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Russia routinely places the blame for these increasingly frequent cross-border incursions on Kyiv
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Huge smoke cloud rises after massive explosion at factory in Moscow
Reports of a Ukrainian “sabotage” attack across the Russian border on Wednesday morning are coming in, as Moscow has claimed four people were killed in the incident.
According to Sky News, Bryansk regional governor Aleksandr Bogomaz wrote on Telegram that an “attempt by a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group consisting of six militants to penetrate the territory of the Bryansk region was foiled at 7am today”.
Russia usually blames these attacks on Ukraine, who rarely claims responsibility for these cross-border incursions.
Earlier today, Russian troops were reportedly seen fleeing cluster bombs as a Ukrainian drone was reportedly downed over Crimea.
Footage released by the Ukrainian defence ministry shows US-supplied cluster munitions, which spray “bomblets” across a wide area, hitting Russian forces amid Kyiv’s recapturing of the key strategic settlement of Urozhaine in the Donetsk region.
“Ukrainian troops have liberated Urozhaine village, Donetsk region!” the Ukrainian defence ministry posted on X on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday its forces had shot down a Ukrainian drone over Crimea, Interfax reported, the latest in a flurry of what Moscow calls “terrorist attacks”.
Russian troops have been seen fleeing cluster bombs as Ukraine has said it has recaptured a key strategic settlement.
Footage released by the Ukrainian defence ministry shows US-supplied cluster munitions, which spray “bomblets” across a wide area, hitting Russian forces amid Kyiv’s recapturing of Urozhaine in the Donetsk region.
“Ukrainian troops have liberated Urozhaine village, Donetsk region!” the Ukrainian defence ministry posted on X on Wednesday.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed the first civilian vessel has passed through the country’s humanitarian corridor, departing from the port of Odesa.
Ukraine announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea on 11 August to release cargo ships trapped in its ports since the war began, a new test of Russia’s de facto blockade since Moscow abandoned a deal last month to let Kyiv export grain.
The ship that left passed through the corridor on Wednesday had been stuck in Odesa since February 2022.
My Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Ukraine has just made an important step toward restoring the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.
“The first civilian vessel has passed through Ukraine’s new humanitarian corridor, departing from the port of Odesa. It’s currently on its way to the Bosporus.
He continued: “A safe sea for all. This is Ukraine’s and our partners’ principled stance.”
Russian authorities refused to renew the visa for Dutch journalist Eva Hartog, who has lived and worked in the country for 10 years, and gave her six days to leave Russia, she said in a column.
Her effective expulsion is one of several in recent years and comes amid a crackdown that the Kremlin has unleashed on independent journalists, critical news outlets, opposition activists and human rights groups.
The pressure has mounted further since Moscow launched its war on Ukraine almost 18 months ago. Hartog, a Dutch national, has in recent years been writing for the Dutch news magazine De Groene Amsterdammer and for POLITICO Europe.
She first came to Moscow in 2013, POLITICO said, and worked as a web editor and then chief editor for The Moscow Times. Hartog said in a column in De Groene Amsterdammer that Russia‘s Foreign Ministry informed her last Monday her visa would not be renewed and gave her six days to leave.
It is believed Hartog has since left the country.
The United States imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia as Washington cracked down on those seeking to support Russia‘s war in Ukraine.
The US Treasury Department in a statement said that Russia has increasingly been forced to turn to North Korea and other allies to sustain its war in Ukraine as it expends munitions and loses heavy equipment on the battlefield.
The entities targeted in Wednesday’s action are Limited Liability Company Verus, Defense Engineering Limited Liability Partnership and Versor S.R.O.
The Treasury said Slovakian national Ashot Mkrtychev, already under US sanctions, is the president of Versor, founder and owner of Verus and director of Defense Engineering.
Washington accused Mkrtychev of negotiating with North Korean and Russian officials to organise potential plans to transfer over two dozens kinds of weapons and munitions to Russia in exchange for goods to North Korea.
Wednesday’s action freezes any US assets of those designated and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. Those that engage in certain transactions with the sanctioned entities can also be hit with punitive measures.
“The United States continues to root out illicit financial networks that seek to channel support from North Korea to Russia‘s war machine,” the treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said/
Russia‘s embassy in Washington and North Korea’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The United States condemns Russia‘s continued attacks on Ukraine‘s grain infrastructure, the State Department said on Wednesday as it called for Moscow to return immediately to the Black Sea grain deal.
Russian president Vladimir Putin does not care about global food security, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters after Ukraine earlier on Wednesday said Russia had attacked its grain storage facilities overnight.
Ukraine has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Crimean Bridge – connecting Russia to the annexed peninsula – last month, explaining sea surface drones were used to target the landmark.
Two people were killed after the bridge was hit by multiple explosions on 17 July, as Russian-placed Crimean officials blamed Kyiv for the attack.
At the time, neither the Ukrainian government nor the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for it.
Now, the SBU has released new footage showing the moment an indigenously-developed sea drone hit the bridge, warning Russia more attacks will follow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting on Crimean Bridge attack via a video link at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 17, 2023. The Kremlin on July 17, 2023 said it was exiting a major agreement to facilitate Ukraine grain exports hours after drones struck the only bridge connecting Russia’s mainland to the annexed Crimea peninsula.
The agency’s head, Vasyl Maliuk told CNN the drone used to drop 850 kilograms of explosives on the bridge is called “Sea Baby” and is a “unique invention” of the SBU.
During the interview, Mr Maliuk said sea surface drones were also used to attack a Russian oil tanker and the warship Olenegorsky Gornyak, earlier this month.
“We are working on a number of new interesting operations, including in the Black Sea waters. I promise you, it’ll be exciting, especially for our enemies,” Mr Maliuk issued a thinly-veiled threat to Moscow.
The local government in Prague said Monday that it “unequivocally” opposes a scheduled performance by Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko in the Czech capital while Russia wages war on Ukraine.
You can read the full story here:
The Prague ruling coalition says it “unequivocally” opposes the planning performance of Russian soprano Anna Netrebko
Russia on Tuesday launched its largest aerial attack on regions bordering Nato in western Ukraine since the start of its invasion nearly 18 months ago.
Russian missiles killed three in the region of Volyn, with other strikes hitting Lviv – both bordering Poland, a NATO member.
More here:
Russia unleashes missile barrage that kills three in the region of Volyn, with other strikes hitting Lviv
Lithuania on Wednesday decided to temporarily close two of its six checkpoints with Belarus later this week amid growing tensions with its eastern neighbor, an ally of Russia.
The Lithuanian government has said that the crossings at Tverecius and Sumskas will be closed, and traffic will be diverted to the Medininkai border checkpoint, which is the largest of Lithuania’s six checkpoints.
The decision came as Lithuanians grow increasingly worried about the presence of Russia-linked Wagner group mercenaries in Belarus.
Full story here:
Lithuania has decided to temporarily close two of its six checkpoints with Belarus this week amid growing tensions with its eastern neighbor, an ally of Russia
The German government has retreated from a plan to legally commit itself to meeting NATO’s two per cent military spending target on an annual basis, a government source told Reuters on Wednesday.
A corresponding clause in a draft of the budget financing law passed by the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday was deleted at short notice, the source said.
The change means that Germany will be able to stick to its current pledge of meeting the two per cent target on average over a five-year period.
This wording is softer than Scholz’s original pledge in a speech on 27 February 2022, in which he announced a “Zeitenwende” or sea change three days after Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.
Germany Politics
“From now on, we will invest more than two per cent of the GDP into our defence year after year,” Scholz said at the time.
A German government spokesperson declined to comment on the particulars of the draft law.
NATO allies have criticised Berlin strongly in the past for not meeting the annual defence spend target. on defence annually.
It is unclear whether Berlin will keep military spending over this threshold once a €100bn ($101bn) special fund to bring the country’s armed forces, Bundeswehr, back up to standard is used up.
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