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Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,241
How things stand on Saturday, July 19: Fighting Russian drones and glide bombs killed several people in Ukraine on Friday, officials said, including a 52-year-old train driver in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a 66-year-old woman killed in her home in Kostiantynivka, and a 64-year-old man killed in a glide bomb attack on a building site in the Zaporizhia region. Russian forces have staged a mass drone attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, setting fire to at least one multistorey apartment building, the city's mayor, Gennadiy Trukhanov, said early on Saturday. At least 20 drones converged on the city in the early hours of this morning. Russian air defences intercepted or destroyed 10 Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow overnight on Friday, the city's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said. Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskii, said his forces are standing firm in defending the city of Pokrovsk, a logistics hub in the eastern Donetsk region that has weathered months of Russian attacks, and the Novopavlivka settlement in the Zaporizhia region. Praising the troops defending Pokrovsk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces 'trying to advance and enter Ukrainian cities and villages' will not have 'a chance of survival'. Authorities in Russian-controlled Crimea have introduced an information blackout designed to counter Ukrainian drone, missile and sabotage attacks. Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, said he signed a decree banning media outlets and social media users from publishing photos, video or other content that revealed the location of Russian forces or details of Ukrainian attacks on the Black Sea peninsula. Military aid Australia's government said it delivered M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine as part of a 245 million Australian dollar ($160m) package to help the country defend itself against Russia in their ongoing war. The United States has moved Germany ahead of Switzerland to receive the next Patriot air defence systems to come off production lines in the US. The expedited delivery to Germany will allow Berlin to send two Patriot batteries it already has to Ukraine, according to a US media report. Leaders in Ukraine and Washington are in detailed talks on a deal involving US investment in Kyiv's domestic drone production, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. She added the deal would also lead to the US purchasing 'a large batch of Ukrainian drones'. President Zelenskyy said he discussed missile supplies and funding for interceptor drones to counteract Russian attacks in a call with French President Emmanuel Macron. 'I would especially like to highlight our agreement on pilot training for Mirage jets – France is ready to train additional pilots using additional aircraft,' Zelenskyy said on X. Sanctions The European Union approved its 18th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, aimed at dealing further blows to Russia's oil and energy industry. Eighteen officers working for Russian military intelligence, known as the GRU, along with three units, have been hit with sanctions by the United Kingdom over their role in a 2022 bomb attack on a theatre in southern Ukraine that killed hundreds of civilians. The officers were also accused of targeting the family of a former Russian spy who was later poisoned in the UK with a nerve agent. President Zelenskyy thanked the European Union for the latest sanctions targeting Russia and called for further punitive measures against Moscow. 'This decision is essential and timely, especially now, as a response to the fact that Russia has intensified the brutality of the strikes on our cities and villages,' he said. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the Russian economy would withstand the EU sanctions package and said Moscow would intensify its strikes against Ukraine. India has said it does not support 'unilateral sanctions' by the EU, after Brussels imposed penalties on Russia that included a Rosneft oil refinery in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Greek tanker operators involved in shipping approved Russian oil exports are expected to continue doing so despite the new wave of tougher sanctions by the EU that will further tighten restrictions, shipping sources told the Reuters news agency. WhatsApp should prepare to leave the Russian market, a lawmaker in Moscow who regulates the IT sector said on Friday, warning that the messaging app owned by Meta Platforms is very likely to be put on a list of restricted software in Russia. Politics and diplomacy The Kremlin said that it did not believe the tougher stance that Donald Trump has adopted towards Russia over its war in Ukraine means the end of US-Russia talks aimed at reviving their battered ties. The Kremlin also said that it agreed with a statement by Zelenskyy that there needed to be more momentum around peace talks between the warring sides. Zelenskyy appointed former Defence Minister Rustem Umerov as the secretary of the country's National Security and Defence Council, according to a decree published on Friday on the president's website. Umerov's appointment follows a reshuffle of the Ukrainian government and the appointment of a new prime minister. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Ukraine during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, the Kremlin press service said. Putin said Russia was 'committed to a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict in Ukraine' and thanked Erdogan for facilitating Russia-Ukraine bilateral talks. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has cast doubt on the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU by 2034, saying accession was unlikely to come at a point affecting the bloc's medium-term finance plans, which run to 2034. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said Kyiv could join the EU before 2030 if the country continues its reforms. Russian courts sentenced 135 people to lengthy prison sentences in connection with a mass anti-Israel protest in October 2023 at an airport in the predominantly Muslim Dagestan region, the country's Investigative Committee said on Friday. Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters stormed an airport in the city of Makhachkala, where a plane from Tel Aviv had just arrived, over Israel's war on Gaza. Regional security Russia views recent comments by a top US general about NATO's ability to swiftly capture the Russian Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad as hostile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. General Christopher Donahue, the US Army Europe and Africa commander, said NATO could seize Kaliningrad 'from the ground in a timeframe that is unheard of and faster than we've ever been able to do', according to a report. Almost a third of Italians believe the country will be directly involved in a war within five years, but only 16 percent of those of fighting age would be willing to take up arms, a new survey shows. The survey by the Centre for Social Investment Studies showed 39 percent of Italians aged between 18 and 45 would declare themselves as pacifist conscientious objectors, 19 percent would try to evade conscription another way, and 26 percent would prefer Italy to hire foreign mercenaries.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,240
Here is how things stand on Friday, July 18: Fighting The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that its forces have captured three Ukrainian settlements: Kamianske in the southeastern Zaporizhia region, Dehtiarne in the northeastern Kharkiv region, and Popiv Yar in the Donetsk region. Russian air defences destroyed a Ukrainian drone headed for Moscow, the city's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said. Russia's Defence Ministry said 46 Ukrainian drones were destroyed over a period of four hours on Thursday evening, including a single drone over the Moscow region. Most were downed in areas near the Ukraine border, including 31 over Russia's Bryansk region and 10 over the Russian-annexed Crimea peninsula. Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more bodies of their war dead, a Kremlin aide said, part of an agreement struck at the second round of peace talks in Istanbul in June. A total of 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers were turned over in exchange for 19 bodies of Russian soldiers. Military aid Preparations are under way to quickly transfer additional Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, NATO's top military commander, Alexus Grynkewich, said. Czech-coordinated shipments of artillery ammunition for Ukraine are rising this year, according to Ales Vytecka, director of the Czech Defence Ministry's AMOS international cooperation agency. So far this year, shipments have totalled 850,000 shells, including 320,000 NATO 155mm calibre projectiles. Ukraine will let foreign arms companies test out their latest weapons on the front line of its war against Russia, Kyiv's state-backed arms investment and procurement group Brave1 said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the US publication The New York Post that he and United States President Donald Trump are considering a deal that involves Washington buying battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing weapons from the US. Zelenskyy told the country's parliament that he expects his new government to increase the amount of domestically-produced weapons on Ukraine's battlefield from 40 percent to 50 percent within the next six months. The US has informed Switzerland of delays to the delivery of Patriot air defence systems, the Swiss Defence Ministry said, adding that Washington wants to prioritise delivery of the systems to Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said clarity is needed on how the US could replace any weapons that Europe plans to send to Ukraine. He issued the statement during a visit to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Politics and diplomacy President Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia had no plans to attack NATO or Europe but floated the idea of preemptive strikes if it believed the West was escalating what he cast as its full-scale war against Russia. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said his country will stop blocking the approval of the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia, which could be approved on Friday. Ukraine's parliament appointed Yulia Svyrydenko, 39, as the country's first new prime minister in five years, part of a major cabinet overhaul aimed at revitalising wartime management of the country as prospects for peace with Russia grow dim. Ukraine's former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has been named defence minister. Ukraine's parliament also voted to keep Andrii Sybiha as foreign minister, while appointing Olha Stefanishyna, a deputy prime minister responsible for Euro-Atlantic integration, as the country's new ambassador to the US. Russian lawmakers have advanced a bill that would outlaw opening or searching for content online judged to be 'extremist' in nature, such as songs glorifying Ukraine and material by the feminist rock band, Pussy Riot.
Al Jazeera
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,230
Here is how things stand on Tuesday, July 8: Fighting In Kharkiv, at least one person died and 71 others were wounded following a barrage of Russian drones. Local officials said residential buildings, a kindergarten, and the regional enlistment office sustained damage in two waves of attacks. Russia has stepped up its drone campaign across Ukraine, striking two military enlistment centres on Monday in Kharkiv and Zaporizhia, according to Ukraine's armed forces. Kyiv says the latest attacks aim to disrupt mobilisation efforts. A separate drone strike hit a draft office in Kremenchuk on Sunday, signalling what Ukrainian officials describe as a targeted wave of assaults on recruitment infrastructure. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said six Shahed drones struck within a 10-minute window, describing the strikes as targeting 'residential streets, cars, and people'. Another death was reported in Odesa following a drone attack. Meanwhile, an assault on Zaporizhia on Monday left at least 20 people injured, regional authorities said. Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed calls for international assistance, stressing the growing urgency in countering Russia's aerial offensive. Amid the escalating violence, United States President Donald Trump pledged on Monday to provide Ukraine with additional military aid, focusing on defensive weaponry. His statement came days after the US paused shipments of key arms, drawing sharp warnings from Kyiv. The United Kingdom announced new sanctions targeting Russia's chemical weapons programme. London imposed asset freezes and travel bans on two senior military figures – Aleksey Viktorovich Rtishchev and Andrei Marchenko – as well as one Russian entity, for their alleged involvement in chemical weapon transfers and use in Ukraine. Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit was found dead from a gunshot wound in his car outside Moscow just hours after President Vladimir Putin dismissed him. Investigators suspect suicide. His removal has raised speculation of a link to a corruption inquiry over missing border defence funds in the Kursk region. Zelenskyy reportedly told Trump he plans to replace Ukraine's ambassador to Washington as part of a major cabinet reshuffle expected next week. Ambassador Oksana Markarova has faced criticism from Trump's allies in Congress, who say she is too aligned with the Democrats. At a White House dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump aired his frustration with Putin, saying: 'I'm not happy with President Putin at all.' His administration continues to face pressure over its lack of progress in ending the war.
Al Jazeera
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,222
Here is how things stand on Monday, June 30: Fighting Russia launched its biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion overnight on Sunday, firing a total of 537 aerial weapons, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, according to the Ukrainian air force. Ukrainian forces intercepted 475 of the weapons, but the military said F-16 pilot Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko was killed 'while repelling' the 'massive enemy air attack'. At least four others were also killed in the air raids, in Kherson, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kostiantynivka regions, the Associated Press news agency reported, citing local officials. The aerial attacks were also far-reaching, targeting regions as far away as Lviv, in the far west, where a drone attack caused a large fire at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych, and cut electricity to parts of the area. Poland said it scrambled aircraft, together with other NATO countries, to ensure the safety of Polish airspace during the attack. None of the Russian missiles entered Poland's airspace, the command said. In addition, two people were killed by Russian shelling, including a 70-year-old woman who was found under the rubble of a nine-storey building in the Zaporizhia region, AP reported. Russia's Defence Ministry said it intercepted three Ukrainian drones overnight, and claimed control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. The RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Luhansk region, while the acting governor of Russia's Kursk said that two people were injured in a Ukrainian attack on the border region. Weapons Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the air attacks highlight the need for further support from the United States and Western allies to strengthen the country's air defences. He also signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines, saying Russia has never been a party to the treaty 'and is using anti-personnel mines with utmost cynicism'. Roman Kostenko, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker, said that parliamentary approval was still needed to withdraw from the treaty. He said legislators will hold a vote on the move. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said the country has 'made the difficult but necessary political decision to stop the implementation of irrelevant obligations under the Ottawa Convention' because it has led to an 'asymmetric advantage' for Russia. Politics and diplomacy US Senator Lindsey Graham told ABC News that the country's Congress will begin voting on new Russian sanctions after President Donald Trump told him, 'It's time to move your bill.' Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television that European countries would feel the consequences of imposing harsher sanctions on Russia. 'The more serious the package of sanctions, which, I repeat, we consider illegal, the more serious will be the recoil from a gun to the shoulder. This is a double-edged sword,' he said. Russian spy chief Sergei Naryshkin said in remarks published on Sunday that he had spoken to the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, and that they had agreed to call each other at any time.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine F-16 pilot killed repelling massive Russian air attack
Ukraine has lost an F-16 aircraft and its pilot while repelling a Russian missile and drone strike, according to country's air force, as heavy fighting in the war, now in its fourth year, grinds on daily with no signs of a ceasefire on the horizon. After shooting down seven air targets, the plane was damaged and lost altitude overnight, the Ukrainian military said in a statement published on Telegram on Sunday. 'This night, while repelling a massive enemy air attack, a pilot of the 1st class, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko, born in 1993, died on an F-16 aircraft,' it said. In a separate statement, the air force said Russia launched 537 projectiles against Ukraine, including Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine claimed to have intercepted 475 of them. According to the Kyiv Independent newspaper, the sound of explosions and strikes was reported in multiple areas across the country, including in southern Mykolaiv, southeastern Zaporizhia and western Lviv. Ihor Taburets, the governor of central Ukraine's Cherkasy region, said at least six people were injured and civilian infrastructure was damaged in attacks. Three multistorey buildings and a college were damaged in the attack, he said. Industrial facilities were hit in the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv and the central Dnipropetrovsk region, officials say. Local authorities published photos of high-rise residential buildings with charred walls and broken windows, and rescuers evacuating people. In Russia, the Ministry of Defence said its forces destroyed three Ukrainian drones in the border regions of Kursk and Rostov, and in Ukraine's annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Luhansk region. Moscow also claimed Sunday that it had taken control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. The latest wave of violence comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he intended to scale back military expenditure and also indicated he was ready for a new round of peace negotiations with Ukraine. In the past months, Moscow and Kyiv have sent delegations twice to the Turkish city of Istanbul for peace talks, but have made no progress towards ending the conflict, which started after Russia invaded its neighbour more than three years ago. However, both sides agreed upon and showed cooperation on prisoners' swap. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on Sunday setting Ukraine on the road to leaving the antimine Ottawa Convention, according to a document published on his website. The treaty bans signatories from acquiring, producing, stockpiling or using antipersonnel mines, which are designed to be buried or hidden on the ground, and often cause terrible injuries to victims, including the loss of limbs, who survive their impact. Rights groups have often decried the long-term risk of unexploded landmines for civilians. More than 160 countries and territories are signatories to the Ottawa Convention, though neither the United States nor Russia has joined. The decision still must be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament, and the United Nations would then need to be notified. Confronted with Russia's invasion, 'Ukraine is compelled to give unconditional priority to the security of its citizens and the defence of the state,' Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. 'Russia … uses mines against our military and civilians on a massive scale. We cannot remain bound by conditions when the enemy has no restrictions,' Ukrainian lawmaker Roman Kostenko said on social media. The treaty withdrawal follows similar decisions by Kyiv's allies – Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – which are all neighbours of Russia.
