Ukraine-Russia war latest: Ukrainian drones wound Russian firefighters as G7 ministers pledge support
Ukraine launches series of drones targeting Moscow and western Russia
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Ukraine launched a series of drones targeting Moscow and western Russia, regional officials said today, adding that there was no significant damage.
Four firefighters in an industrial zone in Dzerzhinsk in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region however, received minor shrapnel wounds from a drone attack. Regional governor Gleb Nikitin said on the Telegram messaging app they were given “necessary medical care”.
Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said Russia’s air-defence units destroyed at least one drone flying towards Moscow.
Meanwhile, defence ministers of the G7 countries pledged “unwavering support” for Ukraine.
“We underscore our intent to continue to provide assistance to Ukraine, including military assistance in the short and long term,” in its conflict with Russia, the ministers said after their meeting in Naples.
The statement added that they supported Ukraine’s “irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including Nato membership”.
It comes as the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a statement that Russian Navy ships had transferred 1,500 North Korean special operation forces to the Russian port city of Vladivostok earlier this month.
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.
“And that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help them because I feel very badly for those people. But he should never have let that war start,” the former president added.
“That war’s a loser.”
Trump blames Zelensky and Biden – but not Putin – for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
President Biden ‘instigated that war,’ Trump claimed during a podcast interview that aired Thursday
Ukraine's former armed forces chief endorses 'victory plan' in first speech since his dismissal
Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, on Thursday expressed his support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan,” despite the tensions between the two that led to his dismissal.
“Ukraine must clearly follow the plan,” Zaluzhnyi said in his first public appearance since his appointment as ambassador to the U.K.
He told an audience at London’s Chatham House think-tank: “But this list of steps primarily concerns those countries that should ultimately be interested in stopping the war.”
Susie Blann and Hanna Arhirova have the full report:
Ukraine's former armed forces chief endorses 'victory plan' in first speech since his dismissal
Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has expressed his support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan,” despite the tensions between the two that led to his dismissal in February
Biden urges no let-up in support for Ukraine on Berlin visit
US President Joe Biden championed his NATO allies to continue their support of Ukraine on his visit to Berlin yesterday.
Mr Biden met Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday, and were joined by French president Emmanuel Macron and British prime minister Keir Starmer for discussions.
“We should never underestimate the power of democracy, never underestimate the value of alliances,” Mr. Biden said at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin.
Western allies must “sustain our support (...) until Ukraine wins a just and sustainable peace. We’re headed into a very difficult winter. We cannot let up,” he added.
On Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled a five-point “victory plan” to beat Russia to the European Union and NATO leaders, insisting that an “immediate invitation to Ukraine to join NATO would be decisive”.
Russian troops fighting to gain ground in Ukraine before winter sets in
Ukrainian troops have been caught up in fierce fighting for the town of Toretsk in the eastern region of Donetsk, which Russian troops entered on Friday, reported Al Jazeera.
“They erase the city with artillery. We have already seen it in other towns of Donbas. And after that, they storm in small groups. They are trying to find weak points in our defence with such small strikes,” Anastasia Bobovnikova, spokesperson for Luhansk Technical University said.
Head of Ukraine’s National Guard, Ruslan Muzychuk, said that Russia was trying to gain as much ground as possible before the rain makes it impossible for armoured vehicles to operate.
Russia returns 500 dead soldiers to Ukraine as world leaders mull next steps
Russia returns 500 dead soldiers to Ukraine as world leaders mull next steps
Russia has returned to Ukraine the bodies of 501 soldiers in what appears to be the biggest repatriation of war dead since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022
Foreign secretary David Lammy urges China against supporting Russia’s military
British foreign secretary David Lammy on Friday raised his concerns regarding China’s support of Russia in its war against Ukraine, and urged his Chinese counterpart to prevent Chinese firms from providing supplies to Russia, reported the Associated Press.
Mr Lammy is on a two-day visit to China, and met vice premier Ding Xuexiang, and held talks with foreign minister Wang Yi on Friday.
In a statement after the meeting, the Foreign Office said that Mr Lammy “stated how both the UK and China have a shared interest in European peace and ending the war. He reaffirmed that concerns over China’s supply of equipment to Russia’s military industrial complex risks damaging China’s relationships with Europe whilst helping to sustain Russia’s war”.
Mr Lammy urged Mr Wang to “take all measures to investigate and to prevent Chinese companies from supplying Russia’s military,” the statement said.
Video report: Counter-terrorism police investigating UK warehouse fire over possible links to Russia
Everything we know about North Korean troops joining Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The US and its allies have raised the alarm after Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that North Korea was sending thousands of soldiers to help Russia in its war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president claimed on Thursday that his government had intelligence that nearly 10,000 soldiers from North Korea were being prepared to join the Russian forces fighting in his country.
Mr Zelensky made the claim, without offering further details, a day after US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell said Washington and its allies were concerned by North Korea’s military support for Russia.
Everything we know about North Korean troops joining Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky claims North Korea is preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian military, calling it the ‘first step to a world war’
North Korean troops in Russia readying for combat, South Korea says
South Korea’s spy agency said on Friday that North Korea has sent 1,500 special forces troops to Russia’s Far East for training and acclimatisation at local military bases, likely to be deployed for combat in the war in Ukraine, reported Reuters.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said it had been working with Ukraine’s intelligence service and identified North Korean officers in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region using facial recognition artificial intelligence technology.
“The direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea that has been reported by foreign media has now been officially confirmed,” the spy agency said in a statement.
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