Punjabi: Russia and Ukraine War Like Situation

[dalvinder45]

President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons if Western powers send soldiers to within striking distance of Russia.
His comments on Thursday, in a state of the nation address, were the kind of remarks usually uttered by Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin ally who served as Russia’s president from 2008-2012 and prime minister until becoming a top security official in 2020.
Putin has warned of nuclear action and penned countless social media posts showering Western leaders and nations with slurs and threats.
“Medvedev used to write posts about the riders of the apocalypse in the style of [US filmmaker Quentin] Tarantino, and Putin brought his threats back to the limits of sanity,” Kyiv-based analyst Aleksey Kushch told Al Jazeera.
Putin has now upped the ante, responding to French President Emmanuel Macron’s assumption on Monday that a deployment of European troops to Ukraine cannot be “ruled out”.
Putin issued his threats during his annual national address – a carefully choreographed ceremony broadcast live to be chopped into soundbites and quotes that Russian media will likely repeat and comment on for days.
The West has “announced the possibility of sending Western military contingents to Ukraine,” Putin said on Thursday. “The consequences for possible interventionists will be way more tragic. “They should eventually realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. Everything that the West comes up with creates the real threat of a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilisation,” he said.
Moscow has the world’s largest nuclear {censored}nal including a new generation of hypersonic missiles and several times more tactical nuclear weapons than the collective West.

“Now it is Putin who clearly draws a red line about using the nukes,” Kushch said, adding that Macron had probed Putin’s reaction on when Moscow would be ready to launch the nukes. But to Boris Bondarev, a senior Russian diplomat who quit his job to protest against Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there was “nothing new” in Putin’s menacing diatribe.
The threats were Putin’s “usual scares and aprojection of his own unrealised desires on to the West,” Bondarev, who served in the United Nations office in Geneva until 2022, told Al Jazeera.
This was not the first time Moscow bared its teeth in a confrontation with the United States and Europe.

Soviet helmsman Nikita Khrushchev banged his shoe on the podium in the United Nations headquarters in New York in 1960 ranting about “toady American imperialism” and promising “further interventions”.
Two years later, Khrushchev provoked the Caribbean Missile Crisis that nearly triggered a nuclear apocalypse.
Soviet leaders in the late 1970s and early 1980s routinely hinted at the possibility of a nuclear war until Mikhail Gorbachev started his perestroika reforms that prompted a sign of relief in the West, but buried the USSR.
During the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin pulled out of nuclear arms control treaties with Washington in moves that many predicted would start a new arms race.
“This is not a bluff,” Putin said in 2022 when announcing the possibility of a nuclear strike.

“Putin’s regime has not once used the scare of a nuclear war to frighten the West and convince it not to provide military aid to Ukraine,” Alisher Ilkhamov, head of Central Asia Due Diligence, a think tank in London, told Al Jazeera.
“In the past, the scare was usually voiced over by Medvedev and all sorts of propagandists, now it’s Putin’s turn to announce them,” he said.
And it wasn’t Macron’s assumption that irked Putin – it was Ukraine’s success in striking airfields, fuel depots, warships and military planes deep in Russia and Russia-occupied areas, Ilkhamov said.
So far, the West has been able to raise the stakes in providing increasingly effective weaponry to Ukraine and ignore the Kremlin’s threats, he said.
And Putin will chicken out of a direct duel because Russia’s military-industrial potential is too exhausted to support an all-out confrontation with NATO, he said.

“The power of [both] sides is too unequal,” Ilkhamov said. “Putin has nothing to lean on in the confrontation with the West. He understands it very well and won’t go farther beyond the scares.”
The widow of Russia’s most outspoken opposition leader offered a useful insight into how Putin issues his threats and acts upon them.
“You’re dealing not with a politician but with a bloody monster. Putin is the head of an organised criminal group,” Yulia Navalnaya, whose husband Alexey Navalny died on February 16 in an Arctic prison, said in a video on Wednesday.
“It’s impossible to harm Putin with yet another resolution or yet another batch of sanctions that are no different from previous ones. You can’t win over him thinking he is a man with principles, with morals and rules,” she said.

During his speech, Putin seemed in denial about his own role in the war that grinds into its third year.
“I noticed during Putin’s speech that he said Russia did not start the war,” Ivar Dale, a senior policy adviser with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, a human rights group, told Al Jazeera.
“He thought about the risks, he decided to do it, and he failed. The right thing to do now is to withdraw all troops from Ukraine, and not continue to threaten innocent people with a nuclear holocaust,” Dale said.
Putin’s blackmail is not his first and probably not his last, and the West should indeed deploy NATO troops to aid Ukraine, said an expert on Eastern Europe.
“The emergence of Western servicemen in Ukraine will, of course, cross yet another ‘red line,'” Nikolay Mitrokhin of Germany’s Bremen University told Al Jazeera.
“Although it would very much help Ukraine and give it a chance to free several brigades that are currently guarding the rear and the border with [breakaway and pro-Russian Moldovan region of] Transnistria.”

 

[dalvinder45]

Russia is in a ‘state of war’ in Ukraine, Kremlin says for the first time​

The Kremlin has for two years referred to its invasion of Ukraine as a ‘special military operation’, not a war.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the conflict in Ukraine 'has become a war for us' [File: Sputnik/Sergey Bobylev/Pool via Reuters]
Published On 22 Mar 202422 Mar 2024

More than two years after invading Ukraine, the Kremlin has said that Russia regards itself to be at “war” due to the West’s intervention and support of its neighbour.
So far, the Kremlin has insisted that the attack on Ukraine ordered on February 24, 2022, was only as a “special military operation” to ensure the “demilitarisation and denazification” of Russia’s neighbour. This term implied that the operation had a limited scope, while the use of the broader term “war” was effectively banned.
“We are in a state of war. Yes, it started out as a special military operation, but as soon as this group was formed, when the collective West became a participant in this on the side of Ukraine, it became a war for us,” Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov told Arguments and Facts, a weekly newspaper based in the country.
“I am convinced of that. And everyone should understand this, for their internal motivation.”
Peskov’s comments came five days after Russian President Vladimir Putin was re-elected for six more years and after what Kyiv said was Russia’s largest air raid on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
The remarks appeared to signal that Russia was digging in for an even longer standoff over Ukraine with the United States and its allies.
Russian officials have gradually also started to use the word “war” more often, having conceded that fighting is now set to go on for longer than initially thought.

 

[dalvinder45]

Russia fired cruise and ballistic missiles and Shahed-type drones at six regions across Ukraine on Wednesday morning, authorities reported, killing at least five civilians and wounding almost 50 others, including a pregnant woman.
The attacks hit at least three major cities, including the capital, Kyiv, where the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, was discussing military aid and financial support for Ukraine. He said that he started his day in an air raid shelter, calling it part of Ukraine’s “daily reality” after almost two years of war.

The West’s help is desperately needed by Ukraine, which is struggling with ammunition and personnel shortages. Some long-term foreign funding is also in doubt as the latest effort to clinch a deal on Ukraine aid in the U.S. Senate collapsed Tuesday.

Though the roughly 1,500-kilometer (900-mile) front line has barely budged in recent months, the Kremlin’s forces have the upper hand in stocks of missiles and artillery ammunition used for long-range strikes. Russia has repeatedly used missiles to blast civilian targets during the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last month that air defense and electronic warfare systems that can stop drones are Kyiv’s top priorities.

Russia targets Ukraine’s power facilities with wave of missiles, drones​

Attacks leave more than one million people without power as Zelenskyy renews pleas for Western air defence systems.

Rescue teams work at residential buildings destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 22, 2024 [Stringer/Reuters]

Russia has launched massive drone and missile strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities, one of the largest attacks of its kind in the two-year war.
Kyiv officials said on Friday the attacks killed at least five people and left more than a million others without power, forcing Ukraine to seek emergency electricity supplies from Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia hit his country with 90 missiles and 60 Iranian-made drones in a “war with people’s everyday lives”, reiterating his calls for Western partners to supply air defence systems.
“Russian missiles have no delays, unlike aid packages for Ukraine. ‘Shahed’ drones have no indecision, unlike some politicians. It is critical to understand the cost of delays and postponed decisions,” he posted on X.
“Patriot systems must protect Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia; air defence is required to protect people, infrastructure, homes, and dams. Our partners know exactly what is needed. They can definitely support us. These are necessary decisions. Life must be protected from these savages from Moscow,” he said of the large-scale overnight strikes.

Oleksiy Kuleba, deputy head of the presidential administration, said the strikes had left more than one million consumers across the country without power, including 700,000 residents in the eastern region of Kharkiv, at least 200,000 in the southern region of Odesa, 200,000 in the southeastern region of Dnipropetrovsk and another 110,000 in the central region of Poltava.
Energy Minister German Galushchenko said on Facebook that the barrage was “the largest attack on the Ukrainian energy industry in recent times”. Shelling had knocked out “one of the power transmission lines feeding” the Zaporizhzhia power plant, Europe’s largest nuclear energy site, which was seized by Russian troops in the first days of the war but is powered by Ukrainian lines.
“The goal is not just to damage, but to try again, like last year, to cause a large-scale failure of the country’s energy system,” Galushchenko said.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal later said the situation in the energy sector was under control and there was no need for blackouts throughout the country.
As he echoed the president in calling for “more weapons”, he said, “Russia needs more sanctions and greater isolation. War must become an unbearable burden for the aggressor.”

Barrage​

The capital of the Kharkiv region, also named Kharkiv, lies just 30km (19 miles) from the border with Russia and has come under frequent bombardment since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Friday that 15 blasts had been heard and that missiles had “completely” cut off the electricity and heat supply.

“The city is completely without power, and as a result, the water and heating supply are not working,” he said in a video posted on Telegram.
“Utilities and power engineers need time to cope with the challenges posed by this hostile shelling … I ask everyone to stay calm and remain patient.”
Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles had also hit Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, and Vinnytsia, both in central Ukraine, damaging a “critical infrastructure object” in the latter city.
Ukraine’s state hydropower company said on Friday that a Russian strike hit Ukraine’s largest dam, the DniproHES in Zaporizhzhia, but there was no risk of a breach.
“There is currently a fire at the station. Emergency services and energy workers are working on the spot, dealing with the consequences of numerous air strikes,” the utility said.

The administration of Zaporizhzhia reported eight missile attacks in the city and said some residents had been wounded.

A rescue team member takes a picture of an apartment building damaged during a Russian missile strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, March 22, 2024 [Reuters/Stringer]

Retribution​

The attacks follow closely on the heels of Russia’s strikes on Kyiv the previous day, the largest attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin promised retribution for strikes and incursions into Russia’s border regions.
The Kremlin described the attacks as “revenge strikes” to punish Kyiv for the incursions.
The defence ministry said in a statement its forces had successfully struck a number of power grid objects, railway nodes, military factories, ammunition depots and concentrations of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries.
“As a result of the strike, the work of industrial enterprises producing and repairing weapons, military equipment, and ammunition was disrupted,” the statement said.
“In addition, foreign military equipment and lethal weaponry delivered to Ukraine from NATO countries was destroyed, the transfer of enemy reserves to the front line was disrupted, and Ukrainian army units and mercenaries were hit.”

In Belgorod, a Russian region along the border with Ukraine, one woman was killed and several were wounded in a Ukrainian attack on Friday, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. The Russian Ministry of Defence said it downed eight rockets fired on Belgorod from Ukraine with Vampire rocket launchers.
After the assault on Kyiv, Zelenskyy called on the West to deliver air defence systems.
Addressing the 27 leaders of the European Union via videolink as they met in Brussels for a two-day summit, he told them the shortfall in ammunition facing his troops was “humiliating” for Europe.
“Europe can provide more – and it is crucial to prove it now,” he said.
EU leaders on Thursday agreed to push ahead with a plan to use the profits from frozen Russian Central Bank assets to arm outgunned Ukraine, days after Putin tightened his grip over his country by winning a new six-year term in the presidential election.

The proposal, at the heart of talks between bloc leaders, could unlock about 3 billion euros ($3.3bn) a year for Ukraine. “I’m glad that leaders endorsed our proposal to use the extraordinary revenues from immobilized Russian assets. This will provide funding for military equipment to Ukraine,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.
The push by the EU to find more funds for Ukraine comes as a $60bn support package from the United States, Ukraine’s other main backer, remains blocked in Congress.

 

[dalvinder45]

The ISIS-K (ISIL) group has claimed responsibility for after assailants stormed the venue with guns and incendiary devices, on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall that killed at least 133 people and wounded more than 180. Russia’s Interior Ministry says four detained suspected gunmen are all foreign citizens. A total of 11 people have been arrested in connection with the attack.

IThe terror group took responsibility for the attack in a short statement published by ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram on Friday. It did not provide evidence to support the claim.

Video footage from the Crocus City Hall shows the vast complex, which is home to both the music hall and a shopping center, on fire with smoke billowing into the air. State-run RIA Novosti reported the armed individuals “opened fire with automatic weapons” and “threw a grenade or an incendiary bomb, which started a fire.” They then “allegedly fled in a white Renault car,” the news agency said.

State media Russia 24 reported the roof of the venue has partially collapsed.

The fire had been brought largely under control more than six hours later. “There are still some pockets of fire, but the fire has been mostly eliminated,” Moscow governor Andrey Vorobyov said on Telegram.

The deadliest terror attack on Moscow in decades, Friday’s assault came less than a week after President Vladimir Putin won a stage-managed election by an overwhelming majority to secure another term in office, tightening his grip on the country he has ruled since the turn of the century.
With attention focused on the country’s war with neighboring Ukraine, Putin had trumpeted a message of national security before Russians went to the polls.

The carnage broke out before a concert by the band Picnic, according to Russia 24.

“Unidentified people in camouflage broke into Crocus City Hall and started shooting before the start of the concert,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said, cited by TASS.

 

[dalvinder45]

A 47-year-old man from Kalimpog Urgfen Tamang , has made a desperate plea to the Indian government to rescue him from being forced to fight in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Tamang, a former Indian Army havildar who had retired in 2018 and was working as a security guard in Gujarat, was allegedly misled by recruitment agents who promised him a job as a security guard in Moscow, Russia. However, upon reaching Moscow on January 19, he was taken to an army camp and trained for combat.

In a video message spoken in Hindi, Tamang expressed his anguish, stating that he was initially accommodated in a hotel by a Gorkha/Nepali individual before being transferred to a group of Tamil Agents s. After a brief stay, he was moved to an army camp where he underwent training on handling guns and ammunition, indicating his preparation for frontline combat in the Ukraine war.

Tamang's wife, Ambika Tamang, revealed that she last spoke to her husband on March 22, and he mentioned that the Russians were taking them further from the camp, although she is unsure of the exact location. She described her husband as a man of few words who did not elaborate on his plans to relocate to Russia.


Earlier some Punjabi and Haryanavi youth reported having been recruited into Russian Army and a case of an Indian having died in war was also reported. 4 individuals from Kerala were also retrieved from the battlefield.

 

[dalvinder45]

Russian investigator said that the claim of ISIS of having attacked in Russia was not correct. It appears to be originated from Ukraine.
Ukraine’s navy said it damaged four Russian naval ships in a weekend missile attack on Crimea. Among those hit was the Konstantin Olshanskya large landing warship that Moscow captured from Kyiv when it annexed the peninsula in 2014. Ukraine also struck the Ivan Khurs, a Russian naval reconnaissance vessel. There was no comment from Moscow. Ukraine’s navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk told the Associated Press news agency that Ukrainian forces had sunk or disabled a third of all Russian warships in the Black Sea.
Belgorod regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said five people, including two firefighters, were injured in Ukrainian shelling of two villages in the border region. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said air defence systems shot down 13 Ukrainian rockets.
Ukraine shot down 12 Iranian-made Russian attack drones over the southern Mykolaiv and eastern Kharkiv regions. No injuries or damage were reported. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it arrested two people suspected of acting on behalf of Russia as they tried to blow up a railway line used to supply weapons to the east of the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named 51-year-old Oleksandr Lytvynenko to head the National Security and Defence Council. Lytvynenko takes over from Oleksiy Danilov who had been in the job since October 2019.
A Russian court extended the pre-trial detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Greshkovich by a further three months. The 32-year-old US journalist was arrested and accused of espionage nearly a year ago. Gershkovich, the Journal and the United States government deny he is a spy.
Ukraine beat Iceland 2-1 to qualify for the Euro 2024 finals starting in June, their fourth successive appearance in Europe’s top international football tournament.

French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said France will soon be able to deliver 78 Caesar howitzers to Ukraine and will boost its supply of shells to meet Kyiv’s urgent needs for ammunition.
Lecornu also said he was prepared to use his powers to requisition industrial capacities or order manufacturers to prioritise military over civilian orders to speed up the production of arms and shells needed on the battlefield in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Ten people, including a teenage girl, were injured after Russia hit with missiles in the third bombardment in five days. Air defence shot down the missiles but people were hurt when the debris crashed to the ground in several central districts. Almost a dozen people were injured after Russia attacked the southern region of Mykolaiv and Odesa with drones. The authorities said eight of nine drones were shot down but that a fire at a plant in Odesa forced an emergency power shutdown. Authorities in the northeastern Kharkiv region said a 65-year-old man was killed in the courtyard of his home during Russian shelling.
Oleg Kalashnikov, a press officer for Ukraine’s 26th Artillery Brigade, said the eastern city of Chasiv Yar was facing a “difficult and tense” situation, with Russian forces trying to “push through” Ukrainian defences. Kalashnikov said Moscow was dropping powerful guided bombs “on populated areas and on our fortified positions”.
A fire broke out at a major Russian power plant in the southwestern Rostov region after a Ukrainian drone attack. Two power units at the Novocherkassk power station, one of the largest in the region, were shut down while the blaze was brought under control.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said “radical Islamists” were behind Friday night’s attack on Crocus Hall but added, without evidence, that Ukraine had a role. The Afghan branch of ISIL, also known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province or ISKP, has said it was responsible for the attack, which killed 139 people and injured 182.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again dismissed Putin’s claim. Ukraine has denied any role in the attack and Zelenskyy has accused Putin of seeking to divert blame.
Poland’s Foreign Ministry said that Sergey Andreev, the Russian ambassador in Warsaw, failed to show up for a diplomatic summons issued after a Russian missile breached Polish airspace over the weekend.
The wife of jailed Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza said she was in favour of prisoner exchanges to rescue him and other political detainees in Russia. Kara-Murza, who also has United Kingdom citizenship, was jailed for 25 years last year after saying Russia had committed “war crimes” against Ukraine.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Australia’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow to complain about a social media post that said Russia’s staging of presidential elections in occupied parts of Ukraine, which Moscow claims to have annexed, was a “flagrant violation of international law”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reiterated his call for international allies to supply more air defences, particularly Patriot systems and missiles, after Russia’s latest attack on Kyiv.

 

[dalvinder45]

Kharkiv regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said three emergency workers were killed in a Russian attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city. The three had gone to help after a Russian drone struck some residential buildings and were caught in a second Russian attack. Syniehubov said a total of four strikes had hit the city. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired more than 3,000 guided aerial bombs, 600 drones and 400 missiles at Ukraine in March, as it stepped up its long-range air strike campaign on the country’s energy infrastructure. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down all four drones Russia used in an attack on the central regions of Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr. The attack caused a fire in Kirovohrad, but no other damage or injuries were reported. Zelenskyy said he believed Russia was “preparing to mobilise 300,000 military personnel by June 1”, but provided no evidence. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the claim was untrue.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said more than 100,000 people had enlisted for military service in the Russian armed forces so far this year, 16,000 of them in the 10 days after the attack on the Crocus City Hall. ISIL (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the March 22 attack.

France denied Russian claims that it expressed willingness to hold dialogue on Ukraine or discuss possible peace negotiations when the two countries’ defence ministers spoke on Wednesday.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his country’s support for Ukraine was unwavering during a phone call with Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, welcomes Finland’s President Alexander Stubb to Kyiv [Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via AFP]Visiting Kyiv, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb signed a 10-year security deal with Ukraine. Stubb said Finland would also send 188 million euros ($203m) in additional military aid, including air defences and heavy-calibre ammunition.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow viewed South Korea’s decision to impose sanctions on Russian individuals and entities as “unfriendly” and will respond. South Korea imposed sanctions against two Russian ships it says were carrying military cargo to North Korea. It has also sanctioned those it says have links to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes.
Germany said it detained the Atlantic Navigator II, a cargo ship sailing from Russia, that made an unscheduled stop at the German port of Rostock. Customs said it was investigating the vessel, carrying 251 containers of birch wood, on suspicion of breaching European Union sanctions against Russia.

NATO foreign ministers, meeting for a two-day summit in Brussels, agreed to start planning military support for Ukraine on a long-term basis. A proposal to establish a $107bn, five-year fund, drew mixed responses.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the country’s Western allies were not providing enough air defence for Ukraine to protect itself against Russian aerial attacks. Kuleba said he would press NATO members for 5-7 Patriot systems during the Brussels summit.

 

[dalvinder45]

Ukraine’s military said that fighting around the front line city of Chasiv Yar was “difficult” and “tense” but that its forces were resisting Russian air and infantry attacks. Ivan Fedorov, the head of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhia region, said three people died in the town of Huliaipole after their house was hit by a Russian shell.A woman was killed in a Russian attack that hit an apartment block in Kupiansk, in the northeastern Kharkiv region. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, five people were injured in a Russian attack.
In Russia, meanwhile, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said one woman was killed after shrapnel from a shot-down Ukrainian drone hit a car. Authorities said they brought down 12 drones in the Belgorod region and three over Bryansk.
Russia accused Ukraine of a drone attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Ukraine denied the claim. Russia seized the facility shortly after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, and hold talks with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The Foreign Ministry said the “Ukrainian crisis” would be discussed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would lose to Russia and other countries would be at risk of attack if the United States Congress did not approve a $60b military aid package that Republicans have blocked for months
At least three people were killed and eight injured in the southern city of Zaporizhzia after a Russian missile hit several apartment blocks, an industrial building as well as medical and educational facilities.
One woman was killed and three others injured after Russia attacked the town of Bilopillia in the northern Sumy region with guided bombs. The attack struck the centre of the town of 15,000 people, damaging shops and a city council building. One person was killed and five injured, including three children, after Russian shelling triggered a fire and the collapse of a building roof, officials said.
Officials in Zvyahel in Ukraine’s central Zhytomyr region urged people to stay indoors amid fears of “air pollution” after a Russian drone attack hit infrastructure. No casualties were reported. Russia launched 24 drones on targets across Ukraine, authorities said, with 17 brought down.
Moscow requested an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s 35-nation Board of Governors over alleged Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant . Kyiv has denied attacking the plant, accusing Russia of spreading disinformation.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said Russia had struck as much as 80 percent of Ukraine’s conventional power plants and half its hydroelectric plants in recent weeks in the heaviest attacks since Moscow began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

United Kingdom Foreign Minister David Cameron will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday during a trip to the United States where he will urge Congress to pass a $60b aid package for Ukraine that has been blocked by Republicans.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova posted a photo on Telegram showing Lavrov meeting Wang but gave no information on the content of their discussions.

 

[dalvinder45]

The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission said it verified at least 604 civilians killed or injured in Ukraine in March, a 20 percent increase from February. The toll included at least 57 children killed or injured, double the number from February, it said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inspected fortifications and trenches in the northeastern Kharkiv region and issued a new appeal for military support to protect the country’s second-largest city from Russian attacks. Russia fired a guided bomb at the city just as Zelenskyy announced his visit, injuring at least three people.
Zelenskyy has asked its troops to continue with no age bar and fight till they die.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed 20 attack drones launched by Russia overnight aimed at critical infrastructure and power facilities in seven Ukrainian regions. Damage was reported in Lviv, Odesa and Poltava.
Russia and Ukraine continued to trade accusations over attacks on the Russian-occupied Zaporizhizhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station. Moscow claimed Kyiv struck the site with a drone for a third day. Kyiv reiterated that it does not take any military action against nuclear facilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday at the request of both Ukraine and Russia to discuss the Zaporizhzhia plant. The atomic watchdog earlier said the situation was “extremely serious”.

Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of Russia’s Bryansk region, said a woman and a child were killed when Ukrainian shelling hit the village of Klimovo, about 10km (six miles) from Russia’s border with Ukraine. Bogomaz said three people were injured.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wrapped up a two-day visit to Beijing where he met China’s President Xi Jinping and top diplomat Wang Yi. Lavrov and Wang said the two countries aimed to deepen security cooperation. China and Russia declared a “no-limits” partnership just before Moscow invaded Ukraine and have deepened their relationship since. Beijing says it is neutral in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Cameron met United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and urged members of the US Congress to pass a $60bn aid package for Ukraine, which has been blocked by right-wing Republicans. He also travelled to Florida for talks with presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump. Trump’s office said the two discussed “ending the killing in Ukraine” among other issues.
The US military said it transferred weapons to Ukraine, including more than 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, as well as more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition that were seized as they were being shipped by Iran to Houthi forces in Yemen.
The US State Department approved $138m to provide critical repairs and spare parts for Kyiv’s HAWK air defence missile systems.

 

[dalvinder45]

The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii, said the situation on the eastern front “has deteriorated significantly in recent days” in the face of a heightened Russian offensive.
Ukraine has said the situation around the eastern front-line city of Chasiv Yar is “difficult and tense” with the area under “constant fire”. It lies 20km (12 miles) west of Bakhmut, which was flattened by months of artillery fire before it was captured by Russia last May.
Six people, including a child, have been killed after Ukrainian troops shelled Russian controlled Ziporizhzhia a southern region of Ukraine. Vladimir Rogov, a Russia-installed official, said 20 people were injured in the strike.
An aborted 2022 peace deal between Russia and Ukraine could be the basis for new negotiations but there is no sign that Kyiv is ready for talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Russia and Ukraine were on the verge of agreeing to a deal to end hostilities at talks in Istanbul in April 2022, but that Ukraine backed away from it once Russian troops fell back from near the Ukrainian capital.The United States and the United Kingdom have imposed new sanctions prohibiting metal-trading exchanges from accepting new aluminium, copper and nickel produced by Russia, which is one of the world’s major producers of such minerals.
The US has accused China of backing Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by helping Moscow in its biggest military buildup since the Soviet era, providing drone and missile technology, satellite imagery and machine tools. Unnamed senior US officials said US President Joe Biden reportedly raised the issue during his recent phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Prosecutors in Belgium are investigating suspected Russian interference in the upcoming European Parliament elections with the goal of affecting Ukraine policy, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has said.
Russia has summoned French Ambassador Pierre Levy over French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne’s “unacceptable” comments on the Kremlin. Sejourne was quoted as saying this week that France had no interest in talking to the Kremlin, a few days after a telephone conversation between the two nations’ defence ministers ended in an argument.
Ukrainian fighter pilots likely to fly US F-16 aircraft are receiving their initial training with France’s air force, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu told the newspaper Ouest-France. Other countries including the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania are seeking to help Ukraine train its F-16 pilots after the United States gave the go-ahead.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence says Moscow had conducted a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Kapustin Yar rocket launch complex in the southern Astrakhan region.

 

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Following a barrage of drone strikes fired by Iran on Saturday towards Israel, a New York Times report states that Israel decided to carry out a retaliatory attack on Tehran on Sunday morning, however it was cancelled after a phone call took place between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation.

IMAGE: US President Joe Biden meets with members of his national security team in the Situation Room at the White House, in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2024. Photograph: The White House/Handout via Reuters

After Israel successfully intercepted Iranian missiles and drones, the Biden administration cautioned Tel Aviv to avoid escalation in the Middle East, The Jerusalem Post reported citing NYT.

More than 300 drones and missiles were intercepted by Israel, which United States officials called a major strategic win while advising that further retailition is not required.

Israel's war cabinet is set to convene later on Sunday to evaluate a response to Iran's attack.
Notably, Netanyahu spoke with Biden, following meetings with the Security Cabinet and the War Cabinet, after Iran launched drones towards Israel on Saturday night in response to the air strike on its embassy in Syria.

The authorities , however, did not disclose the exchange between Biden and Netanyahu.

According to Jerusalem Post, Biden's conversation with Netanyahu reiterated the US' commitment to Israel's security, which following the attacks, Biden called 'ironclad'.
In his subsequent public statement, President Biden hinted at a preference for restraint and the need for careful consideration of the situation before any steps taken further.

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, meanwhile said on Sunday that the confrontation between Iran and Israel is 'not over yet'.

His remarks came after Iran launched an attack on Israel the previous night.

 

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Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Sardar Bagheri, has said that the military operation against Israel has 'concluded' from Tehran's side, while issuing warning that if the United States helps Israel in their possible next actions, their bases will 'not have any security', and will be dealt with, according to CNN.
Gallant said that Israel was attacked with missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles and Israel Defence Forces (IDF) thwarted the attack.
He urged Israelis to remain 'alert and attentive' to the instructions issued by the IDF and Homefront Command, according to a CNN report.
He said, "The State of Israel was attacked with hundreds of missiles and [unmanned aerial vehicles], and the [Israel Defence Forces] thwarted this attack in an impressive manner."

He emphasised that Israel 'must be prepared for every scenario'.

Earlier, Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said, "Israel's actions in the consulate were condemned so a response should have been given."

He also noted that, although the operation is concluded, Iranian forces continue to remain on high alert.

Iranian officials have made it apparent that the strikes this weekend were reprisals for an Israeli strike on April 1 that destroyed an Iranian consulate facility in Damascus.

Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack, which Iran claims cost the lives of several officials, including Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi.

Following its attack on Israel, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander declared that a 'new equation' has been developed.

He stated that as a result, Iran will henceforth immediately retaliate against any Israeli attack on its interests, resources, or citizens.

"We have decided to create a new equation, which is that if from now on the Zionist regime attacks our interests, assets, personalities, and citizens, anywhere and at any point we will retaliate against them," CNN quoted the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami as saying to Iranian state TV.

"The Honest Promise operation is a prominent and very clear example of this new equation," Salami said.

Gallant, meanwhile, said, "Together with the United States and additional partners, we managed to defend the territory of the State of Israel."

He added, "Very little damage was caused - this is the result of the IDF's impressive operations."

Gallant is one of three members of Israel's war cabinet, alongside Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz.

An Israeli official said that the war cabinet has been authorised to make a decision on Israel's response to the Iranian attack, CNN reported.

 

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In order to keep the pot boiling for the purpose of weakening Russia US and NATO keep on pouring weapons into Ukraine. They are also getting their new weapons tested this way and use Ukraine as a trial ground. America's trillion dollar arm industry goes on thriving this way.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the US House of Representatives’ passage of a long-delayed bill to provide $61bn in foreign aid for Ukraine and urged the United States to quickly turn the bill into law and start the transfer of weapons.
European Union foreign ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss bolstering Ukraine’s air defences.
Global military spending rose by 6.8 percent to an all-time high of $2.4 trillion, driven by conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Russia boosted spending by 24 percent, reaching $109bn in 2023, according to SIPRI’s estimates. Ukraine’s military spending rose by 51 percent, reaching $64.8bn, while it also received $35bn in military aid from its allies, mostly the US.
One person was killed and four others were injured in Russian shelling in the town of Ukrainsk, according to the prosecutor’s office in the partially-occupied Donetsk region. In the Odesa region, four people were injured in a Russian missile attack, Governor Oleh Kiper said.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had taken control of the settlement of Bohdanivka in the Donetsk region. Bohdanivka is located just to the west of the Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, in its evening report, mentioned Bohdanivka as one of a series of villages where it said Ukrainian forces repelled 13 enemy attacks. It gave no specific details.
Ukraine’s Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said the navy had struck and damaged the Kommuna, a Russian rescue vessel, in Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea. The Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol said Russian forces had repelled an antiship missile attack on one of its vessels in the port, and that there was a small fire.​