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5 facts you need to know about International Women’s Day

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International Women’s Day
  • The commemoration of Women’s Day in Russia in 1917 earned them the right to vote.
  • The International Women’s Day symbol is a female gender symbol.
  • Some see it as a day of protest, while others see it as a way to promote gender equality.

International Women’s Day is observed every year on March 8 to commemorate and honor women’s achievements, raise awareness about gender inequities and discrimination, and promote global support for women.

But how well do you know IWD? We’ve come to answer five crucial questions.

How long has International Women’s Day been celebrated?

The then-active Socialist Party of America commemorated the first National Woman’s Day on February 28, 1909, in honor of the 15,000 women who demonstrated in New York against terrible working conditions and lower wages.

Clara Zetkin, a women’s rights campaigner and the chairwoman of the Social Democratic Party’s Women’s Office in Germany, introduced the notion of a global International Women’s Day in 1910.

The inaugural International Women’s Day was observed on March 19, 1911, with over 1 million people participating in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.

The United Nations did not acknowledge and begin honoring International Women’s Day until 1975. (IWD). Since then, the United Nations has served as the event’s primary sponsor, pushing more countries to commemorate “acts of courage and resolve by ordinary women who have played an outstanding role in the history of their countries and communities.”

And for those who are curious and feel left out (get over it), there is an International Men’s Day, which is observed on November 19 in over 80 nations worldwide, including the United Kingdom. It has only been observed since the 1990s and is not recognized by the United Nations.

What is the color and symbol of International Women’s Day?

The International Women’s Day symbol is a female gender symbol. It is typically paired with the colors purple, green, and white.

Purple represents dignity and justice, green represents hope, and white represents purity, according to the International Women’s Day website. “The colors originated from the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908.”

Is it a holiday?

The purpose of the day differs by country. Some see it as a day of protest, while others see it as a way to promote gender equality. International Women’s Day is an official holiday in various nations.

Afghanistan, Armenia, Belarus, Cambodia, Cuba, Georgia, Laos, Mongolia, Montenegro, Russia, Uganda, Ukraine, and Vietnam have declared IWD a national holiday.

Women’s Day and Mother’s Day have been combined in several countries, including Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, and Uzbekistan, to emphasize the importance of women as mothers.

Many women in China are given a half-day off work, while the Italian Festa della Donna is marked with the distribution of mimosa blossoms.

Why is it a historical celebration in Russia?

The commemoration of Women’s Day in Russia in 1917 earned them the right to vote.

Women in Russia honored the day that year by going on strike for ‘food and peace,’ protesting World War 1 and advocating for gender equality. Tsar Nicholas II was furious and gave General Khabalov of the Petrograd Military District the authority to shoot any woman who refused to stand down. They did not back down, and the protests continued, eventually leading to the Tsar’s abdication. As a result of their protest, the interim administration granted women the right to vote.

What’s the theme this year?

Each International Women’s Day has had an official theme since 1996.

The United Nations’ first theme, “Celebrating the Past, Preparing for the Future,” was adopted in 1996.

Last year’s International Women’s Day theme was #Breakthebias, which highlighted the challenges women experience as a result of gender bias.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #EmbraceEquity, according to the website. According to the website, 2023 focuses on how gender equity must be ingrained in every society: “It is crucial to distinguish between equity and equality. The goal of the #EmbraceEquity campaign topic for IWD 2023 is to have people talking about why equal opportunities aren’t enough. Individuals come from varied backgrounds, thus meaningful inclusion and belonging necessitate equal action.”

The visuals associated with this year’s IWD all contain the hugging motion, encouraging a warm embrace for equity.

Another highlight of this year is the UN theme, ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,’ which aims to raise awareness of the importance and role of digital technology in exposing issues of gender inequality and discrimination. IWD will investigate the impact of the digital gender gap on inequality for women and girls, as the UN estimates that women’s lack of access to the online world will cost low and middle-income countries $1.5 trillion in GDP by 2025 if nothing is done.

“From the earliest days of computing to the present age of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, women have made untold contributions to the digital world in which we increasingly live,” the UN stated. “Their accomplishments have been against all odds, in a field that has historically neither welcomed nor appreciated them.”

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EU imposes sanctions for violence against women

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EU
  • Sanctions have been imposed on nine individuals and three official organizations.
  • The names are likely to be formally added to the EU sanctions list later today.
  • Member states had approved them.

BRUSSELS – The European Union sanctioned officials from six countries, including Russia and Afghanistan, on Tuesday ahead of International Women’s Day for violence and human rights violations against women.

Sanctions have been imposed on nine individuals and three official organizations, subjecting them to travel bans and the freezing of any assets held in the EU.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Fedorov and his deputy Ivan Ryabov are accused of ordering the arrest and torture of female anti-war protestors.

Russian special forces commander Major General Nikolai Kuznetsov and tank commander Colonel Ramil Ibatullin have also been named, as have units accused of systematic rape and sexual abuse in Ukraine.

The Taliban minister for higher education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, and the minister for virtue propagation and vice repression, Muhammad Khalid Hanafi, are also named from Afghanistan.

The former is accused of depriving women of education, while the latter is accused of “restricting their freedom of expression and inflicting harsh punishments and brutality on those who do not obey the Taliban’s edicts.”

In South Sudan, Gatluak Nyang Hoth, the commissioner of Mayiandit county, and Gordon Koang Biel, the commissioner of Koch county, are accused of making “widespread and systematic use of sexual violence as a war tactic and instrumentalized it as a reward and entitlement for men participating in the conflict.”

Myanmar’s deputy minister of home affairs Toe Ui is said to have allowed military security agents to “use forced nudity, rape, electro-shocks, burning of genitalia and excessive violence during the arbitrary detention and interrogation of men, women.

Ui is a former head of the Office of the Chief of Military Security Affairs (OCMSA), which is listed separately as an agency responsible “for systematic and widespread sexual and gender-based violence.”

Iran’s Qarchak jail in Tehran province is identified as a place where guards sexually abuse women and threaten them with rape in order to elicit false confessions.

In Syria, the government is claimed to have ordered the Republican Guard to “employ sexual and gender-based violence to suppress and intimidate the Syrian people, particularly women, and girls.”

The names are likely to be formally added to the EU sanctions list later today, but diplomatic sources told that member states had approved them.

“By imposing these sanctions, we’re sending a clear message to perpetrators that they won’t get away with their crimes,” the Netherlands’ foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra said in a news release.

“This is also a message to the victims: the EU will support you, wherever you are in the world. Sanctions are a powerful way for us to stand up for universal values and force international change,” he said.

“We will not hesitate to expand the list to include other perpetrators of sexual violence.”

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Nord Stream Pipeline: Ukraine denies the involvement in sabotage

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Nord Stream Pipeline
  • A pro-Ukrainian group may have been behind last year’s operation against Russia’s gas exports to Europe.
  • The operation was carried out by a group loyal to Ukraine.
  • The pro-Ukrainian individuals were motivated to damage the pipelines.

Ukraine has denied involvement in sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines following a media story stating new evidence indicating a “pro-Ukrainian group” may have been behind last year’s operation against Russia’s gas exports to Europe.

The firing of a senior Ukrainian official on Tuesday was in response to a New York Times report that claimed new intelligence examined by US authorities.

“Although I enjoy collecting amusing conspiracy theories about (the Ukrainian) government, I have to say: (Ukraine) has nothing to do with the Baltic Sea mishap and has no information about ‘pro-(Ukraine) sabotage groups,'” Mykhailo Podolyak, top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on Twitter.

According to American sources, the operation was carried out by a group loyal to Ukraine but acting independently of the government in Kyiv.

Who was responsible for the brazen sabotage last September that destroyed two pipelines bringing Russian gas into the European Union and targeted a critical source of revenue for Moscow has remained unknown. Both channels were blocked at the time of the incident, which came months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Yet to identify

According to a source familiar with US intelligence, the assessment was not made with high confidence and is not the overwhelming view of the intelligence community. The US has yet to identify a perpetrator for the act.

Others in the US intelligence community believe that pro-Ukrainian individuals were motivated to damage the pipelines because Moscow was weaponizing them against Ukraine and Europe.

According to the source, the intelligence community has no evidence that Ukrainian elites, including Zelenskyy, were aware of or involved in the pipeline sabotage.

The episode, in which underwater explosions happened before the pipes ruptured in numerous locations, is still a major source of disagreement between Russia and the West.

The pipelines that connect Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea to transport Russian gas to the European Union were controversial long before the Kremlin declared war on Ukraine, owing to concerns over Europe’s reliance on Russian energy.

Their destruction added another wrinkle to the energy confrontation that arose following the invasion as Europe sought to wean itself off Russian fuel.

Several investigations are being conducted by European authorities.

An act of sabotage

After discovering evidence of explosives at the sites, Swedish prosecutors concluded the pipeline bursts were an act of sabotage in November, but their preliminary inquiry has yet to establish any charges.

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, US National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby referred queries to investigating European authorities and said he was “not going to get ahead of that investigative work.”

“Several of our European partners – in fact, three of them in Germany, Sweden and Denmark – have already opened investigations into what happened with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and those investigations are not closed. They’re still hard at work on that,” Kirby said.

Sightings of Russian vessels operating in the area where the leaks occurred raised concerns about Russia’s potential involvement, which at the time drew attention from both European and US officials as the only actor in the region believed to have both the capability and motivation to intentionally damage the pipelines.

Moscow has publicly denied attacking the pipelines and has blamed the explosions on the West. A spokeswoman for Russia termed the claims “predictably foolish and ludicrous” in September.

Earlier this month, during a G20 conference in New Delhi, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged on the need for a “fair and prompt investigation” into the blasts.

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Ukraine war: Bakhmut defenders redouble their efforts

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Ukraine
  • Western analysts speculated over the weekend that Ukraine was likely withdrawing some of its troops.
  • The head of the Wagner private army has complained about a lack of ammunition
  • Moscow has been attempting to take Bakhmut for months.

Ukraine President Ukraine has stated that operations to defend the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut will continue and will be supported by senior generals.

As Russian forces close in on the city, Western analysts speculated over the weekend that Ukraine was likely withdrawing some of its troops.

Moscow has been attempting to take Bakhmut for months, despite heavy losses on both sides in a grinding war of attrition

According to a local official, there has been street fighting in recent days.

But, according to Deputy Mayor Oleksandr Marchenko, Russia has not yet taken control of the city.

Meanwhile, the head of the Wagner private army involved in the Russian campaign, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has complained about a lack of ammunition amid apparent friction between his fighters and regular Russian forces.

He also claims that his representative was barred from entering a Russian military headquarters.

According to analysts, Bakhmut has little strategic value but has become a focal point for Russian commanders who have struggled to bring positive news to the Kremlin.

Capturing the city would bring Russia one step closer to gaining control of the entire Donetsk region, one of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia annexed last September after sham referendums widely condemned outside Russia.

In his evening address, Mr Zelensky stated that he had discussed Bakhmut with senior generals.

“[They] responded not to withdraw, but to strengthen [our defences],” he said.

“The command unanimously supported this position. There were no other positions. I told the commander in chief to find the appropriate forces to help our guys in Bakhmut.”

The remarks came after the German newspaper Bild reported, citing Ukrainian government sources, that armed forces commander Valery Zaluzhny had disagreed with Mr Zelensky about the operation several weeks ago, recommending a withdrawal from the city.

According to the paper, the majority of defenders agreed with Gen Zaluzhny.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, said over the weekend that Ukrainian troops were likely conducting a “limited fighting withdrawal” while “continuing to inflict high casualties” on the Russians.

he fighting in Bakhmut had reached the “highest level of tension,” according to ground forces commander Olexandr Syrsky, who was quoted in the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper on Sunday during a visit to the front line.

“The enemy has been throwing extra Wagner forces into the battle,” he said. “Our troops have been courageously defending our positions in the north of Bakhmut, trying to prevent the encirclement of the city.”

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Russian Wagner chief suggests “betrayal” in Bakhmut conflict

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Bakhmut

Wagner private army is not receiving the munitions it needs from Moscow. Leading to a lack of resources and fears of being set up as scapegoats. Ukraine’s troops are conducting a “limited fighting withdrawal” in eastern Bakhmut. As it attempts to seize control of Bakhmut, the Wagner private army of Russia, according to its commander, … Read more

Ukraine president Volodomyr Zelensky paid tribute to soldiers

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Volodomyr Zelensky
  • Zelensky paid gratitude to his soldiers.
  • Moscow has been trying to take over for months.
  • ISW based in the US issued a warning on Saturday.

Kyiv: Volodomyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, paid gratitude to his soldiers on Sunday who were engaged in the “sad and tough” conflict for the country’s frontline eastern Donbas area.

After the general staff of Ukraine announced that its forces had repelled “more than 130 enemy attacks” the day before, notably in Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, and Avdiivka, he made his remarks.

The eastern city that Moscow has been trying to take over for months was described as “the enemy’s attempts to encircle the town of Bakhmut” early on Sunday.

The “fortress Bakhmut,” which Russian forces appear determined to seize, will be defended by Ukraine. The city, which has been almost completely destroyed in the conflict, has little actual strategic value, according to analysts.

But, as the conflict’s longest and bloodiest combat drags on, its outcome has come to have greater symbolic value than military importance.

In his daily address, Zelensky said, “I would want to pay special homage to the bravery, fortitude, and resilience of the soldiers fighting in the Donbas.

“One of the toughest struggles is this one. unpleasant and painful.”

Donetsk and Lugansk, which Russia asserts to have annexed despite never having complete authority over it, make up the Donbas.

The Ukrainian army had “repelled assaults, devastated the occupation, undermined hostile positions and logistics, and secured our borders and cities,” according to Zelensky.

But, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), based in the US, issued a warning on Saturday that Bakhmut’s supply routes through Ukraine were becoming more constrained.

The Ukrainian command has indicated that it will probably evacuate rather than take the chance of being encircled, the statement continued. “The Russians may have meant to encircle Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut.

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Arina Yatsiuk disappears after Russian force killed her parents

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Ukraine Russia
  • The parents of the girls, Denys and Anna, were found shot to death in their automobile.
  • Yet the last time anyone saw Arina was on March 3, 2022.
  • She is one of 345 Ukrainian children.

Kyiv: The family of 15-year-old Arina Yatsiuk made the decision to leave their house close to the Ukrainian capital by car one week after Russia invaded. They came across a squad of Russian soldiers less than 10 kilometres down the road.

Arina and her 9-year-old sister Valeria were removed from the rear seat by the soldiers after they began shooting. Arina was taken to one automobile after being hurt, and Valeria was taken to another.
Valeria was brought to a neighbouring community, where residents discovered her along the highway. The parents of the girls, Denys and Anna, were found shot to death in their automobile.

Yet the last time anyone saw Arina was on March 3, 2022. According to official Ukrainian data, she is one of the 345 Ukrainian children who have vanished since Russia declared a full-scale war on Ukraine in February of last year.

Several of the missing children, according to the Ukrainian government, were transported against their will to Russia. Although claiming to be “rescuing” the Ukrainian children it has abducted, the Russian government does not deny doing so.

Oksana Yatsiuk, Arina’s aunt, told that the family has been looking for the young woman with dark brown eyes and braces ever since she vanished. According to her aunt, Arina enjoys using makeup, painting, and travelling.

“She had lofty goals, but the “Russian liberators” made all the decisions. We shall continue her plans once we locate her “She spoke.

The daughter, now 16 years old, is allegedly still alive and being “kept captive” in Russia, according to the girl’s family.

In a phone interview, Yatsiuk said, “I wrote official letters to all of the medical facilities, to the Ministry of Health in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine and the official answer I received is that she has not been recorded anywhere.

Yatsiuk, who is located in Poland, asserted that Arina may not have been formally registered anyplace because she may not have had any documentation with her when she vanished.

She stated, “I got an official response that Arina wasn’t registered entering the border.
The family has been scouring social media forums, contacting refugee organisations, and collaborating with volunteers in Russia and Belarus.

Yatsiuk claimed that Arina’s DNA was frequently compared to the national databases. She claimed, “She is not listed among the officially deceased.

According to a Russian volunteer who is assisting with the hunt, Arina was brought to a Russian hospital and has remained there ever since.

There have been no fresh leads on the case since the fall, according to the volunteer who spoke under the condition of anonymity because their participation in the hunt may jeopardise their safety.

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Russia’s defense minister pays a rare visit to combatants

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Russia's defense minister

Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, recently paid a rare visit to Russian troops. Shoigu’s detractors in Russia regularly characterized him as distant and unaware of the realities of the struggle. Shoigu was shown in the Defense Ministry’s video meeting with Colonel Generals Mikhail Mizintsev. Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, recently paid a rare … Read more

Russia’s Foreign Minister, mocked claims of war in Ukraine

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Russia
  • Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov was laughed at in Delhi.
  • Lavrov claimed Russia was attempting to halt the Ukraine war.
  • He was speaking to a conference audience in Delhi.

Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, was laughed at in Delhi after saying the Ukraine war was “launched against us”.

Lavrov claimed Russia was attempting to halt the Ukraine war, which began in February 2022, following its own full-scale invasion.

He was speaking to a conference audience in Delhi on Friday, following a meeting of the G20 foreign ministers.

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Bakhmut: Street fighting but Russia is not in control

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Russia
  • Russia does not control the eastern city, according to its deputy mayor.
  • Thousands of Russian troops were killed in the attempt to take Bakhmut.
  • According to Ukrainian commanders, Russia has lost seven times as many soldiers as they have.

Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting in Bakhmut’s streets, but Russia does not control the eastern city, according to its deputy mayor.

According to Oleksandr Marchenko, the remaining 4,000 civilians are living in shelters without access to gas, electricity, or water.

Mr Marchenko said “not a single building” had remained untouched and that the city is “almost destroyed”.

Bakhmut has seen months of fighting as Russia attempts to seize control.

“There is fighting near the city and there are also street fights,” Mr Marchenko said.

Taking the city would be a rare battlefield victory for Russia in recent months. Nonetheless, the city’s strategic importance has been called into question.

According to some experts, any Russian victory could be pyrrhic, or not worth the cost.

Thousands of Russian troops were killed in the attempt to take Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of around 75,000 people. According to Ukrainian commanders, Russia has lost seven times as many soldiers as they have.

According to UK military intelligence, Russian advances in the northern suburbs have exposed Ukraine-held areas to Russian attacks on three sides.

Mr Marchenko accused the Russians of having “no goal” to save the city and that it wanted to commit “genocide of the Ukrainian people”.

“Currently there is no communication in the city so the city is cut out, the bridges are destroyed and the tactics the Russians are using is the tactic of parched land,” Mr Marchenko told.

Bakhmut’s demise has long been predicted, but it has yet to occur after more than six months. As a result, any reports of a possible Ukrainian withdrawal should be treated with caution.

Without independent sources, it is difficult to know what is going on. Both sides have a stronger incentive to mislead their adversary than to provide accurate information.

However, despite the heavy losses inflicted on Russian troops, Ukrainian commanders may be beginning to calculate that the cost of defending Bakhmut – in terms of blood and treasure – is now too high.

If that is the case, they may want what Western analysts refer to as a “a controlled fighting withdrawal” to protect the remaining Ukrainian forces so that they can be redeployed.

However, any withdrawal may be difficult and time-consuming.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that the situation in the region was becoming “more and more difficult,” despite the Ukrainian military saying it had repelled numerous attacks since Friday.

“I believe we shouldn’t give any inch of our land to the enemy,” Mr Marchenko said. “We should protect our land, we should protect our people and we should protect the businesses that are on this land.”

Mr Marchenko added that the city was “almost destroyed,” with bridges destroyed and communication cut off.

“They want to destroy Bakhmut, just like they did Mariupol and Popasna,” he said, referring to two cities in eastern Ukraine now under Russian control.

At the start of the invasion, the Russian military besieged the south-eastern port city of Mariupol and took control after three months of artillery bombardment that killed thousands.

Following a lengthy battle with Ukrainian forces, Russia claimed the Donbas town of Soledar, about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from Bakhmut, in January.

By the time the Ukrainian army retreated, Soledar had been reduced to a wasteland of flattened buildings and rubble.

On Friday, President Zelensky stressed that artillery and shells were needed to “stop Russia”.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the country’s latest package included high-precision Himars artillery rockets and howitzers “which Ukraine is using so effectively”.

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Russia on the verge of encircling Ukraine’s Bakhmut

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Russia

On Friday, Russian artillery pounded the last routes out of Bakhmut. Ukrainian soldiers were repairing damaged roads, and more troops were heading to the frontlines. Bakhmut was previously known for its salt and gypsum mines. On Friday, Russian artillery pounded the last routes out of Bakhmut, aiming to complete the encirclement of the besieged Ukrainian … Read more

Russia set to mothball damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines

by
Russia
  • Russian gas exports outside ex-USSR almost halved last year.
  • Nord Stream pipelines ruptured by blasts in September.
  • Sources say both lines will be conserved to prevent degradation.

Russia’s broken undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines are due to be plugged and decommissioned, according to sources familiar with the project.

Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom to transport 110 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea each year.

Three of the pipelines were ruptured in September by inexplicable blasts, and one of the Nord Stream 2 pipes remains intact.

Nevertheless, rising tensions between Moscow and the West over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had already brought Nord Stream 1 to a halt, preventing its twin, which had been criticized by Washington and Kyiv for increasing Germany’s reliance on Russia, from ever coming online.

‘Buried’

Although Gazprom has stated that it is theoretically possible to rebuild the broken lines, two sources familiar with the preparations have stated that Moscow sees no possibility of relations with the West improving sufficiently in the near future for the pipes to be required.

Europe has substantially reduced its Russian energy imports in the last year, while state-controlled Gazprom’s (GAZP.MM) exports outside the former Soviet Union are set to nearly halve in 2022, reaching a post-Soviet low of 101 bcm.

According to one Russian source, the project was “buried” in Russia. Two others stated that, while there was no plan to repair the burst pipelines, they would be preserved for possible future reactivation.

Another individual acquainted with the program indicated that conservation is being considered by the parties.

This would almost certainly entail sealing the damaged ends and covering the pipes to avoid future corrosion from seawater.

According to one Russian source, if the seaborne liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States that Europe is using to balance some of its Russian supply becomes significantly more expensive, Europe may be willing to buy more from Russia.

The Russian Energy Ministry addressed questions to the pipeline operators, but neither they nor Gazprom responded.

Engie (ENGIE.PA), Gasunie (GSUNI.UL), and Wintershall DEA (WINT.UL) (BASFn.DE) – stakeholders in Nord Stream AG, the operator of Nord Stream 1 – declined to comment. A spokesperson for Germany’s E.ON (EONGn.DE), which also owns a stake in Nord Stream AG, said: “To our knowledge as a minority shareholder, no decision has been made, either for or against restoring the line.”

WHO BLEW UP THE PIPELINES?

Moscow has insisted, without offering evidence, that the bombs were the work of the West. The White House denounced as “complete fiction” a blog post last month by US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh saying that Washington was to blame.

Denmark, Germany, and Sweden are still conducting investigations.

Nord Stream 1 had already been shut down for maintenance in late August, but it was never resumed as Russia and the West disagreed about the repair of a pumping turbine amid Western sanctions.

The comparable Nord Stream 2 project, which was completed in September 2021 as tensions with Russia rose, fell into problems when German regulators refused to certify it. The initiative was subsequently halted just days before Moscow pushed its armed forces into Ukraine on February 24, last year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed utilizing the intact Nord Stream 2 link to pump gas, but Germany, which is looking to reduce its dependency on Russia, rejected the notion. Poland has likewise ceased purchasing Russian gas.

Russia is now shipping just about 40 million cubic meters of pipeline gas per day to Europe via Sudzha on the Ukraine-Slovakia border.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow, which hopes to set up a gas hub in Turkey to replace the Baltic route, would no longer rely on the West as an energy partner.

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Several Bakhmut attacks have been repulsed – Kyiv

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Bakhmut
  • Ukrainian military stated in its most recent news bulletin that “numerous attacks” had been repelled.
  • The United States has announced an additional $400 million (£333 million) in military aid.
  • President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned this week that the situation was growing “more and more difficult.”

Russian forces claim to be on the verge of capturing the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which mercenaries say is almost completely surrounded.

The head of Russia’s Wagner private army said the country is “practically encircled” and that escape options are limited.

However, the Ukrainian military stated in its most recent news bulletin that “numerous attacks” had been repelled in the area of eastern Donetsk over the last 24 hours.

The United States has announced an additional $400 million (£333 million) in military aid to replenish Kyiv’s depleted ammunition inventories.

Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, visited Bakhmut on Friday for talks with local commanders about ways to strengthen frontline forces.

For nearly six months, Russian troops have been attempting to capture the city.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned this week that the situation on the eastern front line was growing “more and more difficult”.

Ukraine’s ever-dwindling ammunition reserves are a major source of anxiety, as the high-intensity battle with Russia shows no signs of abating.

Himars artillery rockets and howitzers

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the country’s latest delivery includes high-precision Himars artillery rockets and howitzers “which Ukraine is employing so well”.

President Zelenskyy had stated that artillery and shells were needed to “halt Russia”.

In addition, the US is providing tactical bridges ahead of Ukraine’s planned invasion.

The supply of such equipment, which allows armored vehicles to traverse rivers and ditches, comes as several Ukrainian military officials and analysts have predicted that the operation could begin in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere, a partial evacuation was planned on Thursday in Kupiansk, Kharkiv area, which was liberated from Russian occupation last September.

Limited mobility

Due to “constant” shelling by Russian forces, regional officials advised families with children and others “with limited mobility” to flee.

In a statement on Friday, Mr. Blinken said: “This military assistance package includes more ammunition for US-provided Himars and howitzers, which Ukraine is using so effectively to defend itself”.

He added that Washington would also be sending “ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridges, demolitions munitions and equipment, and other maintenance, training and support”.

Himars proved to be extremely effective during Ukraine’s lighting counter-offensive late last year which saw almost the whole of the Kharkiv region brought back under Kyiv’s control.

Those advances – and the liberation of the southern city of Kherson – were the most significant front-line changes since Russia withdrew from areas around Kyiv in April.

America’s top diplomat emphasized in his statement that “the United States also continues to urge the world to support Ukraine” in protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The fresh US military aid package was unveiled as US media reported that Ukraine may be running dangerously low on artillery stocks after more than a year since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.

Both Ukraine and Russia are thought to be firing tens of thousands of artillery shells each day in what has been described as a high-intensity attrition war in recent months.

The Ukrainian military has not publicly commented on the supposed ammo shortage.

Most needed

However, President Zelenskyy on Thursday said that “artillery is number one that we need”.

He added that Kyiv also needed “a large quantity of shells” and warplanes to “expel” Russian troops from Ukraine’s territory.

Military support to Ukraine was likely to be the main topic of discussion when US President Joe Biden met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Friday.

Mr. Biden hailed the German Chancellor for his country’s “profound” support for Ukraine.

Mr. Scholz said it was crucial to emphasize that this will continue “as long as it takes and as long as is necessary”.

A number of Ukraine’s Western partners have committed to providing tanks and artillery, but Kyiv insists that this must happen far faster to discourage any Russian invasion.

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Ukraine war: US sends more ammo to Kyiv amid fears that supplies are running low

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Ukraine war
  • Antony Blinken stated this includes high-precision Himars artillery rockets and howitzers.
  • The US is providing tactical bridges ahead of Ukraine’s planned invasion.
  • President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that artillery and shells were needed to “stop Russia.”

The United States is increasing military aid to Ukraine by $400 million (£333 million) to replenish ammunition inventories destroyed during the country’s ongoing high-intensity conflict with Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated this includes high-precision Himars artillery rockets and howitzers “which Ukraine is using so effectively”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had stated that artillery and shells were needed to “stop Russia”.

In addition, the US is providing tactical bridges ahead of Ukraine’s planned invasion.

The supply of such equipment, which allows armored vehicles to traverse rivers and ditches, comes as several Ukrainian military officials and analysts have predicted that the operation could begin in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Moscow maintained its months-long assault on Bakhmut on Friday, saying that Russian mercenaries have “practically ringed” the city in the eastern Donetsk region.

Repelled

According to the latest news bulletin from Ukraine’s military, Russian troops are still attempting to encircle the city, although “several attempts have been repelled” in the last 24 hours.

Elsewhere, a partial evacuation was planned on Thursday in Kupiansk, Kharkiv area, which was liberated from Russian occupation last September.

The regional authorities said families with children and people “with limited mobility” should leave due to “constant” shelling by Russian forces.

In a statement on Friday, Mr. Blinken said: “This military assistance package includes more ammunition for US-provided Himars and howitzers, which Ukraine is using so effectively to defend itself”.

He added that Washington would also be sending “ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridges, demolitions munitions and equipment, and other maintenance, training and support”.

Himars were very effective during Ukraine’s major counter-offensive late last year, which took the whole Kharkiv region back under Kyiv’s control.

These victories, along with the freeing of Kherson in the south, were the most important front-line adjustments since Russia’s withdrawal from territories near Kyiv in April.

But, President Zelenskyy on Thursday remarked that “artillery is number one that we need”.

He said that Kyiv would also need “a large number of shells” and warplanes to “evict” Russian forces from Ukrainian land.

Military support to Ukraine was likely to be the main topic of discussion when US President Joe Biden met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Friday.

Mr. Biden hailed the German Chancellor for his country’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine.

Mr. Scholz said it was crucial to emphasise that this will continue “as long as it takes and as long as is necessary”.

A number of Ukraine’s Western partners have committed to providing tanks and artillery, but Kyiv insists that this must happen far faster to discourage any Russian invasion.

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Ukraine orders some people to leave Kupiansk

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Kupiansk

Ukraine has ordered some people to leave Kupiansk. Due to Russian shelling, which has forced families. With children and people with limited mobility to leave. In order to prevent Russia from retaking the city it abandoned last year, Ukraine has ordered some people to leave Kupiansk. According to Kharkiv’s regional officials, Russian forces’ “continuous” shelling … Read more

Vladimir Putin accuses Ukraine of border attack

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Vladimir Putin

Russian officials reported that Ukrainian armed group had entered the Bryansk region. Leading to two civilians being killed and a 10-year-old child injured. Kyiv denounced these claims as a “typical planned provocation” by the Moscow. Russian security officials reported that a small Ukrainian armed group had entered the southern Bryansk region from Russia. Kyiv denounced … Read more

Disagreements regarding the war in Ukraine ruins G20 talks

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Ukraine

Russia’s war in Ukraine has dominated G20 discussions. With India claiming there will be no common statement. India’s G20 presidency has focused on issues that unite the Global South. Russia’s war in Ukraine has dominated G20 discussions, with hosts India claiming that there will be no common statement as a result of the heated confrontations. … Read more

Meeting of US, Chinese, and Russian ministers in Delhi is a major test for Indian diplomacy

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Delhi
  • India’s foreign minister will meet his American, Chinese, and Russian counterparts on Thursday.
  • The world’s largest democracy has been eager to position itself as a leader of emerging and developing nations.
  • Modi alluded to the Ukraine situation, saying it was producing “deep global divisions.”

Foreign ministers from the world’s largest economies have gathered in New Delhi, laying the groundwork for a major test of Indian diplomacy as it attempts to negotiate tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, will meet his American, Chinese, and Russian counterparts Thursday in the second high-level ministerial meeting under India’s Group of 20 (G20) presidency this year, hoping to find enough common ground to deliver a joint statement at the end of the summit.

With a population of more than 1.3 billion people, the world’s largest democracy has been eager to position itself as a leader of emerging and developing nations – often referred to as the global South – at a time when soaring food and energy prices as a result of the war are hammering consumers who are already dealing with rising costs and inflation.

Such views were front and center during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s opening speech on Thursday, when he spoke of the world’s various challenges, with less wealthy nations bearing the brunt of the burden.

“The experience of the last few years, the financial crisis, climate change, the pandemic, terrorism, and wars clearly shows that global governance has failed,” Modi said.

“We must also admit that the tragic consequences of this failure are being faced most over by the developing countries,” who he says are most affected by global warming “caused by richer countries”.

Modi alluded to the Ukraine situation, saying it was producing “deep global divisions.” But, he urged the foreign ministers to set aside their disagreements during their meeting on Thursday.

“We should not allow issues that we cannot resolve together to come in the way of those we can,” he said.

Analysts say India’s attempt to promote its agenda has been hindered by the war’s persistent fissures.

These disparities were on display last month in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru when G20 finance leaders failed to agree on a statement following their meeting. Russia and China both refused to sign the united declaration, which condemned Moscow’s invasion. It left India with the task of issuing a “chair’s report and outcome document” that summarised the two days of negotiations and recognized disputes.

According to analysts, New Delhi has skillfully handled its ties to Russia and the West throughout the war, with Modi emerging as a leader courted by all parties.

But as the war enters its second year, and tensions continue to rise, pressure could mount on countries, including India, to take a firmer stand against Russia – putting Modi’s statecraft to the test.

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Ukraine clings to Bakhmut as Russians advance

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Ukraine
  • Moscow claims that capturing Bakhmut would pave the door for full control.
  • Ukraine claims Bakhmut has little strategic relevance but has put up a strong fight.
  • Rakhmanin believes that no line of defense should be permitted to fail.

Ukrainian forces held out in the destroyed eastern city of Bakhmut early Thursday, under continual attack from Russian troops seeking their first significant win in more than a year.

Moscow claims that capturing Bakhmut would pave the door for full control of the vital Donbas industrial region bordering Russia, which was one of the main goals of its February 24 assault.

Ukraine claims Bakhmut has little strategic relevance but has put up a strong fight. Not everyone in Ukraine believes that the defense of Bakhmut can continue indefinitely.

“I believe that sooner or later, we will probably have to leave Bakhmut. There is no sense in holding it at any cost,” Ukrainian member of parliament Serhiy Rakhmanin said.

“But, for the time being, Bakhmut will be defended with three goals in mind, the first of which is to inflict as many Russian losses as possible and force Russia to exhaust its ammunition and resources.”

Rakhmanin believes that no line of defense should be permitted to fail.

“There are two ways to approach this – an organized retreat or simple flight. And we cannot allow the flight to take place under any circumstances,” he said.

The war for Bakhmut began around seven months ago, but Russian advances from three sides have left troops with only one way out to the west in recent weeks.

“There is a danger that our garrison in Bakhmut will be encircled,” military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said in a post on YouTube assessing the situation as “critical”.

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Ukraine soldier in Bakhmut says “no one is going to retreat yet”

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Bakhmut

Ukrainian forces are still in Bakhmut, maintaining their position. And stopping Russian assaults, but there are still gunfights and mines flying. There are isolated explosions, mines are flying, said a soldier. There are no plans for a retreat and that the country’s forces are still in the eastern city of Bakhmut, according to a soldier … Read more

Russian universities delegation visits KU

by
Russian
  • 7-member delegation of the five leading universities visited KU.
  • Delegation met  KU VC Prof Dr. Khalid Mahmood Iraqi at VC Secretariat.
  • The delegation and KU agreed to establish good working relationship.

KARACHI: A seven-member delegation of the five leading universities from different parts of Russia visited the University of Karachi on Wednesday.

They met the KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr. Khalid Mahmood Iraqi at the VC Secretariat and discussed the proposals for initiating cooperation and bilateral programs for the faculty members and the students of both countries.

The visiting delegate comprising of Iana Grigoreva, Head of the International Department, and Irina Karpeeva, Expert of the International Department from Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Rustem Chanshev of Kazan Federal University, Aleksandra Shevchenko, Head of the International Department, and Nikita Sirotenko, Expert of Admission Department from Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, SPbSUITD, Natalia Kovaleva, Head of Academic Mobility Department, Ural Federal University, and Konstantin Vinogradov, Head of International Projects Department, Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy (RSAU – MTAA named after K.A. Timiryazev) briefed the KU VC Prof Dr. Khalid Iraqi, deans of various faculties, and members of the student’s advisory council about the programs and degrees offered in the Russian universities in detail.

Meanwhile, the KU Students’ Advisor Dr. Syed Asim Ali briefed the visiting delegation about the history of the University of Karachi and teaching and research activities conducted on the campus.

The visiting delegation and the KU administration agreed that by establishing a good working relationship the KU and Russian varsities could initiate various joint academic programs and would be able to provide facilities to their faculty and students.

They also discussed and agreed to launch faculty and student exchange programs, joint research publications, and co-supervising research work and publications at different departments of the KU and Russian varsities.

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Moscow accuses Ukraine of attempting multiple drone strikes

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Moscow
  • A Ukrainian drone crashed near the village of Gubastovo, southeast of the capital.
  • The facility was not damaged, according to state media, citing the region’s Energy Ministry.
  • Ukraine’s Defense Ministry made no comment on the strikes at the time.

After a fire broke out at an oil depot and authorities abruptly closed airspace above the country’s second-largest city, Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of launching a wave of attempted drone strikes targeting infrastructure deep inside Russia, including near the capital.

Moscow metropolitan area According to Governor Andrey Vorobyov, a Ukrainian drone crashed near the village of Gubastovo, southeast of the capital. The drone was apparently aimed at “civilian infrastructure,” which was later confirmed to be a gas facility run by the state-owned company Gazprom.

The facility was not damaged, according to state media, citing the region’s Energy Ministry.

State media later released a photo of what they claimed was the crashed device, which resembled a Ukrainian-made UJ-22 attack drone.

The UJ-22 is a small and versatile aircraft that can fly through bad weather and travel up to 500 miles (800 kilometers). The location and date of the photo of the crashed drone are unknown.

The crash was allegedly one of several attempted strikes, with state media reporting a drone was shot down near the Belarus border and the defence ministry claiming two more strikes were thwarted in the Krasnodar and Adygea regions using drone-jamming technology.

“Both drones lost control and deviated from their flight path,” the defense ministry said in a statement. “One UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) fell in a field, and another UAV, deviating from the trajectory, did not harm the attacked civilian infrastructure facility.”

At least one drone appeared to have eluded Russian defences, with footage posted on social media overnight and showing a fire at Rosneft’s oil depot in Tuapse, on the Black Sea coast of Krasnodar.

Although it is unclear whether the facility was the intended target, Ukraine has previously targeted oil depots on Russian-controlled territory.

Sources has been unable to independently confirm each alleged attack, and Ukraine has yet to comment on the incident. Ukraine has previously declined to comment on internal Russian attacks.

Following the alleged attacks, Russia‘s second-largest city of St. Petersburg closed its airspace Tuesday within a 200-kilometer (124-mile) radius, briefly banning incoming flights, according to state media.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had been briefed about the closures – but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had declined to discuss whether it was related to the “incidents in St. Petersburg and Tuapse,” state media reported.

Strikes in December

Attacks on Russian infrastructure have highlighted Ukraine’s efforts to develop longer-range combat drones.

Russia reported multiple attacks by Ukrainian drones on military infrastructure, including air bases hundreds of miles inside Russian territory and beyond the reach of Ukraine’s declared drone arsenal, in early December.

At the same time, Ukraine’s state-owned weapons manufacturer Ukroboronprom announced that it is nearing completion of a new long-range drone, though there is no public evidence that such a device has been ready for deployment or has been involved in explosions within Russia.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry made no comment on the strikes at the time, though a presidential adviser tweeted a cryptic message hinting that Kyiv was indeed behind the December attacks.

“The Earth is round – discovery made by Galileo. Astronomy was not studied in Kremlin, giving preference to court astrologers. If it was, they would know: If something is launched into other countries’ airspace, sooner or later unknown flying objects will return to departure point,” he said at the time.

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 Beijing: Putin ally Lukashenko meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping

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Putin
  • Xi received Lukashenko in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Wednesday.
  • The two leaders agreed in September to strengthen their ties.
  • The meeting took place a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made some of the bluntest remarks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a state visit that comes as the West warns China against providing military aid to Putin’s conflict in Ukraine.

Xi received Lukashenko in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Wednesday before the two began formal talks. Details of the conversations have yet to be published by either party.

It is their first face-to-face meeting since the two leaders agreed in September to strengthen their ties to an “all-weather comprehensive strategic cooperation” on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan, which Putin also attended.

The visit by Belarus’s president, who allowed Russian troops to stage their initial incursion into Ukraine last year, comes as tensions between the US and China have risen in recent weeks, with Washington concerned that Beijing is considering sending lethal aid to the Kremlin’s struggling war effort. Beijing has refuted these allegations.

The meeting took place a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made some of the bluntest remarks to date on how the US would respond to any lethal support China provided to Russia.

During a visit to Kazakhstan, Blinken warned that Washington will pursue Chinese enterprises or citizens implicated in an effort to deliver lethal help to Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

Beijing – which professes to be a neutral party in the war – has pushed back on the American allegation that is considering sending lethal aid. According to the Foreign Ministry, China was “actively promoting peace talks and the political settlement of the crisis,” while the US was “pouring lethal weapons into the battlefield in Ukraine.”

In a paper pushing for peace negotiations to end the year-long war, Beijing presented a 12-point position on the “political solution” to the crisis last week. But, its release was attacked by Western officials, who accused China of already siding with Russia.

According to a statement from the Belarusian government, Lukashenko also met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday and asked for the two countries to “intensify” their cooperation.

“We have no closed topics for cooperation. We cooperate in all avenues. Most importantly, we have never set ourselves the task of being friends or working against third countries,” Lukashenko told Li per the readout.

The deepening of ties between Minsk and Beijing comes alongside a years-long downturn in Belarus’ relations with the European Union and as it may seek to diversify its Russia-dependent economy.

In response to Moscow’s aggressiveness, the US and its allies imposed sweeping sanctions on the former Soviet state after Lukashenko authorized Russian soldiers to invade Ukraine via the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) Ukrainian-Belarusian border north of Kyiv.

The European Union also does not recognize the results of Lukashenko’s 2020 election triumph – which provoked major pro-democracy riots in the country and were followed by a deadly government crackdown.

There have been fears throughout the conflict in Ukraine that Belarus will again be used as a launching ground for another Russian offensive, or that Lukashenko’s own troops would join the war. Before visiting Moscow earlier this month, Lukashenko claimed there is “no way” his country would send troops into Ukraine unless it is attacked.

Both China and Belarus have previously stated that the US does not want the conflict to end.

Earlier this month, before traveling to Moscow to meet with Putin, Lukashenko told reporters that he wished to see “peaceful dialogue” and accused the US of obstructing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from negotiating.

Beijing has made similar assertions, with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi saying at a security conference in Munich earlier this month that China does not “add fuel to the fire,” and is “against reaping benefits from this crisis,” alluding to regular Chinese propaganda messaging that the US is intentionally prolonging the war to advance its own geopolitical interests and increase the profits of its arms manufacturers.

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‘Extremely tense’ as Russians attempt to encircle Bakhmut, – Commander

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Ukrainian
  • The thaw in early spring transforms battlefields into the mud.
  • Russian military marched north and south of Bakhmut.
  • Russian military marched north and south of Bakhmut.

The situation in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was “extremely tense” on Tuesday, according to the commander of Ukrainian ground forces, as Russian troops besieging it increased their assault in an attempt to encircle it.

Russia is attempting to disrupt Ukrainian defenders’ supply lines to the city, which has seen some of the bloodiest combat of the war, in order to force them to surrender or withdraw. This would be Russia’s first big victory in more than a month and pave the way for the conquest of the final remaining metropolitan centers in the Donetsk region.

“Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner, who are trying to break through the defenses of our troops and surround the city,” Ukraine‘s Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi was quoted as saying on a military messaging platform.

Earlier, Ukraine’s military stated that Russia had increased its soldiers in the Bakhmut area and was shelling communities around the city.

” Over the past day, our soldiers repelled more than 60 enemy attacks,” the military said early Tuesday, referring to Bakhmut and other eastern territories, adding that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks on the villages of Yadhidne and Berkhivka, on the northern approaches to Bakhmut.

Unpredictable

According to Ukrainian military researcher Oleh Zhdanov, Russian soldiers drove a wedge between those communities as they attempted to cut the road west to Chasiv Yar.

“The southern part of Bakhmut is the only area that can be described as under Ukrainian control. In all other districts, the situation is unpredictable,” he said in a video commentary, adding: “It is impossible to say where the front line lies.”

Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region hunkered down in muddy trenches after milder weather thawed the frozen ground.

“Both sides stay in their positions because as you see, spring means mud. Thus, it is impossible to move forward,” said Mykola, 59, commander of a Ukrainian frontline rocket launcher battery, watching a tablet screen for coordinates to fire.

The rasputitsa, or spring thaw, has a history of thwarting army attacks across Ukraine and western Russia by converting highways into rivers and fields into quagmires.

Volodymyr, a 25-year-old platoon commander, claimed his soldiers were ready to operate in any weather in a zigzag trench.

“When we’re given a target that means we have to destroy it.”

Russia has increased its offensive throughout the eastern front, bolstered by hundreds of thousands of conscripts, but the cost has been tremendous, according to Ukraine and its supporters.

“Vicious battles are going on there. The command is doing everything it can to stop the enemy from advancing through our territory,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern military command, told Ukrainian television.

Russia claimed to have damaged a Ukrainian ammo store in Bakhmut, as well as shot down US-made missiles and Ukrainian drones.

According to Russia’s defense ministry, the US is plotting a provocation in Ukraine using hazardous chemicals. There was no instant response from the United States.

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Ukrainian war: Zelenskyy claims the situation in Bakhmut is deteriorating

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Ukrainian war
  • President Zelenskyy stated that gaining a footing in Bakhmut and assuring its defense was being severely jeopardized by Russia.
  • US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen advised China against arming Russia.
  • Some of the worst combat since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago has taken place in Bakhmut.

The situation in Bakhmut, on Ukraine’s eastern frontline, is growing “more and more difficult,” according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russian forces have been attempting to capture the city for nearly six months.

“The enemy is constantly destroying everything which can be used to protect our positions,” said Mr. Zelenskyy.

On a visit to Kyiv on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen advised China against arming Russia.

Some of the worst combat since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago has taken place in Bakhmut, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which Moscow and its separatist supporters control.

Russian forces’ efforts to seize the industrial city have recently increased, with their troops gaining momentum.

Practically all roads

The separatist leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, said “practically all roads” into the city were “under [Russian] fire control”.

In his nighttime address, President Zelenskyy stated that gaining a footing in Bakhmut and assuring its defense was being severely jeopardized by Russia’s renewed offensive.

He was “grateful to each and every person who is heroically holding” the area.

President Zelenskyy also again appealed for sophisticated combat planes to be supplied so that “the entire territory of our country” might be defended from “Russian terror”.

Janet Yellen announced the latest transfer on Monday during a surprise visit to Kyiv.

Janet Yellen announced the latest transfer of $1.25 billion (£1 billion) in economic and budget aid to Ukraine during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday.

Ms. Yellen reaffirmed US President Joe Biden’s statement, delivered on his own visit to Kyiv last week, that Washington would stick behind Ukraine until the war was won.

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Arms supplies to Kyiv threaten global nuclear catastrophe, says Medvedev

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Medvedev
  • Dmitry Medvedev says the West’s continuous supply of armaments to Kyiv risked a worldwide nuclear catastrophe.
  • The latest remarks by Medvedev come on the heels of Putin’s nuclear warning last week.
  • French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna slammed Medvedev’s remarks as “inflammatory rhetoric.”

Moscow: In remarks released on Monday, Russia’s former president and Putin ally stated that the West’s continuous supply of armaments to Kyiv risked a worldwide nuclear catastrophe, echoing his warning of nuclear war over Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev‘s apocalyptic tone has been interpreted as an attempt to prevent the US-led NATO military alliance and Kyiv’s Western allies from becoming more involved in the year-old war that has delivered Moscow combat blows.

The latest remarks by Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Putin’s powerful security council, come on the heels of Putin’s nuclear warning last week and his Sunday remarks in which he cast Moscow’s confrontation with the West as an existential battle for Russia and the Russian people’s survival.

“Of course, the pumping in of weapons can continue …. and prevent any possibility of reviving negotiations,” Medvedev said in remarks published in the daily Izvestia.

“Our enemies are doing just that, not wanting to understand that their goals will certainly lead to a total fiasco. Loss for everyone. A collapse. Apocalypse. Where you forget for centuries about your former life, until the rubble ceases to emit radiation.”

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna slammed Medvedev’s remarks as “inflammatory rhetoric” on the margins of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“Mr. Medvedev, alas, has long accustomed us to irresponsible, outrageous statements that in no way reflect reality,” she said. “This is inflammatory rhetoric that we would gladly do without.”

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Russian military plane blown up near Minsk: Belarusian partisans

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Russian military
  • The front and middle components of the aircraft, as well as the radar antenna, were damaged in the attack.
  • Belarusian anti-government groups claimed responsibility.
  • Russia and Belarus have established a combined military unit in Belarus and have conducted many drills there.

Belarusian anti-government groups claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a Russian A-50 surveillance plane at an airbase near Minsk on Sunday.

“Those were drones. The operation’s participants are Belarusians, “BYPOL’s commander, Aliaksandr Azarov, was quoted on the organization’s Telegram messaging app and the Belsat news channel in Poland.

“They are now safe, outside the country.”

There was no official confirmation from Russia or Belarus, and their defense ministries did not respond immediately to calls for comment.

Belsat is a Polish broadcaster that focuses on Belarusian news and has been labeled extreme by Minsk. BYPOL, which is made up of former law enforcement officers who back opposition candidates, has been labeled a terrorist organization.

According to Franak Viacorka, an assistant to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, it was the most successful act of sabotage since the beginning of 2022.

Damage

The front and middle components of the aircraft, as well as the radar antenna, were damaged in the attack on the Machulishchy air base near Minsk, according to BYPOL.

The Beriev A-50, codenamed Mainstay by NATO, is a Russian airborne early warning aircraft with airborne command and control capabilities and the ability to track up to 60 targets at once.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began a year ago, there have been multiple acts of sabotage in Belarus and Russian neighboring territories, particularly on the railway infrastructure.

Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko has not directly participated in Russia’s assault on Ukraine, but he has enabled its forces to utilize territory as a staging post since the invasion began a year ago.

Russia and Belarus have established a combined military unit in Belarus and have conducted many drills there. Many Russian airplanes as well as airborne early warning and control aircraft have been deployed to Belarus.

“I am proud of all Belarusians who continue to resist the Russian hybrid occupation of Belarus & fight for the freedom of Ukraine,” Tsikhanouskaya wrote on Twitter.

According to the Belarusian human rights organization Vyasna, a lady was imprisoned in Machulishchy on Monday, but the reason for her detention and her whereabouts remained unknown.

There was no word on whether the detention was related to the alleged airplane sabotage.

Detentions are prevalent in Belarus, even for minor offenses such as social media comments, especially after Lukashenko repressed huge pro-democracy protests in 2020 and imprisoned or forced all leading opposition members to leave overseas.

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West aims to break up Russia, says Vladimir Putin

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Vladimir Putin

Putin said that the West is trying to break apart the former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. And that Moscow must take into account the nuclear capabilities of NATO. He also emphasized the importance of updating Russia’s nuclear arsenal often. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has said that the West is trying to … Read more

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