Day: August 18, 2022
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Russian Munitions Depot Ablaze Near Ukraine Border
Two Russian villages were evacuated on Thursday after a fire broke out at an ammunition depot near the border with Ukraine, local authorities said. The blaze comes days after explosions at a military base and munitions depot in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow, which Russia called an act of “sabotage” by Kyiv. “An ammunition depot…
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Ukrainian Southern Counteroffensive ‘Unlikely’ as Russia Bolsters Forces
A significant Ukrainian offensive to recapture Russian-occupied territories in its southern regions is seen as increasingly unlikely by experts as Moscow moves reinforcements to the area and Kyiv re-focuses on targeting Russian military capacity in the rear. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened an imminent attempt to recapture the city of Kherson, which was seized by…
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Zelensky Hails Turkish Leader’s Visit as Russian Strikes Batter Kharkiv
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday hailed a visit to his war-ravaged country from Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Russian strikes battered the eastern region of Kharkiv, leaving several dead and dozens injured. In a separate meeting with UN chief Antonio Guterres, Zelensky called on the UN to ensure security at the Zaporizhzhia power…
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Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missiles to Kaliningrad
Russia on Thursday relocated three warplanes equipped with hypersonic missiles to its exclave of Kaliningrad on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Wedged between EU and NATO members Lithuania and Poland that have firmly backed Ukraine in the conflict with Moscow, the heavily militarized region of Kaliningrad does not share a land border with Russia. …
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Wildfire Smog Blankets Moscow Amid Heatwave
Moscow has been blanketed by wildfire smog coming from a nearby region fueled by a summer heat wave, Interfax reported. Authorities in the Russian capital advised residents on Thursday to wear face masks to protect themselves from the smog. The Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) blamed authorities in the Ryazan region, where the wildfires are currently burning,…
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European Military Aid Commitments to Ukraine ‘Dry Up’ After 5 Months of War – Research
Major European governments promised no new military aid to Ukraine in July, the first month this has happened since Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbor, according to research published Thursday. Ukraine, which relies heavily on Europe’s military and economic aid, received only around 1.5 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in new pledges of support in July, bringing the total…
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U.S. Seeking to Brand Russia a ‘Blood Diamonds’ Exporter
The United States and its Western allies are seeking to label Russian diamonds “conflict diamonds” over the world’s largest supplier’s nearly six-month invasion of Ukraine. Russia produces about one-third of the world’s diamonds. The U.S., the largest importer of Russian diamonds, estimates that Russia exported more than $4.5 billion worth of diamonds in 2021. “Proceeds…
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Russian Exports to EU Up Amid Higher Oil Prices
The European Union’s imports of Russian goods have grown in monetary terms despite declining in volume this year due to higher prices for commodities including oil. Critics have decried continued EU imports of Russian fossil fuels since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February, accusing the bloc of funding the Kremlin’s offensive. EU imports from Russia rose by…
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Russian Spacewalk Cut Short Due to Issue With Suit
A spacewalk by two Russians on Wednesday was ended abruptly due to a problem with the battery in cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev’s suit, though at no point was he in any danger, the U.S. and Russian space agencies said. “Oleg, you must return to the airlock as soon as possible,” the Earth-based Russian mission controllers ordered,…