Putin targeted by drone in the Kremlin

Details

Written by northsouth

Category: Europe

Published: 03 May 2023

Hits: 732

LONDON - Russia has been accused of taking its propaganda war to new heights after Moscow claimed Kyiv had tried to assassinate president Vladimir Putin in a drone strike targeting his residence in the Kremlin.

Ukrainian premier Volodymyr Zelensky vehemently denied the allegation, saying “we don’t attack Putin, or Moscow, we fight on our territory” as other Kyiv officials suggested Russia might be setting the scene for further escalation of the war as it threatened “retaliatory measures”.

As Kyiv prepares for a counteroffensive against Russian forces that Mr Zelensky said would be launched soon, Mr Putin’s presidential office said two drones were downed overnight, with the Russian leader having not been in the complex at the time. The RIA state news agency said Mr Putin spent Wednesday working at his Novo Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow.

A Kremlin statement said: “As a result of timely actions taken by the military and special services with the use of radar warfare systems, the devices were put out of action ... we regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president’s life.”

Fragments of drones were scattered in the Kremlin grounds but there were no injuries or damage, it said.

Video posted by Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia's law enforcement agencies, showed a flying object approaching the dome of a Kremlin building overlooking Red Square, exploding in a burst of light just before reaching it.

Western allies of Ukraine cast doubt on the Russian claims. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said he had seen the reports but that “anything coming out of the Kremlin” should be taken “with a very large shaker of salt” – adding that “we’ll see what the facts are”. Britain’s defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said that the UK would be assessing the reports of the drone strike, but that “I wouldn’t take at face value comments by Russia”.

Ukraine presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak suggested that the claims by Moscow would provide a pretext for Russia “to justify massive strikes on Ukrainian cities, on the civilian population, on infrastructure facilities” in the coming days.

Mark Galeotti, a prominent Russia analyst, said it was unlikely that the alleged attack had targeted Mr Putin, who “notoriously rarely goes to the Kremlin, let alone stays there overnight”. He tweeted that even if you were to assume it was an attack by Ukraine, it should be considered “a performative strike, a demonstration of capability and a declaration of intent: ‘don’t think Moscow is safe’”.

If the Kremlin’s comments were taken at face value, it would still raise serious questions about the security around Mr Putin, one of the most closely-guarded leaders in the world.

However, the incident certainly riled politicians in Moscow, who demanded action. Vyacheslav Volodin, the influential speaker of Russia’s parliament, demanded the use of “weapons capable of stopping and destroying the Kyiv terrorist regime” without specifying what those weapons would be.

Russian officials have repeatedly raised the spectre of possible use of nuclear weaponry during the invasion of Ukraine. Former president Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, said in a social media post that the alleged drone attack left Moscow with no options but to “eliminate” Mr Zelenskiy and his “clique” in Kyiv.

The Kremlin claimed the attack was planned to disrupt Victory Day, which Russia celebrates in Red Square on 9 May to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Moscow said the parade will take place as scheduled.

Shortly before the news about the alleged attack broke, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin issued a ban on using drones in the Russian capital, with an exception for drones launched by authorities. He offered no reason for the ban, saying only that it would prevent the “illegal use of drones that can hinder the work of law enforcement”.

Elsewhere, oil depots were ablaze in both southern Russia and Ukraine. Scores of firefighters battled a huge conflagration that Russian authorities claimed was a Ukrainian drone crashing into an oil terminal on Russia’s side of its bridge to Crimea. A fuel depot in Ukraine was ablaze after a suspected Russian drone strike on the central city of Kropyvnytskyi.

An administrative building in Ukraine's southern Dnipropetrovsk region was also hit by a drone and set ablaze. Ukraine said it had shot down 21 of 26 Iranian-made drones in an overnight volley, shielding targets in Kyiv where air raid sirens blared for hours through the night.

Sixteen people were killed by Russian shelling in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, 12 of them in Kherson city, the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said. Russian forces have regularly shelled the city from parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia.

Ukraine and Russia have both been carrying out long-range strikes since last week in apparent anticipation of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Moscow says it has struck military targets, though it has produced no evidence to support this. Kyiv, without confirming any role in incidents in Russia or Crimea, said destroying infrastructure was preparation for its planned ground assault.

Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky visited Finland on Wednesday, his fourth known trip abroad since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Leaders of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden also attended his visit.

The president said his goals were to beef up Ukraine’s military and secure an eventual place in Nato, a goal endorsed by the five Nordic nations in a statement.

In Brussels, European Union countries finalised a scheme to jointly buy ammunition and missiles for Ukraine after weeks of talks.

Teenage boy kills 8 children, guard at school in Belgrade

Details

Written by northsouth

Category: Europe

Published: 03 May 2023

Hits: 838

By JOVANA GEC and DUSAN STOJANOVICH

BELGRADE, SERBIA - A teenage boy opened fire at a school in Serbia’s capital Wednesday, killing eight children and a school guard, police said. Six more children and a teacher were injured and hospitalized.

Police identified the shooter by his initials, K.K., and said he had opened fire with his father’s gun. He was arrested in the school yard, police said. A statement identified him as a student at the school in central Belgrade who was born in 2009.

Police said they received a call about the shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school around 8:40 a.m. Primary schools in Serbia have eight grades, starting with first grade.

Unlike in the United States, mass shootings in Serbia and in the wider Balkan region are extremely rare; none were reported at schools in recent years. In the last mass shooting, a Balkan war veteran in 2013 killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Experts, however, have repeatedly warned of the number of weapons left over in the country after the wars of the 1990s. They also note that decades-long instability stemming from the conflicts as well as the ongoing economic hardship could trigger such outbursts.

Local media footage from the scene showed commotion outside the school as police removed the suspect, whose head was covered as officers led him to a car parked in the street.

Milan Milosevic, who said his daughter was in a history class when the shooting took place, told N1 television that he rushed out when he heard what had happened.

“I asked where is my child but no one could tell me anything at first,” he said. “Then she called and we found out she was out.”

“He (the shooter) fired first at the teacher and then the children who ducked under the desks,” Milosevic quoted his daughter as saying. “She said he was a quiet boy and a good student.”

Police sealed off the blocks around the school, in the center of Belgrade. Primary schools in Serbia have eight grades.

Drone attack hits Crimea oil depot as Kyiv vows to avenge 25 dead

Details

Written by northsouth

Category: Europe

Published: 29 April 2023

Hits: 687

KYIV - A massive fire has erupted at an oil reservoir in Crimea after it was hit by a drone, according to a Russia-appointed official in the region.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of the Black Sea peninsula’s port city of Sevastopol, posted videos and photos of the blaze on his Telegram channel.

“The four fuel tanks that were hit, they are practically burnt out already,” he said in a video.

Mr Razvozhayev added that the fire was assigned the highest ranking in terms of how complicated it will be to extinguish.

He did not say whether the drone he cited as causing the fire was Ukrainian.

It comes as Ukraine has vowed to launch a counterattack after Moscow launched a large-scale missile assault on Friday that killed at least 23 including four children.

Russia launched a barrage of missiles overnight on Thursday into Friday morning across a number of cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro and Uman.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “This Russian terror must face a fair response from Ukraine and the world.”

Key points

- Drone causes fire at Crimea oil reservoir

- At least 25 killed including 4 children in Russian missile attack

- Ukraine vows ‘iron fist’ counterattack after Russian missile strikes

- Putin signs decree introducing life sentences for treason

Drone causes fire at Crimea oil reservoir

A massive fire erupted at an oil reservoir in Crimea after it was hit by a drone, a Russia-appointed official there reported Saturday.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of the Black Sea peninsula’s port city of Sevastopol, posted videos and photos of the blaze on his Telegram channel.

Razvozhayev said the fire was assigned the highest ranking in terms of how complicated it will be to extinguish.He did not say whether the drone he cited as causing the fire was Ukrainian.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world considered illegal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country is seeking to reclaim the peninsula during Russia‘s current full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the oil reservoir fire.

After previous attacks on Crimea, Kyiv usually stopped short of openly claiming responsibility but emphasized that the country had the right to strike any target in response to Russian aggression.

Photos taken from a video released by the Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev telegram channel on Saturday show smoke and flame rise from a burning fuel tank in Sevastopol, Crimea.

Russian embassy’s statement on Irishman killed in Ukraine criticised as ‘chilling’

Ireland’s Russian embassy has warned of possible “ensuing consequences” in response to tributes paid to an Irishman killed while fighting in Ukraine.

The comments have been criticised by a former minister for justice as “threatening” and “chilling”.

Finbar Cafferkey, from Achill Island in Co Mayo, is reported to have been killed while serving as a military volunteer in the eastern part of Ukraine.

Mr Cafferkey had previous combat experience in the Syrian conflict, and those paying tribute to him have described him as an activist on issues such as environmentalism and migration.

In the wake of his death, Irish deputy premier Micheal Martin expressed his sympathies to his family and said Mr Cafferkey was “obviously a young man of clear principles”.

Pope Francis warns of rising nationalism in Europe as he begins Hungary trip

Pope Francis has warned of the dangers of rising nationalism in Europe, and told the Hungarian government that accepting migrants, as the rest of the continent does, would be a true sign of Christianity.

At the start of a three-day trip to Hungary, the pontiff made a hard-hitting speech to government leaders including the prime minister, Viktor Orban, who has had a series of run-ins with the European Union. Francis urged a rejection of “self-referential forms of populism” and strictly nationalist interests.

The Pope also called for a return to the “European soul” envisioned by those who had laid the groundwork for modern Europe after the Second World War, saying nations had to “look beyond national boundaries”.

ICYMI: Ukraine vows ‘iron fist’ counterattack after Russian missile strikes

Ukraine has said it is concluding its preparations for a huge ground assault to try and reclaim land seized by Russia after Moscow launched its first large-scale missile assault in weeks that killed at least 23 people.

Artwork showing train journey through Ukraine goes on show ahead of Eurovision

An art installation showing Ukraine from the perspective of refugees on a train has gone on display at Liverpool Cathedral as the city prepares to host the Eurovision Song Contest.

The work, Izyum to Liverpool by Katya Buchatska, features 12 television screens showing the view from train windows during a 24-hour journey across the war-torn country.

It is one of a number of works commissioned as part of EuroFestival, a cultural programme running alongside the song contest, which is being hosted by Liverpool on behalf of last year’s winner Ukraine.

US 'deeply disappointed' after Russia denies request to visit detained Wall Street Journal reporter

The US is “deeply disappointed” after its request to visit detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was denied by Russia, reported CNN.

At a State Department briefing on Friday principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said: “We have been clear and consistent that American nationals detained abroad, especially those American citizens who are wrongfully detained like Evan, like Paul Whelan, are allotted appropriate and regular consular access by our personnel.

“And so we’re going to continue to insist that.”

The statement comes after the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected the US’ request to see Mr Gershkovich.

The Russian ministry said that the decision was in response to Washington’s denial to provide visas to Russian reporters for foreign minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to the United Nations this week.

I was only joking about Bakhmut ceasefire, says Wagner chief

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said he had been joking when he offered to suspend artillery fire on Ukrainian forces in besieged Bakhmut.

Wagner has been spearheading Russia’s assault on the Ukrainian city since last summer in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war, but Ukrainian forces have so far thwarted its attempts to take full control.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message: “A decision has been taken to suspend artillery fire so that American journalists can safely film Bakhmut and go home.”

South Korea considering its options on lethal aid to Ukraine

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Friday that Seoul was considering its options when it came to providing lethal aid to Ukraine.

In a speech at Harvard University’s Kennedy School on the fifth day of his state visit to the US, Mr Yoon called Russia’s invasion a violation of international law and the rights of Ukrainians.

When asked about the possibility of South Korea providing lethal aid to Ukraine, the president replied: “We are closely monitoring the situation that’s going on the battlefield in Ukraine and will take proper measures in order to uphold the international norms and international law.

“We are considering various options.”

Earlier Mr Yoon had said to Reuters in an interview last week that Seoul might extend its support for Ukraine beyond humanitarian and economic aid if it comes under a large-scale civilian attack, signalling a shift in his stance against arming Ukraine for the first time.

Zelensky meets with presidents of Slovakia and Czech Republic

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with the president of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová, and the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel.

Zelensky said they discussed military aid to help Ukraine address Russia’s invasion and “prepare for (the) counteroffensive,” as well as the forthcoming Nato summit in July in Vilnius, Lithuania.

“We are expecting ambitious decisions that will enforce Europe’s security,” he said. “The time has come to eliminate any uncertainty.”

There has long been talk of a Ukrainian spring counter-offensive against invading Russian forces, but it has still to materialize.

Czech president Pavel said what he saw in Ukraine reminded him of the devastation from wars in Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia.

“Fortunately, it hasn’t broken the Ukrainians,” said Pavel, a retired army general and former senior Nato official. “Russia has shown such an inclination to barbarism in recent years that I’m not surprised.”

Zelensky calls for removal of restrictions on Ukrainian food exports

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called for removal of the ban on importing Ukrainian agricultural products in some neighbouring European countries in a call with European Union president Charles Michel.

“The artificial and illegal restriction of trade with the European Union is hitting Ukraine, resisting Russian aggression, both economically and politically,” Mr Zelensky said according to a release from his office.

“I’m convinced that in the conditions of war with Russia, Ukraine as a candidate country and the European Union must always adhere to the provisions of the Association Agreement and the rules and regulations of the EU Single Market.

“Therefore, any alternative to the legal approach will not be considered a solution to the problem,” he said.

Top diplomats visit Odesa to show support

Seven foreign ministers from a group of Ukraine‘s European backers visited the war-torn country Friday to express support for Kyiv in its defence against Russia’s invasion.

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, hosting his counterparts from four Nordic and three Baltic countries in the southern port city of Odesa, repeated a plea for the delivery of US-made fighter jets to his country.

“(The jets) are needed to cover our brigades that are going to (counter-attack),” Kuleba said.

Although no promises were made, he added, “I have a feeling that our colleagues are well-disposed in this matter.”

Kuleba met with the foreign ministers of Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Because of government formation talks in Finland, the Nordic country was represented by a senior foreign ministry official.

“Through this visit, we manifest strong Nordic and Baltic support for Ukraine and its people,” said Tobias Billström of Sweden whose country currently holds the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union.

“I honestly don’t remember if Odesa ever hosted this many ministers of foreign affairs at once. If this is the first such time, we are glad, together with our colleagues, to set a new standard,” Kuleba said.

The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary

It was a month into Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces had withdrawn from around Kyiv and in their wake Bel Trew and her team stumbled on a body by an abandoned Russian camp.

His hands were tied. He had been burned and shot in the back. Soldiers said he was a teenager.

As Bel tried to find out who he was and what had happened, she uncovered a nightmare world: a nation struggling to find thousands of its missing and to identify its dead.

The Body in the Woods by Bel Trew is streaming now on Independent TV and on your smart TV: