By The Independent (World News) | Created at 2024-10-21 04:35:21 | Updated at 2024-10-21 06:27:58
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Russian firefighters have been injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on a major explosives factory and an airfield deep inside Russia.
At least four firefighters were injured in the attack on an industrial zone in Dzerzhinsk in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region and received shrapnel wounds.
The explosives plant in Dzerzhinsk is 900km deep inside Russia and is one of the largest used by Russian forces in the war, as well as being a target for US sanctions.
Details of the attack emerged as Ukraine released a video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues.
The video confirms Russia’s deployment of troops sent by Pyongyang into the conflict, Ukrainian officials said. In the video, North Korean soldiers are seen standing in line to pick up bags, clothes and other apparel from Russian servicemen.
“We received this video from our own sources. We cannot provide additional verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns,” said Ihor Solovey, the head of Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security.
Report: Trump blames Zelensky and Biden – but not Putin – for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Donald Trump held Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Joe Biden responsible for the Russia-Ukraine war in an interview — but made no reference to Vladimir Putin.
Two and a half years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump pinned the blame squarely on Zelensky and Biden for the conflict during an interview with podcaster Patrick Bet-David, which aired Thursday.
“I think Zelensky is one of the greatest salesmen I’ve ever seen,” Trump said, grumbling about how much aid the US has given Ukraine.
Read the full report below:
Alex Croft21 October 2024 05:01
Ukraine publishes video showing North Korean soldiers in Russia
Ukrainian officials have released a video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues.
The video confirms Russia’s deployment of troops sent by Pyongyang into the conflict, they claimed. In the video, North Korean soldiers are seen standing in line to pick up bags, clothes and other apparel from Russian servicemen.
“We received this video from our own sources. We cannot provide additional verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns,” said Ihor Solovey, the head of Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security.
“The video clearly shows North Korean citizens being given Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,” he said.
“For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence that shows North Korea participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and shells but also with personnel.”
The centre claims the footage was shot by a Russian soldier in recent days. It didn’t say how the footage was obtained. The location is unknown.
Arpan Rai21 October 2024 04:44
Russian forces storming town in eastern Ukraine, bloggers say
Russian forces are fighting street-to-street battles with Ukrainian troops in the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian town of Selydove, military bloggers have said.
“Street by street fighting is going on in the town,” according to Yuri Podolyaka, a prominent Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger. “The assault on Selydove has intensified.”
Other pro-Russian bloggers published video of intensive shelling of Selydove. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the footage. The Russian defence ministry did not comment.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s military, in a late evening report yesterday, said Ukrainian forces had repelled 41 Russian attacks around several towns and villages, including Selydove. The report said four battles were still raging in the area.
The popular Ukrainian war blog DeepState showed Selydove to be in Ukrainian hands.
Moscow’s forces are pushing to gain control over the whole of the Donbas region, according to pro-Russian bloggers.
Arpan Rai21 October 2024 04:14
Ukrainian air defences repelling attack on Kyiv, military says
Ukraine’s air defence units repelled a fresh overnight Russian attack targeting Kyiv, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said early this morning.
In what was at least the third wave of the overnight attacks, drone debris fell onto the Dniprovskyi district of Kyiv, but according to preliminary information caused no damage or injuries, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration said.
Arpan Rai21 October 2024 03:53
Ukrainian military denies Russian advances in Chasiv Yar
Putin’s forces have not “managed to gain a foothold” in the war-town city of Chasiv Yar despite claims of Russian advances.
Anastasia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the operational tactical group Luhansk, told the Kyiv Independent: “I do not confirm the fact that Russian troops have managed to gain a foothold in the canal ... or anywhere in the direction of Chasiv Yar.
“The overall strategic position of the city remains under the control of Ukraine.”
It comes after the crowd-sourced war-monitoring website DeepState reported on October 17 that Russian forces had made advances.
Bobovnikova explained that groups of Russian soldiers had occasionally crossed the canal and carried out assaults on Ukrainian positions, adding: “However, such manoeuvres are accompanied by significant losses for the Russians. Ukrainian forces quickly repel such attacks, pushing Russian units back.”
Alex Croft21 October 2024 03:02
Watch: Moment Ukrainian POWs reunited with families
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has shared a video of the moment Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) returned home to their families.
In a post on X, he said: “95 of our people are home again. These are the warriors who defended Mariupol and ‘Azovstal’, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kherson regions.
“Each time Ukraine rescues its people from Russian captivity, we bring closer the day when freedom will be returned to all those still held in Russian captivity.
“I thank the team involved in finding and liberating prisoners. We are doing everything to bring back all of our people held by Russia. I am grateful to the warriors who replenish the exchange fund and to all our partners who help us.”
Alex Croft21 October 2024 01:00
ICYMI: Russia and Ukraine swap 95 prisoners of war each
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 95 prisoners of war on Friday, in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates, reported Agence France-Presse.
“As a result of the negotiation process, 95 Russian servicemen were returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime,” the Russian defence ministry said.“In return, 95 Ukrainian army prisoners of war were handed over,” it said.
The human rights centre Zmina confirmed that Ukrainian journalist and rights advocate Maksym Butkevych was also freed in this exchange. Butkevych was serving a 13-year sentence on charges of wounding two civilians while firing an anti-tank grenade launcher in the eastern city of Severodonetsk.
Butkevych told Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske that the exchange came without warning.
“No, I didn’t know, it was unexpected,” he said. “Yesterday morning, after the inspection, they told me that I was leaving in half an hour, but they didn’t tell me where. Accordingly, I packed my things because I thought I was being transported, not for an exchange. We found out about the exchange by accident on the way. It was a double surprise.”
Alex Croft20 October 2024 23:01
Moldova votes in election and EU referendum amid alleged Russian interference
Moldovans were voting on Sunday in a presidential election and referendum that could determine whether the small country continues its path to European Union membership, amid ongoing allegations of Russian election meddling.
With the war in Ukraine raging to the east, the former Soviet republic has accelerated its push to escape Moscow’s orbit and embarked on the long process of EU accession talks.
Polls show pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu has a lead over her 10 rivals on the ballot, though the race will go to a November run-off if she fails to reach the 50% threshold to win outright.
Voters will also choose “yes” or “no” in a referendum on whether to enshrine in the country’s constitution its path towards the 27-nation EU. Polls by WatchDog, a Chisinau-based think tank, show a clear majority of more than 50% support the EU path. The referendum needs a one-third turnout to be valid.
Read the full report by Alastair Jamieson:
Alastair Jamieson20 October 2024 22:02
Report: France vows support for Ukraine's plan to end Russian invasion
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot pledged his support for Ukraine’s plan for ending the 2 1/2-year war with Russia, telling reporters in Kyiv on Saturday that he will work with Ukrainian officials to secure other nations’ backing for the proposal.
Unveiled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this week, Kyiv’s so-called “victory plan” hopes to compel Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine through negotiations.
The proposal is being considered by Ukraine’s Western partners, whose help is vital for Kyiv to resist its bigger neighbor. A key element would be a formal invitation into NATO, which Western backers have been reluctant to consider until after the war ends.
Read the full report:
France vows support for Ukraine's plan to end Russian invasion
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has pledged his support for Ukraine’s plan for ending the 2 1/2-year war with Russia He told reporters in Kyiv on Saturday that he will work with Ukrainian officials to secure other nations’ backing for the proposal
Alex Croft20 October 2024 21:03
Former Russian mayor enlists for war after five years in prison
Igor Pushkarev, the former Vladivostok mayor who was sentenced to 15 years behind bars for corruption in 2019, will join the war in Ukraine.
The mayor signed a contract with the Russian Defence Ministry to permit his release and join the war, Ukrainska Pravda cited Nastoyashcheye Vremya as saying.
It is not clear if and when Pushkarev will be deployed into battle.
He is the second former mayor of the south east Russian city to enlist in the war, following in the footsteps of Oleg Gumenyuk, who was mayor from 2019 until 2021 when he was also sent to prison for 12 years in a bribery case.
Pushkarev was imprisoned for large-scale bribery, commercial bribery, and abuse of power, receiving 15 years in a max-security jail.
Alex Croft20 October 2024 20:05
