“Everybody’s Afraid”: Wagner’s arrival in Belarus sparks fear in the Polish border town
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Russia launched a new wave of drone strikes in Kiev and other parts of the country on Tuesday morning, Ukraine said.
The Kremlin used Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack Kiev for the sixth time this month, but all were shot down, said Serhiy Popko, head of Kiev’s military administration.
Air raid sirens wailed across the capital and attacks were also reported in northern and central Ukraine, but to the south. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to buildings.
Air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said air defenses had been developed in three regions of the country’s north.
“About 10 drones were recorded, the information is being clarified,” he told Ukrainian television, adding that up to five were destroyed.
Earlier, thousands of Wagner Group mercenaries have arrived in Belarus since the group’s short rebellion, a military watchdog said.
Between 3,450 and 3,650 soldiers have traveled to a camp near Asipovichy, a town 230 kilometers (140 miles) north of the border with Ukraine, according to Belaruski Hajun, an activist group that tracks troop movements inside the country.
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Russia launches new attacks on Kiev
Russia launched new drone strikes in Kiev and parts of central and northern Ukraine early Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
There were also no reports of new attacks in southern Ukraine, which have occurred almost nightly since Russia pulled out of an agreement allowing the safe export of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea on July 17.
Russia used Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack Kiev for the sixth time this month, but all were shot down, said Serhiy Popko, head of Kiev’s military administration.
Air raid alerts sounded for more than three and a half hours over the Kiev region. Regional Governor Ruslan Kravchenko said there had been no reports of damage or casualties, although falling debris sparked a fire in a field.
Air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said air defenses had been developed in three regions of the country’s north.
“About 10 drones were recorded, information is being clarified,” he told Ukrainian television, adding that up to five were destroyed.
A man works in the rubble of an apartment building destroyed in Russian missile strikes in Odesa, Ukraine, on Sunday
(son PA)
Matt MathersJuly 25, 2023 09:46
Watch: Russian fighter jet damages US drone with flares over Syria
Russian fighter jet damages US drone with flares over Syria
Martha MchardyJuly 25, 2023 8:15 p.m
Russian military delegation to join Chinese visit to North Korea
A Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will visit North Korea this week, Shoigu’s ministry announced on Tuesday, joining a Chinese group as the first such public visitors to the country since the start of the pandemic.
The delegations will visit on Thursday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of “Victory Day” in Pyongyang, state media agency KCNA reported, with Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong leading the group from his country.
Russia’s defense ministry, whose delegation will visit from Tuesday to Thursday, said it had been invited by its North Korean counterpart and would attend the Victory Day events.
“This visit will contribute to strengthening military ties between Russia and North Korea and will be an important stage in the development of cooperation between the two countries,” the ministry said in a statement.
North Korea closed its border in early 2020 to all trade and diplomatic exchanges, including with its main economic and political partners China and Russia. The state media report did not say whether the visits would mark any policy changes.
Anniversary events are expected to include a major military parade in the North Korean capital.
Martha MchardyJuly 25, 2023 7:51 p.m
Navy veteran released from Russia in 2022 wounded while fighting in Ukraine, US says
A former U.S. Marine who was freed from Russia in a prisoner swap last year has been wounded while fighting in Ukraine, the State Department and a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
Trevor Reed was injured several weeks ago, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak about the matter by name and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Reed was flown to Germany for medical attention. He said Reed was not acting on behalf of the US government.
Reed was released from Russian custody in a prisoner swap last year in exchange for a Russian pilot jailed in the United States for a drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Martha MchardyJuly 25, 2023 7:15 p.m
US announces $400 million in security aid for Ukraine
The United States will provide up to $400 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
The new aid will include air defense munitions, armored vehicles and anti-armor weapons, it said in a statement.
Martha MchardyJuly 25, 2023 6:45 p.m
Putin approves law banning Russians from changing gender in latest blow to LGBT+ community
Vladimir Putin has signed controversial new legislation banning surgical gender reassignment in Russia, once again for the country’s LGBT+ population.
Putin’s latest move on Monday marks Russia’s final step in outlawing gender-affirmation procedures and depriving its transgender population of their right to access gender reassignment services.
Martha MchardyJuly 25, 2023 6:30 p.m
Putin Was Told About Wagner’s Riot Plot But Couldn’t Stop It – Washington Post
Russian President Vladimir Putin was unable to stop a rebellion by Wagner fighters last month despite being warned of the mutiny days in advance, the Washington Post reported.
President Putin was told two or three days before the June 23 uprising that Wagner’s boss, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, was preparing a possible rebellion.
Wagner’s boss, Yevgeniy Prigozhin
“Putin had time to make the decision to liquidate [the mutiny] and arrest the organizers,” an unnamed European security official said.
“Then when it started happening, there was paralysis at all levels… There was utter dismay and confusion. For a long time, they didn’t know how to react.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the claims as “nonsense” shared by “people who lack information.”
Martha MchardyJuly 25, 2023 6:00 p.m
Kremlin adviser: Putin to visit China in October
Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to visit China in October, planning his visit to coincide with a “One Belt, One Road” forum, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Tuesday, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
China has become Russia’s most important ally since early last year, when the West’s already strained ties with Moscow further heated up as Putin prepared to send his armed forces into Ukraine.
Putin last visited Beijing just before the invasion, which Russia calls a “special military operation,” and together with Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a “boundless” partnership that has extended to the economic, trade, political and military areas.
China has declined to blame Moscow for the war and has condemned Western sanctions on Russia, although it has benefited from getting discounts on oil and gas that Russia no longer sells to Europe, and has seen Russia increasingly use its yuan as a reserve currency, in preference to the US dollar.
Xi, in turn, arrived in Moscow in March, sealing a series of economic and other deals with his “dear friend” Putin.
China presented a document to Moscow calling for a de-escalation and eventual ceasefire in Ukraine, but Kiev and its Western allies rejected the plan, saying it would block Russian territorial gains.
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping
(Sputnik)
Martha MchardyJuly 25, 2023 5:29 p.m
Former Russian defense workers convicted of spying on behalf of Ukraine
Two former Russian defense workers have been jailed for treason after being found guilty of spying for Ukraine.
The couple, who were formerly married, were sentenced to 17 and 13 years in prison after being accused of passing military information to Kiev.
The two former defense workers also planned to blow up railway lines in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, the Kursk Regional Court said in a statement.
The pair, identified as RA Sidorkin and TA Sidorkina by the FSB, were accused of handing over technical documents and models used in the manufacture of weapons systems for the Russian air force.
The FSB said it had seized plastic explosives, four detonators, military design documentation and $150,000 in cash.
Sidorkin, 50, was also charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and sentenced to 17 years.
Sidorkina, 41, was sentenced to 13 years.
Martha MchardyJuly 25, 2023 5:25 p.m
A Ukrainian politician arrested for alleged collaboration with Russia
A Ukrainian politician suspected of collaborating with Russia has been arrested, the country’s general prosecutor’s office has announced.
Oleksandr Ponomaryov, MP elected by a now-banned party accused of links to Russiahe was held without bail by Kyiv’s Pechersk District Court, the prosecutor’s office said.
He is accused of going “on the side of the enemy” and helping Russia occupy the city of Berdyansk.
Martha MchardyJuly 25, 2023 5:15 p.m
