Ukraine-Russia war - live: Kremlin addresses Putin heart attack rumours as Sevastopol targeted

The Kremlin has dismissed the claim Vladimir Putin is unwell as an “absurd hoax” and said “everything is fine” with the dictator.

“This belongs to the category of absurd information hoaxes that a whole series of media discuss with enviable tenacity. This evokes nothing but a smile,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

On Sunday, posts emerged on the Telegram messaging app claiming Putin had suffered a cardiac arrest. The channel said Putin was “very ill” and unlikely to live until the end of autumn, with all official meetings conducted by a body double.

It comes after Ukraine launched an “underwater sabotage” attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet near Sevastopol, Crimea, according to Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of the region.

Soon after, Russia’s defence ministry said it had destroyed three unmanned Ukrainian boats in the Black Sea off the Crimean peninsula.

“Anti-sabotage missiles and bombs hit the area where the unmanned boats were detected,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has pushed more troops to the frontline in Avdiivka, Ukraine, despite a failing offensive which has incurred heavy losses.

Key Points

• Kremlin rejects claims about Putin’s ill health

• Putin pushes more soldiers to frontline despite failing offensive

• Putin forced to increase number of soldiers on ground as UK estimates death toll

• Six killed in Russia’s missile attack on Kharkiv postal centre, says Ukraine

• Ukraine destroys all Russia-launched drones and cruise missile in overnight attacks

Kremlin rejects claims about Putin’s ill health

10:55 , Alexander Butler

The Kremlin has dismissed the claim Vladimir Putin is unwell as an “absurd hoax” and said “everything is fine” with the dictator.

“This belongs to the category of absurd information hoaxes that a whole series of media discuss with enviable tenacity. This evokes nothing but a smile,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

On Sunday, posts emerged on the Telegram messaging app claiming Putin had suffered a cardiac arrest. The channel said Putin was “very ill” and unlikely to live until the end of autumn, with all official meetings conducted by a body double.

In a 2020 interview, Putin denied longstanding rumours that he uses body doubles, although he said he had been offered the chance to use one in the past for security reasons.

Ukraine’s frontline troops say they’re surrounded by Putin’s forces – and ammo’s running out

19:51 , Askold Krushelnycky

While the eyes of the world have turned towards the dreadful scenes in Israel and Gaza, the fighting is fierce across multiple points on the hundreds of miles of front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

Troops say they are facing Russia’s troops in multiple directions in some areas, while others have said they facing a shortage of ammunition.

The clashes stretch from Ukraine’s northern borders with Russia to southern battlefields in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Kyiv’s forces are trying to punch their way through to the Azov Sea in an effort to break Russia’s land bridge with Moscow-occupied Crimea.

Russia has redeployed significant forces from the south – where the two armies appear to be locked in a bloody, attritional stalemate – further north to threaten towns including Kupyansk, Svatove, Kreminna, Lyman, Siversk and Avdiivka.

These towns straddle three regions: in the east, Donetsk and Luhansk, and Kharkiv in the northeast.

Click here for the full story.

Ukraine launches joint venture with German arms maker to repair western weapons

18:34 , Sam Rkaina

Ukraine has set up a joint defence venture with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall AG to service and repair western weapons sent to help Kyiv against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Announced by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a German-Ukrainian Business Forum in Berlin, the venture will also help with the local production of some key equipment made by Rheinmetall AG, he said.

It will bring “cooperation between our countries to a qualitatively new level and will allow us to build together the arsenal of the free world,” Shmyhal told the forum.

Ukraine relies heavily on financial and military support from the West which has poured in tens of billions of dollars of weapons since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Oleksander Kamyshyn, minister for strategic industries, said Ukraine was committed to launching the production of Western weapons locally to keep up with growing Ukrainian demand with the war now at the 20-month mark with no end in sight. He said he met 25 major German defence producers in Berlin.

Russia sends fighter jet as two U.S. bombers approach its border

17:52 , Sam Rkaina

Russia scrambled an Su-27 fighter jet after two U.S. B-1B strategic bombers approached its border over the Baltic Sea, Russian state news agency RIA has reported.

As the fighter jet approached, the U.S. bombers “performed a U-turn” away from the Russian border, the Defence Ministry said.

It is the latest in a series of mid-air incidents involving Russia in recent weeks.

Tanaiste says accommodation limit for new Ukrainian arrivals ‘under discussion’

17:50 , Sam Rkaina

Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said no decision has been made on a measure to restrict the amount of time new arrivals from Ukraine can stay in State-provided accommodation, but added that the matter was still “under discussion”.

The latest data from the Central Statistics Office looking at the allocation of PPS numbers shows there were 96,338 arrivals from Ukraine under the Temporary Protection Directive.

Of these, the CSO could identify that 82% had “activity in administrative data” after July 31.

Women and men, aged 20 and over, made up 46% and 22% respectively of arrivals to date, while 32% were people aged under 20.

Of all arrivals to date aged 18 and over, 63% of males and 50% of females were married or cohabiting.

Speaking to reporters at the Global Ireland Summit, Mr Martin said other countries have commented on “the strength of Ireland’s response in respect of the war in Ukraine”.

He added: “Ours has been predominantly on the political and humanitarian fronts, in terms of supporting Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and accepting refugees.”

However, the foreign affairs minister said the Government is examining evidence of “secondary transfers from across Europe rather than directly from Ukraine”.

Ukraine expects new €1.4bn 'winter aid package' from Germany, says PM

14:14 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine expects Germany to provide it with an additional €1.4bn to enhance its air defences and help it get through a second winter at war with Russia, Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal said.

“Germany is preparing a €1.4bn winter aid package for Ukraine, including air defence equipment,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

Moldova blocks over 20 Russian media websites

13:20 , Alexander Butler

Moldova has blocked more than 20 Russian media websites which it claims have been used as part of an information war against the country.

An Intelligence and Security Service decree published online listed 22 Russian news resources to be blocked, including prominent outlets like Russia Today, NTV, Ren TV, state media holding VGTRK and others.

The decree, which is likely to anger Moscow, said internet providers had been ordered to block the sites immediately.

EU set to end reliance on Russian fossil fuels

12:30 , Alexander Butler

The European Union is on track to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels, the EU commission said.

In a report published on Tuesday, Brussels said the EU expected imports of Russian gas to drop to 40-45 billion cubic metres this year, compared with 155 bcm in 2021, the year before the Ukraine war.

The 27-country EU has sanctioned Russian coal and seaborne oil imports.

“The worst effects of the crisis may now be behind us, but there is no room for complacency,” the Commission said.

Ukraine's EU membership bid to be assessed in November report

11:45 , Alexander Butler

In November, the European Union will present an assessment of Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc and whether to start accession talks with Kyiv.

Ukraine will be judged on whether it has met the necessary economic, legal and other criteria.

If everything is in order, a decision will then be expected during a summit of EU leaders on whether to launch formal membership negotiations with Ukraine in mid-December.

Ukraine’s GDP could grow by 4 per cent next year, prime minister claims

11:28 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine’s gross domestic product could grow over 4 per cent in 2023 and reach 5 per cent next year, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at a business forum in Berlin.

Ukraine’s economy shrank by about one third last year due to the war with Russia.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he wanted the EU to have the means to guarantee sustained support for Ukraine by the end of 2023.

Ukraine ‘empowered’ to go after oligarchs

09:37 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine feels empowered to go after some of the country’s most corrupt and powerful oligarchs, its justice minister has said.

Ukrainian justice minister Denys Maliuska said: “Everyone was afraid of the consequences of indicting oligarchs but this is no longer the case.”

The country saw a growth in oligarchs after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, when state assets were transferred to private owners, concentrating wealth into the hands of a few owners.

Russia has lost almost 300,000 personnel during war, Ukraine claims

10:01 , Alexander Butler

Russia has lost almost 300,000 personnel since the start of the war, Ukraine has claimed.

The Defence Ministry of Ukraine this morning said that Russia has lost 295,510 personnel, an increase of 810 since Monday.

It claimed the losses included 5,105 tanks, 7,081 artillery, 320 aircraft and 9,447 vehicles and fuel tanks.

Two die in Russian shelling of Ukraine, governor says

08:49 , Alexander Butler

Two people have died and a further 14 were injured, including one child, in Russian shelling of Kherson, the local governor claimed.

“The Russian military targeted the residential quarters of the populated areas of the region; a critical infrastructure facility and plant in Beryslav; the territory of the park in Kherson.“As a result of the Russian aggression, 2 people died, another 14 were injured, including 1 child,” regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin posted on Telegram.

He said Russia has launched 101 attacks, firing 597 shells over the past day.

Ukraine orders evacuation of 802 children

08:28 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of 802 children from 23 settlements in Kherson, according to the Reintegration Ministry.

The children with their parents or legal guardians will leave the Beryslav, Kakhovka, and Kherson districts for safer regions, the ministry said on Telegram.

Over 500 Ukrainian children have been killed and 1,138 wounded since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, according to the Children of War database.

Russia dependent on ‘penal battalions’

08:02 , Alexander Butler

The Russian Army is dependent on “penal battalions” manned with convicts and regular troops for offensive operations in Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence said.

“Russia largely continues to rely on specially designated ‘Shtorm-Z’ units for local offensive operations in Ukraine,” it said on X, formerly Twitter.

“There is a realistic possibility that Russia originally envisioned them as relatively elite organisations which could seize the tactical initiative.

“However, since at least spring 2023, Shtorm-Z have effectively become penal battalions, manned with convicts and regular troops.”

Russia destroys three Ukrainian uncrewed boats off Crimea

07:35 , Alexander Butler

Russian naval forces have destroyed three unmanned Ukrainian boats in the Black Sea, Russia’s defence ministry claimed.

“Anti-sabotage missiles and bombs hit the area where the unmanned boats were detected,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

It added that an anti-mining and an “anti-sabotage” operation was being carried out off Sevastopol port, which is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

The Ukrainian ministry of defence has been contacted for comment.

Russian-American journalist has pre-trial detention extended

07:03 , Maira Butt

A Russian-American journalist who is accused of breaking Russia’s law on foreign agents has had her pre-trial detention extended until Monday 5 December according to Reuters.

Alsu Kurmasheva is a Prague-based journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) funded by the US Congress and designated as a foregn agent due to foreign funding for activity deemed to be political.

A Russian-American journalist who stands accused of breaking Russia’s law on foreign agents had her pre-trial detention extended on Monday until Dec. 5.

RFE/RL said Kurmasheva entered Russia on May 20 for a family emergency when she was detained and her passports confiscated. She was charged last week with failure to register as a foreign agent, an offence that carries up to five years in prison.

A 61-year-old volunteer who helped hundreds of Ukrainians flee has been arrested by Russia

06:09 , Maira Butt

A 61 year old Russian man, Alexander Demidenko, has been arrested in Russia’s Belgorod region according to local media reported by Meduza. Demidenko is said to have been abducted on the Russia-Ukraine border on 17 October.

He is reported to be a volunteer who has helped hudnreds of Ukrainian citizens in Russia return to Ukraine. His wife Natalia says he was brought to their home briefly on 20 October and that she noticed bruises all over his body. He had reportedly been helping an elderly woman with cancer cross the border when he was arrested.

According to Meduza, a Telegram channel Astra, suggests he has been arrested for drinking alcohol in public and has been charged with a felony for arms trafficking.

Ukrainian priest among those arrested for theft of £52million jewels

05:05 , Maira Butt

A Ukrainian priest is among five arrested for the trafficking of ancient archaeological finds from Ukraine according to Sky News. Spanish police arrested three Spaniards and two Ukrainians in their operation which they say they had been working on for months.

The elevel artefacts made of Scythian gold were said to date from between the eighth and fourth centuries BC and are estimated to be worth £52 million.

Zelensky prepares for Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform

04:09 , Maira Butt

President Volodmyr Zelensky has said in a recorded message to the nation: “It is important to keep Ukraine and the defense of freedom and international law in the global spotlight.”

He praised the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the said he was “especially grateful” to those fighting at the front in Avdiyivka. He cited a number of international events of importance to Ukraine in the future including the Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform.

“This time, almost 70 parliaments and parliamentary assemblies representing five continents are taking part in the Summit,” said Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk on the air of the national telethon United News. He said: “Everyone who comes, comes for the sake of Ukraine.”

Almost 70 parliaments and parliamentary assemblies representing five continents are taking part in the Summit.

Russia handing out more jail sentences under war censorship laws

03:09 , Maira Butt

The Moscow Times has reported that Russia is now handing out more jail sentences under war censorship laws. The Kommersant business daily reported the increase citing official Supreme Court figures.

Russia outlawed the spreading of “deliberately false information” about its military action following its invasion of Ukraine last year. Eight out of 21 convictions for “war fakes” resulted in real jail time according to the report.

Kommersant also reported that 15 people were jailed for treason in 2023, compared to three jail terms from the first half of 2022.

Private Russian military company hires female snipers

02:09 , Maira Butt

An investigation by the IStories outlet has revealed that the Borz Batallion of the Russian Defense Ministry-controlled “Private Military Company Redut” has been active in recruiting women into its sniper division.

“Initially, we did not have women, only men. Now, we have decided to try out a female sniper squad and a female drone operator squad because women can do it too,” the battalion’s recruiter with the call sign “Vesta” told an IStories journalist, who was posing as a potential recruit.

“My task as a detachment commander is to prove that women are created not only for soups and children.”

An advertisement for the job offered $2,300 as salary. According to the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shogu, there are 59,000 women in the Russian military.

President Zelensky speaks with Saudi prince to “further develop ties" in the region

01:04 , Maira Butt

Ukraine’s President Volodmyr Zelensky tweeted about a call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman on Monday. He reported that the two discussed developing ties between the two nations as well as the rest of the Gulf region.

President Zelensky reported that he has invited a Saudi representative to the next round of peace talks in Malta and vowed to “make the Peace Formula meeting in Jeddah a success”.

Regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Zelensky said: “I highlighted the need of preventing further escalation of the conflict and civilian casualties.”

Energy giants invest in fossil fuels after hike in oil prices

Tuesday 24 October 2023 00:09 , Maira Butt

Chevron has bought Hess for $53 billion in the second oil merger this month which The Washington Post attributes to a hike in oil prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Major energy players are now “flush” with cash following the run-up in oil prices following the onset of the conflict which has caused fuel and oil prices to skyrocket worldwide. Fuel prices spiked more than 40 percent following the February attack before steadying through the following months.

However they have been rising more recently due to fears of a broader Middle East war following the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hungary blocks $500 million aid to Ukraine - again

Monday 23 October 2023 23:00 , Maira Butt

Hungary has been refusing to allow $500 million in aid to Ukraine due to its listing of OTP bank in its international sponsors of war list. While negotiations have lasted for months, it appears that the discussions have led nowhere. The European bloc’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, confirmed, that the ministerial negotiations in Luxembourg did not bring an agreement.

Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention provisionally removed OTP and five Greek shipping companies from the list in the hope that this would “lead to Hungary’s unblocking of 500 million euros of vital EU military aid for the Ukrainian people, and will also eliminate the possibility of Greece blocking the future EU sanctions package” against Russia.

While Hungary’s foreign minister said this was a “step in the right direction”, Hungary are seeking reassurances that the institutions will not be returned to the list once aid is secured.

Ukraine orders evacuation of 250 children from settlements for safety

Monday 23 October 2023 22:00 , Maira Butt

Ukrainian authorities have ordered the evacuation of over 250 children from across eight settlement in Donestk Oblask over a “critical security situation” the Reintegration Ministry has announced.

Authorities say 41 children have been evacuated and all evacuees will be taken to a humanitarian hub before the onset of cold weather. All persons affected, including parents and legal guardians, will be offered shelter and aid. Settlements affected include: Toretsk, Shcherbynivka, Petrivka, Nelipivka, and Pivnichne in the Bakhmut district and Ocheretyne, Katerynivka, and Yelizavetivka in the Pokrovsk district.

According to the Children of War database, over 500 Ukrainian children have been killed and over 1,200 have been wounded since hostilities broke out.

Investigators suspect ‘deliberate sabotage’ of undersea cables

Monday 23 October 2023 21:15 , Maira Butt

Estonia believes damage to a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Estonia is related to damage to a cable and pipeline between Estonia and Finland, according to a statement by Sweden’s government on Monday.

Finnish investigators believe there may have been deliberate sabotage to subsea gas pipelines and telecommunications cables connecting Finland and Estonia which were damaged on 8 October. Helsinki and Tallinn are looking into the pipeline and cable incident.

Last week, Sweden said a third link had been damaged at roughly the same time as the other two.

Putin critic refuses to leave cell and misses court hearing in protest

Monday 23 October 2023 20:32 , Maira Butt

Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, refused to leave his cell on Monday and missed a court hearing in protest as officials took away all of his writing supplies.

An ally, Ivan Zhadnov, said security in helmets rushed in at his refusal to cooperate. He was arrested in Moscow in 2021, after returning from Germany where he had recuperated from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. He is due to be moved to a “special security” penal colony, a facility with the highest security level in the Russian prison system.

Navalny is considered Putin’s fiercest foe campaigning against corruption and organising major anti-Kremlin protests. He has been handed three prison sentences and is currently awaiting trial for charges relating to extremism.

Russian forces are heavily shelling a vital road connection to Avdiivka

Monday 23 October 2023 20:00 , Maira Butt

Russian forces are focusing their attacks on the eastern front including towns such as Avdiivka and Kupiansk. There has been an escalation in skirmishes between the Ukrainian and Russian forces with up to 90 confronations over the course of the day on 22 October according to Kyiv officials.

According to Vitalii Barabash, the head of the Avdiivka military administration, Russian forces are heavily shelling a vital road connection to the town. This complicates both the evacuation of civilians and the import of humanitarian aid, he told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

A spokesperson of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, Volodymyr Fitio, said Russia had failed to achieve any strategic success on the eastern front as Ukrainian forces are holding their defenses.

Switzerland shifts right as populists demanding neutral stance in Ukraine win election

Monday 23 October 2023 19:16 , Maira Butt

The right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) won 28.6% of the vote in the country’s parliamentary elections on Oct 22. It gives them 62 seats out of 200 in the Swiss National Council, an increase of nine seats from the last election.

Members of the SVP have previously boycotted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to the Swiss parliament back in June, claiming it violated the country’s tradition of neutrality.

The Swiss parliament has repeatedly voted against proposals to amend rules regarding the export of Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine.

$63 million of stolen Ukrainian artefacts discovered in Spain

Monday 23 October 2023 19:00 , Maira Butt

Approximately $63 million of stolen archaeological treasure from Ukraine has been discovered in Spain. Spanish police have been investigating the illicit trafficking of stolen artefacts since the conflict broke out between Russia and Ukraine and authorities announced the find today.

In a joint operation with the the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Spanish police seized 11 pieces of Scythian gold that had been “stolen and illicitly exported from Ukraine” in the first few months of 2016.

Spanish police have arrested three Spaniards and two Ukrainians in connection with the case.

Iran intervenes in talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan as Russia engaged in Ukraine

Monday 23 October 2023 17:56 , Maira Butt

Russia considers itself the security guarantor between Azerbaijan and Armenia which are both former Soviet republics. However, the demands and distractions of its war in Ukraine has led to a weakening of its influence in the South Caucasus.

In their absence Iran hosted talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Monday, saying they offered an opportunity to bring peace to the South Caucasus after Baku’s forces last month recaptured the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The talks in Tehran were also attended by the foreign ministers of Russia and of Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan.

US wants forfeiture of billionaire Russian oligarch’s $300million superyacht

Monday 23 October 2023 17:26 , Maira Butt

A Russian billionaire under US sanctions finds himself under threat of permanently losing a $300million superyacht after the US sought forfeiture of the vessel on Monday.

Authorities in Fiji seized the 348-foot (106-meter) Amadea yacht pursuant to a U.S. warrant in May 2022 as Washington ramped up sanctions enforcement against people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, to pressure Moscow to halt its war against Ukraine. The US seeks forfeiture of the yacht with the proceeds of sales being sent to Ukraine.

Suleiman Karimov is a Russian oligarch worth $10.7 billion according to Forbes magazine. He was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2014 and 2018 in response to Russia’s activities in Syria and Ukraine. He amassed much of his wealth through a stake in Russian gold producer Polyus which was sanctioned in May 2023.

The legal fight over the superyacht is expected to be protracted and lengthy.

Ukraine conducts ‘high value’ assassinations within Russia

Monday 23 October 2023 17:14 , Maira Butt

The Washington Post has reported that Ukrainian spies with deep ties to the CIA are waging a “shadow war” against Russia using strategic assassinations of high value targets.

Over the past 20 months, the SBU - the Ukrainian security service - and its military counterpart, the GUR, have carried out dozens of assassinations against Russian officials in occupied territories, alleged Ukrainian collaborators, military officers behind the front lines and prominent war supporters deep inside Russia.

One high-ranking Ukraine security official told The Washington Post: “We have too many enemies who are more important to neutralize. People who launch missiles. People who committed atrocities in Bucha.”

Turkish President Erdogan submits Sweden’s NATO bid to Parliament

Monday 23 October 2023 17:05 , Maira Butt

Turkey’s President Tayyib Erdogan has submitted Sweden’s NATO bid to Parliament for ratification. He had previously raised objections over the country’s alleged harbouring of terrorists.

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland’s membership was sealed in April, in a historic expansion of the alliance, but Sweden’s bid had been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

Turkey has NATO’s second largest army and has been seeking US congressional approval for a $20 billion sale of F-16 jets. Erdogan has previously linked Sweden’s NATO bid as US support for its request.

Hungary PM blasts EU on anniversary of country’s Anti Soviet uprising

Monday 23 October 2023 16:51 , Maira Butt

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban compared EU membership with Soviet occupation on the anniversary of the country’s Anti-Soviet uprising.

The holiday is commemorated as a freedom fight against Russian repression and Prime Minister Orban’s speech comes as war rages in neighbouring Ukraine where Moscow has occupied large parts of the country and illegally annexed four regions.

Mr Orban, widely considered one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s only allies in the EU, has vigorously lobbied against the bloc imposing sanctions on Moscow, though he has ultimately voted for all sanctions packages.

Last week Mr Orban met Mr Putin before an international forum in Beijing, a meeting that focused on Hungary’s access to Russian energy.

European leaders, as well as other members of the Nato military alliance such as the United States, expressed concern that he had met Mr Putin even as an international arrest warrant has been issued against him for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

(Associated Press)

Ukraine destroys all Russia-launched drones and cruise missile in overnight attacks

Monday 23 October 2023 16:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian defence systems successfully destroyed all Russian air weapons fired in the east and south directions, including a cruise missile fired overnight, its air force said on Monday.

A total of 14 attack drones, including 13 Iran-made Shahed drones and one unspecified drone as well as one cruise missile, were destroyed, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on its official Telegram channel, lauding Western-supplied air defence systems.

“Western weapons have proven and continue to prove their effectiveness on the battlefield,” Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the air force, wrote in a statement on Telegram.

Ukraine destroys all Russia-launched drones and cruise missile in overnight attacks

Has the Israel-Gaza conflict just exposed Putin as the Tsar with no clothes?

Monday 23 October 2023 15:17 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

From the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia to this conflict in Gaza, the Russian leader’s attempts to cosplay a serious global power player continue to look threadbare and unconvincing when actually put to the test, writes Dr Mark Galeotti:

The inevitable concern is that Vladimir Putin will leverage the Israel-Gaza conflict to distract the West from Ukraine and weaken its commitment to supporting Kyiv. Yet while Moscow is certainly doing what it can to exploit this crisis, it is also highlighting the fundamental weakness of Russia’s position.

Read more here:

Has the Gaza conflict just exposed Putin as the Tsar with no clothes? | Mark Galeotti

Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed 82 times in a single day

Monday 23 October 2023 14:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed more than 80 times on Sunday as fierce fighting was witnessed in three major fronts that saw the use of guided air missiles, drones, rockets, artillery and mortar shells, military officials in Kyiv said.

The announcement by Kyiv’s officials comes amid reports that Russia rushed more troops to Avdiivka to replace their heavy losses. Officials have said fighting on three fronts has remained particularly “hot”.

Fighting in the direction of Avdiivka, Marinka and Kupiansk has intensified in the past few months but aggravated assaults have been particularly strong this month as Russian forces are eyeing the capture of Avdiivka.

Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed 82 times in a single day as fighting intensifies

Spanish police say they have confiscated ancient gold jewelry worth millions taken from Ukraine

Monday 23 October 2023 14:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Spanish police said Monday they have confiscated 11 pieces of ancient gold jewelry that were taken out of Ukraine illegally in 2016.

A police statement said five people who were attempting to sell the pieces in Spain have been arrested in recent weeks. Those arrested included two Ukrainians, one of them an Orthodox Church priest, and three Spaniards.

The jewelry was said to be worth 60 million euros ($64 million) and dated from between the eighth and fourth centuries B.C.

Spanish police say they have confiscated ancient gold jewelry worth millions taken from Ukraine

Putin pushes more soldiers to frontline despite failing offensive

Monday 23 October 2023 13:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian forces have pushed more troops to Avdiivka despite a failing offensive which has incurred heavy losses, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.

The Ukrainian ministry of defence also claimed the recent Russian assaults in Avdiivka have contributed to “a 90 per cent increase in Russian casualties”.

Avdiivka has become a watchword for resistance, viewed as the gateway to recapturing the Russian-held city of Donetsk and the rest of Donbas.

Ukrainian Tavriisk Group of Forces spokesperson Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun stated that the Russian military is deploying personnel from Russian territory directly to the Avdiivka direction to replace personnel losses, according to the ISW.

Putin’s Russia ‘the most heinous evil since WWII’, Ukrainian minister says

Monday 23 October 2023 13:44 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, has said Vladimir Putin’s Russia “is the most heinous evil the world has witnessed since WWII” in a post on X.

He added: “Putin and other Russian perpetrators must face justice for their crimes. They must get out of Ukraine and focus on solving the problems of their own people instead of bringing death and destruction to other nations.”

Mr Kuleba also said Russia had spent “around $167 billion” on war against Ukraine between February 2022 and August 2023, according to Forbes Ukraine.

Read the full post here:

In pictures: Destroyed Russian military vehicles on display in Kyiv

Monday 23 October 2023 13:03 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

People look at destroyed Russian military vehicles on display in front of Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery on a foggy day in Kyiv.

Nato may have to deal with more assertive China in far north – report

Monday 23 October 2023 12:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

Nato and the UK may have to contend with a more assertive presence from China in the Arctic and High North as sea lanes open up, a report has said.

Meanwhile, a US defence adviser to Nato said Russia still has “significant” defence capabilities in the region, which are increasingly engaging in “risky” behaviours like air incursions.

The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank launched a report on the UK’s contribution to security in northern Europe on Tuesday.

Nato may have to deal with more assertive China in far north – report

Kremlin says U.S. can't build 'new world order' that Biden spoke of

Monday 23 October 2023 11:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said on Monday that it agreed with U.S. President Joe Biden on the need to build a “new world order”, but that it disagreed that the United States was capable of building it.

In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the U.S. was talking about an “American-centric” world order that would not exist in future.

The exchange was emblematic of a contest, playing out against the background of the Ukraine and Gaza wars, in which Russia is trying to persuade developing countries to join it in building a new world free of U.S. “hegemony”.

In a speech on Friday, Biden said the order that had worked well for 50 years after World War Two had “sort of run out of steam” and a new one was needed. He said Americans had “an opportunity to do things, if we’re bold enough and have enough confidence in ourselves, to unite the world in ways that it never has been”.

Peskov said Moscow was in rare agreement with Biden about the need for a new order that, in his words, would be “free from the concentration of all mechanisms of world governance in the hands of one state”.

But he said Russia disagreed with Biden about the capacity of the United States to build such a system.

“In this part we disagree because the United States... no matter what world order they talk about, they mean an American-centric world order, that is, a world that revolves around the United States. It won’t be that way any more.”

Six killed and 16 injured in Russian missile strike on Kharkiv mail depot

Monday 23 October 2023 11:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A missile strike on a mail depot in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has killed six people and injured 16 others, officials said on Sunday.

The blast was caused by a Russian S-300 rocket, Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

All of the victims were employees of private Ukrainian postal and courier service Nova Poshta.

Six killed and 16 injured in Russian missile strike on Kharkiv mail depot

Ireland considering time limit on state housing for Ukrainians

Monday 23 October 2023 11:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ireland is considering limiting the length of time Ukrainian refugees arriving in the country can stay in state housing to three months before they must find their own accommodation, the Irish Examiner reported on Monday, citing a government source.

Nearly 100,000 Ukrainians have fled to Ireland since Russia‘s invasion began in February 2022, which the government says equates to 1.6% of Ukrainian refugees in Europe. By September, there were around 72,000 in state-provided accommodation.

There are currently no limits on how long Ukrainian refugees can stay there, but the system has been stretched for months amid a wider housing shortage, with arrivals at times having to stay in makeshift facilities such as sports halls or even in tents.

The change being considered would apply to new arrivals who would have to find private rental accommodation or move into a property pledged for use by homeowners after three months, the Irish Examiner reported.

A spokesperson for the department of integration said the government was keeping its approach under review, taking account of the need to shift towards a more sustainable medium-term approach similar to that adopted elsewhere around the European Union.

No decision has been taken on a change to the current policy, the spokesperson said.

The US quietly delivered new long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. Why the sudden secrecy over aid?

Monday 23 October 2023 10:49 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

Ukrainian special forces reported last week that they had struck two Russian military airfields, following the first-time deployment of long-range ballistic missiles supplied by the US.

The details of the weapons’ delivery has been shrouded in secrecy – unlike previous aid provided to Ukraine from the Biden Administration.

The missiles – which Ukraine has reportedly been petitioning the US to deliver for months – may prove key to helping Ukrainian forces in the months of conflict ahead.

Here’s what we know:

The US quietly delivered long-range missiles to Ukraine. Why the sudden secrecy?

Ukraine destroys all Russia-launched drones and cruise missile in overnight attacks

Monday 23 October 2023 10:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian defence systems successfully destroyed all Russian air weapons fired in the east and south directions, including a cruise missile fired overnight, its air force said on Monday.

A total of 14 attack drones, including 13 Iran-made Shahed drones and one unspecified drone as well as one cruise missile, were destroyed, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on its official Telegram channel, lauding Western-supplied air defence systems.

“Western weapons have proven and continue to prove their effectiveness on the battlefield,” Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the air force, wrote in a statement on Telegram.

However, debris from a downed drone struck a warehouse and damaged it at the Black Sea port of Odesa, officials said.

Ukraine destroys all Russia-launched drones and cruise missile in overnight attacks

Russian court extends detention of US journalist

Monday 23 October 2023 10:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian-American journalist who stands accused of breaking Russia‘s law on foreign agents had her pre-trial detention extended on Monday until 5 December.

Alsu Kurmasheva is a Prague-based journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is funded by the U.S. Congress and designated by Russia as a foreign agent, meaning it gets foreign funding for activity deemed to be political.

She is the second U.S. journalist to be arrested and charged in Russia since the start of its war in Ukraine, which has plunged relations between Moscow and Washington to their lowest level in more than 60 years.

After Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in March on spying charges, which he denies, almost all other U.S. journalists left Russia. Washington has repeatedly urged other Americans to leave.

The U.S. State Department said last week that the proceedings against Kurmasheva appeared to be “another case of the Russian government harassing U.S. citizens”. The Kremlin denied that and called the comment inappropriate.

Kurmasheva, who holds U.S. and Russian passports, entered Russia on May 20 to deal with a family emergency, RFE/RL said. As she awaited her return flight on June 2, she was detained and her passports were confiscated.

She was fined for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities, and charged last week with failure to register as a foreign agent, an offence that carries up to five years in prison.

Ukrainians prepare firewood and candles to brace for a winter of Russian strikes on the energy grid

Monday 23 October 2023 10:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In the humble backyard of a destroyed house, a 13-year-old chops firewood to get ready for winter. His mother, Tetiana Yarema, has been preparing for months as she remembers last winter’s Russian strikes on the energy infrastructure that plunged Ukraine into darkness.

“Those were dark days. I didn’t want anything. I just wanted to pack my things and go abroad,” said Yarema, 48, who says she ended up staying because of her son’s insistence.

For the Yarema family, like millions of other Ukrainians touched by Russia’s war on Ukraine, winter is an especially challenging time.

Read more here:

Ukrainians prepare firewood and candles to brace for a winter of Russian strikes on the energy grid

Russia to return four Ukrainian children to their families as part of Qatari-brokered deal

Monday 23 October 2023 09:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

Four children from Ukraine are to be to be returned to their families from Russia in a deal brokered by Qatar.

The youngest is two years old, while the oldest is 17.

A seven-year-old boy returned to Ukraine on Monday via Estonia after he was reunited with his grandmother in Qatar’s Moscow embassy last week, the official said. The two-year-old boy was handed over to Qatari diplomats in Moscow on Monday, and a nine-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl are due to be handed over this week, the official said.

The Ukrainian Presidential Office said the children would all be home soon.

Russia to return four Ukrainian children to their families as part of Qatari deal

Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six in Kharkiv

Monday 23 October 2023 09:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Six people died in a missile strike late on Saturday night (21 October) on a mail depot in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Another 14 people were injured in the blast, which is believed to have been caused by a Russian S-300 rocket, Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said on social media.

All of the victims were employees of private Ukrainian postal and courier Nova Poshta.

In a statement, the company said that the air raid siren had sounded just moments before the attack, leaving those inside the depot with no time to reach shelter.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as an attack on an “ordinary civilian object.”

Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six

Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed 82 times in a single day

Monday 23 October 2023 09:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed more than 80 times on Sunday as fierce fighting was witnessed in three major fronts that saw the use of guided air missiles, drones, rockets, artillery and mortar shells, military officials in Kyiv said.

The announcement by Kyiv’s officials comes amid reports that Russia rushed more troops to Avdiivka to replace their heavy losses. Officials have said fighting on three fronts has remained particularly “hot”.

Fighting in the direction of Avdiivka, Marinka and Kupiansk has intensified in the past few months but aggravated assaults have been particularly strong this month as Russian forces are eyeing the capture of Avdiivka.

Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed 82 times in a single day as fighting intensifies

Teenager schools government on Russian poisoning risk as Lords warned UK is ‘unprepared’

Monday 23 October 2023 08:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The British government has been accused of failing to address the rising threat of political poisonings in the UK after an A-Level student presented a report to the House of Lords highlighting its inaction.

Labour peer Baroness Kennedy KC, who chaired the panel in the Palace of Westminster on Thursday, highlighted Sophia Browder’s “revelatory” research but added it was “embarrassing” for the government that a 17 year-old was having to point out its shortcomings.

Sophia is the daughter of financier Bill Browder, formerly the largest portfolio investor in Russia before being declared a national security threat by Vladimir Putin in 2005.

Teenager schools government on Russian poisoning risk as Lords warned UK ‘unprepared’

The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter

Monday 23 October 2023 08:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden about Washington’s future support for Kyiv, and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a military base near the Ukrainian border, as the warring countries laid plans for the winter and next year’s combat operations.

Almost 20 months of war have sapped both sides’ military resources. The fighting is likely to settle into positional and attritional warfare during the approaching wintry weather, analysts say, with little change along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

Zelenskyy said late Thursday he spoke to Biden about “a significant support package” for Ukraine. Western help has been crucial for Ukraine’s war effort.

The leaders of Ukraine and Russia assess their resources as their war heads into winter

A price cap on Russian oil aims to starve Putin of cash. But it's largely been untested. Until now

Monday 23 October 2023 08:02 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

For months after Ukraine’s Western allies limited sales of Russian oil to $60 per barrel, the price cap was still largely symbolic. Most of Moscow‘s crude — its main moneymaker — cost less than that.

But the cap was there in case oil prices rose — and would keep the Kremlin from pocketing extra profits to fund its war in Ukraine. That time has now come, putting the price cap to its most serious test so far and underlining its weaknesses.

Russia’s benchmark oil — often exported with Western ships required to obey sanctions — has traded above the price cap since mid-July, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars a day into the Kremlin’s war chest.

A price cap on Russian oil aims to starve Putin of cash. But it's largely been untested. Until now

Putin forced to increase number of soldiers on ground as UK estimates death toll

Monday 23 October 2023 07:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin has been forced to increase the number of soldiers on the ground as Russia has amassed “150,000-190,000 permanent casualties” in the war with Ukraine, the UK ministry of defence has estimated.

The Ukrainian ministry of defence also claimed the recent Russian assaults in Avdiivka have contributed to “a 90 per cent increase in Russian casualties”.

What happened on Sunday?

Monday 23 October 2023 07:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian forces aiming to contain a four-month-old Ukrainian counteroffensive maintained unrelenting pressure on Sunday on the shattered town of Avdiivka in the east and intensified shelling in the southern area of Kherson.

Russia has focused on the industrial east since pulling back from a failed advance on Kyiv at the start of the February 2022 invasion and its forces have tried to maintain positions in Kherson since abandoning the region’s main town late last year.

The General Staff of Ukraine‘s Armed Forces, in its evening report, said Ukrainian forces repelled nearly 20 Russian attacks around Avdiivka, its buildings now largely reduced to shells. Russian air strikes hit nearby villages, it said.

Avdiivka has become a watchword for resistance, viewed as the gateway to recapturing the Russian-held city of Donetsk and the rest of Donbas -- made up of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

It was briefly seized in 2014 when Russian-backed separatists captured swathes of eastern Ukraine, but was later retaken by Ukrainian forces who, in the ensuing nine years, have built solid fortifications.