted Ramzan Kadyrov as saying: "In the direction of Sumy, units of the Russian "Akhmat" special forces, in cooperation with groups from the 2nd Special Forces Brigade, 15th Tank Regiment, were able to prevent Ukrainian armed forces personnel from infiltrating from the Ukrainian side into Kursk Oblast." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
